2014 in Text

[cedar_grove]

While everyone else seems to be busy looking back on 2013 to see the highlights and low points of the last year, some in quite formal ways, others via the whole Facebook thing, I've been trying to - and in some cases, 'trying' has been the operative word - set my sights forwards into 2014.

I don't do the whole New Year's resolutions thing, I rarely stick to them, because inevitably at some point they become obsolete or impossible despite all the self discipline in the world and therefore get dropped. I have made one promise to myself for this year, though - that being to finish reading The Silmarillion. The other things I have been thinking about in respect of 2014 are things I'd like to do if at all possible, a few goals one could say.

We were at the library on Friday, grabbing Mir's books for her January read, and the thought about The Silmarillion and also about my own reading for the year had me come up with a decision. This year I'm decided that I want to read a Tolkien each month. So, I made a list as follows:

The Silmarillion
The History of Middle Earth, Volumes 1 through 5
The Children of Hurin
Unfinished tales of Numenor and Middle-earth
Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
Return of the King
The Hobbit.

My reading goal on Goodreads is set to 40 book. Last year I set the bar rather too high, based entirely on how 'unbusy' I was at the beginning of the year, and then everything changed of course... I found work, DOMA fell, precipitating an awesome life change, and so reading took a back seat to so many other things, that 75 books just wasn't happening. So in addition to the Tolkien, I have a list to pull from for book to read to reach my modest reading goal, and that's one thing on the list for this year.

Writing took a major hit in 2013, with some seriously lost mojo, but I feel as if I'm coming out from behind that cloud now that a new year is dawned, and I'm staring to get a grip a little more of my new situation, so I feel that I might actually get a few more words from the tips of the old fingers this year too. I'm not setting goals - I think part of the problem last year was that I did that and so ended up putting up walls around myself - but I do have projects to switch between and keep things fresher. The two original projects, along with three Middle Earth fan fic projects make up the head of the list of projects, and I still have the SGA floating around in the back of the brain, taking a respite to gather full strength again. Writing 13 novel length fics kind of made for hitting a major wall in that regard, even if all 20 are planned. I needed a rest - I'm taking that rest in Arda.

Comments

[seramercury.livejournal.com]

I was a little ambitious with my reading goal on Goodreads last year. Somehow I thought I was going to ready 100 books. LOL! This year I trimmed it to 40 like you.

I'm still writing fanfic and I just finished SGA Santa. Unfortunately I think my SGA fic days are over. I had a horrible time with my beta (who decided to add her wife into the mix to help out). I can take constructive criticism but they were both pretty much telling me that my plot was terrible and I should rewrite it. I think they missed the part where it was an AU. Luckily the person I wrote it for (and about five others) really liked it, but it put me off SGA fic.

I was just thinking about our RPG days. We had some good writers in that group. :)

[cedargrove.livejournal.com]

It's a shame that you think your SGA fanfic days are over. :( There are so few good SGA Fic writers out there. You need to remember that your audience - the ones you wrote it for - really liked it. (Okay, that's my pep talk our of the way :D )

We did have some good writers in that group. Some days I miss the wonderful exchanges that went on during that RPG. Ah, nostalgia...

So what else are you writing, if not SGA... still Supernatural? Anything else?

[seramercury.livejournal.com]

Hee! Thanks for the talk! :) I am currently writing a Supernatural fic but I'm not really in that fandom 'net wise anymore. Those people are crazy! LOL!

I've been writing Doctor Who, Warehouse 13, Castle, and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (haha).

[cedargrove.livejournal.com]

Oooh, a fellow Whovian? Very cool... Which doctor, dare I ask?

Haven't yet watched much of Supernatural but I think I knew that those folks are crazy....

[seramercury.livejournal.com]

My favorite Doctor is Peter Davison and I've written a few fics with him. I also write Matt Smith. I think I co-wrote one fic with David Tennant.

[cedargrove.livejournal.com]

It's so refreshing to see someone from outside of the UK that likes a 'pre-reboot' Doctor. :D

Love Matt though, and David... have to confess to being not at /all/ sure about Capaldi. *sighs* Not fair, I know, since we haven't seen him in role yet, but... there you go.

[seramercury.livejournal.com]

They used to air the 'pre-reboot' Doctor episodes around here every Saturday night. My mom would watch them and we would watch with her. She's the one who got me into Doctor Who/sci-fi. :)

I used to like David Tennant a lot but I had a friend who was obsessed with him and we would only watch Midnight whenever we were together that I couldn't stand him after a while. It's been about five years since then so I am getting back into watch DT again.

[cedargrove.livejournal.com]

That's very cool, about the early Who. We've been trying to find some on Netflix for Mir to watch. Then there was the fact that when I was flying back and forth between the UK and the US, I would inevitably miss a lot of the reboot stuff, so it's only recently that I've finally caught up with everything, thanks to Netflix.

It's a shame when that kind of thing happens to kill your enthusiasm in something... so I'm glad you're getting back into watching DT again. He had so much potential. There was actually a lot of things in his (certainly later) episodes that reminded me a lot of Davidson's Doctor, particularly when he got 'angry.'

*pokes nose in where it isn't wanted*

[mirrani.livejournal.com]

1) I would write SGA stuff, but I refuse to cave and you know that, so don't ask. (No, that website I created with a Wraith interface means ABSOLUTELY nothing!) ;)
2) I honestly wish I'd listened to my father and watched DR who when it was on here, because then maybe I'd be a fan instead of finding it an amusing puzzle to solve all the time.
3) I am certain of Capaldi. Like I was certain of Draco. I can't explain it, but it's right, somehow.
4) The first time I ever did a challenge on goodreads I set it to 120 books for the year and I missed it by like.. three. Even the people with big numbers sometimes have to bring it down a notch.

Re: *pokes nose in where it isn't wanted*

[cedargrove.livejournal.com]

Your nose is always wanted, feel free to poke at any time.

1) No, nothing at all, just like the one the the Early Starfleet interface means nothing either. ;)
2) I wish you had too, Doctor Who is cool, like bowties - which will always be cool... not matter who is driving the Tardis.
3) I'm still trying to reserve judgement, but it's a long time to wait.
4) You always read like the voracious velocoraptor of book worms. I tip my hat to you.

Re: *pokes nose in where it isn't wanted*

[mirrani.livejournal.com]

2) It's only cool when it's done properly. After that, it's just a puzzle worth solving.
4)I have two hours every day that provide me with nothing to do. Reading fills those two hours very well. It's just that simple. But you can thank Star Trek for my wanting to read. I loved the show. I discovered the novels. End of discussion. :)

[timespirt.livejournal.com]

I never realized there were more books in the Tolkien trilogy but the last 4. Now I have something to look for and read. :-)