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Charcoal Box - Writing Post

Peer pressure or cheerleading?

This is the post for all of you who write better if they don't feel alone.

Sister again.

I could really use some encouragement, if anyone is still around! I'd wanted to write a treat for someone very badly, but didn't have the time to start until today. It's for a 90s kids TV show, and the person requested one of my baby's first ships! I was so excited about it until I tried to canon review a bit today, and just... god, this show is so awful. Cheesy and over-acted and terrible :( My nostalgia goggles must have been so tight!

So now I'm bummed out because I just don't know if I can actually put anything together for her. I don't think I'll be able to do my initial plan, which was a long future fic for the pairing, because I just won't have the time. But I don't even know if I can put something little together now, with the huge sense of disappointment I feel. Arghhh. But I feel so bad!

Encouragement or advice or something would be lovely, if you have it.

That sucks. Does it sound like the recipient is super invested in canon, or are they into it for nostalgia reasons? Because I know that I would happily read fic for some of my old shows, even though I can barely remember what the character's names are for some of them. If you can just write from that sense of nostalgia, without worrying about how bad the actual show is, I bet you could still write a nice story, one that you'd both enjoy.

Otherwise, I'd say don't worry about it. A treat is a nice thing for you to do, but your intended recipient isn't going to know you didn't write it for them. You're not an awful person for not writing it. :)

I reread their request again, and it does kind of sound like they're more in it for nostalgia reasons than anything else. (She said that, as much as she loves the characters, the show's plots were pretty ridiculous.) Maybe I can still try and put something together - maybe not the long treat I'd originally envisioned, but something smaller with the pairing.

Thanks for the encouragement, I really appreciate that :)

Oh, I just read your post on the normal _coal post and felt so bad for you. It always hurts to be disappointed by your nostalgia getting the best of you ;[

Did you had a particular key scene that you were looking forward to writing for your long fic? Maybe focus on how you can incorporate it into a shorter fic, though you might have to change a few things like the particular setting/circumstances. At the very least, it might help to just get some words out with the most vivid scenes you had in your head! - Snow

Curse you, nostalgia!

I did - I wanted to write them reuniting after her middling yet failed music career (why did 90s shows have so many characters trying to make it big on MTV?) and his becoming a teacher. He could introduce some stability into her life. I could try and just focus on that instead of on the canon itself - that might help me get some words down. Thanks, Snow. :)

As someone who liked a lot of shows from the 70s and 80s, I can relate to how bad some of them come across now. But I still love them while acknowledging how bad they were. :)

I agree that if you focus on the characters, you'll probably "feel" it more and focus less on the cheesy scripts and acting.

You can do it!

-Challenger

Thank you :) I'm going to give it a shot, anyway!

Everyone else has given you great advice, so I'm just going to pop in to add an extra bit of encouragement:) I hope you can write something that brings back your joy in the show! --Red

Thank you, Red! :)

Cat-in-the-hat adding in some encouragement!! This thread and your upbeat treating have just made my day. :) May the Yuletide force be with you!

Thank you! :)

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