A Pottertastic Few Days

[laliandra]

My life has been busy, and very filled with Harry Potter related randomness. Which can only be a good thing I think.

Firstly though, I need help. I have finally finished the first chapter of a long fic I've been planning for a while. It could probably do with someone to read through and check my grammar (I have comma issues) and general plotting ( I may be more confusing to others than to myself!). Does anyone know anywhere I could ask for someone to do that? Or would be willing to? And then I would really like to post it some more places, are there any fic sites people would recommend? It's at times like these I really miss The Sugar Quill. It seems to have totally gone away, and this makes me quite upset...

Anyway, back to tales of how Harry Potter has taken over my life, but improves it, really!

On Tuesday I worked a crazy 14 hour day, leaving home a 6 and getting back at 8. The job mainly involved sitting in a field, so I got a lot of reading done, some for university and then a re-read of Havemercy because it makes me happy. I found Havemercy because it was written by one of the writers of the Shoebox Project, one of the loveliest, funniest, cleverest pieces of writing, never mind fanfic, I have ever encountered. I also listened to various things from the awesome longcarrides - The Shoebox Project and other things read aloud by the most talented Colline. It pretty much saved me from dying of boredom. I was also very much amused by the fact that one of my co workers was called Miss Amber Snape, who sounded so much like the heroine of a bad Mary Sue fic that I spent a lot of time in her company suppressing bad jokes. It’s not my fault, I function badly on little sleep! When she mentioned her father was a teacher I may have laughed, ever so slightly. It brightened up a grey, dull, cold pavement at 6.30 in the morning. See how HP makes life better.

Being on my own in the middle of the countryside was also very conducive to writing, so I finished my chapter and finally got round to writing something for sq_drabblers  , a community I try to write 300 words for each week. It's a great little group. Finally, I started a sequel to this - http://community.livejournal.com/thremedon/13758.html. Because it makes me all happy and smiley and romantic. Although its schmoopey.

However this did mean that throughout the whole evening a sizeable section of my brain was taken up with trying to untangle a plot point. And this made conversations rather difficult, and my entire contribution to supper was leaning on a counter, waving a spoon towards my boyfriend who was cooking in his suit with the shirtsleeves rolled up and saying "aesthetically pleasing." And the other part of my brain went, ‘that would be a great scene. I'm pretty sure people would appreciate the cuteness.’

And then yesterday I got home from another long day at Fresher’s Fair, explaining the 3 main points of the Leeds Tibet Society to people and giving out flyers. And going “No, we are not Free Tibet. Too single issue and militant. The free pizza is over there.” To sooth me I read a lot of sarahtales . Maya!fic makes me feel better, and the discussion all over the place makes me feel better about being this obsessed. I.e obsessed enough to make this entire post… Also I love to analyse.
So, in short, Yay fandom! Yay Harry Potter!

Comments

[mcollinknight.livejournal.com]

Uhm hi. I like it when I'm mentioned. It makes me feel fluffy inside. Also, "most talented" may be my favourite adjective EVER.

Actually, that scene with the spoon-waving and suit sleeves looks INCREDIBLY cute in my brain. Awwwwww (I wish I had a boyfriend who could cook. I wish *I* could cook). Schmoopey is good. Who is this boyfriend?

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

Well I'm feeling very grateful towards you, it was a looong day and the podfic was like a godsend!

Yeah, I think the whole 'suit but made casual' thing may be my faourite thing on a boy. I waved the spoon at his housemates as well until one of them actually took it away from me "for my own safety". Ah, yes, the boyfriend. I met him in my first year of uni and we've been going out a while (I don't like to say how long cos it scares me!), he is a graduate and is saving the planet. Well, his job is checking that big businesses obey environmental law and don't screw up the earth.
He does not understand my obsession with sci-fi and fantasy and certainly not fandom! *hopes that wasn't too schmoopey*

I wish I could cook too. My dad can, how did I miss out on that gene!

[mcollinknight.livejournal.com]

Some things are like that - I had a looooooooooooong hard day yesterday and I got back to the dorm just wanting to sit down and laugh and not do anything, so I watched about 8 episodes of the Colbert Report. So I know what you mean about godsends.

(Mine too.) And actually, that's what my dad does! He works for an environmental consulting firm, because the government makes everyone building cottages or golf courses or diamond mines hire him to tell them what they can or can not do and how what they're planning to do will affect the environment and how to make it better. So your boyfriend is doing a very good job indeed. YAY for planet-saving boyfriends!

[vegablack62.livejournal.com]

Great post. I'm thrilled that you have a new drabble and for the drabble group. I need to get going with mine. And I'm thrilled that your story is going well. Oddnari is looing to beta people and advise on fics. She betas as odditor and can be found on my profile page in my friends list. All you have to do is post a comment on her first entry with a URL for your fic and some explanation of what you are interested in. She has looked at one of my fics. I like her though she is blunt. She really wants fics to beta.

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your help. I will look into oddnari, that sounds perfect. The stories going well makes me very happy, and I hope that you will like them.

[vegablack62.livejournal.com]

My Beta Stubbefied (Stubbefied by God on LJ) is a Sugar Quill beta and she is very good. She is supportive and skilled. I think she has a good sense of language. But I don't know if she wants more people to beta and she is also looking for a new job and moving at the moment. You might consider her as well. Sugar quill is still accepting work by people who have Sugar Quill betas so that would be a plus of using her.

[vegablack62.livejournal.com]

This is the URL for odditor: http://odditor.livejournal.com/

She wants to beta.

[vegablack62.livejournal.com]

When she betas it is done screened so others can't read what you have written or what she has to say about it.

[shoeboxer4life.livejournal.com]

So...friends? And regarding the beta thingy...what is the pairing? And rating?

Love, Anna
P.S. HP obsession rocks. And schmoopey boyfriends who just don't understand are at least cute whilst judging us for fandom, no? Oh, but mine is a husband. still. Cute while judging.

Love, Anna

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

Totally friends!
It's Draco/Astoria (sorry!) and nothing too explicit yet, though probably lots of swearing. It's also a lot about Draco's experience of DH and what the hell happened after that.

The bf is very cute, though I'm obviously biased. He is mostly amused and not too judgy, he has several obsessions of his own, though he teases!

[isil-helyanwe.livejournal.com]

Heya. I just found you on that post on thremedon on that post where you were talking about how you knew no Shoebox/Havemercy people on this side of the Atlantic? Well, I live in London & I looked at your journal and you are very cool so I added you. Hurrah!

(So yeah, feel free to add me back or not add me back or whatever. :D)

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

Hey! An english shoeboxer/havemercyer. Awesome. Hurrah indeed! I fear we are few and far between.
Am totally going to add you. And thank you for saying I'm cool, I suspect you have been mislead though...