So.... I Have No Idea What I'm Doing.

[Ashla]

*Peaks through door* ...

Hi?


Once again, I managed to poof off the face of the site. My apologies. I kept getting these Althanas updates in my email, and made a mental note to get around checking the site again.

Problem is, 1.) I barely have any free time at all, don't expect me to be on often. 2.) I have no idea what I'm even writing anymore.

I'm on this massive writing block with my characters, especially Ashla who I worked years on developing. I know Ashla is this dark, teenage emo, angsty villian (http://cdn.gifbay.com/2016/01/kylo_ren_1-184189.gif) who can freeze yo blood and wants "peace" (hypocrite!) but... what else is driving her? I know she wants some type of world peace (how ironic) and must have some master plan of some type. But I have no master plan, not even a small plan. I know she has weaknesses to develop and places to go, but I have no idea how to get there. Heck, she has nothing to back her up. She's quite the loner to begin with, gotta hate writing into corners! I don't want to just drop her, 'cause yes, I'm emotionally attached to this character and worked on her for years in various forms. Plus, freezing blood sounds sweet :cool:

Aaaaaaaaaaaand there's Felicity Knopsnider. I actually know where I want her to go, but the execution is going to be tough. I wuv Fewicity, she's everything I wanted Ashla to be... then angst and misery came along and messed Ashla up... ... and unlike Ashla, this character easily is going to stay a "good guy." I know she has growing up to do from being a kid who's "twaining" to be a "hero," and I can't wait to start on it. I know what she's going to look like in the future, and it excites me! However, once again, execution is going to be a toughie.


So yeah.

Once again, I'm not at all going to be very active, because life is happening, but I can try to come here semi-regularly again. Yeah.




God bless!
~ Ashla.

[black shadow]

Took ye long enough!! ;p

[Ashla]

Took ye long enough!! ;p

I know, I know... Wish I could be here more often myself. xP

[Shinsou Vaan Osiris]

Welkommen zum Althanas again :)

[Dissinger]

Welcome back, I understand your apprehension with Ashla, I had much the same feelings for Seth awhile back.

[BlackAndBlueEyes]

Why not have Ashla slip into obscurity ICly for a bit while you figure out what you want to do with her, and then focus all of your writing efforts on Felicity?

[Eylana]

I agree with Andy on this.

[Ashla]

Shin, thankie! :)

Dissinger, thank you! Did you eventually get back into things with your character?

Andy and Eylana, sounds like a good idea! Ashla broods while Fewicity grows... I need to pick up where I left off with Fewicity I guess. Thank you! :)

[Rayleigh]

Yay, welcome back!

I understand not knowing where to go with your character. Don't force it! Write with Felicity for now, and somewhere down the line, you'll have this huge idea for Ashla. That's what happened for me!

[Lye]

I'm in the same boat you are with Lye. I have no idea where I really want to go with him. I had a plan, but it relied on others and I think that's just not going to happen. Too many burns and whatnot. I have no goal with him.

So, in my own miasma of doubt and confusion, I may just pull a Madison Freebird and rewrite his character sheet to fit an entirely different need/story. Dump some old useless canon and adopt some new canon to help get him back where I originally intended him to be.

My other idea was to focus on one small, short term goal. For example, find or bump into a long lost NPC family member or friend. Play out that interaction and pursue how his character would handle such a thing. Maybe use some old threads/canon to figure out his direction in the conflict and move toward that?

Lastly, I retire him and remove him from play as a PC. Make him a player owned NPC and reincarnate a new character I find more interesting. Or just write with Alyssa, who I clearly show more interest and strength with.

Point is, don't give up. And my biggest word of advice is to just write for fun - don't worry about top scores, flawless grammar, coherent story or anything like that. Write for fun first, and that other technical stuff will fall in place as you get back into the groove.

[Karuka]

My girls go through phases of being my main and barely getting any play. Don't be concerned that you're stuck with one character; you've got tons more that you might have more success writing with right now. You also DO have that problem where you've written Ashla into a corner, mostly because you're a lot more mature now than when you started writing with her. A lot of the story ideas you had for her back then have either become irrelevant or you have no idea why you had them. It happens to the best of us.

Focus on another character; Ashla will tell you when and how she's ready to come back.