28/11/2012

Good news! I've WON!!! Yes, that's right, I have officially achieved what I set out to do this month: prove to myself that I CAN write 50000 words in a month and I CAN do it with original characters. My novel isn't finished, but it's coming along nicely (I'm just getting to what Shreek calls the juicy bits at the moment) and I will be continuing to write it even after November is over. But don't worry, I will be returning to my fanfictions soon!

04/11/2012

As you may or may not know, I am doing NaNoWriMo this year (for the first time). Which means that I will not be updating long running stories for the entire month of November. However, if you are interested, I will be posting chapters of my original story as they unfold over on FictionPress.

The story is called "Side Effects May Include..." and follows Beatrix Cooper, an Office Assistant/Copy Queen working for a security company. In an effort to pay her rent of time for a change, she enlists in a Drug Trial program, thinking that all she would have to do is take some kind of new multi vitamin for a month and they'd give her $500. She soon realises, however, that she's playing with something bigger than vitamins, as she experiences some strange, yet exhilarating side effects.

So head on over and check it out: http://www.fictionpress.com/s/3070952/1/Side-Effects-May-Include

29/05/2012

Who wants to solve Brodie's crossword??!! Here's the link:http://becleigh.deviantart.com/#/d51mi7a

28(I think)-05-2012

If this post had a name it would probably be called, "Thoughts from Beyond Midnight." You know those nights where you go to bed because you're tired but the moment you turn off the light and crawl under the covers you mind is spinning with thoughts you don't usually consciously acknowledgE, thereby keeping you awake? Well,this is one of those nights. It is currently 36 minutes past midnight as I am typing this after spending the better halfIOC an hour trying to convince my brain to shut up and let me sleep. It won't though. It doesn't love me that much. Hence why I am tapping away at my iPad in the middle of the night...

So anyway, if you've made it thisfae you're probably wondering what on earth is keeping me awake. In short, fanfiction. Seems obvious now, doesn't it? Why else would I beposturing this ramble on my fanfiction profile? Now to the specifics. As I lay my head on my pillow this evening intending to fall into a blissful, yet anticipatory sleep (I have a hard time being patient while waiting to read what you all thought of my latest update) I found myself contemplating my reading and judging habits when it comes to deciding if I will or will not read a fanfiction. And I actually realized some stuff I'd never really consciously acknowledged before.

First, I'll cover the obvious. The stuff I've knownfor a while. If you state point blank in the summary that it's a terrible summary, the chances are huge that I will simply skip to the next listing, no matter how much I was actually intrigued by the summary you did write. No one is good at writing summaries in fanfiction. It's a near impossible task. To capture the very essence of your story in an extremely limited number of characters is no easy task. I myself find that no matter how short I try to make my summaries, I end up cutting out about half of the details I wanted to include. And then there are the conventions in the Plum-verse that you need to state whether it's a Babe or Cupcake story and weather or not it's Morelli friendly in a Babe story. Seriously, I don't mind a little Ranger bashing, so you shouldn't be all up tight about a little Joe bashing here and there. Stop being so sensitive, guys! They're big, tough, fictional characters. I'm sure they can handle whatever we want to dish out. So to summarise this point: there is no such thing as a good fanfiction summary. Ever.

Now, on to a more recent discovery. I admit it. I have to be intrigued from the get go. If you don't have me in the first two hundred words, I'm probably forever lost to you. Usually. And this is where the major realization comes in: if the first couple of paragraphs are lack luster, but the summary had me really intriguedm and the story has been going for some time (as they often have been by the time I decide to read them) I will skip to the second chapter and skim a bit to see if anything jumps out at me. If something interesting comes up in my skimming I will read a little more carefully and if I'm still intrigued I go back and quickly read chapter one incase I missed some vital information.

It takes a lot to gain my interest in a story, though. If I think the story is too cliche (and I'm not even going to list the things I consider cliche, because to write it down is to capture smoke. It's just this vague thing that hovers in my mind until I read something and can't help but groan and think, "That is so cliche.") I probably won't read it. If I think the story is interesting and unique (unique is a key word here) and I start reading it and something very cliche happens and the story takes a turn for the mundane and predictable, Iswill probably stop reading. If I start reading a story thinking it will be exciting and then I'm stuck in the land of yawns and skipping complete paragraphs and sometimes the majority if chapters because nothing of interest has happened in soooooooooo long that I'm starting to wonder if I've died and this is some kind of torture they provide in hell, then I'll probably stop reading. Or, like I said, end up missing half your story as I skip over it to find the action that moves the plot forward.

Well, now that I've mentioned a heap of things that will make me STOP reading you story,may be I should let you know of somethings that will make me START reading your story.

Let's start with genres, shall we? Like most on this site, I'm a sucker for a romance under the right circumstances. Humour is always an I trigger. I like drama and mystery. And some of you may not realise, but I'm actually really into the whole hurt/comfort thing. If someone has tocake care of someone else in a heartbreaking type situation, I am so totes there (probably, see above for reasons I might not be.)

Next, just a few tips, I like to see characters grow as people. Make discoveries about themselves. Give into a part of themselves they'd always denies. Allow themselves to feel something they'd been suppressing. That kind of thing. But not so much that it overpowers the plot. If all you're doing is having the characters moan and whine and stress over their internals, that gets real old, real fast. The plot must forge ahead. But also, if your're making a plot move, think it through. Make sure your readers follow and understand WHY your characters are making the decisions they're making. If it's not a decision they would naturally make or is not generally their first option in the kind of situation they are currently faced with, devise a way to make it necessary that they make such a decision...

I don't know if I'm making sense any more... It's been almost an hour since I started typing andempire just keeps bubbling out of me. Probanly, I should stop before I confuse both myself and anyone who happens to take the time to read this... But I have one more thing to say before I leave:

There is no bigger turn off than figuring out the entire basic plot before I've finished the first chapter.

27-03-2012

Check out the blurb for my original story (still mostly in idea form). If anyone's interested I will post it on Fanfic's sister site, FictionPress, where I write under the same screen name as here (Svendances). For All Occassions has all the things a good story should have: a nerdy-guy-bestie, awkard walk-in moments, fairies and meddling relatives.

For All Occasions (A Working Title)

The girl who grew up.

Kyla McNaught has grown up a lot since the day she'd confessed to her Granda that she thought she'd seen a fairy through his window. Back then she was young, carefree and impressionable, exploring a shiny new world. Now, eighteen years later, she's waist deep in post-it notes with half detailed jobs scrawled on them, the bank is threatening foreclosure and cats seem oddly attracted to her... Like she was some kind of crazy cat lady.

And the man who brought her back.

Enter dear old, eccentric Granda. Caring in nature, Leary McNaught has never made a promise to his little girl that he wasn't able to keep. He's followed through on all the usual promises a Granda makes: happiness, success, fifty dollars on her birthday. But there one thing that's weighed on him since the day she entered his life. Finally, he's managed to secure the necessary ingredients to fulfil his vow. But has he missed his opportunity?

09-03-2012

As Maggie Stiefvater would say "In which Becleigh talks about the random things in her brain":

So recently, I had the idea that I would write an entire fanfiction BUT the dialogue would be made up entirely of song titles. Of course this idea is prompted by watching Whose Line is it Anyway when I was younger. I really like the idea though, and I realised that some of my favourite bands and artists have really conversational sounding song titles. For example: They Might Be Giants has a song called "I am a grocery bag" and another called "I am not your broom."

I also had ANOTHER idea for a story. But I'm not going to tell you about that one, because that might spoil it. It's about guns. I'm thinking of calling it "That Secret Life of Guns". We'll see though. It'll most likely be a one shot if it works out the way I'm envisioning it at the moment (details are still quite vague).

02-02-2012

Okay, finished the latest chapter of That Froghurt Guy EEEAAARRRRLLLLYYYY this morning (like, 1am kind of early) and sent it off to my favourite beta Shreek straight away. Problem: She'd already gone to bed and she hasn't checked her email today. :(. So I'm still waiting on her. Which means so are you. There's some vital information coming up in this chapter. Stuff that might help you start piecing together some theories. *raises one eyebrow*

29-01-2012

Forgive me for not updating, but I'm suffering a crippling bout of writer's block. It got so bad the other night that I actually filled an entire A3 artbook page with the words "Writer's Block" in various scripts. I will update when I can I promise.

26-01-2012 (late evening)

Just had one of my brilliant moments. So this is the basic outline for a story that I will probably never right. Feel free to use the outline, but credit me and let me know where to find it. SO! What happens is, you have the first chapter as normal. Introduce the characters and whatnot, and you have something happen right at the end of the chapter that points toward foul play. Then the next "chapter" is really just a statement that reads "Readers should be advised that chapters two through 32 have been detained as the events they detail are still subject to police investigations." and the next chapter (Chapter 33) wraps the story up. Tack on a series of police reports on the end. It's golden!

I also had another plot idea, but I might actually use that one, so I won't detail it here. Just be forewarned though, we have pronounced so hilariously evil that we can't NOT use it eventually. Think on that.

26-01-2012

Happy Australia Day Fanfiction! I was just randomly going through my Diurnpyre story folder (a folder on my hard drive dedicated to a story I am writing about reverse vampires) and I found a file called "The Absence of Light." Thinking that it might be a scene from the story that I'd written and saved as a separate file until such a time as it came into play, I opened it, only to find that it was a completely different story that I'd started (after one bizarre evening with Shreek) about a vampire robot and never returned to. This prompted me to think about all the original stories that I'd started and never finished because I lost interest or whatever. If anyone's interested in taking a gander at them I'll be adding them to me blog - thethickplottens.blogspot.com

16-01-2012

Those familiar with both Kresley Cole's paranormal romance series, Immortals After Dark - about sexy paranormal being etc - and the television show Big Bang Theory - about a rag tag band of nerds - are probably looking at the title of this journal and thinking, "Some kind of new online game?" or possibly "What the hell is she on?!" I have to admit, though, there is no simple answer. The best I can to is recount the last few minutes as I sat and read a page of dialogue from the latest IAD novel, Lothaire (be warned, there are mild spoilers if you haven't already read it). Before we get to that, however, I feel I should make you aware of the fact that I have watched three episodes of Big Bang Theory followed by half a Melbourne Comedy Festival prior to these events.

So I was reading this page of dialogue (I'll just give you the script of it) [watch out for the , it'll be explained afterward:

Lothaire: Entertain me *takes a seat at his desk*
Ellie: Entertain. *rubs eyes* That wasn't part of the job description
Lothaire: I believe your job description was for you to do whatever I command. Besides, you're clearly dressing for the job you want and not the job you have, and my Bride will entertain me after we spend
Ellie: Dance, monkey, dance. That it? Lothaire, I'm exhausted.
Lothaire: Do pizdy. Don't f*king care. Sit. Speak with me.
Ellie: *hesitates then finally sits on the settee next to his desk*
Lothaire: I find I have questions about you. Amazing, considering it's... you. But I can't control my curiosity.

Aaaaanyway. I started laughing uncontrollably by the time I reached the end of that passage and it took me a moment to figure out why. I mean, the conversation isn't THAT funny, is it? No. Not really. What made it funny was that around about the mark, in my mind Ellie turned into Penny and Lothaire turned into Sheldon (ignoring the Russian and the swearing). Utterly. Hi. Larious. I'd instinctually swapped out the big, macho, fearsome Lothaire with skinny, brainy, socially unaware Sheldon. But the dialogue almost fits!

In other news... I'm starting to think I need mental help...

14-01-2012

Excuse me while I go read Lothaire...

09-01-2012

Dear Diary,

Today is one of the hottest days in over two years. It got all the way up to 40.6 degrees celcius. I suppose that is the reason for my brain and my muse having a good old wander down some other lane all day. I managed to write an entire chapter. Of a brand new story line. Yeah. Great. But you're supposed to be working on TFG and KIHOLB.

Becleigh.

05-01-2012 [That's a technical date, I haven't been to bed yet. It's 00:20]

It has come to my attention that I have a heap of stories that are under the status "In Progress." Let's just clear that up a little.

1) All the Time in the World - Muse is currently lost but I do intend on actually finishing it eventually, in fact, just today I had a vague idea for it. I'll see what I can do about that now that I have actual time in which to write.

2) And That's When Life Happened - (humorous fact (for me at least): I always get this one mixed up with "Life on the Refrigerator Door") Status has now been changed. It was, afterall, a one shot.

3) Great Lies to Tell Small Kids - I was leaving this one open so that I could add more to it (because I still have more lies that haven't been used) however I realise that since I've already done stories about Peigi and Emmet in Grown Up form, it would be weird to then go back and write stories about them as itty bitty kids again. So I've changed the status of that one as well and decided that if I ever get around to writing stories for the rest of the lies I have I'lll create a new story and call it "Great Lies to Tell Other Small Kids"

4) Greener Grass - On the road to completion. Just one more chapter and it's done.

5) King in His Own Lunch Box - Also on the road to completion. Just have to rescue and Liam etc.

6) Life on the Refrigerator Door - Lost the plot for a while, but I think I've got it back and will hopefully be working on it again soon.

7) Security Review - Leaving that one open, because essentially, they are one shots. The fact that they have vague continuation is only coincidental. I may decide to change it's status without furthering it, though.

8) Servants of Whim - I don't usually count this one because it's for a different fandom (Immortals After Dark, by Kresley Cole). It's a long way from completion but is actually comprised entirely of one shots. So go ahead and read it anyway

9) TAMAH Alternatives - As soon as I find the list I made at Easter last year, I'll be continuing this one. I had some hilarious ideas for it.

10) That Froghurt Guy - Totes doesn't count because I'm working hard on that one.

So let's see. We don't count That Froghurt Guy, Servants of Whim, Security Review, King in His Own Lunchbox, Great Lies to Tell Small Kids, and And That's When Life Happened. So that makes... *quick addition/subtraction* Four unfinished stories. Four out of Thirty ain't that bad if you ask me. It could be a lot worse. At least I've finished MOST of them.

P.S. My cruise was FABULOUS!!!!

15-12-2011

Okay. Here's the low down. I was intending on updating my stories before christmas, but it looks likes its not going to heppen. But it's only the 15th! I hear you say. Well. The thing is. I leave for a cruise on Saturday (17th of December) and will be beyond the realms of internet and other technological devices for 10 days. I plan on at least thinking about the stories while I'm away, but the fact is, nothing will be done before the 27th. If you're lucky you might have something by new years... Also. I have graduated!!! :D

30-11-2011

I have officially passed all my subjects and qualify for my graduation! YAY!!!!! *5 second dance party* Exciting! EXCITING!!!! E X C I T I N G ! ! ! ! ! !

In other news, I urge Janet Evanovich fans to open their minds just a little bit. I mean, the Babes hate the Cupcakes and the Cupcakes hate the Babes and the Babecakes coast along in the middle road and then there's the fact that NO ONE likes being kept in the dark for just a little while. Seriously. Is it so hard to open you mind to the possibility that not everything is meant to be revealed right off the bat? I don't think it is. I like speculation. I like to make predictions for the future and then have them proved completely wrong by the author as more details become available. I thought others did too! So no, I did not state in any certain terms how Mab and Leah Hathwick relate to Stephanie Plum or Ranger. But trust me, I know what I'm doing. There's a method to my madness. Bear with me and you will be rewarded. Every little piece of information given (even in that first chapter which apparently no one likes, and only read because of my reputation) is a possible vital puzzle piece! -End Rant-

29-11-2011

In case anyone is reading this, I now have three complete chapters of "That Froghurt Guy" (including the one already posted). But I absolutely will not be posting the additional two chapters until I have at least one more review (that makes five - Five isn't too much to ask for, is it?). It really is quite sad that I posted a chapter of King in his Own Lunchbox and got five reviews in less than twenty-four hours whereas That Froghurt Guy" (far superior in plot in my mind) has been up for three days but has only received four (one of which was my bestie after she got sick of me complaining about how unloved the story is). You really are missing out! If you liked Twice as Much as Half, you'll like this one. It has all the twists and turns and mysteries. Plus the humorous interludes. And angst. Loads and loads of angst. So go on and review and I'll reveal some important and interesting information in the next chapter.

27-11-2011

So I've posted the first chapter of my new story "That Froghurt Guy" and I assure you, the title won't make sense for a while. I've got another two chapters written but I want to ensure that people are interested in the story before I continue. Just know that everything is not as it seems. And make sure you review and let me know you want to know more.

14-11-2011

Alright. Here's the low down. I've finished my studies and exams FOREVER! My time at university is officially over. I am just waiting on results. And graduation. I have been spending my time on various activities, including but not limited to trying to write more on my current fanfictions, beta-ing for schaefy, organising the house (since we finally have it back after the wretched floods back in January), customising stuff - my iPad cover, my sister's shoes, last Tuesday's newspaper... - with sharpie pens, singing singing singing, PLAYING THE UKULELE! And starting a blog... as of a few minutes ago... here's the link. I've aslo been working on Project 365... photography... who knew? So there you have it. I do intend on getting more chapters up sometime in the not too distant future.

04/09/2011

Note to fanfic writers: IF YOU'RE GOING TO WRITE "Bad summary but the story is really good" OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT, I'M NOT GOING TO BE INCLINED TO READ IT. IF THE SUMMARY IS BAD THEN IT MEANS YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO SUM IT UP. WHICH MEANS YOU DON'T HAVE A CLEAR GOAL. DUH! So do yourself a favour and even if you think it's a bad summary (which sometimes it actually ISN'T) don't WRITE "bad summary" in your summary. *End Rant*

19-06-2011

Due to circumstances beyond my control I will not be finishing All the Time in the World any time in the forseeable future. Feel free to come up with your own endings and let me know how they work out, because I absolutely cannot get my mind to commit to and write a plot for it. I had planned on forcing myself to finish writing it this week (as I'm on a breif break from academic obligations) but I really cannot see that happening. Sorry for any inconvenience I have caused.

25-04-2011

MWA HAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!!! I doubt anyone will read this before I post (hopefully later tonight) but I decided to be a tease and let you know that I've just written the part of Twice as Much as Half where they reveal who Magenta's father is. *Grins*.

25-03-2011

So I just had this brilliant and rather cute idea for a story about a boy who is denied any pets and has to settle for a pet rock and he develops the ability to give life to inanimate objects (mostly pertaining to said pet rock). It was originally just going to be telekinetic powers (mostly pertaining to the rock) but my bestie pointed out that giving them life was way cooler. Maybe one day I'll write it...

31-12-2010

I just had the random thought that I should treat this profile as a status update. I often get the urge to share with all my reviewers my excitement when I get onto a really good idea for one of my stories. Like, not necessarily giving details of what I've come up with, since that would ruin the story, but letting people know that I am actually working on them (well, one in particular at the moment), and that I'm really excited about where it's headed at the moment.

This is prompted by a length discussion with my bestie Shreek. We've known each other for years and have bounced story ideas back and forth many a time. Whenever I get stuck on a story, I go to her. She is like my knight in shining armour (I say this because it's kind of punny if you know certain details of her life). The great thing about Shreek is she knows when I'm like. She understands my disdain for overly lovey-dovey scenes and urge to create things that are different from everything else (I don't necessarily achieve this all the time, but I like to think I add a few extra elements on the occassion). Shreek gets that I don't like to do what people expect me to do because she feels the same way about herself. In fact, if you're looking for something new to read, look her up and read D-Bomb and review. We were talking about it today and I've been urging her to get back into writing it because I'm curious about what happens next. Even though she's told me intricate details about the plot line, it's just not the same as physically reading her stories. So you should all go and encourage her to update as well, *wink*. But yes, Shreek is the most awesome person to brainstorm on the planet. She mentions one thing and I tangent and then she tangents off that. Now, I have the unfortunate task of choosing which tangents to use and which tangents to put in the basket for the future.

So as you may have guessed, I'm really excited about a new idea that has made it into my head (whether by my own will power of Shreek's I'm not sure...) and I wanted to share my excitement. I'm not sure how many people will actually read my profile page. I know I'm lazy when it comes to the kind of thing. But if you're out there, know that I am excited and that if you like my stories you should read Shreek's!!! Do it. NOW!... Okay, no. That's fine. We can wait. *LoOkS aT wAtCh*. How long are you going to be?

15-11-2010

Starting my profile blurb afresh. The old one was was over two years old!!!

So, things you should know about me:

1. I'm an Aussie (AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!! OI OI OI!!!)

2. The only type of fanfiction I've actually been able to get into is Janet Evanovich.

3. I lean more toward Ranger than Joe.

4. My characters are rarely true to the originals as far as I can tell.

5. I THRIVE ON REVIEWS!!!! Seriously. I'm like a review whore. I love hearing peoples opinions on my work! You can criticise it, point out errors, praise it to the heavens, I don't mind, BUT GIVE ME FEEDBACK! Feedback is my crack. Yeah...

What else? I read. A lot. More into the paranormal romance side of things at the moment. Lynsay Sands, Kresley Cole, Gena Showalter, that kind of thing. I'm still keeping up with JEv though and I throw in some Erica Spindler, Joy Fielding, Sophie Kinsella and, on the occassion, James Herbert every now and then. All brilliant authors. I love them all to bits.

TTFN, Ta Ta For Now

Becleigh