October, Writing and Fandoms

[katie_flint]

Hello,

Its been quite some time since I was last active on this website. I'd dare to say at least a year. Its been a productive and useful time for me in many ways, there's a lot I have accomplished from graduating to finding employment to projects completed around the house, but, I don't know... Lately I'm left with a feeling I can't quite put into words.

I haven't written in almost as long, perhaps longer since I was last active on this site, and I dare to say I'm still not there again yet. I have, almost the urge to attempt to write something, but every document I open goes untouched save maybe one grammatical change to a WIP from years ago. What's more, there seems to be less and less of the communities that I used to enjoy so for many large fandoms and it leaves me in something of a funk.

I believe the fall season embodies a lot of Harry Potter spirit for a lot of folks, myself included, and it has me wishing I could participate in it more or perhaps read how others are participating in it, but it seems a lot of groups on many sites are not doing any celebrating (or are even active). Is this something that will continue come Holiday season as well? I know there is a natural ebb and flow of interest in fandoms, and its natural for a fandom that is no longer actively being published to see a decrease in fans, but I am still left longing for a lot of the activity that seems to be alive in the HP!Fandom just a year or two ago. I know I was one of the people who stopped being active in the fandom due to a lack of ablity to write and an opressive amount of responsiblity in my personal life, and I'm sure many others had their reasons, but I feeling perhaps I am longing for something that is apprently already a bygone part of a fandom's history. It is entirely possible I am wrong, and am looking in the wrong places, but I don't know.

If I can't bring myself to write again, then I feel there is little point in me feeling this funk because I am not actively participating as a member of the fandom, not bringing new content to the front. But at the same time, I am still left yerning for.... I don't know, perhaps a sense of community. Perhaps I am just failing to reengage in the way I once did. I still love many of the same things I once did, as far as I can tell, and yet I am floundering to productively enjoy pursuing those things in the same many as I once did.

Anyhow, there is work to be done now, and I've spent long enough contemplating for the moment. If someone happens to read this I would love any feedback or thoughts you might have one the matter. I don't know if my own thoughts are rationale or even make any sense, but I just needed to put them out into the world and have them written down somewhere so that I might have some chance of untangling the mess untangable feelings inside my head.

Katie_Flint

Comments

[enchanted-jae.livejournal.com]

Just because you aren't writing/posting fic doesn't mean you cannot enjoy what else LJ has to offer. People still post about their daily lives, and we still cheer one another on and hold each other up.

If you want to dip your toes back into writing, try cranking out some 100-word drabbles.

Congrats on graduating and getting a job!

[katie-flint.livejournal.com]

<33 Thank you for the advise. You're definitely right and working on some drabbles would definitely be a good way to ease myself back into the prospect of writing. Can't start off running when I haven't been working out in over a year. And also thank you :) I really enjoy my occupation. Its fulfilling and I feel a great sense of purpose doing it.

[rosevalleynb]

Hullo darling, nice to see you again! :) Congrats on the job, is the one you were applying for this summer? How's the fam, human and animal?

I actually do understand your point! HP Fandom is NOT what it used to be. Yes, it is dwindling down, and yes, it's only natural. But it's sad to see those great fests end, or just fade away without a big farewell they deserve (interhouse_fest). I mean, I look at those old Katie-Marcus or Slyth-gryff centric journals (bell_flint or overcomingrvlry or gryff_slyth100come to mind) and feel regret that i missed out on conversing with those like-minded ladies, fangirling with them, exchanging ideas and read their stories as they came out. :) Mind, they weren't a large group but still fa bigger than what's left these days.
It doesn't help that fandom is scattered over the various platforms like LJ, Tumblr (blech), Dreamwidth, closed groups on Facebook, etc.

Now, having said that, there is some activity left here at good old LJ and DW that is in dire need of participants. I mean, you can't complain of decreasing interest in fandom and not actively be part of it in any way, be it in reading, writing, cheerleading, whatever.
mini_fest is looking for writers, otherwise, this could be the very last year for them. Smutty Claus is running for the last time, I bet they can still use betas or readers when the time comes to post. rarepair_shorts is organising a holiday exchange, you can still sign up for that one too. hp_goldenage will start prompting soon over at Dreamwidth. Speaking of DW, Ice Royals (Lucissa centric) is organising another fest. Then there's tons of multi-fandom fest (DW specific) that are open for us HP geeks. And then there is your own journal, mixandmatch100. Take charge again, organise an event, something that you like to do.
And you know what, if fanfic isn't really working for you anymore, what about original fic? Lots of non-fandom specific fest are open to original fics/drabbles (too many to count drabbles communities. Jukebox over DW will start again in January, I think). Or perhaps another fandom, SanSan is always in need of more good fics. :)
If you're really, really bored, I can always use a cheerleader. I, stupidly signed up for Smutty Claus and I'm in over my head! I have less than a month to turn something in and I only have a rough outline without an ending! :0

[mixandmatchmod.livejournal.com]

Feel free to take mixandmatch100 back.

[katie-flint.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the offer 💜 ! I am not sure I am quite up for that just yet, but I think it is something I look forward to in the future. I hope you are well 💜

[katie-flint.livejournal.com]

Hello hello! Thank you for your patience, I know its been a while! And thank you! I now am under the employment of a Bank working the front lines. I love it a lot-- its quite a mental workout learning all the different accepts of the job, ton of people communication of course (I try my best not to be an awkward turtle and survive like most of the time). I adore my co-workers! Its pretty much an environment filled with loving ladies who want nothing more than to bolster you up and see you succeed. I cannot wait to be a full timer and really know my stuff (only been at the job for 2 months). The fam is good, little kooky, but good haha. We recently rehomed a pair of geldings to Florida to a friend down there. They left on Tuesday and should be arriving in the next day. I am very excited that they are going to be utterly spoiled (and also excited to have slightly less of a hay bill!). My best friend from college was up for a long weekend, just left Tuesday, and that was a ton of fun to have her around again. In college we did pretty much everything together from morning until after midnight. Its still hard not having her by my side day in and out. The visits are nice though 😊

I’m glad you get where I’m coming from on this writing thing! I have actually pimped Mini_Fest a bit this past month and tried to come up with some prompts to fulfill for the year. Writing is so hard for me to come by these days still T-T I had a few ideas for prompts this month but they fell completely by the way side for one reason or another. I have this cute idea for a Paneville story for the October Pregnancy prompts. As for the scattering of the fandom, oh definitely, I know a lot of people have left LJ, and while I did look into DW, its just not very forthcoming to me as a platform. I’m gonna give writing something for Mini_fest more of a driving go this coming month for sure, because I’d be desperately sad to see them fade out.

My college friend and I do have some original fic ideas to work on. We talked about getting into them over her stay here. Even developed a Harry Potter UA based on the premise that Lily and James survived the attack in Godric’s Hollow, but Harry sadly did not. In and the short of it, so not to bore you too much, Lily and James ended up separating as they dealt with the grief of their son very differently and argued about how Death Eaters should be punished. Lily, who felt there was not enough punishment dealt to the DE, turns to vigilante justice which many in the wizarding world approve of. James on the other hand, believes its his duty as an auror to lawfully bring those responsible to justice. This backdrop lays the setting for Hogwarts circa 1983 and the students who now preside in this state of post-war unrest.

I would love to be your cheerleader for your smutty claus fic 😊 Reading I can still do haha. Let me know what I can do *waves pompoms enthusiastically*