Lisa the Legend: Chapter 82 - Last Night on Earth now up! (24th June 2013)

[Gavin Luper]

After I made my last reply in this thread, I promised myself that I wouldn't post here again until I had completed all my notes and planning for the entire fic. Over the past month, it became clear that that wasn't the most practical decision ever: first was working full-time, then moving to Perth, and last week I started Uni. So things have been pretty full-on in the last month.

Despite that, I did get quite a lot of ideas down on paper - in particular, a lot of info about characters (mostly Lisa, Gavin, Marina and Darius) and their personalities: the hours I spent doing that were some of the most rewarding and enjoyable I've had in a while. I also picked up on a few themes running beneath the surface of the story, and dredged up some of the key ideas that I really want to explore in Lisa's story - so I've come a very long way. The whole story seems to be coming into it's own now, like it now has a purpose as opposed to being a piece of fanfiction. There's things I want to say to people through these characters and scenarios, messages I want to put out there through my writing, which is something I've never really sought to do before. As such, it feels like the whole story is growing up quite rapidly from what it was - which has me very excited, because the original Lisa the Legend is now merging with it's proper purpose - the same story, the same characters, but now it feels like it might really have a point.

Anyway - I'm waffling. The long and the short of it is, I'm still making notes, I'm still planning things for the rest of the fic, and when I get frustrated with that, I throw my pen down and nonchalantly sidle up to the computer, luring it into a false sense of security as I casually open the word document entitled "Chapter 61", before abandoning my cool pretences and launching vehemently into Lisa's next adventures. The results? Mixed, which isn't surprising considering how many things I have my mind on in real life at the moment. But I'll get there soon!

Now - replies! Sorry to leave you guys hanging for so long!

Brian - No worries - I suppose 'deep and meaningful' as a slang noun is kind of unassuming. Anyway, no big deal. You're spot on about the notes though: it's becoming clearer and clearer how the rest of the book is going to play out now, and I really like that.

Karania - Good to see you back! Read whenever you can - at the rate I post new chapters, there's really no rush. Thanks, and seeya next chapter!

Ada - ^^ Nothing wrong with procrastinating. Thanks for the read, as always. These chapters really are something of a break for Lisa and Gavin - like you said, they need a rest. The amount of stuff they're been through in such a short time really does take it's toll. Glad you liked the letters, cause I had heaps of fun writing them - when you're writing the lives of characters in third person all the time, it's really cool to be able to go in their heads and write as them, even just for a little bit. Having Lisa sign the letter as 'Lisa the Legend' was entirely spontaneous, and yet it seemed to work so well I couldn't not keep it in ... I really enjoyed doing that. Anyway - thanks for reading!

Chapter 61 coming. One day ...

Cheers!

[mr_pikachu]

Don't fuss about the time writing takes, Gav. If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times - actually, I probably have said it a thousand times by now - if it takes a long time to make your writing as good as it can be, then take as long as you need. You're one of those writers who we know isn't just sitting on his hands during the downtime; you're working hard to refine everything before continuing. That's a mark of true dedication.

[Karania]

Yeah, take as much time as you need. When I write my stories I always strive for quality over quantity. I'll still be here for the next chapter no matter how long it takes. I figured out the other day how many chapters I was behind on reading and it turned out I was about 7-8 chapters behind on reading... Haven't had time to read yet due to job interviews, a full-time temporary job that just ended, family stuff, and a couple other things...

[Gavin Luper]

Hi everyone.

I've gone back and forth on whether or not to make an update post, but it really has been a long time since I've posted in here (sorry if you thought this post was Chapter 61) and I feel bad for making you all wait more or less in the dark for such a long time, save for the e-zine interview - but that was conducted over a month ago now.

So: the story has come a long way. Last time I posted here, I'd been doing notes and planning on the themes and characterisation; I'm still doing both of those, but I've recently moved on to getting the plot straightened out and some finer details sorted. It's been really rewarding to do and I get quite into it. I've never done anything near the amount of planning and preparing that I'm doing for this last book of LTL, so it's still a bit like unexplored terrain and I'm still discovering how to go about it. Thus, it's taking a while. However, I really have made a lot of progress over the last two and a half months.

The thing I'm really posting to inform you about is that I recently (a week or two ago) completed a Story Plan that I'm fairly sure is my good working copy. Details may change, a chapter added in here or there maybe, but the general plan is all down there on paper now. What's going to happen at the start of the book, the middle, the climax and the resolution - and then how it's all going to actually play out. Lisa and Gavin's characters are becoming increasingly more interesting, in my opinion - though that's a bit irrelevant for the moment. Quite a few plot details still have to be worked out, of course, but it's really starting to take shape now. I'd tentatively say I'm about halfway through the note-making/planning process, but don't quote me on that. I haven't started actually writing the chapters yet (despite a few attempts at Chapter 61) but I'm not bothered; I firmly believe that I'm going to need to really finalise the Story Plan before I get back to writing again. Chapter 61 and 62 are actually planned out scene-by-scene anyway, so they will hopefully flow easily when I resume writing.

So - that's that. To all readers (assuming you're still out there) - I'm sorry it's taking so long, but I really think it will be worth it. Thanks for being patient and stuff. Hopefully when I start posting chapters again, there won't be massive gaps like there have been over the last couple of years, because this time I'll know exactly where it's all going. I think it will read much more fluently as a result.

The next time I post an update here will probably be when I finish the planning stage and start writing again; so if I don't mention LTL for the next month or two or three, assume that no news is definitely good news.

Until then - cheers!



- Gavin.

[Karania]

I'm still here, don't worry about that. I've been busy too and still haven't gotten caught up on reading yet.

Take as much time as you need and I'll be back soon!

~Karania