Master List of Progress Reports - 1999
1999: Year In Review
As I mention on the About page, I've been writing for most of my life. However, I didn't focus specifically on lesbian romance/science fiction until I came in contact with the show Xena: Warrior Princess, and more importantly, Xena AltFic (alternative/lesbian fiction).
According to my journal entries, I had "become addicted [to] reading fanfic stories about the Xena universe" by July 17, 1999. Shortly after that, I suffered a broken heart, but found solace in Xena fanfic: "I've just been reading fanfic. I think I need it though. Gives me hope, a sense of peace, and reassurance that love exists and is real."
I know, sort of silly saying that fiction reassured me of reality, but it was how I felt at the time. Honestly, I still do. I can't remember who said it, but I read a quote somewhere about how writers use lies to tell the truth, and I couldn't agree more. The entire point of fiction, in my opinion, is to make the reader feel a real emotion, but it's done by telling a story about people who don't exist participating in events that never happened.
At any rate, that heartbreak seemed to open a floodgate of emotions for me and I felt the need to "express myself... [This is] going to force me to write and that's what I really want to do. I want to share all these things I've learned and figured out. I just hope I can do it right."
By October 30, I was writing on a regular basis on both Xena/Gabrielle and Xena uber stories, as well as returning to original stories I'd abandoned years before.
Assassin, Lights of Life, and New Gaia were all started during this time (as well as most of the rest of my stories, but that was after the new year).
Moral of the Story
I believe everything happens for a reason, but that we're the ones who decide what that reason will be (or else choose to believe something is meaningless).
While I was certainly in a lot of pain at the time, I have to say I'm glad things worked out the way they did. If my feelings had been returned, I probably would've been too caught up to start working on my stories when I did (and my soulmate was waiting to read my stories online so she could find me; I would've hated to make her wait any longer than she did :) ).
| December - 1999 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
Dec.29.1999 |
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| The Kindari Saga | ~ | Oldest save date for Book 1 Contains the initial chapters of the original draft |
Dec.28.1999 |
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| The Kindari Saga | ~ | Worked on the notes Based on journal entry noting I'd come up with 'some great stuff' while waiting to be seen at the doctor's office |
Dec.23.1999 |
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| The Kindari Saga | ~ | Worked on the story text Based on journal entry noting I'd added a little bit to the story and that I hadn't written on it in a while, that I'd forgotten how much I liked the story, and I wanted to know what happens next This is the first mention I've been able to find anywhere specifically regarding The Kindari Saga |
Dec.21.1999 |
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| New Gaia | ~ | Worked on the story text Based on journal entry noting I'd been working on the story and had written a total of close to 130 pages |
Dec.18.1999 |
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| New Gaia | ~ | Worked on the story text Based on journal entry noting I'd been working on the story |
Dec.17.1999 |
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| New Gaia | ~ | Worked on the story text Based on journal entry noting I'd added on to the story and had chosen the tribal leader's name, Tala, which means "stalking wolf" |
Dec.15.1999 |
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| New Gaia | ~ | Worked on the story text, outline, and research Based on journal entry noting I'd started working on choosing character names and had added on to both the story and the outline |
Dec.12.1999 |
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| New Gaia | ~ | Worked on the story text Based on journal entry noting I'd started actually writing the story for New Gaia This is the first time I mention the name New Gaia |
Dec.07.1999 |
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| New Gaia | ~ | Worked on the notes Based on journal entry noting I'd taken notes on my research |
| November - 1999 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | ||||
Nov.26.1999 |
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| Assassin | ~ | Worked on the story text Based on journal entry noting I added more to the story |
| Lights of Life | ~ | Worked on revisions Based on journal entry noting I'd edited 'the Alien story' |
| New Gaia | ~ | Worked on the outline Based on journal entry noting I added a little more to the outline Also mention not being sure where to go next and debating about the community's first crime |
Nov.25.1999 |
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| Assassin | ~ | Worked on the story text and revisions Based on journal entry noting I added a lot and changed a bunch of things |
Nov.21.1999 |
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| Lights of Life | ~ | Worked on the story text Based on journal entry noting I'd written over 50 pages on 'the Alien story,' which was how I referred to Lights of Life at first This is the first mention I've been able to find anywhere specifically regarding Lights of Life |
Nov.19.1999 |
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| Assassin | ~ | Worked on revisions Based on journal entry noting I did some editing on Assassin (and New World) |
| New Gaia | ~ | Worked on revisions Based on journal entry noting I did some editing on New World (and Assassin) |
Nov.15.1999 |
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| New Gaia | ~ | Worked on the outline Based on journal entry noting I was working on the outline for New World, though I wasn't sure when I'd start actually writing the story |
Nov.13.1999 |
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| New Gaia | ~ | Worked on the outline Based on journal entry noting I started a new story called New World, though it might change to New Gaea "I got the story idea from a dream I woke up from this afternoon." This is the origin date for what I would later call New Gaia |
Nov.11.1999 |
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| Assassin | ~ | Worked on the story text and revisions Based on journal entry noting I wrote more on Assassin and changed it significantly, though I wasn't sure I liked the direction it was going |
| October - 1999 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa |
| 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 | ||||||
Oct.31.1999 |
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| Assassin | ~ | Worked on the story text Based on journal entry noting I worked on the "uber" story again (referencing previous entry), which was how I referred to Assassin at first This is the first mention I've been able to find anywhere specifically regarding Assassin (previous entries are inference) |
Oct.30.1999 |
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| Assassin | ~ | Worked on the story text Based on journal entry noting I'd been writing a lot the past couple of days and was only just taking a break to write in my journal |
Oct.29.1999 |
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| Assassin | ~ | Worked on the story text Based on journal entry (dated Oct. 30) noting I'd been writing a lot the past couple of days |
Oct.28.1999 |
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| Assassin | ~ | Worked on the story text Based on journal entry (dated Oct. 30) noting I'd been writing a lot the past couple of days |