Freedom's just another word for "Thank F*** I'm finally done writing my fic and can get some sleep".

[missmiah]

Ha ha, I kid. But not really.

Exchange fic was completed at some point roughly between five and six am, then sent off to my beta - was asleep, like a sane person who does not have to get up before dawn for work (see my husband, who leaves the house around five am and has been kind enough to pop into the office the last few mornings to say goodbye before leaving and I'm getting distracted). Then, I told myself it was time to sleep and sat around on the internets staring at... I don't know... Lolcats or something, until after eight.

Because I was brain dead.

Anyway, Captain called and woke me up as his lunch hour ended for the second or fifth day in a row (I don't even remember any more) because I asked him to, so that I could get up and work on fic instead of being in a coma for the entire day.

Then I called Beta!Beck and made her get out of bed, because I'm annoying, and now she's going over the last part of my fic. We're discussing issues and questions and possible edits right now, actually.

For instance, this just happened (with edits for boring stuff):

Beck: I need to learn how to make an emdash on PCs.
darnedchild: I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO DO THAT
Beck: Instead of just copying yours.
Beck: Well, you've got at least one in here that I'm copying and pasting.
Beck: I can do it in html.
darnedchild: I mean, I know you've told me a billion times, but I'm lazy and usually only copy the code over once and then say fuck it later and forget
darnedchild: I think you put that first one in... did you? No, you couldn't have because you haven't seen this part yet. Did I do it? Was it an accident?
Beck: Some programs autochange two hyphens in a row into an emdash.
Beck: IDK, but there's one here for me to work with.
Beck: So yay you.
darnedchild: yeah, sometimes mine does that I think, but then I forget to even bother with the two hyphens and just say "Fuck it, one hyphen for ALL the Things!"

So, yes... where was I?

Right, fic is done. Ish. In beta at the very least, and then some quick edit making and then an email or two and I AM DONE with the exchange for this year.

I love the exchange, but I suck at deadlines. I mean, I should get on my knees and thank them because the only time I ever seem to write anymore is when I'm trying to answer a fic prompt for the exchange, and writing is awesomesauce fun sometimes, but I really, really suck at deadlines. I do that annoying college student thing where you get a burst of creativeness at the beginning, get an idea of where you're going, even write a chunk of the beginning, and then you get distracted. Two weeks later, you've watched all the Potter Puppet Pals videos on youtube a jillion times (My personal favorite? Snape's Diary.) and you realize that your deadline is approaching at the speed of sound you've still got roughly most of your thing to write.

And then the panicking starts.

I'm a fabulous panic-er. I tend to start early, work myself up, and try to convince myself that it is technically possible to do whatever (and it almost always actually is) while secretly being positive it's not and I'm going to fail. Sometimes there is even mad muppet arm flailing.

So the last few weeks have been spent trying to get the house into fabulous shape for visiting family (Fur Balls are of the fuzzy devil - also, I saw DOLPHINS, in Charleston Harbor, swimming!) and panicking and working on fic.

Captain has not had a chance to sit at his computer for more than few minutes since the Wednesday before this last one because he had voluntarily exiled himself to the living room so I could write without getting paranoid.

But it's all worth it because for the first time in my Exchange participating history, I Have Turned In Fic On Time!

No extension for me!

Also, beta is complete, edits made and fic is e-mailed in.

I am totally awesome! So is Beta!Beck. And also YOU (you know who you are and I would totes mention your name but you are also participating in the exchange and I don't want to give anyone some obscure hint since it's annonymouse and all that) - YOU are awesome for looking it over and reassuring me over and over that I am not a total failure and making me feel better when I was freaking out.

And now? Captain is home and we're going to find food and then I'm going to take a nap.

Naps are also awesome.

Comments

[devsgma.livejournal.com]

Yeah! for having the fic done and handed in! ;)