(no subject)

[fpb]

I have written out a sketch of the life and times of Ricky Attanasio. The result? I am terrified of the enormous amount of work I have laid out for myself.

(Remember that I am supposed to be a historian as well as to have a job as a translator.)

Someone please encourage me - or tell me that I'm off my chump and should give up.

Comments

[inverarity.livejournal.com]

No one else can motivate you to write something that you'll never be paid for.

Certainly there are things I could/should be doing that are more important/financially remunerative than writing fan fiction novels.

If you're in love with Ricky, then tell his story. If you're doing it because you're hoping for accolades or attention, it's probably not worth it.

(As popular as Alexandra Quick may be in my own little niche of HP fandom, I doubt I'd rank in the top 500 most popular/best known HP fanfic authors.)

[fpb.livejournal.com]

It's not just Ricky. His separated parents have both grown into such fascinating characters that I can easily see a Quick-sized novel just to tell their stories, possibly more than one. His one brother and three sisters are clamouring for space. His adventures are longer that HP's or Alexandra's, because by the time he even starts school at eleven (and I think I have come up with an interesting idea for that), he has already been involved in the discovery of a wholly unexpected and dangerous use of magic - time magic - and been at the centre of a nationwide sporting event for wizards. Then his adventures continue after he graduates: as an adult, he will save a hidden city whose discovery was the climax of his schooltime adventures. And there is the background that is only just beginning to fill itself, and that was always my first and foremost reason to start the story - since nobody, but nobody, has ever dealt with that unimaginable thing that is Italy remotely well enough ---

As for your popularity, well, as a really excellent writer, I don't think you should even want to have what Dan Brown or Cassandra Clare have (and you may consider that said with a sneer). But don't underrate yourself. One thing that marks a Quick reader is a pronounced proselytizing tendency; people like SwissMiss or myself will get you new readers if we have the chance.