Wanderlust is a musical following the long, long life of the high elf Finnaela (first known as Faen, then as Finnaela, then as Finny). Wanderlust is a story about finding yourself, sticking up for yourself, honoring loved ones who have passed, and growing and changing as a person. Using D&D rules (more or less), there's magic, gods, queerplatonic relationships, and time travel to enjoy as Finny learns how to live her best life despite the trauma she's been set up with.
Looking for BIPOC to be my sensitivity reader for this musical I'm writing based off an old D&D campaign! Act I is fully written as well as about a third of Act II, and the whole thing is planned (as I'm just adapting the novelization). However since the subject matter is very heavy and includes a lot of "Fantasy" Racism (i.e. high elves, goblins, etc), I'd really like to have one or two people go over it for me and point out any big (or small!) changes that need to be made before I get too far.
A full list of Content Warnings can be found here, along with (on the second page) a very brief synopsis of each act.
It is absolutely allowed for someone to review one act but not another, though Act I is the act I need help with at the moment.
If you read the content warnings and see something else you think you could provide sensitivity review for, I will consider it! However I am primarily looking for Black and Indigenous People of Color to review the 'fantasy' racism side of things.
I cannot pay at this time but of course you will be credited in the final production as a sensitivity reader. Thank you for your consideration, DM for questions or offers!
If you are interested in helping me out with this, please email me at [email protected] ! Tumblr has been eating my DMs apparently.
I am still looking for BIPOC Sensitivity Readers! Other Sensitivity Readers are also being accepted but I would like to know exactly which content warnings you are intending to review for.
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God help my poor readers, I've discovered the Snowflake Method X)
Decided to turn this into a full-blown post after it blew up in Fanfiction Writers Unite! What is the Snowflake Method?
Created by Randy Ingermanson in 2002, the Snowflake Method is a way of outlining novels before the large-scale writing begins. Since I've been struggling with a lot of things while working on my longfic (like context blindness), I decided to see if there was some way I could reduce that.
Here's the Cliff Notes version I wrote up, and there's more detail below:
Start with a 15-word sentence explaining your entire story. Like those blurbs they put on the backs of books.
Turn that sentence into a paragraph, with the same goal.
Make one page summaries of your MAIN characters. Name, motivations, goals, ALL of it.
Go back to your summary paragraph. Turn every sentence in that paragraph into its own paragraph.
Make half-page summaries of all your SIDE characters. Done correctly, all of the character pages you've done should briefly tell the story from each character's POV.
Those paragraphs from step 4? Turn that 1-page plot synopsis into FOUR pages now :)
All your character sheets? M O A R D E T A I L. birthdate, description, history, motivation, goal, etc. Most importantly, how will this character change by the end of the story?
Back to the plot synopsis now--time to make scenes! Randy Ingermanson (the guy who came up with all this) suggests using a spreadsheet to map out all your scenes, what happens in them, whose POV it is, etc. (You could probably pull off something similar in Scrivener. IDK about other writing software.)
OPTIONAL: In your main story doc, expand those scenes from general descriptions into multiple paragraphs. Ingermanson says EVERY scene should have conflict, but for fanfiction I disagree. Nothing wrong with a bit of fluff sometimes :D
(FINAL) Write the thing. All the pieces are in place, just put 'em together!
Under the cut, I have more info on each of these steps, as well as my own analysis of them.
(Full disclosure: some of this is directly copied from Ingermanson's page. This is just for simplicity's sake and nothing more.)
While itβs perfectly valid to write a fic entirely as improv (and often more fun lol), for longfics youβll want some kind of framework. Itβs the same thing as artists transitioning from line art to flat colors to a full-blown painting. The Snowflake Method is the writerβs version of that premiseβand only one potential way of many to go about it! Ingermanson calls his method the Snowflake Method because you essentially design the novel in ever-increasing stages; you start small, then build stuff up in ten(-ish) steps, until it looks like a story.
Note that all of this is recommended to be completed over the course of about a month. Each step supposedly should take at least a week, but the original Snowflake Method was also written in 2002βa long, LONG time ago ^_^; Some of the things listed here can now be completed in a much shorter time (or in much easier ways), but the concept itself could still be quite helpful. Without further ado:
Step 1
Come up with a one-sentence summary of your fic. Ingermansonβs example was βA rogue physicist travels back in time to kill the apostle Paul,β the summary for his first novel, Transgression. Where itβs intended to be a simple selling tool to publishers and literary agents, itβs also the foundation of the Snowflake Method. In fanfic context, think of it as your ficβs first impression. What do you want readers to feel before they even click on your story?
Some hints on what makes a good sentence:
Shorter is better. Ingermanson says to try for fewer than 15 words.
In a fanfic context, character names are optional (though Ingermanson says not to put them). This if FAN fiction; readers want to know who you have doing what!
Tie together the big picture and the personal picture. Which character has the most to lose in this story? Now say what he or she wants to win.
Read some one-line blurbs from books you like to learn how to do this. Writing a one-sentence description is a lot harder than it looks, especially when you want to info dump about your fic so bad X)
Step 2
Expand that sentence to a full paragraph describing the story setup, major disasters, and ending of the novel. This is the second stage of the snowflake. Ingermanson suggests a three-act structure (or as he calls it, βthree disasters plus an endingβ), with each act taking up a quarter of the story. The final quarter should be devoted to the ending and epilogue (if youβre doing one).
Itβs not like you have to be precise about it, thoughβthis is still fanfiction. No sane person is gonna be like βUh akshually yuor secund act wuz 2.034587 words longer than it shuda been!!1!1!!β Please block people who leave comments like that, seriously XD
Step 3
This is the part where you map out storylines for each of your characters. Write a one-page summary sheet that includes:
The characterβs name
A one-sentence summary of the characterβs storyline
The characterβs motivation (what does he/she want abstractly?)
The characterβs goal (what does he/she want concretely?)
The characterβs conflict (what prevents him/her from reaching this goal?)
The characterβs epiphany (what will he/she learn, how will he/she change?)
A one-paragraph summary of the characterβs storyline
My personal suggestion: if you have an action-heavy story and want to get even more creative with it, try using DND character sheets for this! Theyβre still helpful even if your story doesnβt involve magicβjust use the first 2 pages of this one and forget the magic section altogether.
IMPORTANT: You may need to go back and revise your one-sentence summary and/or your one-paragraph summary. Go ahead! Tweaking things is an inevitable part of the design process; better to do them during the planning stages now than when youβre 25k words in. (Ha ha. Ha ha. Ha... π₯²) You likely wonβt get it right from the outsetβand sometimes things will need to change to keep the story manageable, or even as you learn new things during the writing process.
Step 4
By this stage, you should have a good idea of your ficβs overall structure. Getting to this point can take some time, but if the story is broken, you know it now. From here, you keep growing each βnodeβ of your story. Expand each sentence of your summary paragraph into a full paragraph. The final paragraph should say how the fic ends. At the end of the exercise, youβll be left with a one-page skeleton of your longfic (or 2, or whateverβitβll likely be single-digit). The idea is to expand the overall story.
Step 5
Write up a one-page description of each major character and a half-page description of the other important characters. These βcharacter synopsesβ should tell the story from the point of view of each character. If needed, go back to the earlier steps and make revisions as needed.
TIP: If you're dealing with a story that has a large ensemble cast, rate each person in that cast on a scale of 1-10 (or a star rating) in terms of importance to your story.
If we're using ATLA as an example, Aang would be a 10 on the 1-10 scale (since he's the MC) and the cabbage guy would be a 1 or 2. And yet, both characters have distinct storylines; Aang is trying to master the 4 elements, and the cabbage guy just wants to sell his cabbages. Just because a character is a 1 or 2 in plot relevance doesn't mean they have to be boring! (This also tells you that not every storyline has to be overly complicated!)
Step 6
By now, you have a solid story and several story threads, one for each character. Next, expand the one-page plot synopsis to a four-page synopsis. Similar to the last step, youβll be expanding each paragraph from step 4 into a full page. This is to help you figure out the high-level logic of the story and make strategic decisions. Here, you will definitely want to cycle back and fix things in the earlier steps as you gain insight into the story and new ideas whack you in the face.
Step 7
Expand your character descriptions into full-fledged character charts detailing everything there is to know about each character. The standard stuff such as birthdate, description, history, motivation, goal, etc. The most important thing you want to note is this though: how will this character change by the end of the story? Change can be literally anything from "He masters the 4 elements and becomes the Avatar" to "he finally sells a cabbage". (I must be in an ATLA mood today lol)
This is an expansion of your work in step 3, and it will teach you a lot about your characters. You'll probably go back and revise steps 1-6 as your characters become βrealβ to you and begin making petulant demands on the story. This is good β great fiction is character-driven. Take as much time as you need to do this, because youβre just saving time downstream. (It may take a full month of solid effort to get here. Longfics are long for the authors too, y'know?)
Step 8
Take that four-page synopsis and make a list of all the scenes that youβll need to turn the story into a proper longfic. At this point, Ingermanson suggests using a spreadsheet (like Excel). Keep in mind this method was written in 2002, so yeah.
He says to make a spreadsheet detailing the scenes from your four-page plot outline:
one line for each scene
one column for the POV character
another (wide) column saying what happens
(optional): more columns that tell you how many pages you expect to write for the scene
Note: If you have something like Scrivener, you can do something similar by making a file for each scene and noting the POV character, what happens, and so on in the Notes window.
If you use the spreadsheet method, youβll want to make new versions of the story spreadsheet as you progress. Ingermanson suggests determining what scenes go in which chapters after youβre done; I like to do it as I go (since Scrivener lets me drag and drop anyway).
Step 9
Ingermanson says this is optional, but I thought I would include it anyway.
Switch back to your word processor and begin writing a narrative description of the story. Take each line of the spreadsheet and expand it to a multi-paragraph description of the scene. Put in any cool lines of dialogue you think of, and sketch out the essential conflict of that scene. If thereβs no conflict, youβll know it here. Ingermanson says that every scene should have conflict, but for fanfiction I disagree. Nothing wrong with a little fluff now and then :D
Step 10
Start the real first draft of the fic! About midway through a first draft (or if you get writerβs block) take a break and fix all the broken parts of your design docs from all the previous steps, if needed. Nothing left after that than to polishβif you want to!
...Phew that was longer than I thought it was, but I'm glad I got it out there! :D If this was any help to anyone, let me know! (And check out Ingermanson's website, too. It's mostly geared toward novelists that want to get published, and he does sell some books and things, but most of the stuff on his site is free! That's how I wrote all this in the first place! :D)
12 hours left to order early access to the Wanderlust: The Musical audiobook for only 10 USD! The plan is for it to be released to backers late this year. If you want to support our audio drama and gain early ad-free access, now's the time!
From the writer and producer of Apocalypse Radio, The Soulmate Quest, and Super Duper, Wanderlust is a podcast musical with three acts and o
Click on this link to learn more about it, listen to our trailer, and hear our demo songs! But in case you don't want to just yet, here's the gist:
Wanderlust: The Musical is a podcast musical with three acts and over 30 original songs, all loosely inspired by a TTRPG campaign I DM'd for my friends years ago. It follows Finny, an aroace high elf wizard, as she comes of age and learns to respect and love herself while also honoring certain people of her past. She wanders the vast and magical world, meeting friends, finding family, and discovering herself along the way. Wanderlust is a story that focuses heavily on recovering from grief, escaping abusers, and finding oneself. It has a happy ending, one that is fitting and well-earned.
Are you a fan of...
Found Family?
Queerplatonic Relationships?
Magic and Time Travel?
D&D-style Worlds?
What about...
Fully produced original songs that further the story and deepen emotions between characters?
Intriguing and immersive sound design?
Full cast voice acting?
Seems to me like Wanderlust is shaping up to be something you'll really enjoy!
Even if you can't contribute, sharing our posts and telling your friends and family about our campaign is incredibly helpful to us. Thank you for your support!
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A big thanks to everyone who's contributed so far; we are now at $260 and so grateful for all the help and support!
Wanderlust: The Musical is an audio drama about an aroace elven wizard coming of age and learning to respect herself in the vast and magical world. Finny does everything she can, but for some people, it will never be enough... and for others, she never even needed to try. But what happens when her loved ones are yanked from her grasp? Will time travel solve this problem, or will it only make it worse?
If you want to learn more about Wanderlust: The Musical or hear our trailer, click here!
Wanderlust: The Musical is crowdfunding now, and you can secure early access to the musical when it comes out later this year for just $10 now! Every little bit helps us out and gets us closer to being able to pay our cast and crew!
This is a keep-it-all campaign, which means we keep everything we raise regardless of if we hit our goal, and we'll follow through on making this musical no matter what. Supporting us ensures that our cast and crew can be paid for their efforts!
If you're interested in learning more about the musical or supporting our crowdfundr, click here! If you can't support monetarily, sharing helps too!
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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The last time I played Puck, the director was a huge freak about not letting us wear shoes on stage because it would "ruin the look", but we all kept eating shit, and instead of just letting us wear skintone dance shoes or something with grip, motherfucker poured Pepsi on the floor so it'd be sticky and we had to schlorp around. I fucking hate you, David.
Coking the stage (mopping it with diluted soda so it's a little sticky) is a legitimate low-budget tactic for slick floors, but he just poured so much Pepsi on the floors that for about a whole week, it was audible.
Maybe the course of true love would run a little fucking smoother if we didn't have to ford your Pepsi river, DAVID.
I like when delivery people ask you to sign their tiny shitty screen with your finger like alright sure we can do some free drawing I guess. Some random strokes that evoke the essence of a signature. Looking me dead in the eyes while I play fruit ninja on this blank screen. Why not.
Check out one of the two demo songs from Wanderlust: The Musical, "The Wrong Way!"
Wanderlust: The Musical is a story about an elven wizard coming of age in a magical world full of friendship, betrayal, and time travel. Learn more and hear our trailer at fnd.us/wanderlust! (Click on the "Gallery" button!)
Wanderlust: The Musical is a podcast musical with 3 Acts and over 30 songs. It follows Finny, an aroace elven wizard, as she adventures across the vast and magical world, finding friends and redefining family.
If you're interested in learning more, there's more information and two demo songs on our Crowdfundr page, where we're crowdfunding now! Every little bit of support helps. Thank you!
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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