fic rambling and a computer type question

[deinonychus_1]

Five Days is finally finished! YES!

Thank god. Finally finished chapter five last night at about midnight. And, despite all the changes that happened to the plot en-route, the last line, in fact most of the last scene, still managed to happen almost exactly as I imagined it way back before I even started writing chapter one. 

On the down side, while I always expected chapter five would be a biggie, I was slightly surprised when the final word count came in at nearly 6500. This is no doubt going to lead to yet more posting traumas, I just really hope I don't have to break it up to post it. 

And, okay, I admit in advance that I've taken a few liberties with the dinosaurs in chapter five, but I wanted something different to the allosaur as a threat, and there wasn't really anything that fit the bill in the dinosaur books for that particular time period, so I ad-libbed with what there was and changed the suspected behaviour patterns a bit. 

Does anybody else listen to music while they're writing? I can't write without it, and I think I've been getting a bit... superstitious almost with the music while I've been writing Five Days. Chapter four got a bit angsty, so the background music that worked was a couple of Evanescence albums. Chapter five, on the other hand, was going nowhere until I started listening to Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells and/or Ommadawn. And here's the superstitious bit - if the writing wasn't going well when I was listening to one type of music, I'd start swapping the albums until the writing started to get going, and would then stick with the same music on a loop for the entire rest of that chapter. And the *only* music that worked for the entire of the Five Days series was Evanescence and Mike Oldfield, so I've been listening to the same six albums over and over for the past five or six weeks that I've been writing it. 

I really hope the follow on series works with something different on in the background!

Okay, a kind of computer question that someone might be able to help with. I have a Dell printer, and the black ink cartridge has run out. I can't make it print black and white from the colour cartridge, which annoyingly is nearly full, and I have tried everything I can think of to change the settings and make it print black and white from the colour cartridge. I may be missing something here, as I'm not massively technically minded when it comes to computers, so someone might be able to suggest something I haven't tried.

The computer now keeps giving me a message that Dell cartridges are only available from Dell, and telling me to go to the website or phone America! I hate online buying with a deep, deep passion, and want to be able to walk into a shop and buy a printer cartridge over the counter. Is this possible? I tried Tesco and Asda, and while Tesco had several 'own brand' cartridges that said they were compatible with Dell, my particular model of printer wasn't listed as the ones they would work with. Do I just need to go to a computer shop, like PC World or Dixons? Or is Dell evil enough that they really don't supply printing equipment in the shops (which quite frankly sound bloody stupid as a marketing policy)?

Any suggestions?

Comments

[deinonychus-1.livejournal.com]

Dell 946, all in one printer, scanner, fax thing. I was given it by someone from Writers' Club as the scanning would assist with editing the club magazine, and it came with several spare cartridges, which now I've looked all seem to be colour. Hence why I didn't check out such things as buying new cartridges when I got it.

[deinonychus-1.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. That's what they said in Curry's in Nottingham when I tried there this afternoon. Grrr. Okay, thanks anyway.

[fredbassett]

Mr fb thinks they can be bought over the counter, so I will try and get him to be more specific when he comes back from the chippie with our takeaway.

Oh yes, I must have music to write to. Sometimes it takes me off in really weird directions, hence the inspiration for the wet Ryan/Stephen porn. All came from an English folksong. Mind you, some of them can be pretty filthy!

The titles for my original fic Moonlight Shadow was all from the Mike Oldfield track as well, so I know just how you feel.

And wonderful news re Five Days!! GO YOU!!!!!!!!!!

[deinonychus-1.livejournal.com]

I've just had a long chat with a friend who works for Dixons Store group and knows his stuff IT speaking. He had a look online, and says for the type of printer I have, the cartridges are only available online. Grrrr.
There are some Dell stuff that you can buy over the counter apparently, just not for the one that I've got. Very annoying. But thanks anyway for investigating.

Although in the good news for the day, I went into town this afternoon and finally spent money on myself as a treat for having got a promotion and payrise (okay, that was actually two months ago, but I hadn't been into town since then). So now I'm listening to the new(ish) Snow Patrol album, and have the entire three series box set of Love Hurts, which was a British romantic drama with Zoe Wannamaker and Adam Faith years and years ago. I was very, very close to buying the Sharpe box set instead, but when I saw Love Hurts I just had to own it. Although if I watch it this weekend I suspect I'll be in floods of tears at it due to general hormonalness and good weepie British drama.

And I just started watching Blakes 7 this evening. Good god, the special effects are dreadful!

Music can be a great inspiration. There was one time when the song lyrics by a band I'd never heard of and only listened to once in someone else's car led to an entire Angel fic from just one line in the song!

How's Devils Crowll coming, or shouldn't I ask until September?

[fredbassett]

Sounds like you've had some wonderful retail therapy! Treats are always good for the soul.

Yep, the special effects were hilarious, but I was sooooo in love with Avon! Probably still am, if truth be told!

I'm not even attempting DC until after tomorrow. I am seriously knacked and way to wired with stress for coherent thought. Only another 20 properties to go and we can give up and collapse in a heap. But boy are we down to all the difficult crap now! I've been relaxing with some very ridiculous handcuff!porn. There's an outside chance I might manage a Friday!Porn posting if I'm lucky.

And wasn't Entangled_Now's tac vest!thigh holster porn a stunner!! Just loved it to bits :) I wish I had her way with words and descriptions, that's for sure.

[deinonychus-1.livejournal.com]

Yey! ridiculour handcuff!porn! Boo! Friday posting when I'm out and can't read it (but it gives me something to look forwards to on Saturday).

Yes, Ive always liked entangled_now's fic. Hers was some of the earliest stuff I read way back when the Primeval comms started. It's the touches of humour that really do it, I think.

Hope your work gets less stressed after the end of the week. I'm back at work next week, and it's month end, and it's going to be insane. Either I'll stop writing completely, or I'll end up doing quick light fics just to switch my brain off work for a while.

[fredbassett]

Likewise!

And here's hoping you take the light fic option!!

[telperion-15.livejournal.com]

This is probably unhelpful, but I've always understood Dell to be an internet only thing. But since others here say you can get the cartridges in the shops, I will bow to their greater judgement!

As for the music thing, I normally can't write without it either, although I have to have instrumental music, as songs with words distract me (was the same when doing uni work). And since the most appropriate CD I won for writing fanfic is the Doctor Who OST, I have practically worn that out over the past 9 months!

And now - I am very excited about the completion of Five Days *awaits posting in an excited manner*

And did I just read the words 'follow on series'? Because this is also very exciting news! *gets even more excited*

[deinonychus-1.livejournal.com]

Looks like you're right about Dell supplies. Oh well, thanks for the help.

I know what you mean about prefering instrumental stuff rather than songs when writing, that's why I tend to listen to a lot of Mike Oldfield. It's just that sometimes songs, particularly angsty type music like Evanescence or Dido, can get me in the right mindset for writing angst fic. Now I have it, I suspect the Snow Patrol album might be staying in the CD player on repeat for a while. Mega-angst. May or may not help with the Five Days follow-on.

And there's a Doctor Who soundtrack? I may have to have a look? Is it for the new series stuff?

I am planning a follow-on for Five Days (you'll see why when you read it), but it might be a few weeks or so before I get going with it. It's going to be a lot more plotty than Five Days was, and needs a lot more forward planning. And I need a break because the whole post-a-chapter-a-week thing with Five Days has got a bit manic (even though I didn't actually manage a-chapter-a-week, damn chapter four), and I feel like that fic series had eaten my life recently. But in a good way. But now I need a quick break. May write a couple of standalones while I'm sorting out the plot.

[fredbassett]

It's your turn for tac vest!porn! Go on, you know munchkin'll cackle like mad if you do .....it'll be worth it, we'll hear her all the way from Oz!!

[deinonychus-1.livejournal.com]

Well, I haven't got it pinned down yet to a full fic idea, but while I was in town being tempted by the Sharpe box set, I started thinking, 'I wonder if there's a way of getting Sharpe and Ryan back together again for another fic?', and then handcuffs got involved and my brain went south quite quickly. I'm not promising anything yet, I'll have to work out if I can do anything with the seed of an idea that I've got at the moment.

[fredbassett]

Oh god yes, please, pretty please, *makes puppy dog eyes and sends e-cookies*

[telperion-15.livejournal.com]

Breaks are good *nods* Otherwise you may go crazy, and we don't want that! Fic-epics have a tendency to take over sometimes, and you just have to force yourself to take a step back. Although there is then sometimes a problem in taking the step forward again (I need to find my writing mojo again!)

I find songs are good for fic inspiration - various ones over the years have inspired various fics of mine. Also, there are certainly songs that become irrevocably associated with a fandom or pairing in my head, regardless of whether that song actually inspired a fic or not. Sometimes they don't even seem to be particularly related to the fandom/pairing - I just create random links in my head.

And yes indeedy, there is a Doctor Who soundtrack, and it is from the new series. It has some fairly angsty tracks itself - not good is you're feeling a bit tearful already!

[deinonychus-1.livejournal.com]

May have to keep a look out for the Doctor Who soundtrack.

I know what you mean about the associations of fic and music. I still tend to think of Sentinel fanfic when I hear certain Evenescence songs, just because that's what I was listening to when I was reading a lot of fic for that fandom.

Bizarely enough, at one point when I was writing Five Days I tried listening to the Jurassic Park soundtrack, and it just didn't work in the slightest, even for the dinosaur action sequence bits.

[telperion-15.livejournal.com]

Strangely, for me Evanescence goes with the Stargate fandom - funny how people's minds go in different directions...

Actually, I can believe that about the Jurassic Park music. It would strike me as being a bit too...well, normal, for lack of a better word. Too obvious.

[deinonychus-1.livejournal.com]

I see what you mean about the Jurassic Park music.

I meant to ask, hows the 'Time heals...' series going? You mentioned earlier in the thread you need to get your writing mojo back, hope your not having too many problems with it.

If you're having brain-melty-death from the time paradox stuff, feel free to bounce ideas off me if you want. I've been having time paradox type fic ideas so I've been giving it a bit of thought myself recently. Although, we might just end up melting each other's brains if we realise we both believe it would work in completely different ways. Where's a good looking genius thoeretical physicist when you want one? In fact... that's a good question generally.

*wanders off thinking about cute geeky characters from a variety of fandoms*