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Well, the good news is that it wasn't a very long slump, but the bad news is that this is how long it's taken me to fall off the writing wagon and to no longer be working on my novel. I'm still writing, but I'm back on fanfic, doing a time-travel fix-it fic for Jin Guangyao.
[Guanyin's Gift](https://archiveofourown.org/works/53696275)
With Jin Guangyao the main difficulty is to find a time in which he has any good choices available to him at all. So I had to go very far back *and* allow him to keep his adult memories and skillset.
I'm now belly dancing twice a week, which is lots of fun and has given me a new lease of life. But I continued to be frustrated that you could not get a nice coin belt of the right size for a plus size person, so I've started making them.
This is great for me, because I now have multiple belts that fit me and are interesting and unique. And I would like to make them available to other fat dancers who are presumably all also facing the same problem. But I can't make them as cheaply as the scarves that straight-sized people can buy on the internet for £3.99. £3.99 would not cover even the least amount of braid that goes on one of these, let alone the material.
I can't imagine selling them for less than £15 just to pay for the material and trimmings, and then who's going to pay for that?
On boat news, Son is coming to the end of his mooring in Northampton and is thinking of moving the boat up to Nottingham, where he has a small community of friends. So I imagine we'll be spending at least some time in late spring on the boat - getting him up the 12 locks of the staircase onto the Northampton arm of the canals, if nothing else. Expect more breakdowns, panicking and repairs to follow :)
[Guanyin's Gift](https://archiveofourown.org/works/53696275)
With Jin Guangyao the main difficulty is to find a time in which he has any good choices available to him at all. So I had to go very far back *and* allow him to keep his adult memories and skillset.
I'm now belly dancing twice a week, which is lots of fun and has given me a new lease of life. But I continued to be frustrated that you could not get a nice coin belt of the right size for a plus size person, so I've started making them.
This is great for me, because I now have multiple belts that fit me and are interesting and unique. And I would like to make them available to other fat dancers who are presumably all also facing the same problem. But I can't make them as cheaply as the scarves that straight-sized people can buy on the internet for £3.99. £3.99 would not cover even the least amount of braid that goes on one of these, let alone the material.
I can't imagine selling them for less than £15 just to pay for the material and trimmings, and then who's going to pay for that?
On boat news, Son is coming to the end of his mooring in Northampton and is thinking of moving the boat up to Nottingham, where he has a small community of friends. So I imagine we'll be spending at least some time in late spring on the boat - getting him up the 12 locks of the staircase onto the Northampton arm of the canals, if nothing else. Expect more breakdowns, panicking and repairs to follow :)
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Date: 2024-02-16 11:20 am (UTC)From:Thank you! Yes, it is nice to be writing again at all even if a new novel seems like too much to ask. And I am enjoying the fanfic, and it is persuading me that I haven't completely lost the ability, the way I thought I had over the covid years.
It continually amazes me how cheaply some textile stuff can be produced. I don't understand how they can afford to produce the fabric, let alone embellish it with beading that has to be done by hand, and then turn a profit while selling it at £4.99. It boggles my mind.
But fortunately for me, if unfortunately for the plus size dancers in the UK there is only one choice of coin belt unless they want to spend £60 importing something from the States. So I guess that does give me a niche :)
LOL! At least the boat trip is on the canals, where if you sink, or fall in, the water only comes up to your waist anyway, and the boat is unlikely to be swept away if the engine fails. Rivers are terrifying!
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Date: 2024-02-17 04:03 am (UTC)From:I'm REALLY glad that you're writing something and that you're enjoying doing it! That's the best and most important thing! (And if and when you want to write another novel, I hope you're able to... but don't push yourself if it's too much or you just don't want to.)
So much textile stuff like that is only cheap because the labor at all steps is SO painfully undervalued. The finished product is made in the same places as the fabric and embellishments, and the labor is far from fairly compensated. It's really a mess. (There are also companies that sell things cheaply even though they don't turn a profit... because it freezes out competition.)
Oof, and import fees are another painful consideration! Though I'm glad that likely does give you a pretty good niche within the local community. I imagine there would be some interest. I don't know a lot directly, but my cousin did belly dancing, as did an ex co-worker, and my impression has been that putting together well-made, attractive costumes is something that a lot of dancers really enjoy. I would guess that paying for a higher-quality piece that fits nicely and provides some variety/fits their personal taste would be VERY much something people would pay a bit more for.
Well that's a bit of a relief! At least it's somewhat low-risk!
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Date: 2024-02-17 12:30 pm (UTC)From:For me I think the thing that knocked the writing out of me was Brexit. Before that, I had had faith that everyone was sensible and that progress was inevitable, and everything was sufficiently okay to spend most of my life lost in imagination. And after that I was suddenly awakened to the fact that we were in a bad timeline, and things have only got worse since. I've been so consumed with worry ever since that writing felt like taking my eyes off a threat.
Now though, I suppose you can't remain on high alert forever and I seem to be able to small pieces of low-stakes writing, which I'm hoping will grow my ability to do more strenuous ones again soon :)
It definitely does seem to be a big part of things - there are some troupes that seem to have a new outfit for every performance, which seems pricey! But the excuse to go out and buy yourself some new bling seems like a bonus :)
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Date: 2024-02-18 05:14 am (UTC)From:There's a book I've seen rec'd around my flist here by a couple people, Never Say You Can't Survive: How to get through hard times by making up stories. I haven't read it yet, but I am intending to sometime this year. It sounds like it's very much about that sort of "the world is terrible, how can I write when everything is fucked?" feeling.
It's not the sort of thing I usually read, but I'm wondering if it'll be helpful, ha.
I've seen a lot of troupes that do group choreography and have matching costumes for the group for each one... that seems like it'd get pricey, but if it works for them... Though that's a good point: an excuse to get some fancy new stuff? Sounds great!
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Date: 2024-02-20 08:21 pm (UTC)From:I did read Never Say You Can't Survive: How to get through hard times by making up stories and while I thought it was quite good, I can't say that it told me anything that I didn't already know. I didn't think that I found it helpful, but I did start writing again soon after, so maybe it bypassed my conscious brain and did something subconsciously? Worth trying anyway!
My impression is that groups only do one or two performances a year, so I guess it's not too bad having to assemble one outfit every six months. A lot of them seem to be handmade too, so that can keep the costs down. Still they must have wardrobes full of them! I feel like there should be a thriving second hand market, but I haven't found it yet.
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Date: 2024-02-23 03:53 am (UTC)From:That's true - most troupes do seem to have a fairly limited number of group performances per year. And most of the dancers I knew also enjoyed being able to wear their costumes to things like Renaissance fairs or festivals and things. All the more reason I'd think people would be excited to find some high-quality pieces made in their size!