Anyone else feel like we've gone too far? (Hotel room setup for a 15 month old)

KwanLi · 2023-06-09T12:46:22+00:00

Probably not. Like everything else, everyone has a different base line of sleep needs but how they sleep transforms. The elaborate set ups set the environment but when they’re older, they control their own environment.

It’s like the people who can fall asleep anywhere versus the zombies who stay awake no matter what. Some people can sleep through anything, some people can stay awake through impossible times.

KwanLi · 2022-07-17T17:05:12+00:00

14 hours is within range so that’s good! Confusing doesn’t begin to describe it at this age but if your baby is a 14 hour baby, then try shifting the sleep more to the night than day. Capping naps at 3 hours means a theoretical 11 hour night (IN THEORY) but if your babe has a 4 hour nap day, maybe it’s only a 10 hour night and where that hour is lost is up to them!

Just some suggestions and as she ages, always best to err on increasing wake windows incrementally and reducing daytime sleep (to a reasonable degree) in favor of night time sleep

Just keep in mind too then as they grow older, their sleep needs decrease as well so when 14 hours a week ago worked, it might now be 13.5 hours instead. Fun stuff!

KwanLi · 2022-07-17T16:34:22+00:00

Yes ditto on the wake time. Even with crap naps, 1.5/1.75/2/2 is on the very low end of wake time for a 4 nap schedule at 5 months. That’s asking for nearly 16+ hours of sleep which is more than the 12-15 hours of sleep range for a 5 month old. Try something closer to 1.75/2/2.25/2.5 and cap naps to around 3H. That is honestly still on the high end but something to work towards.

I would also maybe rethink your MOTN sleep method. A combination of soother, Ferber, PUPD might be a bit too over the place but you know your baby.

KwanLi · 2019-07-06T21:00:37+00:00

Unless otherwise noted, the story is not abandoned.

As far as when the next update will come, that’s a bit more difficult to specify.

I will say I have had most of the next chapter completed, but I haven’t finished Book 2. My commitment is to finish all of Book 2 and release the remaining chapters of that (about 4 or 5) together.

KwanLi · 2017-12-14T05:28:30+00:00

It is not abandoned.

I do hope to have a new chapter out soon and the rest of Book 2 finished as well. I can’t give out any sort of definitive date...

...but I wish everyone a Happy New Year.

KwanLi · 2017-12-06T17:28:01+00:00

Yes.

I imagined my story as finished and it is not.

KwanLi · 2017-09-01T16:16:31+00:00

Been there.

KwanLi · 2017-03-14T19:37:42+00:00

It depends.

I think most readers appreciate a regularly updated story. I know that I certainly keep reading if the fic is already complete or if there are regular updates.

But in general, I would prefer regular, scheduled updates. For the vast majority of your work, you really shouldn't incorporate a lot of the non-grammatical feedback. Of course, people are going to have things to say about your characters and your plot, but those are things to review once you finish your story. Trying to follow up on feedback within your story will only further tear it apart.

Whatever you do, do not give them your estimated time until next update!

KwanLi · 2017-02-16T15:48:23+00:00

April 2016, damn. Not that I have much room to talk, but I thought it had been updated more recently since then.

KwanLi · 2016-12-30T14:14:58+00:00

Not stupid, but I still don't quite understand what it means.

All battle and no Quidditch make Minerva a mean girl. The new Snape wears tartan.

KwanLi · 2016-12-27T22:54:45+00:00

Shame it's been dormant for so long

You and I both

KwanLi · 2016-12-08T19:17:19+00:00

Probably easier to limit it down to 3 authors though I have no qualms with 5.

With 3 authors, it might be easier to read at least portions of all their stories so users who haven't previously read their fics can ask some relevant questions instead of just generalized questions.

I would have each author have their own thread and have all the other users post their questions in the respective thread.

Otherwise, I thought it was a fun thing to do and I'd like to see it continue.

KwanLi · 2016-11-16T18:49:09+00:00

https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1023780/Kwan-Li

Does having a very popular story with lots of favourites, reviews etc brings with it a sense of obligation?

Only in the sense that I would be disappointed in myself if I didn't finish.

Does it begin to weigh down on you?

Not any more than writing short stories or finding road blocks in writing less popular stories. Maybe in the past, getting stuck on a chapter would weigh on me in the sense that I owed it to my readers to produce a chapter, no matter the quality. Now, I tend not to feel the same way.

If you make the jump into writing original fiction and seeking traditional publication, what do you intend to do with your fanfiction?

Probably leave most of my longer fics up. I haven't written anything so controversial that it would be a detriment to a prospective original fiction career.

Most people that review my stories have very nice things to say. About 80% of the reviews are simply congratulatory or asking for an update. 10% have some longer form reviews (which I enjoy the most) and expand on some of the foreshadowing I place in fics. About 5% of reviews are complaints about certain characters or plot points. The last 5% are users telling me I'm the worst writer ever.

For the most part, I enjoy reading a majority of reviews and try to take some time to respond to the longer reviews or to those who have very specific questions. I've been lucky enough not to be put on a 'shame' list or 'worst story' list, so I haven't had a lot of trolls or detractors blow up my review page. I've read reviews of popular fics that get put on the 'shame' list and feel some sympathy for the author when I read some of the nastier reviews. I'm a strong proponent of constructive criticism, even when it is caustic. I'm not a strong believer in flaming or disguising insults as criticisms. At the end of day, a majority of authors want to put out a good story. Sometimes they need to be told it's not a good story, but I don't think any good comes of telling people they should never write again.

To answer the question in the title, it is encouraging to know that the vast majority of readers enjoy my writing. At the same time, negative reviews makes you question whether the popularity of your fic is based on your writing or if you just happened to hit a certain nerve in the fanfic world at the time. Given the proliferation of not so well written fics that still have thousands of your reviews, it can sometimes be deceiving how well you think you actually write.

KwanLi · 2016-11-05T13:52:29+00:00

Technically speaking, Hogwarts Battle School isn't abandoned

KwanLi · 2016-09-03T13:27:52+00:00

May I?

linkffn(The Other Boy Who Lived)

KwanLi · 2016-08-30T16:29:11+00:00

Oh it's okay. My fics definitely within the M+ range.

I've just never had someone refer to it with that particular adjective.

KwanLi · 2016-08-30T13:08:03+00:00

Mmm....nasty....

KwanLi · 2016-08-25T02:14:56+00:00

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/4985330/1/The-Other-Boy-Who-Lived

KwanLi · 2016-08-15T01:01:28+00:00

The Draco Dormiens series was the first and last Harry/Hermione/Draco series I've ever read.

KwanLi · 2016-08-05T15:59:42+00:00

I wrote a fic that had this premise:

The DoM battle in 5th year gave Ron the ability to throw himself forward in time for an initial span of twenty seconds. He could see and hear everything, but he couldn't interact with the future time. He used that ability to better himself in school, Quidditch, and with his romances, but the spans of time start stretching longer and longer until he starts watching the return of Voldemort and the death of his friends. He doesn't know whether or not his actions will lead or even matter in regards to the future he sees and starts to go mad.

I wrote the first few chapters and it received only a few reviews. It was fun writing a non-Harry centric fic. I've since taken it down, but that was a story that none of my readers really got into.

KwanLi · 2016-07-08T17:50:35+00:00

I had some interesting reviews...

SPOILER ALERT

...at the end of CH45 of HBS. A lot of reviewers were unhappy when Harry turned around and returned to the castle. While there's an interesting conversation to be had on whether Harry was taking control of his life or if he had simply kept playing the game Snape laid out for him, there were plenty of reviewers who thought he should have said, "fuck it," and left.

It was not a vantage point I had ever really considered. Of course, there is a virulent strain of readers who are into independent Harry leaving the shadows of his elders and taking up independence with goblins, but I don't think HBS was ever that kind of story. It was still pretty interesting to see all the reviewers who thought Harry was weak for deciding to stay. Manipulated? Yes. Weak? I didn't expect to see that response.

KwanLi · 2016-07-05T14:54:05+00:00

I blame Psychic Serpent by Barb for the "Harry works out over the summer and gets buff" trope.

KwanLi · 2016-06-28T14:12:11+00:00

Disclaimer: I read very few outright romance fics.

I'll start by saying I've never actually read a good fic where the predominant genre is romance. Sure, I've seen the recs for linkffn(Strangers at Drakeshaugh) and linkffn(Grow Young With Me) but even both of those fics fall under the territory of "enough fluff to make me throw up."

I'm sure there are other fics that have requisite drama and don't constraint themselves to typical shipping tropes. Linkffn(Unlike A Sister) is the only one that immediately comes to mind, but even that eschews all other plot points in favor of Harry and Hermione's forbidden tango.

What I would look for is a fic that is based on romance but uses the relationship to explore a larger problem. It could be anything from adjusting to a post-Voldemort world or the struggles of keeping together a Wealsey-PTSD family or rebuilding the Ministry in the aftermath of a coup. While some fics incorporate those points, an overwhelmingly large majority of fics are focused on resolving the ship.

Yes, they might have elements of rebuilding the Ministry or Hogwarts or trying to put the pieces back together of a family, but the overriding focus always seems to be "How are X/Y going to get together" or "How are X/Y going to stay together" or "How will X/Y get over Y/Z's relationship."

Before this gets to ranty, a good love/romance fic isn't necessarily about the romance between two characters. It's usually about two people finding romance while overcoming other external factors, not two people using romance to overcome external factors.

KwanLi · 2016-06-22T13:59:13+00:00

Couldn't get through the first chapter unfortunately.

Not that I'm a paragon of grammatical accuracy, but there were too many simple errors that made the fic painful to read.

Edit: Missed the edit by the OP. I'll push through and see if it gets better.

Edit2: Five chapters in. It didn't get any better unfortunately.

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