I am way overthinking this... (Kaleidoscope manifesto)

[shimotsuki]

...but it's so ironic that the Remus biography was released just as I've been making a push to seriously finish Kaleidoscope. As much fun as it was to get more background information, it has shut down my fanfic brain just as effectively as DH did until I decided to write them a new ending. ;)

Seriously, what's hard about this is I've always prided myself on being strictly canon-compliant (except for that pesky death thing), and now by definition Kaleidoscope can't be -- I've got too many specific details in there that we now know aren't what JKR imagined for them.

So I think to get over the writer's block problem, I just need to make myself some new ground rules for finishing Kaleidoscope. Here goes: For anything that happened before Remus makes his first appearance in canon, I will hew to the new information from the bio. So this includes Remus's childhood, parents' names and histories, and so on. (I do have to assume that Lyall dies prior to OotP, but I don't think the bio explicitly contradicts this.) But from the time-frame of PoA onward, Kaleidoscope is compliant with book-canon only.

I think I can work with this. And venting about it here has already made me feel better. ;)
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Comments

[gilpin25.livejournal.com]

It sounds like you've reached a good compromise there, between the heart saying you want to be canon-compliant as much as possible, and the head saying this is what is realistically possible to include. Sometimes the head gets it spot-on.

I've got too many specific details in there that we now know aren't what JKR imagined for them.

Isn't the key word 'imagined' in there? What you've imagined counts as well, and as an avid reader of Kaleidoscope I want to read what you've imagined for them within the framework of her story. Besides, it sounds as if - with the inclusion of the parts about his childhood and parents etc - you've got some of the best parts of the bio to refer to, and the freedom to continue with your own imaginings. Instead of finding it restricting, I hope the decision enables you to find it inspiring.

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

It sounds like you've reached a good compromise there

I hope so. And it is interesting to know more about the circumstances surrounding Greyback's attack -- at least this came out right at the point where I was ready to start working on the relevant chapter, lol.

Instead of finding it restricting, I hope the decision enables you to find it inspiring.

That's really it. I like to keep my fic canon-compliant because I enjoy the challenge of doing that: remembering the relevant details and trying to work other, not-so-obviously-relevant ones in. It feels like the same kind of challenge that writing to a prompt creates. So what I needed (for my own peace of mind, lol) was a new set of rules about what scaffolding to fit my fic around. I think this new plan will work -- in fact, tonight I may take a stab at the big Greyback reveal scene (to celebrate by last day of holiday before it's back to work tomorrow, and back to classes in two weeks).

Thanks for the encouragement. :) (And, perfect icon!)