“the Price of Lace”, End notes
[ Endnotes posted 07 Aug 2024 ]
Where did the idea for the story come from?
It was one of several ideas that I noted down for future use during my brief career as a truck driver. As far as I can tell, nothing made me think of it, and the idea seems to have appeared fully formed. Just took me awhile to get to it.
Is there any particular significance to the title?
Only the one named out in the story. And, as I recall, the story title came at the same time as the story idea.
What is the thing I like most about this story? the thing I like least, or about which I feel most doubtful?
Liked most: The presentation of the character of Lauren: intense, painful emotion, covered by (and expressed in) scrupulous, almost compulsive self-control.
Liked least: except for the brief - and ultimately imaginary - scene in the graveyard, the story was ALL about the description of feelings. That was what the story was, so that was how I told it, but I recognize it as at least a potential weakness.
(Also, Nairi’s carefully private Are you ready to be strong? to Lauren … I did my best to have that echo the message given to Slayers WITHOUT saying that Lauren had herself been identified as such, but I’m by no means certain that I succeeded there.)
Is there anything I think I could have done better, or might do differently if I had it to do over?
I know a stronger story could have been written, but if I could have thought of a way of making it stronger myself, that was the way I would have gone.
Do I have any plans to follow up on this story, or to use the character(s) or situation in a subsequent fic?
Not the characters themselves (though that may change, it has for other characters), but in some ways this story itself could be considered a follow-up. As with most if not all other Backstage stories, there are links here to other stories. Nairi, presented here, was spoken of at some length in “ the Other Night I Dreamt of Knives”; likewise, Mateo was mentioned briefly in “ Jack Be Nimble”. Finally, Delzpiyrian priests or rites were mentioned in “ Solitaire Till Dawn”, “ Rough Trade”, and “ Just Can’t Kill the Beast” as well as in this story.
Any observations to add at the end?
The listing I keep of story idea notes shows that the basic idea for the story came as long ago as April 2013, and the final product shows only very minor difference from the first thought. Despite taking ten years to finally do the story, it eventually turned out almost exactly as originally conceived … which seldom happens, except sometimes when the story is done immediately after the idea arrives.