Lemming

[adelynne]

I am actually writing that story. About 3000 words into it, and yet, no smut. It's so rare that the urge to write fanfic strikes, I just couldn't let it pass by.

In the meanwhile, a meme, courtesy of lareinenoire: Leave me a comment saying "Resistance is Futile" and I will respond by asking you five questions that satisfy my curiosity. Update your journal

Comments

[lareinenoire]

I was particularly curious about the balance between writing and dissertating, because I'd run into that myself over the past three years -- my writing slowed to a crawl because all my energy was focused on the dissertation. Now, I'm at a bit of a loose end because job applications simply aren't as interesting as my dissertation, but I still haven't quite managed to drum up the same energy for writing that I had before.

(Sidenote about consulting: my dad did his PhD in Engineering at MIT and is now a consultant; he told me he picked up his doctoral dissertation a few months ago and couldn't understand a word of it.)

Lastly, I would love to be a fly on the wall for any conversation between Edmond and Athos, but why do I have the sinking feeling Athos would take exception to some of Edmond's methods and the whole thing would devolve into some form of barfight?

[lareinenoire]

Also, resistance is futile. ;)

[adelynne]

1. Would you ever pursue more research into Dumas following your MS? Did you change your topic toward what would work for the department you were applying to, or because your interests changed?

2. What is your ideal job at this point?

3. Tying into the above, how much thought have you given to the family/work balance of what you do/will do?

4. You do enjoy "emphasizin ur wimmenz" historically. Have you ever considered writing Dumas (for example) fic where you take a female player from a story where she isn't the main focus and telling it from her perspective? (Queen Margot, I think, is excluded for being a title character and POV narrator.) What are the challenges inherent in that?

5. What is your favorite aspect of the Arthur myth/work?

[adelynne]

I think after a while, you really just need to zero in on research to get anywhere with it. Everything else fades. Afterward, you're so burned out that you need recovery time.

I remember the feeling of finishing undergrad - though it wasn't research as much as all my final projects - and being so burned out that I couldn't imagine writing anything for months. It wasn't until I read Tithe and A Great and Terrible Beauty in the same week that my brain jump-started again.

You need to give yourself time, and not feel too bad that it's taking that long.

Sidenote about consulting: my dad did his PhD in Engineering at MIT and is now a consultant; he told me he picked up his doctoral dissertation a few months ago and couldn't understand a word of it.It was particularly bad in this case because the person in question ranted at me about how you should be thrilled to run a gel, so cool is science. (I recognize that is babble to most people - a gel is something very mundane and basic, and quite uninteresting unless it's your first time

[lareinenoire]

It was therefore made all the more ridiculous when the job he chose - instead of pursuing a post-doc or going into industry where he could work in a lab - was one that made sure he never touched a pipette again.

Yeah, that seems rather hypocritical to me. There's nothing wrong with consulting -- if there were some way to translate English Lit to a consulting job, I'd probably consider it -- but it does strike me as disingenuous to extol the virtues of lab work when you're not actually doing lab work.

And good point about faithless women. I could see it going either way, depending on whether or not Athos was in one of his moods, but I do prefer drunken singing all told. (Incidentally, one of my Yuletide requests this year was Monte-Cristo. I wonder if anyone will take me up on it.)