Structure in fic
I was reminded today of the dense, bizarre story Endure by hmpf.
This is how it ends.
A man on a desert plain, standing by a hole he has dug with his bare hands.
It made me think of a discussion by unovis_lj about HL stories with unusual structures, and this might be the most unusual (the chose-your-own-adventure structure of sylviavolk2000's Immortal Database is pretty original as well).
So, other unusual story structures or thematic approaches I've enjoyed:
Heat Goes to Cold and Tongues of Angels by turned_earth
The Road to Hell by Paula Stiles
White Rabbit by Dargelos
What's an Honorable Man? by Yvette Christofilis
And Then Some by Loch Ness
Such Grave Joy, and Becoming, by tryfanstone
Glass Bells by Tritorella mostly because it was so unexpectedly affecting, given that I usually can't take mpreg seriously.
Give and Take by unovis_lj
Stillheart by Sleeps with Coyotes
It's interesting, that for a fandom with a structure heavily dependant on flashbacks, there aren't more flashbacks used in the fic. My writing is typically linear. I've experimented a bit with flashbacks or episodic type writing, approaching a story from more than one angle, but not to the creative extent that some of the authors above have done.
One of the best uses of structure in fiction I've ever enjoyed was Joss Whedon's episode of Firefly "Objects in Space" - it had it all: emotional arc, structural complexity, depth of philosophy behind it, as well as being fun to watch. Yes, Joss is my hero.
Another is the novel "The God of Small Things" which uses flashbacks in a really intense way. The story in the present isn't so much a story,and the past gets doled out in the uneven,odd way a child would remember things.
Those writers out there who have played with structure and theme, what do you think about when you write in this way? Do you start with a structural idea and then go to the story or does the story come first and the structure later?
Edit: I cross-posted this question over at Highlander_lj and there's some good stuff there. See Here.
This is how it ends.
A man on a desert plain, standing by a hole he has dug with his bare hands.
It made me think of a discussion by unovis_lj about HL stories with unusual structures, and this might be the most unusual (the chose-your-own-adventure structure of sylviavolk2000's Immortal Database is pretty original as well).
So, other unusual story structures or thematic approaches I've enjoyed:
Heat Goes to Cold and Tongues of Angels by turned_earth
The Road to Hell by Paula Stiles
White Rabbit by Dargelos
What's an Honorable Man? by Yvette Christofilis
And Then Some by Loch Ness
Such Grave Joy, and Becoming, by tryfanstone
Glass Bells by Tritorella mostly because it was so unexpectedly affecting, given that I usually can't take mpreg seriously.
Give and Take by unovis_lj
Stillheart by Sleeps with Coyotes
It's interesting, that for a fandom with a structure heavily dependant on flashbacks, there aren't more flashbacks used in the fic. My writing is typically linear. I've experimented a bit with flashbacks or episodic type writing, approaching a story from more than one angle, but not to the creative extent that some of the authors above have done.
One of the best uses of structure in fiction I've ever enjoyed was Joss Whedon's episode of Firefly "Objects in Space" - it had it all: emotional arc, structural complexity, depth of philosophy behind it, as well as being fun to watch. Yes, Joss is my hero.
Another is the novel "The God of Small Things" which uses flashbacks in a really intense way. The story in the present isn't so much a story,and the past gets doled out in the uneven,odd way a child would remember things.
Those writers out there who have played with structure and theme, what do you think about when you write in this way? Do you start with a structural idea and then go to the story or does the story come first and the structure later?
Edit: I cross-posted this question over at Highlander_lj and there's some good stuff there. See Here.