New Podfic: Edge of Snow is up! +blather on writing

[arrow00]

Eee! nos4a2no9 has gone and done recorded Edge of Snow as a fantastic podfic.

Her voice is perfect for reading Fraser 1st person, and for that I am so grateful, because Fraser is a tough nut to crack and it's not an easy story. Be sure to visit her LJ and give her fb because we just don't have enough people willing to record podfics. It's a long and

Comments

[pir8fancier]

I lvoe these sort of discussions because the writing process for each writer is COMPLETELY different. I mean, we are all struggling to put down the same basic elements, love, loss, fear, anger, joy, etc. and how we get there is an individual as our DNA. Might have to do this one.

[arrow00]

Oh, please, please do. I find it so fascinating how other people write because, like you said: we all have the same raw materials but the way we put them together, the processes we use, are all so utterly different.

And I want to learn tricks other people use or even come up with writing exercises based on how someone else does it.

[qe2]

we just don't have enough people willing to record podfics.

Huh. This is interesting to me, because I have occasionally thought about doing this and come to the conclusion that the market's too crowded for new entrants (which feeds usefully into my conviction that no one would listen to it if I recorded it anyway).

I'm saving the writing meme, which I will have to think about, for the weekend's writing. It's a good one. Thank you.

[nos4a2no9]

Q! Don't be insane! I would LOVE to hear your recording of a fic! There really aren't enough authors/readers out there: I can only think of about six people in the fandom who do record either their own stuff or other people's, and when you consider the sheer amount of great stuff out there waiting to make its way onto your iPod...well, if I ask really nicely, would you consider it? I think you'd be a great reader, and I'd love to hear you take on one of your own stories. Just try it out. It's addictive :-)

[slidellra]

HI RECORD PODFIC PLEASE.

We are way, way short on readers, and I want more podfic, and poor zabira deserves to listen to fic she didn't record herself, and I have MANY more reasons if you need them. *wants*

[arrow00]

what they said! there are never enough podficcers.

and I'm really looking forward to reading your writing thoughts.

[nos4a2no9]

Hmmm, your answers were fascinating. You process seems quite relaxed, and I'm still shocked that you've only been writing for three years. You've got a sage kind of maturity about your approach that I associate with really experienced authors. Before I'd gotten to know you a little I had thought you were a professional fiction writer, given the quality of the stories you post and the frequency with which you do so.

And wow, your approach to writing sex? Awesome. It makes sense, right? What's sexy to you HAS to show up at some point in the story, so taking things for a *cough* test-drive seems very sensible. You are very brave for crossing that TMI line, but yes, wow, that's a good suggestion. I might have to try it! ;-)

[arrow00]

eep! Thanks. A lot. I think I was writing in my head for a long time and just didn't know it. It took discovering slash for me to think, hey, maybe I can do that. But I've always been purty good with words.

I hope you'll tell us a little about your process, Nos.

taking things for a *cough* test-drive seems very sensible

It's the only way to travel. ;) Seriously, I'm glad I posted it, too, if it will encourage people to ah experiment.

[slidellra]

Verrrrry interesting, m'dear. And your technique for writing sex is mine as well. I like it.

[arrow00]

Sweet. Yeah, I think that's where my most useful story idears come from, simply because it's *never* just about sex.

[isiscolo]

[via friendsfriends]

I always love reading about people's writing processes. We're similar in some ways, different in others (like, DUH :-) and sometimes I forget that there are other ways to write.

Also, you don't have to write from multiple POVs for a novel. I finished my first (fanfiction) novel in November, and it's all from a single POV. (For exactly the reasons you articulated: it's more interesting for the reader to have to speculate on the non-POV character's motivations, and it's fun to create the view of what that character thinks through the possibly unreliable narration of the POV character. And in my story, where the POV character is sort-of-original - Rae Kowalski, an always-female version of Ray - it helped to build reader identification.)

And hee, I do personal, unstated challenges all the time.

[arrow00]

Sorry: whats friendsfriends? I am relatively new to this strange LJ country.

I would love to hear about your process, isicolo.

Also, you don't have to write from multiple POVs for a novel. I finished my first (fanfiction) novel in November, and it's all from a single POV.

Wow. Congrats on that. I admire you tremendously; I've never been able to wrap my head around a novel. I guess I just assumed people would get tired of one POV for an entire novel. Stupid assumption on my part, I take it.

Actually, knowing that, I might be willing to give a novel a try. The POV switching thing bothers me. Even when I'm reading, I always feel slightly deflated to all of a sudden be in the other character's head. Takes away a lot of the tension. Not that I haven't read superb stories that do switch...but I guess it's just a personal preference.

the POV character is sort-of-original - Rae Kowalski, an always-female version of Ray
What an original idea. Is it het?

[isiscolo]

Friendsfriends is a LJ function that is available to paid accounts; it lets you look at the most recent posts by people who your friendslist have friended, but you don't. I look at it when I have the time. It's a good way of expanding my social circle on LJ, although I also end up skimming past quite a lot of (what is to me) boring crap.

And you can call me Isis - isiscolo is my username, because Isis is always taken by the time I get there. :-) I natter on a lot about writing and process; you can see my 'writing' lj tag. You might be particularly interested in this post on plot and how I write long, plotty stories.

And hee, way to deflate my writerly ego, there; the Rae story just got recced on crack_van so I was feeling pretty proud of myself, and here comes a reality check that not everybody knows me or what I've written! Anyway, it's a bodyswap story which combines elements of both het and slash: Rae wakes up in an alternate reality in which she is, and apparently always has been, a man named Ray. You might find my story notes interesting

[arrow00]

eep! No writerly puncturing intended. It looks like your story fell in my dead zone: I was in a full hand cast and off-line for a couple of months when I shattered my finger at the end of October. I haven't had a chance to catch up fully since I don't read that much fic--no time, and generally want to be writing instead of reading, although I do both.

Staying strictly in her POV helped me build reader identification with her (because it's risky, creating a character who is not strictly a canon character, and trying to convince the reader to care about her)

Good point, and smart thinking. It's very difficult to write a story entirely from an original character's POV, and especially difficult for a story of that length. That's quite an achievement, and it looks like your readers really loved it.

You write in your story notes: I mean, it's a (typically female) slasher's dream, isn't it? To wake up in a male body - and not just any male body, but the body of one of our slash objects.It's an interesting question. I don't think it's