A rule of writing

[bwinter]

Put your characters in situations that rip them apart. And rip them apart some more.

- Sherry Thomas, On fundamental rules of writing

I think this is something that I've internalised over the past year or so. The downside is, I have a lot of traumatised characters.

(On the other hand, I think this is why I adore movies like Equilibrium and Once

Comments

[assimbya]

Yes, I agree so much. It hurts and I at least always feel guilty about it, but it's what writing is, at least many kinds of it.

[bwinter]

I've been doing a lot of that lately, actually. My dear Draculea is currently quite broken by the simplest of means - a shapely pair of legs and a class of power that he can't hope to reach. I'd never thought I'd see him head over heels in love :>

[assimbya]

Draculea, in love? I can't wait to see this. Who, may I ask, is the person who has been so graced with his attentions? Unless it is Johannes?

[bwinter]

Lady Gent in my icon - Death in Elisabeth as played by Maki Ichiro in the 1996 Takarazuka Snow Troupe production. No-one's more surprised than me. I thought it'd just be a PWP to get it out of my head, plus a few glimpses of prior meetings to establish the attraction. Now I have a nine-part series chronicling Vlad's emotional journey through his ongoing love affair with Death. Which... explains a lot about him, really.

(Not to mention small neat things, like the fact Death has 10 angelic helpers, who only operate as an ensemble in the musical, but have developed distinct personalities and varying degrees of crushes on Vlad. It's been consuming my brain for the past few weeks, but fyrie says it's readable.)

[assimbya]

That is awesome. I cannot wait to read it. Such a wonderful idea.

[bwinter]

All Vlad's. I was watching the DVD of the musical and he started commenting out loud on Maki's legs, then it went downhill from there ;)

I'm almost done with writing part 3 out of nine or so, with about 3 thousand words per chapter. Vlad's idea of a romantic date is, apparently, walking through a forest of impaled corpses. It's a good thing his date doesn't mind.

[assimbya]

Oh, the joys of having characters in your head. And of watching musicals with them. You know what's really amusing? Watching Bat Boy with a vampire muse in your head.

But yay for it causing good plot ideas!

I'm very excited to read this when you post it. Demented romance is so fun!

[bwinter]

Alas that I haven't seen Bat Boy yet. I've heard quite a few songs and liked them - I need to find a trade for a video boot, I think. I actually quite dread watching Phantom next month, since I have such a variety of Phantom characters, not to mention a certain Herbert von Krolock played by the same guy who's playing Phantom in this version :) I might have to bring along gags for the peanut gallery.

[fyrie]

It's fricking amazing. I love it to bits already. There are no words for the love. It's fabulousness incarnate!