I'm actually going to do it
The story idea I'm working on for this term's short story assessment - due on Wednesday - has a huge plot hole in it. I mean, I could drive a truck through it. So that story is not going to be written in the next few days, especially not since I'm going to Canberra this weekend for the Godthing's christening.
Then I thought, hey, y'know, I have this huge body of work (fic count at last census - 39. 39??) and why don't I use some of it?
*pause for freaking out at the thought of handing fanfic in for assessment*
But then I thought about it again, and sophrosyne31 encouraged me, and I seriously contemplated it. I'm doing it.
2500 words required. Requirement for actual literary merit. Probably not a good idea to include utterly gratuitous or explicit porn. The big sticking point is the fandom references. No pivotal Tolkien, filming, or situation in-jokes or references. Minimal reliance on the "real" part of LotR-RPS.
I like "St Aelred's Abbey". I've always been very proud of what I did with that one. Yeah, let's use that. Only problem is, it's only around 1000 words. But then again, various other members of my class have previously handed in a few smaller pieces. So let's do that. If I'm going to hand in shorter pieces, then I'm definitely handing in "White". Very proud of that one. Of course, it has the rather important reference to Saruman the many-coloured/white. That'll need attention. But I can do it. And a third to round it off, something else I'm proud of: "Don't Look Down".
Commence find-and-replace name-changing. All three stories involved Orli, which gave me an idea. Could I relate them? Could they stand together as related? Three stories of the O-character's relationships. They're even all set in New Zealand, making use of and reference to the scenery. Great. I call the overall piece "Three Visions of Love", and entitle the sections "White", "Gold" (Don't Look Down) and "Grey" (Abbey). Orli becomes Oliver.
Now, the important point. Do I gender-swap "Oliver's" partners? I had this discussion with a friend once, when she wanted me to enter "Falling From Grace" in an inter-college short story competition. I didn't want the stress of the mainstream bunnies coping with the unabashed slash of the story. She suggested making Orli a girl. But that wouldn't have worked there, I argued. There were different dynamics - more equal, whatever we want to say - in a male/male relationship. Make Orli a girl in "Falling", and the whole thing takes a hugely different tone.
But what about in these stories? Dom in "Abbey" can become female with alarming ease (alarming because what does that say about my characterisation?). It keeps a nice friendly-equality-workmates who've had a tumble tone about it. It works. Viggo in "Don't Look Down" also translates well into a female, feeling still older than "Oliver", confident in him(her)self and sex, but uncertain and reserved about this potential relationship. It works. And Elijah in "White" actually, I think, works better as a girl. (Also alarming.) Changed to female, somehow the dynamic in the story become more precious, more equal, more intimate and intense.
That really decided it. Gender-swapping it was. Though I was kinda worried I was just caving to mainstream heterosexual pressure, and that's a bad thought for my little anarchist brain, which likes challenging people.
Compromise. Female names that are slightly more gender ambiguous. Dom becomes Dale. Viggo becomes Vivian (which is the more masculine spelling). Elijah becomes simply Eli, which is in fact a male name, but used with the female pronoun.
References tweaked, edges smoothed, expression pared back to the artistic basic. 2700 words. Close enough. Take a deep breath and hand it in.
Then I thought, hey, y'know, I have this huge body of work (fic count at last census - 39. 39??) and why don't I use some of it?
*pause for freaking out at the thought of handing fanfic in for assessment*
But then I thought about it again, and sophrosyne31 encouraged me, and I seriously contemplated it. I'm doing it.
2500 words required. Requirement for actual literary merit. Probably not a good idea to include utterly gratuitous or explicit porn. The big sticking point is the fandom references. No pivotal Tolkien, filming, or situation in-jokes or references. Minimal reliance on the "real" part of LotR-RPS.
I like "St Aelred's Abbey". I've always been very proud of what I did with that one. Yeah, let's use that. Only problem is, it's only around 1000 words. But then again, various other members of my class have previously handed in a few smaller pieces. So let's do that. If I'm going to hand in shorter pieces, then I'm definitely handing in "White". Very proud of that one. Of course, it has the rather important reference to Saruman the many-coloured/white. That'll need attention. But I can do it. And a third to round it off, something else I'm proud of: "Don't Look Down".
Commence find-and-replace name-changing. All three stories involved Orli, which gave me an idea. Could I relate them? Could they stand together as related? Three stories of the O-character's relationships. They're even all set in New Zealand, making use of and reference to the scenery. Great. I call the overall piece "Three Visions of Love", and entitle the sections "White", "Gold" (Don't Look Down) and "Grey" (Abbey). Orli becomes Oliver.
Now, the important point. Do I gender-swap "Oliver's" partners? I had this discussion with a friend once, when she wanted me to enter "Falling From Grace" in an inter-college short story competition. I didn't want the stress of the mainstream bunnies coping with the unabashed slash of the story. She suggested making Orli a girl. But that wouldn't have worked there, I argued. There were different dynamics - more equal, whatever we want to say - in a male/male relationship. Make Orli a girl in "Falling", and the whole thing takes a hugely different tone.
But what about in these stories? Dom in "Abbey" can become female with alarming ease (alarming because what does that say about my characterisation?). It keeps a nice friendly-equality-workmates who've had a tumble tone about it. It works. Viggo in "Don't Look Down" also translates well into a female, feeling still older than "Oliver", confident in him(her)self and sex, but uncertain and reserved about this potential relationship. It works. And Elijah in "White" actually, I think, works better as a girl. (Also alarming.) Changed to female, somehow the dynamic in the story become more precious, more equal, more intimate and intense.
That really decided it. Gender-swapping it was. Though I was kinda worried I was just caving to mainstream heterosexual pressure, and that's a bad thought for my little anarchist brain, which likes challenging people.
Compromise. Female names that are slightly more gender ambiguous. Dom becomes Dale. Viggo becomes Vivian (which is the more masculine spelling). Elijah becomes simply Eli, which is in fact a male name, but used with the female pronoun.
References tweaked, edges smoothed, expression pared back to the artistic basic. 2700 words. Close enough. Take a deep breath and hand it in.