writing meme answers, part 2
darlulu asked: D. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?
I'm always nurturing ideas. Tons of them. Including a billion ideas that never go anywhere. You should see all the incomplete stories from the past decade littering my hard drive. It's pathetic. But right now I have about seven partially completed stories that seem likely to go somewhere: one X-Men, two Vikings, two Merlin, one Walking Dead, and one 00Q (Skyfall). The Vikings stories are your basic Ragnar/Athelstan relationship stories. Hey, it's what I do. One of the Merlin stories is a 513 fix-it (yes, I know it's been two years, what of it???) and the other is a dark!Merlin story, also taking place after 513. X-Men is a post-DOFP story. Of course.
tabby333 asked: E. Share one of your strengths./F. Share one of your weaknesses.
This question is hard for me to articulate. I think one of my weaknesses is a tendency toward overly formal language when I'm writing stories for period dramas. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn't. It's easy for that kind of prose to become stilted. One of my strengths is an ability to write mature relationships that feel real, in the way people interact and are drawn to each other. I think?
dorinda asked for three also!: H. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it./O. If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?/T. Describe your perfect writing conditions.
How about the short ones first? *g*
If I could choose one of my fics to be filmed, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. To be honest, that is a super-hard question, so I will go with the easy answer: Stars Above, Stones Below (Merlin). The runners-up would be Unmade or A Heart For Every Fate. (Stargate SG-1).
My perfect writing conditions: silence. No, seriously, that's it. I need silence. Being well-rested is a bonus, but lately concentration and paying attention are issues for me, and only silence helps those along.
A snippet from a favorite dialogue scene, arggggh. I have no idea. Um.
From The Win-Win Scenario (H50):
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It wasn't his car; it was their car. Had been from the beginning, from the very moment Steve McGarrett called him partner. And Danny was a monumentally stupid ass.
"Danny?"
The sharp note of concern in Steve's voice put air back in Danny's lungs, and he rubbed a hand over his face. "I'm fine."
"You don't--"
"Really, I'm fine. I'm excellent. I'm peachy. It's just that we're married, you see, and we have a joint property issue, and no one explained it to me."
There was a moment of utter silence, the kind Danny had only ever experienced before in a cave about a mile underground, while his teammates stared at him, frozen in the moment.
Danny cleared his throat. "Did I say that out loud? Because there's this issue." He gestured toward his head. "Brain damage. Not fully recovered."
The look on Steve's face, that aneurysm-terrified-amused-worried look, would have been hilarious any other time, and then he sort of uncoiled, and the look mutated, turned into something so focused and hot that Danny thought his bones might start to come undone on the molecular level.
Chin was the first to get his feet back under him, and he made a little hmph sound. "Technically," he said, studying the ever so fascinating screen in front of him, "it's a domestic partnership, brah."
"You know, " Danny said, "I left my vest in my office. And the filter that goes in that big space between my brain and my tongue. So I'll just go get those now."
He twisted sideways, aiming his body in a straight line toward the door, and made as graceful an exit as could be expected with a cane in his hand.
"Awkward," Kono said under her breath, because apparently she thought his hearing was damaged, too.
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I like this because I think Danny Williams' distinct style of stream-of-consciousness banter is hard to capture (for me, at least), and I felt I got it right. Also, for me the best dialogue I write tends to be well-integrated with the tone of the prose around it, and I think this all flows well. THIS IS A HARD QUESTION I DON'T LIKE IT. Moving on now.
elishavah picked: Q. Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?
Most of the time I write scenes in chronological order, particularly for stories I can tell will be over 20,000 words. The tone, flow, and pacing of the story depends on a natural feel to the progression of events in a story, so I let each scene lead into the next to maximize that flow. If I want to capture a scene that's down the line in a story, I'll sketch it out in the file so I don't forget the details, but I don't usually write the full scene ahead of time. I do always have an idea of what the scenes in a story are and what order they'll go in, but it's shocking how often I'll get halfway through a story and realize I'm on the wrong track, and have to start over or heavily revise the first half. When that happens, I revise before I go on, most of the time. *g*
nympha_alba picked two: R. Do you use any tools, like worksheets or outlines?/S. Stephen King once said that his muse is a man who lives in the basement. Do you have a muse?
Tools: not really. I do a sort of outline, which is to open a document and mark out the scenes I'm going to write, in order, in the file. So an unfinished story will have a pathway, of sorts, so I don't forget the order of scenes or the details. But for me, detailed outlines kill the fun of writing a fan fiction story. I don't use worksheets at all.
Muse: definitely a no. This is a YMMV thing, but I think going on about "my muse" would be silly. I can't talk about my creativity or my inspiration as if it's some abstract and/or real thing apart from me that I can blame or praise for my accomplishments (or lack thereof). It's all me. My passion, my inspiration, my laziness, my procrastination, that comes from nowhere but me. It's just me in here, and I put my butt in the chair and write. (Stephen King's muse is probably an axe-murdering psychopath masquerading as a doll, so he gets a pass.)
I'm always nurturing ideas. Tons of them. Including a billion ideas that never go anywhere. You should see all the incomplete stories from the past decade littering my hard drive. It's pathetic. But right now I have about seven partially completed stories that seem likely to go somewhere: one X-Men, two Vikings, two Merlin, one Walking Dead, and one 00Q (Skyfall). The Vikings stories are your basic Ragnar/Athelstan relationship stories. Hey, it's what I do. One of the Merlin stories is a 513 fix-it (yes, I know it's been two years, what of it???) and the other is a dark!Merlin story, also taking place after 513. X-Men is a post-DOFP story. Of course.
tabby333 asked: E. Share one of your strengths./F. Share one of your weaknesses.
This question is hard for me to articulate. I think one of my weaknesses is a tendency toward overly formal language when I'm writing stories for period dramas. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn't. It's easy for that kind of prose to become stilted. One of my strengths is an ability to write mature relationships that feel real, in the way people interact and are drawn to each other. I think?
dorinda asked for three also!: H. Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it./O. If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?/T. Describe your perfect writing conditions.
How about the short ones first? *g*
If I could choose one of my fics to be filmed, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. To be honest, that is a super-hard question, so I will go with the easy answer: Stars Above, Stones Below (Merlin). The runners-up would be Unmade or A Heart For Every Fate. (Stargate SG-1).
My perfect writing conditions: silence. No, seriously, that's it. I need silence. Being well-rested is a bonus, but lately concentration and paying attention are issues for me, and only silence helps those along.
A snippet from a favorite dialogue scene, arggggh. I have no idea. Um.
From The Win-Win Scenario (H50):
---------------------------------------------------
It wasn't his car; it was their car. Had been from the beginning, from the very moment Steve McGarrett called him partner. And Danny was a monumentally stupid ass.
"Danny?"
The sharp note of concern in Steve's voice put air back in Danny's lungs, and he rubbed a hand over his face. "I'm fine."
"You don't--"
"Really, I'm fine. I'm excellent. I'm peachy. It's just that we're married, you see, and we have a joint property issue, and no one explained it to me."
There was a moment of utter silence, the kind Danny had only ever experienced before in a cave about a mile underground, while his teammates stared at him, frozen in the moment.
Danny cleared his throat. "Did I say that out loud? Because there's this issue." He gestured toward his head. "Brain damage. Not fully recovered."
The look on Steve's face, that aneurysm-terrified-amused-worried look, would have been hilarious any other time, and then he sort of uncoiled, and the look mutated, turned into something so focused and hot that Danny thought his bones might start to come undone on the molecular level.
Chin was the first to get his feet back under him, and he made a little hmph sound. "Technically," he said, studying the ever so fascinating screen in front of him, "it's a domestic partnership, brah."
"You know, " Danny said, "I left my vest in my office. And the filter that goes in that big space between my brain and my tongue. So I'll just go get those now."
He twisted sideways, aiming his body in a straight line toward the door, and made as graceful an exit as could be expected with a cane in his hand.
"Awkward," Kono said under her breath, because apparently she thought his hearing was damaged, too.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I like this because I think Danny Williams' distinct style of stream-of-consciousness banter is hard to capture (for me, at least), and I felt I got it right. Also, for me the best dialogue I write tends to be well-integrated with the tone of the prose around it, and I think this all flows well. THIS IS A HARD QUESTION I DON'T LIKE IT. Moving on now.
elishavah picked: Q. Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?
Most of the time I write scenes in chronological order, particularly for stories I can tell will be over 20,000 words. The tone, flow, and pacing of the story depends on a natural feel to the progression of events in a story, so I let each scene lead into the next to maximize that flow. If I want to capture a scene that's down the line in a story, I'll sketch it out in the file so I don't forget the details, but I don't usually write the full scene ahead of time. I do always have an idea of what the scenes in a story are and what order they'll go in, but it's shocking how often I'll get halfway through a story and realize I'm on the wrong track, and have to start over or heavily revise the first half. When that happens, I revise before I go on, most of the time. *g*
nympha_alba picked two: R. Do you use any tools, like worksheets or outlines?/S. Stephen King once said that his muse is a man who lives in the basement. Do you have a muse?
Tools: not really. I do a sort of outline, which is to open a document and mark out the scenes I'm going to write, in order, in the file. So an unfinished story will have a pathway, of sorts, so I don't forget the order of scenes or the details. But for me, detailed outlines kill the fun of writing a fan fiction story. I don't use worksheets at all.
Muse: definitely a no. This is a YMMV thing, but I think going on about "my muse" would be silly. I can't talk about my creativity or my inspiration as if it's some abstract and/or real thing apart from me that I can blame or praise for my accomplishments (or lack thereof). It's all me. My passion, my inspiration, my laziness, my procrastination, that comes from nowhere but me. It's just me in here, and I put my butt in the chair and write. (Stephen King's muse is probably an axe-murdering psychopath masquerading as a doll, so he gets a pass.)