My Old Fandom - Dear Author Letter
Dear Author:
Thank you for writing my request. I really hope you have fun with it, enjoying the prompts you received. I have provided prompts, because I understand they can be helpful. If you prefer to write something different, I am sure I will enjoy that too. I put in six requests because all of my fandoms are pretty obscure, so I figured more would give me a better chance of matching with somebody.
I am sorry this letter is so long; feel free to ignore it if you dislike long letters.
What I like in General:
• I like stories that are character-driven and also those that are plot-driven (though I prefer the former), but as long as something is well-written I usually like anything (so I suggest you just opt for what you like to write).
• I have no preference about the story being serious or humorous; I think that sort of decision is best left to the author. Witty repartee in dialogue does appeal regardless of whether the theme of the story is serious or funny.
• I generally prefer stories that are true to canon, but occasionally do enjoy a well-written AU.
• Although I rarely write sexually explicit stories, I have no objection to reading them. However, I prefer any sex to develop logically from the plot or exploring some aspect of character development; and as a general rule I agree with Renault that it is better to leave the details to the reader’s imagination.
Requests
The Alexander Trilogy - Mary Renault
Any Character
Suggestions: Gen is definitely preferred. Where I have asked for a pairing I would prefer the story to focus on the relationship rather than the sex. What were the early days of Phillip’s and Olympias’ marriage like? When (and why) did it start to go sour? I would love a story that tells us something of the period in between Fire from Heaven and The Persian Boy, whether that includes campaigns on the Greek mainland or in Persia. What did Ptolemy really think about proskynesos? Bagoas never expected to feel sympathy for Roxane but... (from Bagoas’ viewpoint). Alternatively: is Roxane happy in her marriage? What does she really think about being on campaign (i.e. Roxane’s viewpoint)? Show us Sisygambis hearing about Alexander’s death. The friendship between Ptolemy and Bagoas Thais/Ptolemy: how does he remain ‘true’ to her even while he makes a dynastic marriage? Tell the story of Phillip’s relationship with Pausanias (and what Olympias really thought of what happened). Show us Alexander through Antipatros’ eyes. How about an AU in which Arridaios isn’t such a fool; what would his relationship with his older brother Alexander been like?
The Charioteer - Mary Renault
Any Character
Suggestions: Backstory about Ralph as a child or youth would be nice. We know his family background is non-comformist. How does that influence his approach to his sexuality? Show us something of Ralph's years at sea before he meets up with Laurie again; show us his years with women. If you prefer Laurie as a character: how about his time at Oxford. What was it like for him as a closeted queer who was fighting his own nature? Or give us some insights into his time in the BEF. However, please do not feel you have to focus on the main characters. I'd be equally pleased with story that focused on minor characters, and they don't even have to be popular ones! We learn from Lucy that Gareth Straike had a first marriage than may not have been very loving. Why not show us something of the differences in his two marriages through Straike's eyes? (Most fans don't view Lucy in a terribly sympathetic light, so why is it Straike sees her so worthy of his love?) I also would love to read something about Bim: why did he join up and how did he come to fly? How did he meet Ralph (was it simply the Bridstow scene at work or something more?). Show us something about Alec as a medical student; what motivated him to study for this profession? If future-fic is more to your liking: how does Sandy get on after Alec and he break up? Or: Laurie's relationship with his mother and Straike over the years (through the war and after). Years later, Nurse Adrian, married and happy, meets Laurie and Ralph, disillusioned and unhappy.
Jean Robertson Series - Janet Sandison
Any Character
Suggestions: Something set during the first book - perhaps an adventure ‘up the Burn’, or, alternatively, something involving the Adairs. I don’t care whose perspective the story is written from; it doesn’t have to be Jean’s if you prefer someone else (e.g. Ian or Colin). Gen preferred.
Kim - Rudyard Kipling
Any Character
Suggestion: My request is very simple - another task is given to Kim as a spy for the British Raj, and perhaps, in carrying out this task Kim starts to see how his strength lies in straddling two cultures. Once again, I prefer Gen for this fandom.
Stalky & Co - Rudyard Kipling
Any Character
Suggestions: I definitely prefer Gen for this fandom. What I really want is another ‘chapter’ with Study 5 up to its usual Machiavellian antics, getting the best of the masters, but the Head (at least) being the downy bird that he is, and possibly the Padre, seeing through it. Though if you want to reverse things a bit and have King get the upper hand for once, I can live with that. Whatever it is, I would prefer you remain true to canon. My plot bunnies include characters not nominated but please don’t feel you have to include any of the non-nominated characters. I offer these in case they help, so if they don’t please ignore them. Possible Ideas: Stalky pushing the boundaries in some way and getting getting back at King. Alternatively: Stalky becomes King’s greatest supporter (much to that master’s chagrin). Or throw a new element into the equation: there is a new boy at school who is terribly ‘pi’ and non-comformist to boot. How does Study 5 deal with him? In ‘Stalky’ it is De Vitre in a jam and Stalky who rescues. The next week it is De Vitre who gets Stalky out of a jam, much to his chagrin and the amusement of Beetle and M’Turk. Or: Prout decides to break up Study 5 by shuffling the trio round into other studies with other boys - mayhem ensues until the Study is reunited. Stalky on campaign in India (a crossover with Kim would be much appreciated).
The Sandbaggers
Any Character
Suggestions: Gen preferred - a nice twisty plot that shows Machiavellian machinations with a surprise ending please. My plot bunnies include characters not nominated but please don’t feel you have to include any of the non-nominated characters. I offer these in case they help, so if they don’t please ignore them. I am sure I will like any idea you come up with as I adore this fandom and cannot get enough of it. Possible ideas: Jeff Ross comes into his own and for once runs rings round Neil. Perhaps Wellingham teams up with Willie to manipulate Neil. Why not tell us a story of Neil as a baby Sandbagger? How about the first op Neil ran as D.Ops (and his unease at sitting in the chair sending out his agents instead of being out there himself)? How did Neil and Willie become such good friends? Was that because of an op where they had to depend on each other in a ‘life-and-limb’ situation? Marianne becomes a Sandbagger and proves herself exceptionally good (turns out she’s even more twisty than Neil). What would happen if, in Whitehall machinations, for once John Tower Gibbs and Neil were on the same side against Sir Geoffrey Wellingham? The Russian who paired up with Willie Caine in Cyprus resurfaces on another op, this time with Mike Wallace. How about backstory? One of the episodes mentions Bob Cheever as someone who helped Neil years ago in Hong Kong; why not tell us about that op? I love this fandom and anything you write will be a ‘plus’.
Everything you may want to know (or not!) about source material, finding a beta familiar with canon, and my own stories
The Jean Robertson series was a quartet of novels written about a person growing up in a Glasgow suburban slum during the Great War (1st novel), and continuing through her teens to young adult life as she goes into service (2nd novel) and to motherhood (4th novel), with Jean seen in 'Twilight' in the third novel which covers the same period but has as protagonist a boy who is a minor character in the other three novels. The author only used this pseudonym for this set of novels. More usually she wrote under the pseudonym of Jane Duncan, and was a best-seller in her day for her 'My Friends' series (aimed at adults) and for her 'Camerons' series (aimed at children). The Jean Robertson books are currently out of print but can be found at www.alibris.co.uk (or www.alibris.com if you are American). The only fan-fiction ever written for it that I know of was written by my sister Greer Watson and can be found on AO3
Sandbaggers is a TV series from the late 1970s starring Roy Marsden and Ray Lonnen as British spies during the cold war. It has been dubbed the best spy series ever! All three seasons are available on DVD. Many episodes can also be found on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sandbaggers. There is a relatively inactive live journal fan community for Sandbaggers at: http://sandbaggers.livejournal.com/.
If you need a beta who is familiar with canon, I recommend you ask there. A lot of information about the series can also be found at “The Ops Room” a fan website located here: http://www.opsroom.org/.
Information about existing Renault-universe fan-fiction is available on the wiki about Renault fan activities at: http://fanlore.org/wiki/Mary_Renault. Renault’s novels are easily borrowed from most public libraries, and quite a lot of them can be bought in electronic format as well as paperback from Amazon at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_13?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=renault%20mary&sprefix=renault%2C+mary%2Caps%2C164. If you need help finding a beta for Renault fan-fic I suggest you ask at the Dreamwidth RenaultX community at: http://renaultx.dreamwidth.org/.
Kipling’s novels can be readily found in any public library and Stalky is also available electronically free of charge at: http://www.telelib.com/authors/K/KiplingRudyard/prose/StalkyandCo/. There is a Kipling fan-community but, although it has a website (at: http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/index.htm) as far as I am aware they don’t really ‘do’ fan-fiction, so I have nowhere in particular to point you for a beta. My sister Greer has beta’d many of my stories and can be found at: http://greerwatson.livejournal.com/. Whether she’d be willing to beta your story, given how busy she is, I have no idea. But she does know Kipling’s works very well, and is very thorough.
If you aren’t sure what kind of thing I might like to receive, then I suggest you have a look at stories I have written. There are examples within each fandom I have requested on A03 at: http://archiveofourown.org/users/fawatson/works.
This entry was originally posted at http://fawatson.dreamwidth.org/33497.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Thank you for writing my request. I really hope you have fun with it, enjoying the prompts you received. I have provided prompts, because I understand they can be helpful. If you prefer to write something different, I am sure I will enjoy that too. I put in six requests because all of my fandoms are pretty obscure, so I figured more would give me a better chance of matching with somebody.
I am sorry this letter is so long; feel free to ignore it if you dislike long letters.
What I like in General:
• I like stories that are character-driven and also those that are plot-driven (though I prefer the former), but as long as something is well-written I usually like anything (so I suggest you just opt for what you like to write).
• I have no preference about the story being serious or humorous; I think that sort of decision is best left to the author. Witty repartee in dialogue does appeal regardless of whether the theme of the story is serious or funny.
• I generally prefer stories that are true to canon, but occasionally do enjoy a well-written AU.
• Although I rarely write sexually explicit stories, I have no objection to reading them. However, I prefer any sex to develop logically from the plot or exploring some aspect of character development; and as a general rule I agree with Renault that it is better to leave the details to the reader’s imagination.
Requests
The Alexander Trilogy - Mary Renault
Any Character
Suggestions: Gen is definitely preferred. Where I have asked for a pairing I would prefer the story to focus on the relationship rather than the sex. What were the early days of Phillip’s and Olympias’ marriage like? When (and why) did it start to go sour? I would love a story that tells us something of the period in between Fire from Heaven and The Persian Boy, whether that includes campaigns on the Greek mainland or in Persia. What did Ptolemy really think about proskynesos? Bagoas never expected to feel sympathy for Roxane but... (from Bagoas’ viewpoint). Alternatively: is Roxane happy in her marriage? What does she really think about being on campaign (i.e. Roxane’s viewpoint)? Show us Sisygambis hearing about Alexander’s death. The friendship between Ptolemy and Bagoas Thais/Ptolemy: how does he remain ‘true’ to her even while he makes a dynastic marriage? Tell the story of Phillip’s relationship with Pausanias (and what Olympias really thought of what happened). Show us Alexander through Antipatros’ eyes. How about an AU in which Arridaios isn’t such a fool; what would his relationship with his older brother Alexander been like?
The Charioteer - Mary Renault
Any Character
Suggestions: Backstory about Ralph as a child or youth would be nice. We know his family background is non-comformist. How does that influence his approach to his sexuality? Show us something of Ralph's years at sea before he meets up with Laurie again; show us his years with women. If you prefer Laurie as a character: how about his time at Oxford. What was it like for him as a closeted queer who was fighting his own nature? Or give us some insights into his time in the BEF. However, please do not feel you have to focus on the main characters. I'd be equally pleased with story that focused on minor characters, and they don't even have to be popular ones! We learn from Lucy that Gareth Straike had a first marriage than may not have been very loving. Why not show us something of the differences in his two marriages through Straike's eyes? (Most fans don't view Lucy in a terribly sympathetic light, so why is it Straike sees her so worthy of his love?) I also would love to read something about Bim: why did he join up and how did he come to fly? How did he meet Ralph (was it simply the Bridstow scene at work or something more?). Show us something about Alec as a medical student; what motivated him to study for this profession? If future-fic is more to your liking: how does Sandy get on after Alec and he break up? Or: Laurie's relationship with his mother and Straike over the years (through the war and after). Years later, Nurse Adrian, married and happy, meets Laurie and Ralph, disillusioned and unhappy.
Jean Robertson Series - Janet Sandison
Any Character
Suggestions: Something set during the first book - perhaps an adventure ‘up the Burn’, or, alternatively, something involving the Adairs. I don’t care whose perspective the story is written from; it doesn’t have to be Jean’s if you prefer someone else (e.g. Ian or Colin). Gen preferred.
Kim - Rudyard Kipling
Any Character
Suggestion: My request is very simple - another task is given to Kim as a spy for the British Raj, and perhaps, in carrying out this task Kim starts to see how his strength lies in straddling two cultures. Once again, I prefer Gen for this fandom.
Stalky & Co - Rudyard Kipling
Any Character
Suggestions: I definitely prefer Gen for this fandom. What I really want is another ‘chapter’ with Study 5 up to its usual Machiavellian antics, getting the best of the masters, but the Head (at least) being the downy bird that he is, and possibly the Padre, seeing through it. Though if you want to reverse things a bit and have King get the upper hand for once, I can live with that. Whatever it is, I would prefer you remain true to canon. My plot bunnies include characters not nominated but please don’t feel you have to include any of the non-nominated characters. I offer these in case they help, so if they don’t please ignore them. Possible Ideas: Stalky pushing the boundaries in some way and getting getting back at King. Alternatively: Stalky becomes King’s greatest supporter (much to that master’s chagrin). Or throw a new element into the equation: there is a new boy at school who is terribly ‘pi’ and non-comformist to boot. How does Study 5 deal with him? In ‘Stalky’ it is De Vitre in a jam and Stalky who rescues. The next week it is De Vitre who gets Stalky out of a jam, much to his chagrin and the amusement of Beetle and M’Turk. Or: Prout decides to break up Study 5 by shuffling the trio round into other studies with other boys - mayhem ensues until the Study is reunited. Stalky on campaign in India (a crossover with Kim would be much appreciated).
The Sandbaggers
Any Character
Suggestions: Gen preferred - a nice twisty plot that shows Machiavellian machinations with a surprise ending please. My plot bunnies include characters not nominated but please don’t feel you have to include any of the non-nominated characters. I offer these in case they help, so if they don’t please ignore them. I am sure I will like any idea you come up with as I adore this fandom and cannot get enough of it. Possible ideas: Jeff Ross comes into his own and for once runs rings round Neil. Perhaps Wellingham teams up with Willie to manipulate Neil. Why not tell us a story of Neil as a baby Sandbagger? How about the first op Neil ran as D.Ops (and his unease at sitting in the chair sending out his agents instead of being out there himself)? How did Neil and Willie become such good friends? Was that because of an op where they had to depend on each other in a ‘life-and-limb’ situation? Marianne becomes a Sandbagger and proves herself exceptionally good (turns out she’s even more twisty than Neil). What would happen if, in Whitehall machinations, for once John Tower Gibbs and Neil were on the same side against Sir Geoffrey Wellingham? The Russian who paired up with Willie Caine in Cyprus resurfaces on another op, this time with Mike Wallace. How about backstory? One of the episodes mentions Bob Cheever as someone who helped Neil years ago in Hong Kong; why not tell us about that op? I love this fandom and anything you write will be a ‘plus’.
Everything you may want to know (or not!) about source material, finding a beta familiar with canon, and my own stories
The Jean Robertson series was a quartet of novels written about a person growing up in a Glasgow suburban slum during the Great War (1st novel), and continuing through her teens to young adult life as she goes into service (2nd novel) and to motherhood (4th novel), with Jean seen in 'Twilight' in the third novel which covers the same period but has as protagonist a boy who is a minor character in the other three novels. The author only used this pseudonym for this set of novels. More usually she wrote under the pseudonym of Jane Duncan, and was a best-seller in her day for her 'My Friends' series (aimed at adults) and for her 'Camerons' series (aimed at children). The Jean Robertson books are currently out of print but can be found at www.alibris.co.uk (or www.alibris.com if you are American). The only fan-fiction ever written for it that I know of was written by my sister Greer Watson and can be found on AO3
Sandbaggers is a TV series from the late 1970s starring Roy Marsden and Ray Lonnen as British spies during the cold war. It has been dubbed the best spy series ever! All three seasons are available on DVD. Many episodes can also be found on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sandbaggers. There is a relatively inactive live journal fan community for Sandbaggers at: http://sandbaggers.livejournal.com/.
If you need a beta who is familiar with canon, I recommend you ask there. A lot of information about the series can also be found at “The Ops Room” a fan website located here: http://www.opsroom.org/.
Information about existing Renault-universe fan-fiction is available on the wiki about Renault fan activities at: http://fanlore.org/wiki/Mary_Renault. Renault’s novels are easily borrowed from most public libraries, and quite a lot of them can be bought in electronic format as well as paperback from Amazon at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_13?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=renault%20mary&sprefix=renault%2C+mary%2Caps%2C164. If you need help finding a beta for Renault fan-fic I suggest you ask at the Dreamwidth RenaultX community at: http://renaultx.dreamwidth.org/.
Kipling’s novels can be readily found in any public library and Stalky is also available electronically free of charge at: http://www.telelib.com/authors/K/KiplingRudyard/prose/StalkyandCo/. There is a Kipling fan-community but, although it has a website (at: http://www.kiplingsociety.co.uk/index.htm) as far as I am aware they don’t really ‘do’ fan-fiction, so I have nowhere in particular to point you for a beta. My sister Greer has beta’d many of my stories and can be found at: http://greerwatson.livejournal.com/. Whether she’d be willing to beta your story, given how busy she is, I have no idea. But she does know Kipling’s works very well, and is very thorough.
If you aren’t sure what kind of thing I might like to receive, then I suggest you have a look at stories I have written. There are examples within each fandom I have requested on A03 at: http://archiveofourown.org/users/fawatson/works.
This entry was originally posted at http://fawatson.dreamwidth.org/33497.html. Please comment there using OpenID.