FIC: Soaked

[ishonn]

The notes that follow are not necessary to receive this drabble and can impose certain interpretation, so feel free to skip them if you’d rather avoid this. The fic can of course stand on its own, and is another take on the rain prompt at sirius_remus100.

I wrote this piece for paulamcg (at least in as much as I could ever write anything for anyone), whose particular

Comments

Re: Joyously (1)

[ishonn]

I’m beyond happy that my idea seems convincing and hope that your being aware of it might help you solve the problem. I don’t see, however, how you could “choose the right diagnosis”. You don’t choose diagnoses, you either find them or not. You can choose the treatment. And, if indeed my concept is true, it just so happened that I came across the diagnosis. I don’t want to say it is everything, though: there might be more elements. As for impressing you, all pleasure is mine, my sweet lady!

I understand the idea about disguising yourself as the older Remus, whose mind ‘contains’ all the story. Can it work, though? The older Remus knows what happened, all right, but he hadn’t chosen what would happen. Unless you just let his knowledge fill you, you convince yourself that it has already happened, and trust that the solutions just, well, found themselves. I might be taking a wrong perspective, but I fail to see the possibility for you to influence the story this way, either.

No, there’s nothing particular I have in mind. That’s the problem. I never know anything until it just comes of itself. I can hardly put Remus and Sirius into any situation artificially, I either see them or not. It’s like, I don’t want to tell anything about them, I merely happen to have something to tell from time to time. Well, recently a bit more often …

Re: Joyously (1)

[paulamcg]

Perhaps “choose” was not the right word. But I wanted to say that I construct a diagnosis or interpret one constructed by somebody else on the basis of my current understanding of how I write, or how I don’t succeed in writing, and it is always connected to the treatment I am able to benefit from. It can’t be objective, can it?

I don’t know if it’s arrogant of me to think my theory could work. How could I approach such a perspective from which there is no time in the sense humans experience it - so that everything has already happened while it is also going to - is meant to - happen. I must stay blind and have faith. I do think too much. Perhaps after this I’ll be happy to get back to simply writing without any theories or treatments.

If you don’t feel that your Remus and Sirius are persons, and that you could find out what happened to them by following them from one situation to the next ones (and telling us about it at the same time)… perhaps you’d at least like to say something about what it means to be human in some respect, or rather try to learn to understand a bit better what it could mean? Or just continue to show moments in a relationship, with more or less context, as you can do it so evocatively in any case.

Re: Joyously (1)

[ishonn]

The way you put it, you’re right, it can’t be objective, because you obviously influence the treatment.

I like the idea that you’d stay blind and have faith. Now that I’ve reached the temporary end of “Revolt” and see how much there is still to be written, as well as the results of your ‘just’ following Remus, I am blissfully certain that you can go on like that and let the story come to its conclusions naturally.

I can’t remember my reaction when I first received this comment of yours, but now upon rereading it I was startled by your suggestion:
… perhaps you’d at least like to say something about what it means to be human in some respect, or rather try to learn to understand a bit better what it could mean?
Do you mean that I could use Remus and Sirius’s story in order to say something like that? But I don’t have anything to say about being human! At least not consciously. I have no idea why I should want to, or how. If you think that I am tackling this issue in my writing, then I am most happy and flattered, but I never intended to make statements about being human. Like you said, I just “show moments in a relationship”, the way I imagine them, and perhaps only show my own understanding of the world. But never consciously, no.

Re: Joyously (1)

[paulamcg]

I must once again start by thanking you for what you’ve said about Revolt.

Oh, now I really need all the faith I can borrow from you, too, as I can’t deny there is a lot more to be written. And at the same time you also remind me of the fic promised by Pamela, who does not seem to be reliable at all! There’s certainly no reason to complain about lack of story ideas to think about here while waiting for your return. But I’ll also be thinking about you and hoping that everything is going splendidly.

I … perhaps only show my own understanding of the world

I suppose that’s how we can tackle this issue best, while telling stories or showing moments, without consciously making statements. I don’t know if it’s good to be aware of an agenda like “developing understanding of what it means to be human”. But towards the end of last year, I think, I read on minisinoo’s journal (she’s the professional and multi-fandom novelist who could not follow what I Don’t Dream was about) that fiction consists of style and heart, and the heart of the story stands for “the writer’s insight into what it means to be human”. And I just could not help becoming fond of the idea.