How Fiction Works Writing Meme -- Day Thirteen

Jan 24, 2013 10:49

End of Section Exercise: Choose one classic author and one modern author. Write a paragraph or two for each, original or fanfiction, mimicking their style as closely as possible. What do you notice about the different styles? Record your thoughts at the end of the exercise.



1. It was long after the funeral that the Republic consented to take Steela to Coruscant for medical treatment, along with the others; in a way, Anakin could not help but wonder if it was his fault that her brother had perished. He had already said to Steela that, if nothing else, he could save Onderon and still lose them (he hadn't expected to get attached to them so quickly, but he supposed that if nothing else, getting attached to others was what he did. It was who he was), and yet here he was. It was far past the annual All Spooks Day celebration, and he could not help but wonder about Padme, and how she was holding up. The fact that he should have at least been there for her, spent some time with her -- he only hoped that she did not worry over much for him. It was irrational, no doubt, but he worried about her every day. It was something that he could not help.

And poor Steela and Ahsoka, still visibly impacted from the battle, emotionally as well as physically, barely spoke on the way back to Coruscant. It was enough for Anakin to wish that he could comfort them, for if nothing else, it felt almost as if the life had been drained from them. As if the darkness of the battle had all but killed their light. It was enough to make him wish he could do more, but in the end, staying by their sides and telling them to hold on, that everything would be all right, was the best he could do in the end. He only wished he could do more.

2. In dreams, Anakin could still see Saw dying.

Saw, who he hadn't expected to actually like at first, boastful and bold and aggressive and domineering as he was.

Saw, who even his sister thought was quite the conceited jerk.

Saw, who had become all but his comrade during this horrible battle. For all the man could be egotistical -- but then again, didn't they all have those tendencies at times? No one was ever truly a saint -- the fact that he had been willing to sacrifice himself to save Dendup. He could still remember Saw's last words, "It was a good fight, General Skywalker. I wouldn't have missed it for the worlds."

Anakin supposed that he should have been consoled with that, and yet it wasn't enough. The fact that he could have saved Saw, that even after trying to use the Force to slow his fall, Saw had still perished from the trauma of it. A brave, good, if flawed man, dying the way he did. That, and seeing Steela's reaction hurt more than any physical pain, any lightsaber, any vibroblade, ever would.

On the way to Coruscant, he floated in the arms of sleep, tenuous as they were. His dreams, if nothing else were scrambled. Seeing Saw falling to his death, and hearing himself pleading, so undignified, so frightened, with Rash. "I'll do anything. Put me in their place!" So many images, floating in his head, unwilling to leave.

It was later when he woke, rubbing his temples after another one of those nightmares that simply and honestly refused to leave, that he headed out into the hallway, if only to look out one of the windows of the ship. He couldn't say that it was entirely comforting; if nothing else, the stars outside seemed to watch coldly, detachedly, even as he watched them in his half-awake state.

***

Pretty good, really. I might have to continue these. Decided to start working in my CLONE WARS rewrite 'verse some more, if only for some of the opportunities. Decided to also take a different direction because I really hated how they killed off Steela in "Tipping Points", good as the episode was. I also hated how Rash died as well; it was just incredibly anticlimactic, and yet somehow, Steela's death hurt more because...*sighs* On the one hand, she died trying to save Dendup. On the other hand, it felt like a case of Dropped A Bridge On Her, and also, why didn't Ahsoka try to save her? You know, using the Force to slow her fall? I thought I'd at least take a different route and give Saw the heroic death. Not sure if it'll make it into the final product, but still...

Decided to go with Emily Bronte (WUTHERING HEIGHTS, a.k.a. one of my favorite books, even though it's depressing as hell) for the classical style and James Luceno (LABYRINTH OF EVIL). Think I did all right, although I think the Bronte section has as much in common with WUTHERING HEIGHTS as celery does with chocolate icing (to quote someone else who got Ben Sisko as a Starfleet Captain on their quiz results, basically, "I have as much in common with Sisko as celery has with chocolate icing."). I think I did better with the Luceno section; it just feels more immediate and raw -- mostly turned to a random page in the book and found the recounting of Grievous' backstory. I honestly recommend LABYRINTH OF EVIL for a lot of reasons, but the main reason is that it has very strong characterizations. Anakin, Obi-Wan (yay non-Jerkass Obi-Wan! :D), Dooku, Grievous (although, ;.;), and so on and so forth. I think I might turn to LABYRINTH OF EVIL just to wash the taste of Friedman!Obi-Wan out of my mouth. *Sighs* Sorry; I'm sure Brent Friedman's very nice, but I can't forgive his characterization of Obi-Wan. At times it feels like he drew his Obi-Wan out of really bad fanfiction (or fanfiction that I used to write as a kid. :P /TakeThatMe). It's one of many factors that's leading to the rewrite, really.

I know that some people might lay the term "OOC" on canon characterizations (although I say to hell with whether it's canon or not. Bad writing is still bad writing) they don't like (or so I've heard; I can't say I've encountered it particularly), but honestly, I genuinely think the writers missed the finer nuances of Obi-Wan's character. He's occasionally insensitive to Anakin, but stuff like accusing Anakin of having an attitude problem (hey, Obi-Wan; it's not AOTC anymore, knock it off)... *Sighs* I'm aware that he can get frustrated with Anakin sometimes (and looking at it from his perspective, I guess I can understand a little more), but he genuinely cares for him and respects him. Hell, stuff like "You are strong and wise, Anakin, and I am very proud of you" and "He will not let me down. He never has" and "He is like my brother. I cannot do it" and "You were my brother, Anakin; I loved you" -- does that really sound like the kind of things that someone who didn't care for his Padawan in some way say? (If that makes any sense) I think they're kind of like the Doctor and Donna in DOCTOR WHO (Obi-Wan as the Doctor, Anakin as Donna -- although sometimes Anakin can take on some of the Doctor's qualities as well. * ) -- hell, I think Obi-Wan's reaction post-Mustafar bears some similarities to the Doctor having to wipe Donna's memories to save her life (/end Journey's End spoiler for those who haven't gotten into DOCTOR WHO yet), i.e. this shouldn't have had to happen, there should have been a better way, etc. **. Honestly, I want to understand why Obi-Wan does what he does. I want to understand. Because honestly, I think understanding is one of many cores of fiction, and one of many reasons I love fanfiction. Because that way I can understand.

So yeah, pretty fun exercise, if hard. Sorry about the rambling, BTW; I just have a lot of thoughts.

Rest of questions:

Section III - Significant Insignificance

Literature differs from life in that life is amorphously full of detail, whereas literature teaches us to notice... - James Wood

12 - In literature, the well rounded author accompanies the fantastic with details of the mundane. Do you agree? What is an example of your own writing in which you combine the fantastic and mundane?

13 - Have you ever taken a small detail, such as a character rubbing their lips, and given it greater importance through narration? Why? Do you enjoy reading such details?

14 - Thisness and the written word: Do you ever use abstract descriptions in specifying little details? Given an object or interaction a sense of "thisness"? For example, "the clouds were glassy in the sky." Clouds cannot literally have a quality like glass, yet in this sentence they have been given a sense of "glassness" that gives the reader a more specific description of them, and somehow maintains an air of believability. Discuss why this is a believable description, though it is not actually possible.

End of Section Exercise: Write one sentence that includes detail. Is it a compelling sentence? Is it long? Short? What kind of details did you include? Record your thoughts at the end of the exercise.

Section IV - Character

Very few brushstrokes are needed to get a portrait walking, as it were... the reader can get as much from small short lived... characters as [they can] from large, round towering heroes and heroines. - James Wood

15 - How do you try to bring a character to life, or "get them in" as James Conrad says? Where do you start? Is how you begin different with fanfiction and original fiction? With original characters within fanfiction?

16 - James Wood writes that the inexperienced writer clings to the static - they describe a photograph, a person standing still, a snapshot of a moment rather than a dynamic moment itself. It is getting a character in action, in motion, that is the difficult part, he says. Do you find this to be true in your own writing? Do you agree with his assessment?

17 - We can tell a great deal about a character by how they talk and who they talk to. Are you aware of any changes you make from character to character in either narration or dialog? Show us an example. Is this something you choose, or do without fully realizing it? Do you do this at all? Why?

18 - How much time do you take to "get in" your character? In your opinion, is it possible to "get a character in" in one sentence? Is it different for original fiction and fanfiction?

19 - How much time must be spent on a character for them to be a character? Does a character have to be living, have a voice, or can it be a place, an era, a coffee cup? Do characters exist at all?

20 - An absence of characterization can be as powerful as characterization in knowing a character. Agree? Disagree? Any examples in your own writing?

21 - The Myth of the Solid Character - even "well rounded" or "fully fleshed" characters are less solid the longer we look at them, writes James Wood. Agree? Disagree? Is there always room for more? In canon? In fanfiction?

22 - Are the characters you create like you? If you write fanfiction, are there shades of yourself in the characters you choose to write about? Some people suggest that the mark of a great author is the creation of free and independent characters that are separate from the author. Can an author who writes characters similar to themselves still be a great author?

23 - Static and Dynamic Characters: By definition a static character possesses one key attribute and does not change, while a dynamic character is possessed of several characteristics and changes over a story. Is one superior to the other? Do these categories really exist, or all characters simply characters? What kind do you use most often?

24 - Does characterization change depending on who a character is seen by, much like how a child sees their father much differently than their mother does? What are examples of this in your own writing?

25 - Is there only one correct way to interpret or view a character? What makes a character 'out of character' ? Is everything created by the original author 'in character' ?

End of Section Exercise 1: Create an original character. Use one sentence to "get them in." Now use one paragraph. Do the same for a pre-existing character, and compare the two. What do you notice? Write your thoughts at the end of the exercise.

End of Section Exercise 2: Choose a pre-existing character that you do not like. Write a paragraph or two from their point of view. Is your writing shaded by your dislike of the character? Has writing from their point of view changed the way you view them? Write your thoughts at the end of the exercise.

* Insert your own Doctor-Donna joke here. :P

** And I know some people would write off the Doctor's reaction as "manpain" (personally, I prefer the term, in general, to be Protagonist Centered Angst; it just feels a bit more right for what we typically mean by the word. That and I'll admit the word "manpain" just kind of carries some Unfortunate Implications with it. Or maybe I'm just oversensitive), but honestly, I can kind of see why. I mean, Donna was his best friend; he even calls her that in "The End of Time". It feels only right that he'd feel guilty about what happened. Although, personally, I'd love to see more fics where Donna gets to keep her memories and continues traveling with the Doctor and being awesome. I mean... *Sighs* I love RTD, but sometimes I swear he has Satan as his creative consultant when writing those endings . XD

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