WMC - Behind the Scenes - Virtual season 2...3?
From the moment it began the WMC Virtual Season took us on one mind-blowing ride after another. Now, thanks to the generosity of the VS crew, we get to have a look at the inner workings of the Virtual Season and how each episode came together
But first one crucial question must be asked.
Will there be a third season?
Demeter: I'm happy to say: Yes, we can.
Inspector Boxer: Yes. There will be a third season. The nice thing will be that it is in two parts. Readers will get a “miniseries” of sorts beginning July 17th. Three episodes will air, one on each consecutive Friday, to wrap up the Muffin-Man storyline. I mean, come on. We couldn’t leave that hanging out there until September! The club needs to get legal on Scone Boy… seriously.
The back half of the season will consist of 5 more episodes dealing with new cases and that will have a September debut.
Is everyone coming back?
Inspector Boxer: For the most part. Sadly, real life is keeping Riley from rejoining us.
Demeter: …as most of you have probably read on her blog. We regret that, but we're very happy about the episodes she did on Season 2. Thank you, Riley, and all the best to you!
Everyone else is coming back.
Grumpybear: There will be a new writer or two.
Everyone will miss you next season. But we all understand why you opted not to come back. And if it means I get to see you accept your Oscar for Best Screenplay someday, then I’ll get over it.
Riley: Heh. From your keyboard to some gay-friendly producer’s ears.
It’s been fun, but it was definitely a bit more time-consuming than I realized it would be. I have original material I really need to get back to work on. Sadly, I can’t live forever in the fantasy land where hot redheads and brunettes acknowledge their explosive chemistry and make out regularly. Though, it will always be a good world to return to from time to time.
Why do things differently this time around, what made you come to that decision?
Inspector Boxer: To save our sanity? I joke, but to some extent it is true. We’re losing one writer, and it’s just two much to ask to have a writer tackle more than two to three episodes at the most. These episodes can take months to put together. The time invested is huge, and as much as we love the club, we have to have a life!
That being said, we liked the idea of a miniseries because we could bring the VS back sooner so readers wouldn’t have to wait so long for some fresh episodes as well as some resolution to the Pete storyline. Plus, July 17th is the eve before IDF. We thought it would be fun to add our VS voice to the cause.
Grumpybear: We figured that using the mini season format would keep up interest through the summer months so people don’t forget about us, September is a long way away.
Demeter: When we started the VS, it was a big first time for all of us, so naturally, there had to be some changes. Most of them are pretty much behind the scenes though, so for the readers, I think nothing much will change, and of course we hope you'll enjoy what's in store!
So, three episodes this summer, which will be airing in a row, to tie loose ends with the S2 cliffhanger?
Grumpybear: Yes the mini series will help to tie up lose ends and a three episode arc seemed to be a good way to go about it before jumping into the rest of season three.
Inspector Boxer: Yes. Over three consecutive Fridays is the plan! Pete needs to get what’s coming to him, right? And we’ll have to address what happened to Jill’s stepfather. The big question will be if Pete is merely a copycat… or is he the real Kiss-Me-Not Killer…
Demeter: There'll be no rest for our favorite girls for a while to come.
Have you already started planning the new arc and new bad guy for the September part of the season?
Demeter: Hey, hey, first we gotta do something about the old bad guy, right? After that, we'll see. They're going to have some interesting cases, so much is for sure. Forgive me for being vague here... but while S2, at the end, burst an old case wide open again, we're looking for a little more closure this time. But the end of S3 is far away at the moment, so count on some nail-biting moments first. You know you love them *g*.
Inspector Boxer: The miniseries is taking shape quiet nicely. We’re still tossing around ideas for the fall. I can’t speak for the others, but I’m hoping to perhaps weave in a visit from two New Orleans detectives I’m rather fond of in a nice little crossover. We’ll see if I can pull that off!
Grumpybear: Honestly at this point there hasn’t been too much hashed out as to the fall episodes we have some plans but nothing set in stone. Most of the planning at this stage is focusing on the mini series. Over the next few weeks though we should get more of an idea as to where the fall episodes are going to go.
Are you working on new, awesome artwork, new promo poster and banners?
Grumpybear: I haven’t started yet. We still have a few details to hash out, but yes there will be new promotional material as well as a new website for season three. I think I need a bit of a break before I get started again.
Are plots and ideas already brewing for your next episode(s)?
liz_estrada: Yes. It's kind of a head trip, psychological torture scenario. Like an episode of “The Prisoner” - but with Boxer instead of Patrick McGoohan's #6.
Darandkerry: Grumpybear and I are teaming up again to write the story that she’d given up this season. We’ve not discussed anything as of yet, but I imagine she’s already added to the notes she had for the previously planned storyline.
Mysensitiveside: Nothing too specific so far. We’ve all been talking in generalities about the basics of the season, but I haven’t really gotten a chance to dive into thinking about my next episode yet.
What role will new character Maggie Snow, play in upcoming episodes?
Inspector Boxer: First off, let me assure people that Maggie will not be filling a void left by Lindsay. Lindsay is off enjoying her vacation with Cindy and clearing her head. She’ll be back and ready to nail Pete’s you-know-what to the wall in good time, I’m sure.
Demeter: She's definitely going to be a recurring character, and I'm looking forward to writing her! Maggie is going to stir things up, that's for sure.
Inspector Boxer: Hopefully, she will be a fun foil for Lindsay, and a nice dramatic diversion to whatever seems to be developing between Jill and Denise. Will we see a love triangle? Possibly…
Grumpybear: I have the feeling Maggie is going to be a thorn in Lindsay’s side. And maybe a little bit in Denise’s as well. I definitely think she will bring a new dynamic to the new episodes.
And Betas are you ready for season 3?
Mercurychkita: I think we all need a bit of a break, but then, absolutely!
Revolos55: Absolutely. I'm looking forward to a bit of a break though. I was feeling a bit burned out towards the end. I can't even imagine how the writers, who were doing all the heavy lifting, felt. Especially the folks who wrote multiple eps. But having gotten through this season alive, I know there are a couple things I'd like to do better, and a few things I'd like to try to make the job a bit easier. So yeah, I'm looking forward to reading the stories we're going to tell (a couple in particular), and seeing if I can do a better job.
Were you assigned specific writers to work with or did you work on all episodes?
Mercurychkita: Rev and I both worked on all the episodes.
Revolos55: I wouldn't really have it any other way, either. I stumbled into beta reading, but something about it pings this detail-obsessed, control freak part of my personality I didn't realize I had, and I know I'd want to look over every episode whether I was assigned to it or not.
What did your Beta duties include?
Revolos55: Some of it was specific to each episode: Hunting out and destroying all typos with fire, a bit of grammar correction, and occasionally suggesting rewording of sentences. But I tried not to let my personal writing quirks get in the way of the author's own style. If there was something I wasn't knowledgeable of, like paralytic drugs, or Catholic priest vestments for example, I did as much research as the internet would allow to make sure things were vaguely realistic.
Things I kept in mind for the overall season were making sure character and story details were accurate and consistent, keeping an eye on continuity, characterization, if the plots and twists made sense overall, etc. And I say that I kept an eye on it, but the writers were all pretty fantastic about that sort of thing, and I didn't really have to do much in that department.
One thing that was kind of neat to watch for was making sure the twists weren't too obvious or gave too much away. A lot of readers nowadays are so genre-savvy that it's a real trick to walk the line of not being so transparent that nothing is a surprise, or being so opaque that when the reveal comes at the end it looks like you completely pulled it out of thin air. Knowing how things were going to work out in general, it was engaging to see all these plots and clues being laid out and woven into the story as discreetly as possible several episodes ahead of time. I don't read mystery novels, but I've watched enough TV and gone to film school, so I understand the conventions of that medium enough to not really be surprised by much on something like CSI or Law & Order. And there's nothing worse than figuring out the mystery before the first "commercial break", or a third of the way through the season, and then having to watch the characters plod through to reach the eventual conclusion. And we wanted the readers to be engaged and curious and along for the ride the entire season.
Mercurychkita: I’d start by doing a read-through of the episode and correct any grammatical errors and make suggestions if something was worded vaguely or needed clarifying. Stylistically, I might make some suggestions to change around the wording if the flow didn’t feel quite right, like if a sentence was structured somewhat awkwardly. I’d also comment on stuff that worked really well - parts that I loved, parts that made me laugh, or that had me clenching my fists in tension. A lot of the time it probably seemed like fangirl squeeing, but from an editing perspective I think it’s important to underscore which parts made me react, as a reader, so that the author would know whether it held the intended dramatic effect.
Then, after reading through it once, I’d take a look at the episode as a whole and comment on any plot points that could be strengthened, or if there was anything about the story that sort of rang false for whatever reason, either in continuity or characterization, and I’d try to make some suggestions for improvement.
After that I’d send it back to the author, and they’d work through the edits and make any changes they felt necessary based on the feedback from both betas. Then they’d usually send it back to us for a final sweep, to make sure we hadn’t missed anything the first time around or to check the sections that they’d rewritten.
Did you have input on storylines?
Revolos55: I know we did a bit of community brainstorming around the middle of the season, and every once in a while I'd throw an idea in the pot, sort of a "what if...". I think my biggest contribution was helping rework the 4th act of one episode that wasn't coming together quite right. That was kinda neat, to be helping bake the cake instead of my usual help with the icing when it was done. Also, I got to pick Nicole Honeycutt's first name. Membership has its perks, and one of them is getting to name the evil bitch character after a girl you can't stand. ;)
Mercurychkita: We had weekly VS chats, during which an author might ask for everyone’s input regarding a particular plot point, or we’d brainstorm ideas for the general direction of the story arc. In the end, though, it always came back to the authors, who had the final say in what got written for their episode.
When you started talking about season 2, did you know how it would end?
Grumpybear: Actually we did have some idea where we were going with it pretty early on. Maybe not from day one but we did have a plan of sorts.
Demeter: Very soon, we did. That was part of the thrill, knowing Pete would eventually return, do his stalking thing, and in the end, escalate.
Inspector Boxer: And I knew what I wanted the last line to be for the finale.
Did you have any trepidation about working with other writers and having a deadline? Or is it something you were used to?
Darankerry: I was never worried about working with other writers or having a deadline. My main concern was that I’d only penned a couple of short stories in the WMC fandom and didn’t really have a feel for the characters. I’m still not sure that I do.
As for a deadline, I usually work well with a set timeframe, or at least I have in the past. My first episode had me very worried as a couple of hurricanes sent me scurrying inland, the second one leaving me without power for a week at my parents’ house and wondering what I’d return to when I made it back home. There were several moments I truly thought I wouldn’t be able to meet the deadline, but things worked out for me. The second episode, co-written with Grumpybear, started off fast and furiously, but then I had a bit of a health issue and couldn’t focus. Again, the fates were on my side, although if memory serves, I think we came in a few days late on that one.
liz_estrada: I'm actually better with a deadline than without; it helps me overcome my innate procrastinator and get s**t done. The idea of writing something that was one part of a greater whole was very attractive, too. Helps me not jump the narrative rails and roll away into trouble.
Riley: I did have some apprehension. When it comes to writing, I don’t always play well with others. It’s difficult for me to give up creative control. I had a lot of room to play within my own episodes, but I came into the virtual season kind of late and the season was pretty much planned out, and it didn’t always feel like I had much of a voice in the overall picture. It was good for me to see that I could end up with something I could be proud of while working within someone else’s boundaries, but it was still incredibly difficult for me.
Deadlines and I have a rather intimate relationship. Oddly enough, I’m a big fan of deadlines. I have a tendency toward perfectionism, to a point that it sometimes becomes detrimental, so deadlines work in my favor. It’s good for me to have a cut-off point, so that I can’t rewrite and second guess myself over and over.
When I first started the virtual season, the deadlines didn’t seem like a big deal. The deadlines were months away at the time and from a distance it all looked like smooth jazz and candlelight. Then, you get into the thick of things and start waiting for the people before you to finish up so that you can keep the continuity with their episodes and your deadline starts looming closer; the record player starts skipping and the candles are melted down to the wicks, and you start to feel like you are going to be left standing in a darkened silence where the deadline demon is going to emerge from the shadows and eat your head.
How many people under twenty-five do you think just asked themselves what in the hell a record player is?
Mysensitiveside: This was certainly a completely new experience for me, both in terms of needing to work with other writers and generate consistency between episodes, and in terms of the deadline. I’m not exactly the speediest of writers, so the deadline was probably my biggest concern going into things. From my very first chat with the VS writers and betas, though, I could tell that it was really going to be a lot of fun to work with everyone involved. So in spite of my lack of much free time and my propensity for procrastination, I just knew that I wanted to be a part of this great group.
How did you end up working on that particular storyline?
liz_estrada: I asked for the stalker/LC first time episode because I love the idea of Cindy bearing up under personal stress. She just seems like such a cool 'lil chickie, smart enough to be scared, but bulling ahead anyhow - with both her stalker and knucklehead Lindsay.
Darankerry: Originally, I was only assigned one episode, and I’m honestly not sure how I ended up with that particular one. I’d missed several of the ‘club chats’ due to the previously mentioned storm issues and was very thankful that my episode was not HM-centered. There was only one thing that I needed to incorporate into the storyline and that was the return of the Muffin Man… um, I mean Pete. I was given carte blanche, and the other writers were very supportive of my ideas.
The second episode was a direct result of some last minute scurrying on the part of the team. A writer dropped out, and episodes had to be shuffled around. Grumpybear, who’d given up the one episode she’d been originally slated to write to another author - who also dropped out - volunteered, or as she’d say, ‘was volunteered,’ to take up the slack. Then real life descended on her rather quickly, and I suggested we team up and write the episode together. It was truly the most fun I’ve ever had writing a story.
Riley: When I came into the season, many of the episodes were already claimed. Maybe half of them were left. Out of those, I picked the two that were of the most interest to me. The general ideas were already laid out. I kind of took the storyline a different direction with Sins of the Father, Sins of the Daughter, but I knew it was supposed to be an episode centered around Lindsay’s father and his mysterious fall from grace. Outside of that, I really felt a freedom to do whatever I wanted to do, and I used it. I was also very glad I could work that first kiss into that episode. I really wanted that kiss.
With Humility Before Honor, the fact that it was an HM-oriented ep about pride was what I was given. I have a natural inclination to go very, very dark at times, and it just kind of struck me that this episode was a good time to go with that. Knowing that the next victim would hit close to home, I really wanted to show what this serial killer could be capable of and make it feel like an imminent threat to everyone we really cared about.
Mysensitiveside: I got involved with the VS relatively late in the process, so most of the episodes had already been matched with writers when I came around. The decision happened pretty quickly once I was on board, but a few things went into it. Since I’d never actually written a Lindsay/Cindy story before, the idea of writing an episode at a point where the two of them were already together seemed a bit daunting, and I also liked the idea of writing an HM-crime... Since Greed was still open, that worked out nicely.
Did you change some things along the way?
Grumpybear: Yeah we definitely had a few changes along the way but no so much in the main HM story line. We had to rearrange a few things along the way due to a few internal issues.
Demeter: Most of the changes were made to deepen and strengthen the overall line. As you know, we had a line-up change or two. So that wasn't always easy, but there are some mighty dedicated people here, and it worked out.
Inspector Boxer: Episode 3 was always going to be a Claire-centered episode. Originally, however, the story was supposed to be about Claire dealing with a cold case… then that changed to Claire being sued over an old case… it just kept changing. I struggled and struggled writing that one until that scene hit me where Cindy finds Claire crying. When I realized I wanted Lindsay, Cindy and Jill to be fighting, I asked Demeter to put that element into episode 2 and she did. Whew. She saved my sanity on that one…
Some of the images depicted in a couple of episodes were pretty disturbing. Were you a little apprehensive about the readers’ reactions?
Inspector Boxer: We had talks about pieces we thought might be disturbing to some. We didn’t want to just splash the more disturbing elements out there without warning the reader first. In the end, the readers were very accepting of the darker episodes and subjects. I think the storyline naturally took us into those dark places, and the readers fortunately were willing to follow.
Demeter: Ep 7 had a reader's discretion warning, but we were just being careful, because this is fan fiction, after all. Personally I don't think it's worse than most mysteries.
Grumpybear: I think we all were at times. However we were dealing with a serial killer story line so I think disturbing was to be expected at points.
HM was a very violent and gruesome character. Was there ever a moment where you said to each other, we can’t go there, this is too much?
Demeter: I don't think so. Kiss Me Not was pretty gruesome from the beginning, and HM was on a similar level.
Grumpybear: I think there may have been a very brief moment of that where episode seven, Humility Before Honor was concerned but I think the decision to go with it as Riley wrote it was the right one. We did feel the necessity to add the graphic content warning though just to give readers a heads up.
Inspector Boxer: I remember reading Riley’s episode where Felicia Watkins is murdered. I squirmed a few times. I don’t deny it. There were some elements in there that were horrifying. But the killer was escalating, and Riley needed to show that. I don’t think she went dark for dark’s sake. I think she plunged the reader into the twisted mind of this killer and set up the path for the rest of the club to really struggle emotionally and mentally over this case for the rest of the season. The episode wound up being pivotal that way.
So as disturbing as HM was… we felt like we needed to go there to pack the emotional wallop.
Are you pleased with the reception the Virtual Season has gotten?
Grumpybear: Yeah, honestly I have to say it did better than I expected. I’m glad that so many people have enjoyed it.
Inspector Boxer: I have to say we have some amazing people reading the VS. We’ve received a lot of support and kind words of encouragement over the course of the season. We can’t thank those people who left us feedback enough. They made us smile. They gave us energy when our spirits were flagging. A LOT of the credit goes to the readers for keeping the VS alive - especially those that commented every episode. God love ‘em!
Demeter: I truly am. It might be an LJ thing, but the only time I ever took part in a VS in another fandom, it wasn't like this. Then again, the fans there had a few years of their show and tons of fan fiction already existed. Our VS was more special in that regard. More needed, I'd like to think.
Inspector Boxer: Now being totally honest… Having said that, when your counter shows that thousands of people are reading and we’re only getting a fraction of that in feedback… that is frustrating. I know most people are lurkers (I was once one myself), but the writers and artists thrive on feedback. A counter only shows you how many are reading… it doesn’t tell you if they liked it. Comments really do equal ratings in the virtual world. It’s all we have to go on to know if we should keep going or “cancel” ourselves...
What reactions surprised you the most?
Inspector Boxer: Not sure there were any reactions that surprised me. Amused me? Yes. I think the nickname of “The Impediment” for Pete was one of my favorites. And I rather liked someone calling Maggie “Inspector Ice Princess” or something to that effect in the last episode. Our readers always give me a good chuckle when I read their nice comments.
Grumpybear: I think for me that would be the variety of readers we have gotten. Even though the season was written with a femslash angle we’ve received positive feedback from not only straight female readers but men as well. That to me was a very good outcome.
Demeter: More pleased than surprised... I loved it when readers said they're sold on the L/C pairing even when I know they favor another or no femslash at all. That being said, everybody's comments are appreciated.
I know this might be like asking a mother to choose her favorite child, but what was your personal favorite moment of the season?
Grumpybear: I honestly can’t pick just one. There were moments throughout the season that I really enjoyed.
Inspector Boxer: Oh boy. There were so many. I feel like I’d need to go back and read the whole season again to make sure I didn’t miss one of them. Each episode had moments that I loved. I think I’ll have to get back to you on that one. ;)
Revolos55: Kinda wish I'd saved the copies of the episodes with my comments on them now ;) Besides the technical beta reader stuff, I always throw in a ton of comments which are just smiley faces or giggles.
There are hundreds of little one-liners, character moments, and descriptive and emotional sentences that made me sigh or squee. Without rereading the entire season (which I am planning on doing in the near future), I'd say that the scene where Lindsay slaps Tom and outs her relationship with Cindy to him, Cindy's bits during Jill's testimony, the flirting leading up to Lindsay and Cindy's first kiss, and the smackdown between Claire and Jill's mom are right up there.
Demeter: That is kind of mean, because there are so many... but it's got to be when Lindsay finally shows up on Cindy's doorstep after she's mustered the courage to break up with Pete. Cindy is very aware of the heartbreak this relationship could cause her, but she doesn't care. She pretty much knows all of her flaws, but just loves her that much.
liz_estrada: I liked L&C's first kiss. The way Riley LaShea wrote that turned an embarrassing situation into a really endearing moment. It's just frickin' adorable!
Darandkerry: Favorite moment? One favorite moment??? Hmm, I think I’ll cheat as my favorite just happens to be all those moments from episode 1 to 13 that cemented the continued growth and strength of the club, deepened friendships and loyalties, and made the club into something formidable and oh so special. Something the TV series failed to do.
Mercurychkita: One of the best things for me about this television series, that made it unique, was the friendship between these four, strong professional women. And what made the last few episodes so tragic (among other things) was that this bond suddenly took a backseat to an arbitrary love interest that was thrown at Lindsay. There’s a wonderful scene at the end of episode 1x10, in which Lindsay comes clean to Jill, Claire and Cindy about the threat from Kiss-Me-Not. They make a grand speech about how they’re sticking with her - that they will prevail, because this time around, they’ve got each other. And then, in the final episode, Lindsay basically goes it alone, anyway, and gets the bad guy. It completely undermined the whole premise of the show.
So, with that preamble, my favourite moment in the VS was the very last scene of 2x12, in which Lindsay enters the attic to discover Cindy and Claire, joined a moment later by Jill, putting up clippings and assembling evidence on HM. Creating essentially a new shrine, in that place that encapsulated Lindsay’s overwhelming obsession with KMN, but doing it together. That, for me, was the moment when I knew the VS had surpassed the actual series, because we had finally managed to bring these characters full circle, where they could make amends for their failures in the original series and finally support each other and get through this HM case together.
Riley: Since you said it would be like asking a mother to choose her favorite child, I’m assuming you mean what’s my favorite moment that I added to the season?
If that is the case, I was proud of the kiss on the street, the kiss in the alley outside of Felicia Watkins’ crime scene, Lindsay and Cindy’s big blowup, and Jacobi’s snark. But my absolute favorite moment in either of my eps is one very short scene, only a half a page long - the scene in Humility Before Honor where Cindy and Jill commiserate over margaritas about Lindsay shutting them out, and Jill ends it with “Welcome to the club”
Last summer, you told me you wanted to fix inconsistencies the new producers had left us with, create the show fans would have liked to have, and bring back the excitement we felt when the series started.
Do you feel you’ve accomplished what you set out to?
Demeter: Reading over the comments of each episode, I think that yes, we've accomplished that.
Grumpybear: I think for the most part we have. If the feedback we have gotten on the finale is anything to go by it seems we’ve done a passing job at keeping the readers invested in the characters we all love. I think we went about it writing the show we all would have liked to have seen air on TV. I guess though you have to live with the fact that you can’t make everyone happy 100% of the time.
Inspector Boxer: I like to think we did. What mattered most was bringing back the friendship that exists among these women. That was sorely lacking in those final episodes. The producers missed the point completely. We didn’t tune in to watch the club solve a murder. We tuned in to watch Lindsay, Jill, Cindy and Claire be there for each other as they tried to solve a murder. I think in some way, we all wanted to be a part of their club. So yeah, we had a serial killer story that threaded throughout the whole season. But we didn’t come together as a crew to tell that story. We came together to tell the story of the club. How these women are there for each other when they’re trying to catch a killer. That was a distinction that the folks at ABC just couldn’t grasp.
What was the most challenging thing you faced working on the VS?
Demeter: Writing alongside writers of this caliber and not get totally intimidated! There were other challenges, for sure, for each of us.
Inspector Boxer: Writing over 250 pages of fiction in that amount of time was a daunting task. I’ll admit that I probably wasn’t the cheeriest person to be around as I struggled to complete that final episode. Thankfully, the rest of the VS crew put up with me there for a couple of cranky weeks!
Other than that, simply working with other writers to create a seamless season was a fascinating challenge. I’m still amazed at how it all gelled and none of us were ever even in the same room together. I always wondered how different writers with such different styles could come together like this. Now I know.
Darandkerry: Measuring up to my fellow club members. These women are a tremendously talented group of individuals. They are kind and generous to a fault, not to mention completely selfless. It has been my honor and privilege to work with them.
liz_estrada: Stopping the story. Like a lot of writers who've taken part in this fan experiment, I have trouble saying goodbye to characters I like, and that sometimes results in logorrhea. I probably could have written another ten pages on my episode. Happily.
Grumpybear: For me it would have to have been trying to come up with fitting artwork each episode. We only got so many actual episodes for me to work with so there were times when I had to do some real searching for elements to use in the episode banners. And the stress of getting everything ready to air each week, so many people were relying on me to do a good job that I was constantly afraid I was going to screw something up. I mean the writers hand there babies over to me and I have to present them to the world. So if something goes wrong it’s on my head.
Revolos55: In general, I'd say working with so many different writers. I'd only beta'd for two writers before that, and that had really come about in an organic way. I went from being a fan who commented about stuff I liked, to feeling comfortable pointing out the occasional typos in those comments, and then either offering to beta or being asked to beta (I can't remember which). So there was a relationship there already, an understanding that I'm very snarky, and have an odd sense of humor and way of writing. I wasn't sure how that was going to go over with someone I'd never worked with before, or if the commenting system I'd cobbled together on my own would make sense. I came into this gig feeling like a complete rookie, a jumped-up fan with a "gee whiz, I hope I don't let the team down" attitude.
Specifically, I had a lot of trouble working on Riley's second episode "Humility Before Honor". Normally I can knock out an episode in a couple hours, especially since I got my laptop. I used to get the episode at home, copy it to a disk, print it at work, write my comments on the pages as I read, then transcribe them when I got home from work. With a laptop I was able to reduce the amount of time it took (and stop killing trees).
Riley's episode took me three days to work on, because of the content. That was the episode where I really started to understand the danger of the HM. I was sorta going along "serial killer, la la, obviously killing is bad." Gluttony was gross. Wrath, well, the guy kinda deserved it, and we didn't really see it. I thought crushing someone to death with coins was just a neat interpretation of Greed. And then we got to Felicia Watkins, and I realized exactly how twisted this guy was, and holy shit, this is who is going to have Jill. Any time I got to descriptions about the torture I'd actually start to get a little sick to my stomach, I'd be disturbed and a little depressed. I'd want to push through it, but I could only take about 5 pages at a time, and then I'd have to do something chipper to get my mind off of it, like watch a funny movie. Then I'd do another 5 pages, rinse, lather, repeat. I think it's a testament to her fantastic writing abilities that it was so intense and emotionally affective, but ye Gods was it draining. I don't know if I was the first to suggest the "reader discretion" warning before the episode, but it was something that was definitely on my list of things to bring up at the weekly chat before it went up.
Mercurychkita: I found, at first, that I was a little star-struck by the authors - the people working on this series are some of the best in this fandom, and I admire them all greatly - so it was initially a little daunting to have to dive in and start picking apart their work. I got over it pretty quickly, especially after getting to know them and becoming friends through the VS chats, but yeah, getting that first episode from any new author always made me just a little nervous. But I forged ahead valiantly! LOL.
Riley: Letting others take the lead and sometimes feeling a little shut out of the overall picture.
Mysensitiveside: Time was definitely a challenge. I’d been making slow but steady progress for a while, until I suddenly realized that I had a lot left to write, and not much time in which to write it. As my deadline approached, literally all my free time was spent writing the episode. Other than that, though, I’d say the biggest things for me were trying to stay true to the characters and consistent with the other episodes, and also just the technicalities of everything. I spent a lot of time researching paralytic drugs, for example, trying to make sure I got the details right.
Working on such a big project, did you learn something about yourself?
Revolos55: That I'm a lot more anal than I thought I was ;) I think around the time I started asking about season-wide consistency on whether there would be four asterisks or five asterisks separating scenes is when the rest of the crew started rolling their eyes at me. Either that, or if it was going to be DDA or D.D.A.
In seriousness I learned a lot about responsibility and commitment. These were definitely the longest single stories I'd ever worked on, and looking at the season all together, there was well over 600 pages of work at the settings I use. It's daunting in retrospect. I worked much harder on this than I did at my real job (which isn't too hard, but still...) I learned that I still have a lot to learn, both as a beta reader, and as a member of team that I have made a commitment to. But like I said, I'm looking forward to implementing some ideas I have on how to be better in season 3 than I was in season 2.
Inspector Boxer: Interesting question. I learned that I liked collaborating with a team much more than I thought I would. It’s not that I thought I would hate it, but I tend to be pretty solitary when it comes to my writing, working with just a trusted beta. I liked the challenge of working with other writers to weave elements of our episodes into each other’s episodes. It was a lot of fun.
Oh, and I learned writing 250 pages of fiction on a deadline can make me cranky. ;)
liz_estrada: No. I try very, very hard not to learn things about myself. Familiarity breeds contempt, so I prefer to remain a woman of mystery. The last thing the world needs is another navel-gazing author. ;-)
It was fun, though, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to troop along with this merry (stubborn) little band of WMC lovers for a while longer.
Darandkerry: Funny thing was I hadn’t realized how big a project this truly was until we were midway in the season. I was one of the last writers to join the club and most of the season’s outline was already in place. Of course, the specifics came later, but the truly hard work had already been done. So, I guess I learned what I’d hoped all along: that I can successfully collaborate on a writing venture with others. With this particular group, there was no way I could fail.
Mercurychkita: I learned a new appreciation for jello fights. And that it was complete madness to agree to edit over 700 pages while trying, simultaneously, to finish my master’s degree. But then, I’ve never really been all that attached to my sanity, so I don’t miss it. Much. And it’s pretty damned rewarding to look back and see what we’ve accomplished as a group. So it was all worth it.
Mysensitiveside: Well, first of all, I learned that I could actually do it -- could actually write 50 pages in a limited amount of time, and not have it turn out to be complete crap. ;)
I’d never written anything anywhere near as plot-driven as this before, and it was a major challenge to do so, but I also learned to appreciate the immense value of having two fantastic betas to keep everything in check.
Grumpybear: Yeah that I work okay under pressure and that I am really lucky to have met and become friends with all the people involved with this season. It really was a joy.
Demeter: A project of this magnitude, it's probably impossible not to learn something about oneself. I realized that the chance to actually do something, to not sit back and accept the fate ABC had left us with, was something that eventually helped over the past WMC blues. Really, who cares for Muffin Man anymore? Okay, well, we do... but in a very unexpected way.
I'd like to say thank you to those who took this trip with us. Fasten your seatbelts! The wild ride is not over yet...and keep an eye out for some fun stuff on VS community.