True Romance... on the side - NOTES
NOTES
on writing "True Romance... on the side"
Where to begin my story?
… long time ago, in an Eastern European country called Poland, the birthplace of Chopin, pierogi and Sobieski vodka… lived a young girl, who wished she could one day create a proper J2 fic… and actually finish writing one this time.
Don’t worry. That’s not how I’m gonna tell the story ;)
However, everything I mentioned above is true - I’ve always wanted to write a proper (read: epically long) J2 fic. The problem is, I suffer from a serious case of procrastination. So when I came up with the idea of starting (yet another) monstrosity of a fic, I figured, I need some kind of motivation; something with a deadline, that I couldn’t just dismiss or ignore.
And then BigBang came along.
To be honest, I knew about the existence of BigBang before, but it was, very much, a peripheral aspect of my fandom “vision”. I liked the idea of writers and artists coming together to create something wonderful, but I never thought I’d have the conviction - and inspiration - to write something worthy of such a prestigious project.
Then again, I thought: why the hell not?!
So I signed up, immediately regretting my decision, as soon as I realized I have no idea what to write about. I’m not good with AU/original fanfics [original fanfic... sounds like an oxymoron].
And I didn’t want to start something, I knew I wouldn’t finish. So I thought: why not try basing my fic on a well-known and loved movie? I went through countless scenarios of romantic comedies, trying to find the ultimate rom-com. And then, one night, while talking with my girlfriends about such movies, I had an epiphany: “When Harry Met Sally”.
Forget “The Notebook”.
Forget “Sleepless In Seattle".
Forget “Pretty Woman”.
When you think about it, “When Harry Met Sally” was - and is - the ultimate ‘will they or won’t they’ movie.
And lets face it: that’s what we love about rom-coms most - the constant uncertainty, the not-knowing. Angst is what we live for :D
After that, it was pretty easy - I re-watched the movie (which time, I couldn’t tell you if I tried), got my hands on the original script and started adapting the movie.
The first version of the fic was… well, the movie, basically. Just with different names. And as much as I know people love “When Harry Met Sally”, what’s the point of reading a fic that directly follows the movie its based on?... there isn't one.
The breakthrough came when I sat down to do the first rewrite. In the original movie, one of the “leitmotifs” was the film “Casablanca”. I’d already made the decision to try and change as much about my fic as possible, to make it interesting to readers who know the original movie. So I started thinking: what cult-classic movie could be the “center” of my fic?
It so happens that at the time, I was in a huge Christian Slater phase. And as fate would have it, one night I started re-watching “True Romance”. And then it hit me: this is perfect! It’s a movie for everyone - women like the love story (and Clarence :D), men like the action (and Alabama). The more I thought about it, the more perfect the choice seemed. I’m not 100% positive Jensen and Jared have seen “True Romance”, but I guarantee you that if they did, they’d love it.
After that, things went swimmingly - by incorporating “True Romance” into the fic, I managed to balance out the mushy, romantic quality of “When Harry Met Sally”. The characters began to live a life of their own and I was able to secede from the original movie script.
Don't worry - the most characteristic, recognizable scenes are still in the fic: the road trip, the late-night phone conversation, the infamous orgasm scene, the 4-way telephone call…
65% of the dialogue is either directly taken from the “When Harry Met Sally” script, or is my take on what the characters said.
Only 5% of the dialogue is original i.e. written by me.
As for the other 25%... they are (often paraphrased) quotes from various movies and TV shows, including: The Princess Bride, Pretty Woman, The Broken Hearts Club, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (don’t ask!), Dawson’s Creek, Will & Grace, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Gossip Girl… and countless others.
So if you read something in the fic that makes you laugh... I didn’t write it ;)
The only completely original scene, in no way related to “When Harry Met Sally”, is the Halloween party.
To be honest, it’s one of my favorite parts of the fic. To be even more honest, I wrote it only so Joshua Jackson could have a cameo, and cause I really wanted to put Michael & Tom in Rosenkrantz/Guildenstern costumes :D
Speaking of cameos - the fic has many; their name is Legion.
A cookie to anyone who can spot them all ^_^
Before you ask: yes - guest stars and references to various movies were my favorite part of writing the fic.
I loved incorporating various “nods” to movies and TV shows that I fangirl over. Seriously - there’s nothing that brings me more joy than “winking” at the reader, hoping he/she will get the reference.
Apropos: there’s a very specific “nod” in one part of the fic - in chapter 10, during the 4-way conversation between Tom, Jared, Michael and Jensen, the characters mention “watching” certain things on TV (to clarify, Michael mentions a TV show and Tom mentions a movie).
Anyone who can figure out what TV show/movie they’re talking about and why they're talking about it (i.e. why it’s funny), will get a custom icon, created by yours truly ^_^
Another very important part of writing this fic, was creating the soundtrack for it.
Those who watched “When Harry Met Sally” know how important music is in that film. Personally, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to listen to certain jazz tunes, without thinking of the movie.
Since the fic is a mesh of “When Harry Met Sally” and “True Romance”, there are two soundtracks, depending on which movie you prefer - there’s the jazz-version, and the more indie, up-beat version. Frankly, both of them are awesome and worth a listen :)
Each song was chosen with a very specific scene or character in mind, and I was very careful to avoid songs that, in any way, refer to girls or women. This is a slash fic after all. I know, I know - licentia poetica and all that. But frankly? I always thought it pointless to use a song about a girl in a soundtrack to a slash fic.
However, the soundtracks include two exceptions - “What I’ll Do” by Allison Kraus (jazz version) and “Darling, It’s True” by Locksley (indie version). To my defense, the first one is from Sophie’s point of view, the other is from Jensen’s. So referring to a girl is acceptable :D
PS. Yes, I have put waaaay too much thought into this :D
After the first draft, re-writing, refining and refurbishing the fic took ages.
It had at least 17 different versions, and I kept adding little bits and pieces up to the very moment I posted the fic.
Therefore, if you find any mistakes - either in grammar, spelling, or coding - blame me and only me.
To wrap this up: there are many people who helped me in the writing process. They’re mentioned below, in the “thank you” part of the post. I probably forgot about some of them, but I’m grateful and I thank you nonetheless.
If anyone got to the end of this - rather spastic - post, I salute you.
If you're curious about something, or have any questions about the fic/the plot/the characters/the soundtrack/anything... please feel free to ask.
And please take a look at the awesome art to the fic by tringic.
Somehow, knowing me for only a month-or-so, she was able to read my mind and achieve a perfect balance in her art, between “When Harry Met Sally” and “True Romance” influences and inspirations.
She is a true genius. Go, show her some love!
This fic is dedicated to Chase - the Harry to my Sally.
THANK YOU'S
Firstly, before I forget, I'd like to thank wendy and thehighwaywoman for (once again) hosting the spn_j2_bigbang this year.
It has brought me more joy, grief, teeth-clenching angst and dolphin-noise squee than you can possibly imagine.
Thank you, girls, for helping a total BigBang newbie feel welcome and at home. Thank you for answering my questions (if it weren't for your clarification, I would never have been able to write this fic the way it is ^_^). Thank you for holding all our collective hands and urging us to go on, when we were so close to giving up.
You are the Queens of Awesome. I salute you!
Secondly, I wanna thank ejtheviking who spent hours talking to me about my ideas. God knows she had countless occasions to bash my head in the table, when I was being particularly daft. But she didn't, to y'alls benefit ;)
And even though she had her own life to take care of, she helped me get through writing this monstrosity of a fic. And somehow, we both came out of it with our bodies and minds - somewhat - intact.
Thank you, honey, for being there for me. As always ^_^
Thirdly, I'd like to thank my artist, tringic.
Sugar... you might be, quite possibly, the best thing that has ever happened to me.
I came into BigBang a complete newbie, scared-shitless that I'd end up with an artist who didn't get my vision. Or didn't have the talent to fulfill it ;)
You have exceeded my expectations on all fronts. You were not only my wonderful artist, but also my most loyal, fangirly reader and - to top it all off - you beta'd my fic, when no one else could. You fed my OCD Jensen and stroked my attention-craving Jared, laughed at Chad's terrible jokes, hugged pouty-Tom and flirted shamelessly with Michael... metaphorically speaking, of course. You done good girl, and then some :D
Your my artist-dream-come-true and I just know we'll continue working - and fangirling - together for years to come.
You made this BigBang an amazing experience, something that I'll remember forever.
Thank you.
Last but not least, I want to thank everyone who read the first version of the fic and sent me their spastic notes ;)
I also want to thank EVERYONE who ever used any of the icons I made for BB - you guys made me love BigBang, before I even started writing. You are AWESOME.
And finally: THANK YOU!
I really hoped you enjoyed reading the fic, as much as I enjoyed writing it.
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