Musings on missing scenes

[secretsolitaire]

Happiest of birthdays to kari77, one of the sweetest folks in fandom! Hope you had a great day, hon.

***One of my favorite things about fanfic is the way it fills in all the little gaps in canon -- playing out missing scenes, giving us the perspectives of lesser-known characters, and (of course!) bringing the porn when canon leaves us with the dreaded

Comments

[magnetic_pole]

Anyone else ever felt this way? Which fics would you insert a missing scene into if you could?

Ah, interesting question! I think about that a lot when I read, original and fanfic. Almost always it involves me riffing on the author's original themes (playing out scene implicit in the fic) or fleshing out a story by including the perspectives of (usually minor) characters.

Do you ever want to write a scene, yourself? You're such a fabulous, thoughtful reader I always wonder what your fic would be like.

Now that you've mentioned it, that might be a fun idea for a fest. M.

[secretsolitaire]

I think about that a lot when I read, original and fanfic. Almost always it involves me riffing on the author's original themes (playing out scene implicit in the fic) or fleshing out a story by including the perspectives of (usually minor) characters.That sounds like the kind of thing a fanfic writer would naturally do

[magnetic_pole]

Remix is fabulous, but I suspect it would be fun in a different way to start with a relatively complex fic and invite ficcish responses to it--a little less formal, a little more freedom to riff. I wonder if that's what remixthedrabble's about? I've always meant to check that out. Hm. Something to think about. M.

[secretsolitaire]

I had never heard of remixthedrabble, so thanks for that! Looks like it's similar to Remix but shorter -- with a cap of 500-1000 words. (In that respect, kinda reminds me of the lovely rs_small_gifts. *g*)

[westernredcedar]

Well, you know I second the Templar desire! Gah. I just reread them all again, and the fade to blacks just cry for more. More! :)

[secretsolitaire]

You have been reading all the porny outtakes over at teamtemplar, right? She's already written a number of the scenes I wanted desperately to see, and I'm holding out hope that she'll write the rest too. :-D

[kata_ny]

Yes to Subject to Change.
a big yes.it's perfect as it is but still, i could read more of it.

[secretsolitaire]

Yes, exactly. I would read pages and pages and pages more of that fic!

[such_a_steph]

two recent fics have had missing scenes so tantalizing that I've been playing them out endlessly in my head, trying to picture exactly how they would have gone.
It sounds to me like the author achieved all they set out to do. It's a very deliberate choice to leave out a scene, and sometimes it's just better to have the reader play out their own ideal scenario than to try and paint the picture less perfectly with words. The simple fact that you've been trying to fill the blanks with your own delicious scene tells me that the author has painted enough of the background to let you enjoy that thought all to yourself.

I'm usually happy to take what I get, and am generally not one to want/need the blanks filled in. I do like a little spice, but not at the expense of the flow of the story. I like to see the story progressing, and that's not always possible to do between the sheets ;) On the other hand, there are several endings I'd like to rewrite, but that's another story.

[secretsolitaire]

Oh, you're right, of course. I agree completely that there are scenes better left to the imagination, and all the stories I mention above are very effective in part because they left out the scenes I wanted to see. (Actually, I have considered writing a rant about all the stories I've read lately where the authors feel the need to spell everything out in exhaustive detail -- everything a character thinks, feels, does, no matter how minor...ugh!)

But sometimes I wish I could write fic myself, or that I at least had a better imagination, so I could fill in those gaps to my complete satisfaction. ;-)

On the other hand, there are several endings I'd like to rewrite, but that's another story.

Heh, that's the truth!

[brianswalk]

I've never been a big fan of gapfillers. That may simply be because I'm just so used to, and sometimes grateful for, anything I can get. I don't remember specifically wanting more in any particular fic. Even in SotT I agree with the author that the fade-to-black was much better than bogging the story down with frequent sexual trysts. Lol, that's not saying I'm not looking forward to reading more of Jeremy and Simon!

[secretsolitaire]

Even in SotT I agree with the author that the fade-to-black was much better than bogging the story down with frequent sexual trysts.

Agreed! Part of what makes those stories so good is the amazing way she paces the narrative -- it almost never drags, and leaving the sex out is part of that.

But dude. The porny outtakes are so worth reading as a separate experience! :-D