discussion post 05

[betweenthebliss]

It's that time again, friends. Sorry for the day's delay again; I should mention that due to my fluctuating schedule (two jobs makes for random hours) sometimes discussions will go up on Thursdays, not Wednesdays, but it should basically always be one of those two days

Comments

[ninety6tears]

+Two people becoming friends or falling in love when they start off only having their relationships with one other person in common (if TV Tropes has a trope for this, I haven't found it). I have a weird thing for the accidentally-falling-in-love-when-they-only-hook-up-to-get-over-somebody-else trope, but I also think the "We're only getting along cause we're both close to Johnny" friendship structure is fun to work with. Though the (uncomfortably noticeable?) trend in my original fiction is that Jack and Jane don't even meet until Johnny is dead.
+When I write some romance fics, one of the little goals I often end up setting for myself is "How can I create UST between people who have already hooked up?" Which is kind of an impossible idea, but I've read a lot of really good fics where the emotional confusion and lack of communication creates a potentially more interesting element than the question of whether two people are even attracted to each other, etc.
+But "Will They Or Won't They?" is always good too.
+Ho Yay. (Yay!)
+

[rainbowstrlght]

YESSSS "Chekov's Gun"! I didn't even know that was a THING. I totally used that in my last fic, and it was lovely. ♥

Also, the UST between people who hooked up: I did this with a married couple in a fic of mine. I think it's really the reader's perceptions of whether they truly understand each other or not, sometimes. Misunderstandings seem to create a lot of potential UST, in my opinion.

[ninety6tears]

Misunderstandings seem to create a lot of potential UST, in my opinion. Ooh, definitely. And fics that manage to draw that out where there is some kind of relationship but the tension is all over what kind of relationship it is or whether it still is what is started out as and whether they understand each other like they should, etc. are sometimes the most addictive ones to read.

[rainbowstrlght]

I guess I go for epiphanies? And circuitous elements. Everything I write has things circling back to each other. If something doesn't work for me, it's often because it can't circle like this; and so I either wind up plotting something for it, or cutting it out.

Thinking on it, I guess I also go for a character not realizing they are in love with another? (Hence the epiphanies.) This even happens in my BB; so I guess I use it often enough.

Um, and I always throw in interacting characters. If all else fails, I bring in a side character to push the main character along.

(I have to confess this question is giving me some trouble, 'cause I just learned about tropes, like, six months ago. WTF, self.)

[shinychimera]

Epiphanies are great moments for a story.

And although I don't really try to write circuitously, I often end up repeating/quoting significant earlier bits, and sometimes look for ways repeat themes or phrases from the first paragraph or two in the closing lines.

The longer the fic is (and the longer I spend writing it), the more likely I am to do this sort of "tying things together", adding more layers by relating different parts of the narrative to each other.

[sail_aweigh]

I often find in writing a story that I will unconsciously throw in a theme or at least a recurring motif that I'm not always aware of. Then, if I stall out, I can look through what I've written and see if anything jumps out at me that I can use to kick-start me back into writing more. As you say, it really allows me to add layers to a more simplistic story and make it more interesting to read.

[rainbowstrlght]

I would suppose it's because with a fic so long, I'm very tempted to make the audience not forget the beginning, yeah? And to make each part relatable to the other, as opposed to just points of A to Z. Tying it together is definitely it, though.

And oh man, definitely repeating lines. I often try to give characters a quirk, by repeating a certain line or thought throughout a fic.

[zetsubou_hana]

I have a chance to be on the first page and nothing to write

[rainbowstrlght]

I insert a lot of myself, too. It does feel a bit self-indulgent; but then usually I'll get a commenter who can relate and emphasize, which makes it worthwhile.

I thought Mary Sue fics started off as self-insert fics; although that's definitely not what you're doing. UM.

I guess I also idealize love; but I tend to make it the center of the story, half the time. And always happy endings - although my BB is going to break this rule. :(

[creepylicious]

I'm doing it as well. Especially when I'm writing about siblings.

[rainbowstrlght]

Family members are especially susceptible... Good thing none of them ever read my fiction.

Chimera and Rand

[shinychimera]

yeomanrand and I had a great conversation about this earlier in the week, and we realized the one thing almost all of our fics have in common is issues of trust. Some characters trust too easily, some have unshakable trust in others, some find trust impossible -- but it seems our most successful stories explore the boundary-line. Learning to trust, or learning not to, or regaining it when it's been lost; even our attempts at PWP ( Doctor and Impatient, Center of Gravity, my Pushing It and Rapture) tend to feature bondage-ish themes that involve trust

Re: Chimera and Rand

[rainbowstrlght]

Trust issues - that's deep. Thinking on it, most fics probably have to tread that water at some point; or else the interpersonal relationships between characters won't make sense.

To dwell on it is really something, though. I think a lot of Kirk's characterization really hinges on that idea, really.

I also get rather melodramatic in my first drafts. I mean, it's easier for me to cut stuff out, rather than to throw stuff in. Might as well bleed a character dry, then patch them up in the edits.

[creepylicious]

Threesome-fic. Love-triangles. Yes, I always seem to go for them. I like when my characters try to make something work that isn’t suppose to work. Equal relationships between three people are pretty hard. I like the slow relationship building as well. Long and slow with a lot of tension and miscommunication.
I’m also using a lot of dialogues. Especially when I’m stuck.