Story Process Essay: Lost Years

[saavikam77]

Writing Lost Years: An Exercise in World and Relationship Building

As with many fics, Lost Years began with a simple prompt.

Batman and Superman are stranded on a lonely planet and are lost for years before returning home. What happens? Universe is writer's choice.The moment I saw it, a fire sparked in my brain. So much potential in those three

Comments

[confusedkayt]

Annnnnd... kindly ignore that last comment of mine! This is what I get for gushing without clicking

[saavikam77]

Hee!! ^__^ I'm so glad this fascinated you. :p The research process and the interweaving of plots and themes always intrigues me, so I could go on about it for days

[confusedkayt]

Hee! Ok, maybe I feel slightly better about finding and articulating themes *after* I have written the story. All the cool kids are doing it. :D

I really love the story process feature on this comm... It's interesting to see how very different people's processes really are!

The archive I saw it on was run by Tmelange, and is linked to from wf_slash... I think it was called "More than Friends," but I am not proof-positive. I suddenly discovered that superhero fanfiction existed in December, and I swear I swallowed that archive whole.

[saavikam77]

Yeah, most of my serious theme articulation comes after the fact. I have the feeling that it's that way with a lot of authors, though they won't admit it. :p

And I'm glad it was that archive. For a while it was down, but I'm glad it's at least back up and running. I do need to add the latest 2 chapters over there, anyway.

Thanks again!

[mithen]

Their uniforms gradually wear thin, with Bruce's cowl being cut up and used for parts, and Clark's uniform shirt eventually given to the cats as bedding.

I really love the symbolism of this, of their uniforms slowly giving way to make their lives possible.

I hadn't even really thought about choosing the climate to reflect what you know! Silly me, it works really well. And I like how similar to Earth it is--that way we can focus more on the people and less on the exotic location, in some ways.

the years that pass (the longest arc, of course)

The longest in terms of time elapsed, but it wouldn't necessarily be the longest in terms of words written, would it? Like you say, a lot of it has to be montage and skipping chunks of time anyway...it could probably be pretty compressed because the fundamental struggles (for survival and for their relationship) are mostly dealt with. If it's giving you blocks I'd suggest moving to the rescue and aftermath fairly quickly, although it does sound like you have a lot planned out I'd hate to

[saavikam77]

I've just been so taken with the idea of stripping away what made the boys what they were. While they lose those trappings, they retain the essence of what they are. :)

I really wanted the differences to be so subtle that they wouldn't be too obtrusive. Just enough to keep the boys on their toes. ^_~

And the third arc *has* been the longest in word count. *facepalm* It only took 7 chapters to get through the first two arcs, surprisingly. About 4 more chapters are left to write before we get to the rescue, though I have a feeling that once we get there, it'll be breakneck speed all the way to the end. :p

[snake_easing]

Thanks for the insight into the process. I know how it is when small things become bigger than one planned.

[saavikam77]

Glad you liked this! Lost Years has really come a long way from what it was conceived as.

[snake_easing]

I do have a question about having a long montage-like third arc. Is it like a TV show where each episode is complete in itself? That is, do the minor arcs each have their own climax and resolution? Or do they all build together to something else?

I've been thinking about the episodic format and how to avoid anti-climax in long series.

[saavikam77]

I didn't intend it to be an episodic format, but that's more or less how it's turned out. Most of the montage arc has been 1 or 2 chapter stories, sort of like beads on a string. They do lead into one another, so you can't really take them separately.

[bradygirl_12]

Really good work, Saavi! You've inspired me to try and finish my own essay. :)

Research that writers do is always fascinating. I have no bioscience background at all except for some courses, and most of my research tends to be in history and psychology. I liked all the references you made to classifications and all the things you needed to know for a working farm!

And the boys only having each other is a wonderful psychological slow cooker.

I am looking forward to the rescue and seeing them try to acclimate to society again.

[saavikam77]

Thanks so much, hon! ^__^

I kept feeling like the classification stuff was too heavy-handed when I was writing it and for a long time after I posted, but reading back over it, I'm surprised how well it came out. :) And it's been pretty interesting to learn all these things about farm life and living off the land. It's shocking how much we've nearly lost with all our modern conveniences. :p

Of course, I love putting our boys through the wringer. ^_~

Hopefully I can get this story finished by the end of the summer! I'm looking forward to writing the last arc.

[carolandtom]

I love the story and I loved reading this essay! Creative processes always fascinate me. Thanks for sharing so much interesting info!
I look forward to your next updates!

[saavikam77]

Thank you so much! :D I was glad to be able to share this.