Meme: Writerly Things

[argentum_ls]

I'm wrestling with a lot of stories right now, most of which refuse to cooperate. With the timing of everything, but especially work and an unexpected amount of crap going on there, I'm feeling very creatively drained. Since it's worked well in the past, I've decided to follow fikgirl's lead. She's always been a good influence:


I believe the idea is for people to pick one. I could be wrong, but that's all I feel empowered to request.

I - If I made Cinderella, the audience would immediately be looking for a body in the coach. -Alfred Hitchcock

When I write a story, what do readers immediately look for?
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II - Name one of my fics in comments (or a scene from one of them) and I will (try to) tell you what I was thinking when I wrote it, why I wrote it in the first place, what's going on in the characters' heads, why I chose certain words, what this moment means in the context of the rest of the fic, lots of awful puns, and anything else that you'd expect to find on a DVD commentary track.
_________

III - Tell me about a story I haven't written, and I'll give you between one and three sentences from that story.
_________

IV - Comment with either "Five things that never happened to Character"-style prompts or "Three pieces of your personal canon for Character," and I shall see what I can do to oblige.
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V - Name a character from one of my fandoms below and I'll give you:

(a) three facts about them from my personal canon/fanon
(b) a reason he/she sucks
(c) a reason he/she is amazing
(d) five things that I'd like to see happen to them
(e) five people that I can't ship that character with and why
_________

VI - Give me a character (or several) from any of my fandoms, and I’ll (try to) give you one reason for liking (or disliking!) the character, two favourite ships, three favourite friendships, and four pieces of headcanon.
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VII - Comment with two characters and a prompt word, and I'll tell you about their first kiss in a drabble. -- deleted because of my propensity for not 'shipping.
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VII - Name a woman in one of my fandoms and I will attempt a drabble (or something drabble-ish) about her. If you give me a keyword, quotation, line of poetry or lyric, I will use it if it sparks something for me.

Comments

II !

[fountainxxpenny.livejournal.com]

I love this!

One of the first stories I read in this fandom was Proud of You and I loved, just loved, how awesome you were at writing Scott. Two points stand out most for me in that story:

“It’s like were-Scotty has two settings: mope and yell, with nothing in between.” When I read this, I actually laughed out loud. It was so fitting with both characters.

And this:
“Werewolf,” he said, sounding the word to an empty room. “I’m a werewolf.” A blush crawled into his cheeks. He’d only been able to say the word a couple times. He avoided even thinking it, unable to get past its utter ridiculousness.
That is such a simple way to articulate what would actually be going through his head on his own, trying to come to terms with the whole werewolf thing.

So I know I listed two things, but I think the "dvd commentary" on one or both would be very interesting to see.

Re: II !

[argentum-ls.livejournal.com]

Name one of my fics in comments (or a scene from one of them) and I will (try to) tell you what I was thinking when I wrote it, why I wrote it in the first place, what's going on in the characters' heads, why I chose certain words, what this moment means in the context of the rest of the fic, lots of awful puns, and anything else that you'd expect to find on a DVD commentary track.

“It’s like were-Scotty has two settings: mope and yell, with nothing in between.”

Lots of explanation to follow in no particular order, but, alas, no puns.

This line was one of those meta lines that often sneaks into my fics. I had recently read something, or several somethings more likely, that dealt with how poorly Posey acted anger and how quick his character was to start yelling, even (or especially) when yelling wasn't appropriate. I'd also seen an interview with Posey in which he mentioned that the challenge of the character was playing, and flip-flopping so quickly between, the emotional extremes. Since I'm absolutely astounded that Scott only had one on-screen panic attack during the first 3/4 of the season (I'm convinced he was on the edge of panic attack for pretty much the first nine episodes), I wanted a chance to comment on all that. So, Stiles makes his observation about how Scott's personality has changed into this one of extremes.

For me, it was a chance as an "out" Scott fan to demonstrate that I don't see the character through rose-colored glasses. I also enjoy when writers acknowledge characters' flaws without bashing them for existing. Having flaws is part of what makes a character well-rounded, which means they're interesting in their own right.

In the context of the story, it's a chance for Stiles to call Scott on his behavior and to point out to Scott that he is not acting entirely rationally.

The conversation as a whole is about different ways Scott is being perceived: as a sports star, as a son, as an ideal son, as a friend. Lumped into all this is the fact that he's unaware of all these perceptions. He needs someone to tell him who he is, and one of Stiles's roles on the show has been to tell Scott how to be.

Further, a parent is supposed to love his or her child despite the child's flaws, and all we know so far in this story is that Scott's dad apparently loves him because he thinks Scott has overcome his flaws. So, Stiles is reminding Scott and the reader that flaws very much still exist.

On the show, we only hear Stiles call Scott "Scotty" once, and that's at the formal when he's talking to Peter about the fate of the phone. That seemed like an important naming distinction, like Stiles was reiterating or reinforcing his friendship with Scott via the use of the diminutive. I chose to echo that moment in the above line as a way for Stiles to lessen the sting of what he was saying.

There's one other thing going on in this scene: Stiles is high. So this was also a line to demonstrate that Stiles's brain-to-mouth filter doesn't work so well when he's high--which, incidentally, is the only time that's true in canon. He can be loud and effusive other times, but we only see him come anywhere close to babbling when he's overusing his Adderall.

So, it's a very loaded line and a pivotal one to the scene since it carries so much narrative weight.

Will do the other one a different time.

[bethskink.livejournal.com]

I –
Emotion, that's what comes to mind when I think of your writing. I supposed the fandom term is Gen, but it's emotion to me. Delving into relationships and dynamics and all the stuff going on in the heart and the head which porn (nice though it is) doesn't ever quite achieve for me. When I think of fandom it seems like there is this great divide on the web. On one side is porn, and on the other is... everything else. There are plenty of times when I go looking for porn, but there are an equal number of times when I want something else, something deeper, more gritty and emotional. That's when I go to you and others on my list of favorite authors. People who write about (what is to me) the important stuff.


IV –
The Vet: is a conservationist at heart. Keeps his distance from the endangered wildlife (werewolves), while observing and trying to help re-introduce them into natural habitats (Beacon Hills home town).

Derek: A blue eyed wolf is incredibly rare. This might be significant.

Melissa: How does she afford that house? Been in her family since her Grandfather's time. It has lots of history.

Lydia: Never had any close girl friends before Allison. She got bored with them, or was mean, maybe even lonely. Allison is a new experience. Something special about the relationships between women.

I, V

[twistedceles.livejournal.com]

I.

Character development and insight into what makes that character tick. In Scott-centric pieces you've written (from "Proud of You" to "Habit Forming"), you've delved into the characters a bit more deeply than other writers I've seen and that stands out to me. The quality jumps out even more because it often ties well within the show's canon.

V.

Sheriff Stilinski

I know we don't see too much of him, but I'd be interested in seeing what you think of.

Thanks!