forget your Unified Theory of Everything

YOU GUYS

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 07:38:53 GMT

So my brother calls me up, (when was it?) end of last week or something, and says, "Hey, we're going to be in Portland!" I'm in Seattle; they live in Pennsylvania; this is excellent news! I make arrangements to get off work to go to Portland, and . . . that's all I do. Night before my days off, the trains are all sold out and I'm freaking out because my brother will think I don't love him if I don't go. House-mate suggests I rent a car--so, I make arrangements, but by then I'm so frustrated and tired of real life that I just rent the car and stop thinking about it.

Cue Friday morning, when I wake up with 20 minutes to pack, dress, eat, figure out where the rental place is, catch the bus. Who needs to eat anyway, and I am a lucky, privileged person and I have an i-pad, so I start off walking for the bus without really knowing where I'm going. I figure I better figure that out at some point, so I take out my i-pad, and somehow can't resist checking email before figuring out where I'm going.

Guess what? This post is not about my trip to Portland; it's not about how last minute and disorganized I am; it's FREECE UPDATED HER JOURNAL THERE WAS NEW CHAPTER OF CAPTIVE PRINCE OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG. Oh my effing god.

Luckily, I've got presence of mind enough to click away and at least figure out what stop I need to get off at, but after that I'm back, standing at the bus stop, reading Captive Prince, in the bus, reading Captive Prince (for those of you who read the chapter, can you guess why that was a little embarrassing), getting off the bus and standing on a street corner until the chapter of Captive Prince is DONE.

Whew. Honestly, if it had been a work day, I'd've just been late. If I'd've been having birth, I'd've just been late. CAPTIVE PRINCE.

Oh, and then, on the way to Portland, I didn't have a book tape or anything, so I decide to just turn the radio off and work out the last part of the fic I'm working on my head. So I do that, write the fic in my head, figure I'm gonna forget it, so rewrite it again (still in my head, guys; this shit is insane). Then I stop for coffee, start telling it to myself again, and figure, "Shit. I'm either gonna forget or not be able to stop thinking about it." So, while stopped for coffee, I take out my laptop and write verbatim the 3,500 words I wrote in my head. It's an hour and a half later and I'm like, "Oh, yeah! I was going to Portland!"

Sounds like I wasn't excited to see my brother and his family, but I was totally jazzed and we had a great time. I'd say I just have trouble with priorities, but really it's just my brain is crazy and I have to live there so I try to make it happy. With coffee, and CAPTIVE PRINCE.

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Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:44:12 GMT

Headers. When it comes to headers and me, I think there are issues of . . . self-sabotage. Don't get me wrong. I love to talk about me. I love to talk about how great I am. Me me me all the time all day! But when I do talk about how great I think I am, it's usually with a kind of sarcastic self-condemnation of my own arrogance; witness the previous line.

So when it comes to saying, "here, I did this thing; it's good; you should try it," I . . . don't do that. I'll say that I'm very happy with a story or really proud, but I probably won't say I think a story I wrote is good or that you should read it. I probably won't do it even if I know you really well. It's not that I don't think I write good stories (c.f. above, re: me me me!); I just feel like a dick if I talk about it.

What does this have to do with headers? Well, headers are about selling your fic, imo. They're about saying, "You should read me. Here's why!" And I just . . . can't do that very well unless I'm being tongue and cheek about it.

( Read more... )

But anyway, here we go:

Do you have trouble writing summaries of your fic/fanwork? Why?
What's the best summary you've written?
What's the worst?
Have you written a summary that people disagreed with? What was it? Why did they disagree?
What do you look for in a fic/fanwork summary?
What's a fic/fanwork summary that's likely to turn you away? (You don't have to quote one, just state the elements)
Do you have any favorite fic summaries?

For answering with ease!

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My love of affair with writing...

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:16:12 GMT

Some people have said that falling for a fandom is a lot like falling in love. This is true for me: I can't stop myself from smiling; I think about it all the time; everything I see and feel and experience, I connect to that fandom; it's the place my brain goes when I'm not doing anything else; it turns me on; I want to talk about it all the time; I probably think that song is about it. So, I definitely, definitely have felt this way for a fandom.

What I want to know is, have you ever felt that way for a fic you are writing? I've felt that way for fics I have read--one or two have even become fandoms for me. However, I have also felt this way sometimes about a fic that I myself am writing, and . . . it feels a little awkward, a little self-involved, and yet for a little piece of time, it's the only thing in my world, and going to work gets very hard, because all I want to do is lie in bed all day and ~~make love to it~~ write it.

I felt that way about The Chuck Writes Story. I felt that way a little bit for The Boy Who Only Lives Twice--though that was really only a sustained crush, because I was in the middle of breaking up with The Chuck Writes Story when I wrote that one. I started writing a fic today and it felt like love at first sight--that happy, world-shaking feeling that you've met the one, the "I can spend my life with you!" feeling. When it's over, of course, I'll feel differently.

I just wanted to know whether I'm the only one.

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Fic outlines, and somehow this turned into story shapes

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:15:38 GMT

If you write fanfiction or original fic, do you make outlines? Why or why not? Do you always do it? What do they look like? How are they organized? How extensive are they? What info does your outline give you? What doesn't it give you? Do you like doing it, or does it feel like a lot of work? Are you willing to post one of your outlines, and will you drop a link? Tell me about this part of your process!

Here are those questions for easy answerability. If you post answers in your journal, could you drop me a link? So we can get discussy, if you like. Or you can answer in comments. You don't have to answer them all! Pick and choose.

For answering with ease!

Okay, here I'll discuss it a little. Okay or a lot. Knowing me. ( Me me me! This has outlines for The Boy Who Only Lived Twice, Silver Tongues, and Hope Has Wings (But Faith Has A Broadsword), as well as a discussion about the shape of stories, a bit on multiple timelines within one story. And it has a graph. IDK you guys. )

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FIC: Hope Has Wings (But Faith Has A Broadsword) - part 2 (end), BtVS, Faith, mostly gen

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 21:54:10 GMT

Author: lettered
Title: Hope Has Wings (But Faith Has A Broadsword)
Pairing(s): Gen-ish. Faith, Buffy, Xander, and Dawn, with mentions of Dana, Angel and Spike (including B/A, B/S). Hints of femmeslash without much squinting required
Summary: Wing!fic. Faith gets wings. Buffy doesn't believe in angels. Xander and Dawn make a bunch of really geeky references. The world failed Dana. Angel and Spike aren't there.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended.
Warning(s): mostly off-screen drug addiction and concept of suicide, involving a minor character
Word Count: 6K today total of 11K
Author's Notes: Thank you to snickfic for the prompt. You are awesome!

I adjusted the warnings a bit, and this ended up a little longer than I thought.

Part 1

( Hope Has Wings (But Faith Has A Broadsword) Part 2 (end) )

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FIC: Hope Has Wings (But Faith Has A Broadsword) - part 1, BtVS, Faith, mostly gen

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 08:32:03 GMT

Author: lettered
Title: Hope Has Wings (But Faith Has A Broadsword)
Pairing(s): Gen-ish. Faith, Buffy, Xander, and Dawn, with mentions of Dana, Angel and Spike (including B/A, B/S). Hints of femmeslash without much squinting required
Summary: Wing!fic. Faith gets wings. Buffy doesn't believe in angels. Xander and Dawn make a bunch of really geeky references. The world failed Dana. Angel and Spike aren't there.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended.
Warning(s): mostly off-screen drug addiction and suicide of a minor character
Word Count: 5K today, 5K tomorrow, total of 10K
Author's Notes: Thank you to snickfic for the prompt. You are awesome!

Next part will be posted tomorrow.

( Hope Has Wings (But Faith Has A Broadsword) Part 1 )

Go to Part 2 (end)

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Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:54:58 GMT

Wow. I am . . . actually pimping a fest on my journal. That may be a first.

This one looks awesome and looks like it may need participants. ♥

banner by tetleythesecond

[Rules & Timeline] * hp_friendship at DW

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FIC: Never Get The Girls (Angel/Spike)

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 01:25:51 GMT

Author: lettered
Title: Never Get The Girls
Pairing(s): Angelus/William, Angel/Soulless!Spike, Angelus/Souled!Spike, Angel/Souled!Spike
Summary: Four scenes, very loosely linked, mostly by sex and violence.
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended.
Warning(s): Elements of non-con/dub-con, violence, violent sex, a distinct lack of lube at times, non-ritualized BDSM, cigarette burns, graphic description of burns, dirty talk, not just in the good way—I mean some really offensive language, daddy kink, rimming, oral sex, anal sex, knife play, blood, character death--not very central/graphic
Word Count: around 9,000
Author's Notes: Thank you to lynnenne for discussing ideas with me.

Please, please, please please do read the warnings.

( Never Get the Girls )

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Prompts!

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:27:35 GMT

Prompt with any character, pairing, or character. I can't promise fic for all of them, but I can promise to tell you what that character, pairing, or character does in the snow! Because this is what my house looks like!

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psa

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 01:50:09 GMT

edit: elisi pointed out that Moffat denies this on Twitter here. As far as I can tell, Moffat says he was talking about a character he wrote that he once identified with. An original transcript of the interview doesn't exist. Shouldn't have posted without all the info, but I looked and the editorial seemed legit enough. I'll try to do more research and not get SHAKY WITH ANGER again.

( original post )

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Singularity - writing style, etc

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:44:10 GMT

I was just in a fest that had a poll where you could guess who wrote what while people were still anonymous. I was surprised that so many had guesses about who wrote what, and it really got me thinking about style. Some people certainly have a singular voice--something that is always the same no matter what they are writing. Others have certain elements or character types or details that are always likely to show up, no matter how generic the voice. Still others will always write a certain story; no matter how original and unique the plot, they are always the same tone or style of mystery, etc.

Let us proceed with the following on the premise that being recognizable or not is not a mark of quality. I feel like there are many great writers who are recognizable, and many who are not. I just wrote "are hot." I . . . really like writing, guys. Singularity is wonderful, but so is the ability to adapt different styles or diverse elements.

Per usual, I have questions. You, like RadioShack, have answers.

You can answer them in comments or in your own journal, but if in your own journal it'd be lovely if you'd drop a link, so I know it's there and discussion can happen! I think this is such an interesting topic. As a note, these questions pertain to how you feel about your writing, not your readership. You may feel that not enough people read you to recognize you, which is a totally valid point, or maybe you would never write anonymously, but I'm talking about how you feel about the nature of your writing, not the reception of it, if that makes sense. Also, there are just as many questions for readers, so if you don't write or would rather not address the writing questions, there's more! And feel free to adapt the quesitons for fanart, or vidding--let's discuss, guys!

Do you feel your writing is recognizable? Why or why not?
What do you think gives you away?
Have you written a fic that you feel best exemplifies what makes you recognizable? What was it?
What's a fic you've written that you feel is unrecognizable?
What are some fanfic writers you admire that you feel are recognizable?
What gives those writers away?
What's a fic that you would rec that you feel best exemplifies their recognizability?
What are some fanfic writers you admire that you feel are less recognizable?
What are some fics by those writers that you feel exemplifies difficulty in recognizing them?

For answering with ease!

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FIC: The Boy Who Only Lived Twice

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 03:24:50 GMT

Reveals are up at hd_holidays, and melusinahp wrote Luck of the Devil for me. I loved this fic, a lot a lot, and it was cool to find out someone I already know wrote it!

I did this:

Author: lettered
Recipient: mahaliem
Title: The Boy Who Only Lived Twice
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco, background Ron/Hermione
Summary: Harry Potter is an Unspeakable. Draco Malfoy is the wizard who shagged him. Adventure! Intrigue! Secret identities, celebrities, spies! It's all right here, folks.
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.
Warning(s): Fingering, anal sex, a blow-job
Epilogue compliant? Nay.
Word Count: 56,000. Sorry!
Author's Notes: Lots and lots of thank yous to kjp_013, who beta'ed very fast without a whole lot of notice. This fic was inspired by Go Your Own Way (here on LJ or here on AO3), a Bruce Wayne/Commissioner Jim Gordon fic I wrote in November, 2009. I think they are two very different fics--not just due to the different universes, but really different plots and characters and ultimately, themes, but I do kind of think of both stories as two plants that grew from one (really crazy, possibly evil) seed.

...Now I have a whole lot of posts to make about writerly style and guessing polls and writing process and fests. If only I had twenty million hours of time to set aside for fandom...

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Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:23:56 GMT

~~So I read this once, I don't know where, and lost it for a long time. I am posting it here for the sake of posterity, but if someone knows the origin of this magnificence, let me know:~~ It was pandarus! Thanks, espresso_addict.

Why I Love The Internets

Person A: (sheepishly/shamefully) I…I kinda like to wear rubber gloves on my head and pretend to be a chicken. Sometimes. Er. For a laugh, you know?

Person B: I do that every weekend.

Person C: I’m wearing a rubber glove on my head right now and it’s fucking great! Those non-rubber-glove-wearers (henceforth to be called NRGW) don’t know what they’re missing!

Person A: Yeah!

Person B: Let’s set up our own forum at X!

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my fanfic year in review

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:41:32 GMT

stultiloquentia does this cool thing annually, where she posts her favorite lines from fics over the past year. I don't keep track of lines--I hardly even keep track of fics--but it made me think about what I like about certain lines, and my own fic.

I wanted to do a review of what I wrote (fanfic-wise) in 2011 anyway--to be honest, mostly because everyone else was--so here's a review and then a list of what I wrote, with some of the lines of my own stuff that I liked best.

( fanfic I wrote last year . . . )

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Mon, 02 Jan 2012 02:51:31 GMT

2011 was an intensely action-packed year for me. My life isn't often action-packed, so I thought I'd make a list of things I did/what happened. It's more for me to remember than for any of you to read, but here you go anyway.

( Last year I . . . )

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Mon, 19 Dec 2011 03:15:53 GMT

Answer five or all of these questions! Or something in between.

What's the crackiest, zaniest fic you've ever read?
What's the crackiest fic you've ever read that you thought was good?
What's something silly someone wrote that you didn't think would be good, but was?
What's a crack premise you don't get?
What's the point of wing!fic? I'm serious. I feel like it must get at some issues--physical pain? Self-esteem related to appearance? Religious overtones?--but I haven't read enough to know what they're really about. I mean, other than people having wings.
What's a crack premise you see around a lot?
What's something silly that you would never write?
What's something silly that you think I would never write?
What's something silly you wish more people would write?
What's something other people think is crack that you don't think is crack?
What's something you think is crack that other people seem to take seriously?
What's the silliest thing you've ever written?
What's your favorite cracky thing?
Do you see "crack!fic" as a separate genre than other fic? What about fics with crack premises that feel like they still have something important to say about the characters and canon's themes?
Will you prompt me (oh-god-please) with 1-5 silly things that you'd actually really want to read?

For answering with ease!

What's the crackiest, zaniest fic you've ever read?
What's the crackiest fic you've ever read that you thought was good?
What's something silly someone wrote that you didn't think would be good, but was?
What's a crack premise you don't get?
What's the point of wing!fic?
What's a crack premise you see around a lot?
What's something silly that you would never write?
What's something silly that you think I would never write?
What's something silly you wish more people would write?
What's something other people think is crack that you don't think is crack?
What's something you think is crack that other people seem to take seriously?
What's the silliest thing you've ever written?
What's your favorite cracky thing?
Do you see "crack!fic" as a separate genre than other fic? What about fics with crack premises that feel like they still have something important to say about the characters and canon's themes?
Will you prompt me (oh-god-please) with 1-5 silly things that you'd actually really want to read?

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Vid rec!

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:04:38 GMT

Sometimes I try to explain why I feel like the new Doctor Who hurts my soul, and I can never seem to adequately do so. It usually goes like this:

Me: They're not addressing the Doctor's issues.
Fan: But it does address those issues!
Me: But then nothing happens as a consequence.
Fan: There are consequences.
Me: Not really, because it doesn't change anything.
Fan: So you're saying you want them to punish the Doctor.
Me: No. I just want the issues to be addressed.
Fan: But it does address those issues!

ad infinitum.

I've thought about making a post about it, but frankly I find it really upsetting, partly because I like the show, or maybe I mean enjoy some aspects of it. It's as though it's the Harry Potter series, and it does what the Harry Potter series does: sets up this great premise, these great issues, and then doesn't follow through, yet keeps making you hope over and over that somehow, this is going to be about redemption, and not murdering our enemies, and how there is no black and white, and how good people can be corrupt, and corrupt people can be good, and maybe just maybe it might turn into Avatar the Last Airbender, but then it never does. Okay, so imagine that, except it keeps going. It's like if HP had had a book 8, 9, oh god 10 and it just keeps getting worse.

Okay, but anyway, I'm not going to make that post, because I found this vid. This vid was made in 2008, and it looks like most the internets have seen it anyway. But I never saw it, and it . . . almost makes it so I can watch Doctor Who again. I feel like few vids have ever affected me the way this one has. It must be because I have such an affection for, and yet such an intense problem with this show, that something that at last does all the things I wish the show did has a large impact on me. I only wish the people making this show could understand the things the people who made this vid and the awesome band that made this song seem to understand so well, and so chillingly.

Vid: No Handlebars
Vidders: flummery
Song: Flobots

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Supernatural

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 06:05:42 GMT

Well, hello. I just watched a show in which ( spoilers )

I

show

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not really fic - but it's Victorian porn!

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:59:18 GMT

Okay okay okay. I've had, well, frankly rather a lot of comments asking about Sick of Shadows. And these comments are awesome and really flattering, but also, um, kind of stressful. Because I'd like to write because I want to, not because others want me to, and recently I haven't wanted to work on this as much as I've been completely consumed by Chuck Writes, this HP fic I'm writing, and this awesome HP fic I'm beta'ing. I could make myself work on Sick of Shadows, but that feels less fun than well, the intentions with which I started it.

So, I was busy being stressed out about this, because I do have large portions of the next chapter of SOS done, but it's not done done, and I want it to be the fic I want. Then I realized: part of what I like about this style of posting and fic writing is getting to see authors' processes, watching them talk through ideas and develop something through all the steps. Now, I know some people have strong opinions about this: they think that fanfics should be finished products, like any other story, fully formed. I totally respect this opinion and think it's completely valid; I just don't happen to agree.

So, what I decided to do was show you what was happening with the fic—by which I mean, give you lots and lots of porn, only pieces of which will appear in the final product. Some of you would be satisfied because you're getting porn. Some of you will be satisfied because it's sort of Sick of Shadows, even though it's not. Some of you will be satisfied because you're like me, and enjoy authors' processes. Those of you who are not satisfied, I apologize! There are plenty of other things to read. Go read them.

Oh, I should add, if you're interested in Victorian porn, it probably isn't necessary to have read the rest of this fic to read this.( Author's Note, sort of, plus Victorian porn. Lots of it. Like, a whole lot, because there are all those CLOTHES. )

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FIC: Sick of Shadows (half of chapter 9)

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 23:39:07 GMT

Title: Sick of Shadows
Rating: this chapter PG, overall NC-17 for explicit sex
Length: this is half a chapter. See this note, which explains why you're getting half a chapter.
Characters: Margaret Hale/John Thornton
Summary: Margaret and Mr. Thornton gradually get to know each other better. With conversation, balls, politics, and Fanny.
A/N: 1. Much thanks to hl, who made this fic better than it was. I think she had some advice here that was way better than I made it. But hey.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9a | Chapter 10? | Chapter 11? | Chapter 12?

( Chapter Nine A )

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FIC: They Don't Tell Us Anything

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:54:14 GMT

Title: They Don't Tell Us Anything
Characters: Gen. Sera Gamble, various writers, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, the Impala, and Sam's hair
Rating: PG-13, for swear words
Summary: This is how they wrote that episode, and what the actors thought when they saw the script. Can be read as sequel to Same As The Old Boss, but can be read independently as well.
A/N: Thanks to my_daroga who deserves credit for the Impala and Sam's hair.

Not only is it not real, it’s not researched at all.

Contains spoilers for 7.07.

( They Don't Tell Us Anything )

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Tue, 08 Nov 2011 07:26:50 GMT

If The Chuck Writes Story got recced on crack_impala, I had this whole insane idea to do Afterword #6, wherein watsonian et al discuss the surreality of The Chuck Writes Story being treated as a story--as though we weren't real!--etc etc--especially since there's this whole discussion of reccing in the story itself, and that comm in particular, and the afterwords are all so dizzyingly self-referential anyway, it all might just start eating itself.

Since that ship has sailed, mostly I'm wondering whether SPN is likely to give us any more meta episodes. Seems unlikely, considering S6--though The French Mistake totally makes up for it. I find I want to write an Afterword #6 anyway, but it literally won't work without canon to back it (which is weird, since I'm so used to saying, "Don't care if I get Jossed; I'll make it up, wheeeeeeeeeeee!!!")

In other news I had to switch of DW's beta entry post because it wasn't cross-posting. Can't figure out why. Also I'm writing for the Hooded Utilitarian about girls in reboots, and it's hard, because it's not fic. If it was fic, I'd be so fine! I'd blow my mind.

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Thu, 03 Nov 2011 05:55:46 GMT

Today I read this awesome post about Asperger's, with a side helping of Pride and Prejudice's Mr. Darcy.

ETA: Oh, and I read this neato post about Good Things To Be Learned/Found In Fandom. I liked it.

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FIC: It Goes Like This (Kings)

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:15:18 GMT

Oh, and this one:

Title: It Goes Like This
Fandom: Kings
Pairing: Gen. Jack, David, Silas, Michelle
Rating: PG
Length: 100
A/N: I wrote this write after watching an ep of Kings. I think what was happening was that Jack/Johnathan is pretending to be a womanizer? And his mother has found out. And David is promoted to captain, and Jack bitches him out and says, well, the first line of this fic. I was going to write a series of drabbles, but this is the only interesting one.

It Goes Like This

That should have been mine: you weren’t talking about being captain.

You know David is everything you aren’t. Worse, you know I know it: the backseat and the bra were in the paper. In it you will have read the worst: now you know your father knows.

That David is the hero. Not only captain, David is brave, clever, true, mechanic, warrior, poet, most of all, David is the son we wanted. The son for whom I’ll never have to lose a cellphone. As if that were not enough, David plays Liszt.

But you don’t really care for music, do you.

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FIC: The Square Root of Negative One

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:05:22 GMT

Title: The Square Root of Negative One
Fandom: BBC Sherlock
Pairing: Sherlock/John, unrequited; John/Sarah
Rating: PG
Length: 1,500
Summary: Sherlock watches a kiss.
A/N: I actually posted this one year ago here for moony's Sherlock Kissing Meme. Someone very nice recced it recently, and um. I'd actually forgotten about it. So I cleaned it up and posted it here?

( The Square Root of Negative One )

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