rose_griffes | kicks the computer (instead of boss)

Currently irritated due to administrator messing up information. A minor mess, but if they'd only listen the first time... ah well.

If you refuse to accept recs for unfinished fics, I have a newly-finished fic to rec!

suffolkgirl posted the final chapter to Starting Over just in time for me to read it upon returning from vacation. Huzzah! It's an AU version of seasons one and two; basic changes are that Zak is still alive and Lee never joined the military. (It's a sad statement that this alternate version of episodes like "Black Market" makes much more sense than what we saw on the show.) I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, all forty-two chapters. (It's also posted here on ff.net, where the chapters are easier to navigate.) So start clicking, Kara/Lee fans.

I was reading someone else's fanfic last night and the author made a statement about her intent at the beginning. I read the fic and disagreed completely. What she had written didn't, in my opinion, match what she wanted to convey. This reminded me...
When I posted Prophecy I was surprised to have someone comment about the happy ending. Not sort-of happy, not happy-ish (as

natalexx put it after I asked her to read it), but happy. I felt a bit indignant, because that wasn't my intent. (I was amused at myself later for that.) To me it wasn't a happy ending at all, but as author I have that projection into the future of my story--in my mind Kara would try to kill sleeper-cylon Leoben if he was activated, or she'd break up with him (because she's not going to stay in any stable relationship without messing it up) and he'd do something crazy like kidnap her... yeah, so not a happy ending, just an ending that fulfilled New Caprica-Leoben's prophecy (which I blame for all of my fanfic, stupid TV prophecy making me write fanfic for the first time which started a trend... grrr). And apparently I believe that the readers on LJ should not only read my fic but read my mind as well.

Also, I have an anti-happy Kara/Leoben streak--I've read some well-written fic that puts them together (mostly on ff.net) but I can't quite bring myself to comment because I don't think it could/should ever happen that those two are really happy together.

Someone commented on Nemesis about the ambiguity of Jean and her lover--that she may or may not have killed him before leaving for her grandfather's farm. I'd never thought of that, but going back and re-reading I can see how someone might think that way.

I don't know why I'm rambling about this but it interests me--fanfic has so much more communication between author and audience that it's disconcerting at times. I know I've left comments that I've wanted to change later, when my perception of a story shifted. The idea that the author can have a stated intention attached to a fic that (to me) is not at all what she planned fascinates me... and maybe worries me a little, because I guess I want the central part of my writing ideas to be the same for the reader as for me--which is why it didn't bother me that in Nemesis one person thought Jean might have killed her lover (not a key part of the story) but it did bother me that someone thought I'd written a happy ending to Prophecy (ending fairly important, eh?).

Hm, guess I've blathered on enough about that. Time to download more pictures from the camera! And do laundry! And finish unpacking! And clean out the fridge! *shudders*

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Interesting take on communication between authors and readers on LJ. I guess I feel like writing is like art. Maybe you painted a duck but I think it's a swan. Joe over there, thinks it's goose. Leann to the side, she thinks it's a truck. Or maybe it's like looking at clouds. *g*

I think that's the fun of creation, that once out there, people can interpret things in different ways. I like the mystery sometimes. Nowadays we know so much. DVDs tell you everything. And as a fan, I do want to know everything. But sometimes it's nice to be alone with your own interpretation of the work and let that kind of fix before you find out what the author really intended.

I miss so much the first time. It's fun for me to reread stories, books, because I get something new out of the good ones at each read.

And sometimes whatever the intent, it's just not there in the text even if you squint and read it upside down. You know what's fun sometimes? To hear an author read their work out loud. Shades of meaning. It's really cool.

And you could always, ahem, write that sequel in your mind to Prophecy that would clear up everything. No misinterpretation, Kara could kick Leoben's ass or whatever your ~~mind~~ muse cooks up. Not that I'm nudging or anything. . . well maybe a little. :-)

I feel like writing is like art. Maybe you painted a duck but I think it's a swan. Joe over there, thinks it's goose. Lean to the side, she thinks it's a truck. Or maybe it's like looking at clouds. *g*

Hee. I like that analogy. (indignant painter: "But I didn't paint a goose, I painted a duck! Look, there are the markings, it's clearly a duck.")

Nowadays we know so much. DVDs tell you everything. And as a fan, I do want to know everything. But sometimes it's nice to be alone with your own interpretation of the work and let that kind of fix before you find out what the author really intended.

Yeah, I've often debated over how much we know now about the act of creativity... I love real DVD commentaries but if I listen to them too much, all I can think about is the artistic aspects mentioned in the commentary. DVD commentators who focus on shots and filming make me think about the cinematography while I'm watching a movie, rather than just enjoying the experience. Writerly commentaries make me focus on dialogue to a ridiculous degree... you get the idea. It's like a disease of over-awareness, spread by our own choice of demanding more and more information and value for our entertainment money.

I haven't read many fanfic "DVD commentaries" yet. Yours and maybe a couple others I stumbled across. So far I love reading them, and it hasn't interfered with my appreciation of that story or others I read later. Maybe it would if I read them all the time--but that would mean more people writing them, and it doesn't seem to be happening a lot yet.

I miss so much the first time. It's fun for me to reread stories, books, because I get something new out of the good ones at each read.

No kidding. Sometimes I think I should ban myself from commenting on people's fanfic until I've read it at least twice and mulled over it for at least twenty-four hours... but then I might never comment. Heh.

And you could always, ahem, write that sequel in your mind to Prophecy that would clear up everything. No misinterpretation, Kara could kick Leoben's ass or whatever your mind muse cooks up.

*g* Maybe I should. Eh, if my brain gets more curious, it'll probably happen. So far it doesn't seem very interested in a kidnapping story or an attempted murder story. Plus then I might have to have a plan as to why there are sleeper cylons on Earth, and that's as much a mystery to me as it is to anyone else. Heh. I think my brain likes the mystery of sleeper cylons and wants it to remain unknown.

indignant painter: "But I didn't paint a goose, I painted a duck! Look, there are the markings, it's clearly a duck."
Clueless reader the first time: "Okaaay but it's a very . . . unusual duck. That um, looks like a swan."

I love DVD commentaries, if I love the book/movie, whatever is being discussed. It's like having a new experience of something you love. Like going to an amusement park on an overcast day. Great when it's sunny, really awesome when it looks like rain and is less crowded with no lines. Still great experiences either way. (Gosh, I'm into analogies this week.)

For me, my internal disagreement comes more often with TV. The actors/director intend one thing, what I see on the screen is clearly another. Not a duck. I like when I get new insights too. Like the alternate and better ending the MPAA didn't let them show. Or the extended version that explains the characters more.

I love reading about a writer's internal process. Missteps and decisions, makes it all seem more human. Makes me feel like I get to know the author a bit too.

As for your sequel, I was reading something the other day and a commentor wanted a sequel. I thought, "No! The ending is much better being rather ambiguous." Some stories are better off a little unfinished. So you don't quite know the answers to everything. Others leave too many questions unanswered and you just wonder forever.

I usually trust that the writer knows if there is more story there. Movie producers, I trust not so much. :-)

As for your sequel, I was reading something the other day and a commentor wanted a sequel. I thought, "No! The ending is much better being rather ambiguous." Some stories are better off a little unfinished. So you don't quite know the answers to everything. Others leave too many questions unanswered and you just wonder forever.
I usually trust that the writer knows if there is more story there. Movie producers, I trust not so much. :-)

With fanfic we're not getting paid (are you? maybe I'm missing out?! heh), so the motivation to continue a story has to come from feeling like there's more to tell. With movies and TV the money is so big that I'm sure the producers are extra-motivated to find that story to tell. With published books... hm. I've read books in a series where I feel like the later ones weren't nearly as interesting as the earlier books. But was it truly a lack in the storytelling or was it me as a reader who grew and changed and left interest in that storyline in my past?

I love reading about a writer's internal process. Missteps and decisions, makes it all seem more human. Makes me feel like I get to know the author a bit too.

I do like that aspect of all kinds of commentaries--stories, movies, etc. Maybe a part of me thinks I can pull in a bit of their creativity by listening to their process. But it's so individual, so... but I still like hearing about it.

kicks the computer (instead of boss)

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