rose_griffes (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
rose_griffes) wrote2008-04-07 08:11 pm
rose_griffes) wrote2008-04-07 08:11 pm
stuff what I wrote
I was having fun on AIM last night and mentioned to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
daybreak777 that I'd written up some thoughts about the most recent fanfic I wrote, but felt pretentious posting it. She said to go ahead. I said, "Okay!" Yeah, that's me... really hard to persuade to do stuff I actually wanted to do anyway. *g* In my defense I like reading other people's posts about writing. Here's the story, if you want a link: Touched by the Sun, Kara and Dee, season four speculation (now made AU by the season four premiere, darn it).
By the way, most of this was written after finishing the story, but before it was finally made public last week. I posted my story a full week before the whole queue of stories was made public on the![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
femme_fic comm, which meant I had plenty of time to obsess about when it would finally get released think about the story without knowing how other people would react to it.
Oh, and before I continue:siljamus has made some fic recs after combing through the different stories. Plus there's a masterlist by fandom, if you want to see what other shows/movies/etc. have female-centric fic that you might like to read.
I exchanged a few e-mails and even had AIM chats withdaybreak777 while writing. Really I just whined a bunch to her about it and she was nice enough to cajole me through it. I've written for other people's prompts before, but this was different. I only had three prompts to choose from, I had a deadline and I said I'd actually write a story (as opposed to saying airily that I'll write what I want, when I want and maybe never).
I knew right away that I'd focus on the Kara and Dee prompt--it was a fascinating idea. Plus the other prompts both had Laura Roslin, and yikes, she's rather intimidating. I also liked the idea of using speculation for season four, simply because we haven't seen Kara and Dee interact a lot and I wanted to give them some common ground, some kind of bond or mutual understanding. However... Dee's such a self-contained person that my initial plans involved way too much of her thoughts--about Kara, about Kara/Lee, about Lee, about their marriage breaking up. These are all important things but eventually it became too broad and lost focus.
I had to get back to the basic idea of looking for Earth and how that might create a link between the two. At one point I had decided to use astronomical symbolism for the characters--Kara was going to be like a comet (always moving, disappearing), and Dee like a star (constant). This was when I was researching binary stars and found the amusingly named Mizar A and B, which apparently does mean groin or girdle in Arabic. The name made me laugh, so I decided to include it in the story.
I was stuck with these thoughts for ages, and not progressing much. I had a lot of dialogue that I thought was good, but not enough meat to connect the lines. This is really unlike me, by the way. Normally the dialogue comes later, after I've fleshed out other parts of a scene, and I sit and struggle with making the speeches sound like humans talking, and in character.
A week before the story was due, I was making a long drive. The mp3 player was on shuffle and the Carly Simon song "Touched by the Sun" came on. (Lyrics here, if you're curious.) The basic theme is that those who do great things are often seen as mad--but the narrator wants to seek that kind of greatness. I'm not sure if Kara would purposely seek to be notorious, but she is driven, and possibly crazy. *g* The whole idea of her having a destiny really ties in with the song's theme. From there on out the writing finally got a bit easier. DB read through a couple of drafts and gave me some very useful input, plus reassured me that it wasn't horrible; Jash did her usual excellent work in comma-killing and making sure that characters' dialogues were consistent with show canon.
Things I found useful: the 'writing like a script' idea (I talked about it already here) helped enormously--I'll be using that again. Finding a theme that fit was what I really needed to get the story completed, and that still seems to be a matter of the stars aligning. Heh.
Things that will make me wait a bit before signing up for a ficathon: the deadline, though nicely distant at first, was a problem. Also, just three prompt possibilities felt limiting, since I haven't had to do that before. eta: Heh, that vow didn't last long. /eta
Mainly I was peeved that my speculative story wasn't released until after the event (season premiere) was past. However, that's not likely to happen again.
I did find it interesting to write something outside of my usual inclinations. Hopefully I did it justice.
Shortly before starting this story I read someone else's statement that they keep a file of deleted scenes/paragraphs/sentences--stuff that they cut from a final version of a story--just because it might be useful again later. For the sake of curiosity, here's some my 'trash' pile for the story. Thoughts, notes, actual dialogue, bits of ideas--it's all mashed together here:
I'm sparing you the lengthiest (and most boring) bits, but this is probably the most 'trash' I've created for one story--certainly for one of this length. If I ever write Dee's POV again soon, I have a lot of ideas to use for her background, though. *g*
daybreak777 that I'd written up some thoughts about the most recent fanfic I wrote, but felt pretentious posting it. She said to go ahead. I said, "Okay!" Yeah, that's me... really hard to persuade to do stuff I actually wanted to do anyway. *g* In my defense I like reading other people's posts about writing. Here's the story, if you want a link: Touched by the Sun, Kara and Dee, season four speculation (now made AU by the season four premiere, darn it).By the way, most of this was written after finishing the story, but before it was finally made public last week. I posted my story a full week before the whole queue of stories was made public on the
femme_fic comm, which meant I had plenty of time to Oh, and before I continue:
siljamus has made some fic recs after combing through the different stories. Plus there's a masterlist by fandom, if you want to see what other shows/movies/etc. have female-centric fic that you might like to read.I exchanged a few e-mails and even had AIM chats with
daybreak777 while writing. Really I just whined a bunch to her about it and she was nice enough to cajole me through it. I've written for other people's prompts before, but this was different. I only had three prompts to choose from, I had a deadline and I said I'd actually write a story (as opposed to saying airily that I'll write what I want, when I want and maybe never).I knew right away that I'd focus on the Kara and Dee prompt--it was a fascinating idea. Plus the other prompts both had Laura Roslin, and yikes, she's rather intimidating. I also liked the idea of using speculation for season four, simply because we haven't seen Kara and Dee interact a lot and I wanted to give them some common ground, some kind of bond or mutual understanding. However... Dee's such a self-contained person that my initial plans involved way too much of her thoughts--about Kara, about Kara/Lee, about Lee, about their marriage breaking up. These are all important things but eventually it became too broad and lost focus.
I had to get back to the basic idea of looking for Earth and how that might create a link between the two. At one point I had decided to use astronomical symbolism for the characters--Kara was going to be like a comet (always moving, disappearing), and Dee like a star (constant). This was when I was researching binary stars and found the amusingly named Mizar A and B, which apparently does mean groin or girdle in Arabic. The name made me laugh, so I decided to include it in the story.
I was stuck with these thoughts for ages, and not progressing much. I had a lot of dialogue that I thought was good, but not enough meat to connect the lines. This is really unlike me, by the way. Normally the dialogue comes later, after I've fleshed out other parts of a scene, and I sit and struggle with making the speeches sound like humans talking, and in character.
A week before the story was due, I was making a long drive. The mp3 player was on shuffle and the Carly Simon song "Touched by the Sun" came on. (Lyrics here, if you're curious.) The basic theme is that those who do great things are often seen as mad--but the narrator wants to seek that kind of greatness. I'm not sure if Kara would purposely seek to be notorious, but she is driven, and possibly crazy. *g* The whole idea of her having a destiny really ties in with the song's theme. From there on out the writing finally got a bit easier. DB read through a couple of drafts and gave me some very useful input, plus reassured me that it wasn't horrible; Jash did her usual excellent work in comma-killing and making sure that characters' dialogues were consistent with show canon.
Things I found useful: the 'writing like a script' idea (I talked about it already here) helped enormously--I'll be using that again. Finding a theme that fit was what I really needed to get the story completed, and that still seems to be a matter of the stars aligning. Heh.
Things that will make me wait a bit before signing up for a ficathon: the deadline, though nicely distant at first, was a problem. Also, just three prompt possibilities felt limiting, since I haven't had to do that before. eta: Heh, that vow didn't last long. /eta
Mainly I was peeved that my speculative story wasn't released until after the event (season premiere) was past. However, that's not likely to happen again.
I did find it interesting to write something outside of my usual inclinations. Hopefully I did it justice.
Shortly before starting this story I read someone else's statement that they keep a file of deleted scenes/paragraphs/sentences--stuff that they cut from a final version of a story--just because it might be useful again later. For the sake of curiosity, here's some my 'trash' pile for the story. Thoughts, notes, actual dialogue, bits of ideas--it's all mashed together here:
Kara asks why Dee left Lee...
b/c all he knows how to love is the lost cause. He doesn't love me--I don't need to be fixed. He'll never care for me (and I can't keep holding him together?). I wanted us to support each other. He needs something to fight for, and I'm not it. (unless I'm about to go away, then he'll fight to keep me, like he did before... like he is now)
Kara asks if it was her (kara's) fault. "Not everything is about you, Captain Thrace." edge of resentment in voice.
"...held him together after we thought you had died. But then he didn't need me anymore. He needed a cause--and he chose Gaius frakking Baltar." (reference to election that Dee tried to rig?)
Leaving Lee--right thing to do, wrong time. She'd picked the issue of Baltar but that wasn't really the problem--it just made her realize how wrong they were for each other. Ironic that Kara came back so soon after that.
Dee really hates cylons and Baltar. Believes that Baltar either sabotaged cylon detector or he was an idiot with an inflated ego.
does she know this about Kara? K could forgive her for a personal affront--maybe hit her, but get over it. but since it was Lee that Dee had hurt, K's less likely to feel forgiving. Maybe Dee has to address this?
they've both lost names, titles. reluctant sympathy. (title of wife?) Kara--not Captain anymore.
What's been left behind--families, worlds, cultures. Little things--'Ana' and kisses in the dark. She's getting used to being just Dee again.
Kara: "I don't know who to be anymore. What if they never let me fly again?"
"You'll find something else to do. It won't be the same but it might be better." And she thinks it of herself--it could be terrifying and exhilarating, this step into the unknown. (She's been in stasis, waiting in place for the wounds to stop hurting.)
Dee smoothed things over between Lee and Adama. helpful.
Called Lee's father Sir, Admiral, the Old Man... had been a bit resentful/felt awkward after the marriage that he'd never invited her to call him something else. Now she was grateful for the formality that remained.
I'm sparing you the lengthiest (and most boring) bits, but this is probably the most 'trash' I've created for one story--certainly for one of this length. If I ever write Dee's POV again soon, I have a lot of ideas to use for her background, though. *g*
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Plus the other prompts both had Laura Roslin, and yikes, she's rather intimidating.
*sheepish* I thought about making the third prompt about Boomer being captured/returning to Galactica and she and Athena having to deal with each other. I wondered if that might be a little too crazy. But I'm so glad you chose this one, and I got this wonderful story. *g*
Kara was going to be like a comet (always moving, disappearing), and Dee like a star (constant).
Perfect description for both of them - and I think you captured it in your fic, anyway, though it wasn't made explicit. ( Dee's thoughts about being touched by the sun and burning away, and how she can't envy that in Kara anymore.)
Heh, that vow didn't last long.
Mmm, I'm thinking of signing up for that one, too. The only thing that worries me is how the mods will Cut You if you write a Mary Sue, and that includes characters with a "Destiny." Hmph! ;)
Perfect description for both of them - and I think you captured it in your fic, anyway, though it wasn't made explicit. ( Dee's thoughts about being touched by the sun and burning away, and how she can't envy that in Kara anymore.)
Oh, I was hoping you'd talk about what you cut! I hope you will write Dee again. Lee only loving the lost cause and Kara being less likely to forgive an affront to others and the lost titles. *sigh* Oh, you have to. But this part:
She's getting used to being just Dee again.
I think that probably explains why she was so reluctant to leave him. He's the only person left alive who knows her first name. Poor Dee!
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Hm, I guess that's a good summation of my feelings about AU fic as well... I used to think I hated it, and then I started finding stuff that was well-written and the characters felt right and it turns out I'm okay with AU. So far I haven't had much interest in writing wildly AU stuff myself. *ignores a certain fic* Speculation, on the other hand, I really like to write. What's coming next, what were the particulars of an event that we never actually saw in the episodes...
Mmm, I'm thinking of signing up for that one, too. The only thing that worries me is how the mods will Cut You if you write a Mary Sue, and that includes characters with a "Destiny." Hmph! ;)
Yeah, those 'cut you' threats were a bit scary. *g* But we can't help it! Our favorite canon character is, just possibly, slightly Mary Sue-ish in certain lighting. Not that I personally feel that way, because I think the label is way overused, but I can see how others might use that judgment.
As a word of encouragement, I really don't think you need to fear being accused of writing a Mary Sue. *g* And just think, by the time this half of season four is over, we'll still have all of June and half of July before we can even begin posting, and even then we have clear until October first as a final deadline! Feel free to join my insanity! Heh.
I think that probably explains why she was so reluctant to leave him. He's the only person left alive who knows her first name. Poor Dee!
True! It sort of makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time. And Anastasia is such a pretty name! (heh, and it really does mean resurrection, which I've seen referenced in the 'Dee is a cylon' arguments.)
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hah, very fortelling. I suppose Baltar inspires that in a lot of people. lol
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