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literary tics
I see the list of "ten signs I wrote this story" meme is going around again, and cannot resist navel-gazing. I did this meme back in January of 2006, which is not all that long ago except in fandom terms. Here it is, with additions in parentheses. Bold parentheses!
10 signs a story is by Vanzetti:
1. Shameless overuse of the "then + verb" construction. Must break this habit! (I think I may have moved on to out-and-out asyndeton, which at least means that I've left the "then" out)
2. There will be little description of persons, although there may be some description of the location. (True. This is something I don't really care for in other people's fanfic -- the whole point of the exercise is that we already know what these people look like! -- so I tend to leave it out of my own stuff.)
3. The plot is carried forward by conversation, rather than action. (This was already less true -- I was moving out of the stories driven by dialogue -- but it's still the case that I like to get important stuff done in conversation, rather than narration or internal monologue.)
4. No one is in love. (I don't think this was true even then, and in fact I see that I contradict it in number 6 below. It would be fairer to say that I don't write romance. Romance may occur, but it won't be the focus of the story.)
5. No one has sex. An exception might be made for femslash. (And, apparently, for John Winchester.)
5a. Fade to black!
6. If characters do have sex, it is likely to be because they have a deep and true love which can overcome a thousand betrayals. No one will admit this to themselves, let alone the other person.
6a. If not a deep and true love, than at least a deep and true understanding.
6b. I am a huge fan of homophrosune (likemindedness). Odysseus/Penelope OTP!
(This is all still so very, very true. My characters are chronically incapable of saying "I love you." They express love in all kinds of ways, sometimes involving guns and explosions, but most of them would rather gnaw off a limb than actually say it.)
7. The main characters in the story are unlikely to be the main characters in the source. (Yep. And now, they are also likely to be dead at least some of the time.)
8. The characters will travel long distances in the course of the story.
8a. Exotic locations!
8b. I hate airports!
(This is less true now than it was then, and even then it may have been due to the characters and genres -- Alias characters travel all the time, especially with their special travel powers, and both Krycek and Marita act in an international world. Winchesters drive around a lot, but they don't use airports much. These days, my characters are more likely to travel between Hell and the world than anything else. I guess that counts as an exotic location.)
9. The characters will be adults, and will act like adults. (Still true. Boys are boring. Girls moderately less so. But I teach young adults; I don't want to read about them, too.)
10. There are unexplained classical allusions and the title has something to do with graves or stones. (I've gotten better about the title thing, although I still find coming up with titles hard. But the unexplained classical allusions are still leaving their nasty pawprints all over everything.)
Is there anything I'm missing?
10 signs a story is by Vanzetti:
1. Shameless overuse of the "then + verb" construction. Must break this habit! (I think I may have moved on to out-and-out asyndeton, which at least means that I've left the "then" out)
2. There will be little description of persons, although there may be some description of the location. (True. This is something I don't really care for in other people's fanfic -- the whole point of the exercise is that we already know what these people look like! -- so I tend to leave it out of my own stuff.)
3. The plot is carried forward by conversation, rather than action. (This was already less true -- I was moving out of the stories driven by dialogue -- but it's still the case that I like to get important stuff done in conversation, rather than narration or internal monologue.)
4. No one is in love. (I don't think this was true even then, and in fact I see that I contradict it in number 6 below. It would be fairer to say that I don't write romance. Romance may occur, but it won't be the focus of the story.)
5. No one has sex. An exception might be made for femslash. (And, apparently, for John Winchester.)
5a. Fade to black!
6. If characters do have sex, it is likely to be because they have a deep and true love which can overcome a thousand betrayals. No one will admit this to themselves, let alone the other person.
6a. If not a deep and true love, than at least a deep and true understanding.
6b. I am a huge fan of homophrosune (likemindedness). Odysseus/Penelope OTP!
(This is all still so very, very true. My characters are chronically incapable of saying "I love you." They express love in all kinds of ways, sometimes involving guns and explosions, but most of them would rather gnaw off a limb than actually say it.)
7. The main characters in the story are unlikely to be the main characters in the source. (Yep. And now, they are also likely to be dead at least some of the time.)
8. The characters will travel long distances in the course of the story.
8a. Exotic locations!
8b. I hate airports!
(This is less true now than it was then, and even then it may have been due to the characters and genres -- Alias characters travel all the time, especially with their special travel powers, and both Krycek and Marita act in an international world. Winchesters drive around a lot, but they don't use airports much. These days, my characters are more likely to travel between Hell and the world than anything else. I guess that counts as an exotic location.)
9. The characters will be adults, and will act like adults. (Still true. Boys are boring. Girls moderately less so. But I teach young adults; I don't want to read about them, too.)
10. There are unexplained classical allusions and the title has something to do with graves or stones. (I've gotten better about the title thing, although I still find coming up with titles hard. But the unexplained classical allusions are still leaving their nasty pawprints all over everything.)
Is there anything I'm missing?
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Why say what you mean when you can approach it obliquely?
Also, yum, John. Didja see the link I posted yesterday to the shot from PS I Love You? It's not John, but he looks good.
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Why say what you mean when you can approach it obliquely?
::snorts:: I don't know. Because you're a tight-lipped control-freak asshole? And I mean that in the nicest possible sense. (Of course, it's not just John, but you know, it's totally predictable that I write this character so much.)
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The Power of John Winchester is very strong in you!
Sorry, I got to point 5 and you cracked me up. :)
Point 7 made me chuckle too.
I love that you write adults. I love that you characterize little (because as you say, we are supposed to know already), Ilove that the dialogue is diegetic - and yes, like talking in code. And I love the unexplained classical allusions, too.
Basically, I love the way you write. It's terse and dense with meaning. :D
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mmm... John Winchester...
Sorry. You were saying something? I mean, there's a reason I make the exception.
And thank you! I'm so pleased that you like what I write!
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Yes. I have been on a serious crossover kick recently. And by recently I probably mean, the last four years or something.
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Uh yeah, "It will rock everyone's socks off." You're just too modest to say it.
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Thank you.
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10a. Even if the unexplained classical allusions are missing, there may still be room for Dunnett.
Other than that, yes, it's all true, and it's why I enjoy reading your stuff. Adults acting like adults, and doing plotty things, is a treat that is sadly rarer than it should be.
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And yes, crossovers. Crossovers and John Winchester.
- hg
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Crossovers and John Winchester.
Two great tastes that go great together.
I think it's weird that John gets to have sex in my stories, given that I have so much uncertainly about his post-Mary sex life in canon.
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There will be little description of persons
Noting this, you've made me realize that I have a small kink for description of some persons through the eyes of others, especially when focused on odd but relevant details of form or gesture that are sometimes also a bit threatening, perhaps. We know what the characters look like to us, but figuring out what they look like to each other can sometimes be very interesting. (I wanted to go back and read Zoe's first sight of Dean in "Blessings" but your draft is on my other computer and OMG! You haven't posted it? Is it because it's still in progress?)