08 July 2009 @ 11:56 am
Scattered Thoughts about FanFic Writing  
I am startled by the speed in which Children of Earth fanfic is appearing. I mean, the actual story isn't even completed yet! I am still trying to internalize stuff that happened in the first two series...

I'm never going to be able to write drabbles, I don't think. I tend to think in terms of stories -- what if Ianto went away and returned years later? What if he became a TARDIS symbiont? What if John Hart was in Cardiff during the year that never was? What if Gwen died instead of Tosh in series two and Rhys asked to be Retconned? What if Andy was an alien? I live in a world of what ifs. (For anyone who is interested, the next big what if is: what if Ianto was taken by the Rift?, but that is still cooking a bit). I also don't have the ability to tap into emotion as  separate from action; unless very well done (and some of you are really good at it!), a piece about Ianto angsting about a throwaway one-liner in an episode can annoy me rather than attract me. Maybe some day I will try to do that just to stretch the writing muscles.

I'm working of a series of short stories about the time John Hart spends on Earth between the end of Series Two and his joining Torchwood in the Homecoming Verse. It's more difficult than I expected, but also my most personal. I don't even know where to post it outside of my own journal. It's not "Jack/IKanto"; they are mentioned but do not appear, except that the last story will be the one explaining how John and Ianto achieved a sort of friendship; it's not "Torchwood"; he's a character in the series but this is all about Hart and his slow walk back from the brink. Well, some of you will probably like them.
 
 
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[identity profile] luvinthe88and20.livejournal.com on July 8th, 2009 04:12 pm (UTC)
I don't think I could write drabbles either.

Oh I look forward to your new series with John Hart. You can always post it to a John Hart comm or something.
[identity profile] merucha.livejournal.com on July 9th, 2009 02:43 am (UTC)
I'll be looking for one as soon as the first story in completed. I mean, I can't be the only one with a John Hart fixation!
[identity profile] luvinthe88and20.livejournal.com on July 9th, 2009 02:54 am (UTC)
Here is the main one I know of http://community.livejournal.com/guns_n_poodles/

No you are not, B.c I know of a few on LJ
[identity profile] hab318princess.livejournal.com on July 8th, 2009 04:27 pm (UTC)
that story with John sounds intriguing, I'll be looking forward to it (and he is part of the Torchwood universe so even if you can't post it on jack/ianto centric sites, there's enough general torchwood sites out there)
[identity profile] merucha.livejournal.com on July 9th, 2009 02:44 am (UTC)
That's what I'm hoping for, but I already got kicked out of one site because because the story I was posting wasn't "really" about Jack and Ianto (it was one of the Homecomingverse). So I'll be looking.
[identity profile] hab318princess.livejournal.com on July 9th, 2009 07:28 am (UTC)
There's needsablonde I think (although that could just be challenges...) and if you look under interests ther must be comms purely for John Hart such as guns_and_poodles (although I've got no idea how long it's been since someone posted there...)
and there are general Torchwood fiction sites as well, so get it out there

*hugs*
ext_116536[identity profile] beth-mccombs.livejournal.com on July 8th, 2009 05:12 pm (UTC)
To write drabbles needs a precise set of skills. Precision in word choices and the ability to convey a lot in very few words. It's not an easy thing to do. I've done it and agonized over it.

CoE fanfic to me is premature at the moment... there's too much happening in that mini series to properly digest it in episode by episode viewing. It really should have been done as a two/two-and-a--half hour movie/special. But that's just what I think of it so far.

I'll admit I'm dropping a couple of CoE references here and there into my current work-in-progress, but this is the working draft and those references can be changed as the series goes to it's conclusion.

Beth

PS - interesting what-ifs there!
[identity profile] merucha.livejournal.com on July 9th, 2009 02:44 am (UTC)
I admire insanely people who can write drabbles, but moi? not yet. Someday, maybe.
ext_116536: Torchwood - Ianto Jones (S3)[identity profile] beth-mccombs.livejournal.com on July 9th, 2009 11:52 am (UTC)
*feels admired* It is a rather unique skill or so I hear. If it's in you, it'll come out when it's ready.
[identity profile] minimumstitch.livejournal.com on July 8th, 2009 05:31 pm (UTC)
I would love to be able to write long stories but although I know what I want to say and know how the story is going to pan out I just can't get it to flow the way I want. I find it far easier to write short stories. It is very frustrating as I have been working on a story which I had hoped to finish for the write a novel in a month challenge, but I am still only on page 15!
[identity profile] merucha.livejournal.com on July 9th, 2009 02:45 am (UTC)
Sometimes the trick is to let it flow any way it wants! When I started writing Neith I didn't intend to make Ianto into a TARDIS hybrid, but that's where it was going so I just followed. But you do beautiful short things!
[identity profile] minimumstitch.livejournal.com on July 9th, 2009 10:04 pm (UTC)
Thank you, that means alot coming from you. I am a huge fan of your writing!

I'll keep going with my Tosh epic and may well finish it by the time I am old and grey :D
[identity profile] teachwriteslash.livejournal.com on July 8th, 2009 05:36 pm (UTC)
I work much the same way ... it took me months to incorporate DW4 into my Un Verse and I had to do Lost Souls as a back reference :-) in passing.

My Betas are clear ... I lack the genes for short, fluffy, or PWP.

BTW --- all of your stories --- Homecoming AU, your currect AU, the John Hart arc (and that lovely related story in Homecoming you shared some time ago) would fit right in at Epicproportion (to paraphrase Faith Harkness - you know from EPIC!)
[identity profile] faithharkness.livejournal.com on July 8th, 2009 09:03 pm (UTC)
Woot! I've been quoted! By TEACH!
[identity profile] merucha.livejournal.com on July 9th, 2009 02:46 am (UTC)
All right, I get the hint! :D
[identity profile] teachwriteslash.livejournal.com on July 9th, 2009 03:49 pm (UTC)
Oh see I'm losing my touch ... it was not a hint. It was an engraved invitation or a baseball bat ... whichever works.
[identity profile] choccy-grl.livejournal.com on July 8th, 2009 06:41 pm (UTC)
If you write it, I'll read it!
[identity profile] merucha.livejournal.com on July 9th, 2009 02:46 am (UTC)
Thank you!
[identity profile] aeron-lanart.livejournal.com on July 8th, 2009 07:35 pm (UTC)
Oh the perils of asking 'what if?' of yourself! Been there myself funnily enough - more than once. *g*

As for drabbles - I think they are a terribly difficult artform to get your head around, or they are for me anyway. Bear in mind that I started writing fic about 10 years ago, and my first 'published' fic was over 25k words (and was due to a 'what if?' thing itself), then look at the fact that I've only written 10 drabbles (and 3 drabble-and-a-halfs of 150 words) and all of *those* have been in the last 2 years and you get exactly what I mean. When you compare the number of drabbles to the amount of words I've written in the last 2 years, it really illustrates my point - 10 drabbles in comparison to over 140k words in other fic (haven't added up my words this year yet so don't know exactly).

I'm a wordy biatch!

I kind of agree with your comment about the emotion separate from action - it doesn't kind of flow the same - but sometimes a scene, or what's *behind* can grab me and I just run with it which is often what drives my shorter ficlets and drabbles. My favourite example of mine to illustrate this is Violent Acts of Beauty which is a 150 drabble-and-a-half and a scene from a larger fic of over 12k words, but from a different pov and with different emotion behind it.

If you're writing a series of shorter fics with John Hart as the emotional focus, then I really REALLY want to see them!

Oh look, I've started waffling again... ooh and only 25 minutes to go before Part 3!!!
[identity profile] merucha.livejournal.com on July 9th, 2009 02:48 am (UTC)
But I LOVE Violent Acts of Beauty! I think I shy away from emotion and can only deal with it as part of the story -- someday I will have to buckle under and let it all hang out!
[identity profile] faithharkness.livejournal.com on July 8th, 2009 09:02 pm (UTC)
Word on the drabble thing. I am completely incapable of writing short stories--my one-shots are more scenes from a life than real stories. I know I can't wait to read the upcoming John Hart stories of yours--I love him, I love how you write him and I even love when you make me cry like a very small child.

You may want to try posting them to torch_wood, I think they even have a fic: john hart tag, but don't quote me on that.
[identity profile] merucha.livejournal.com on July 9th, 2009 02:48 am (UTC)
OOOH, I'll check that!
[identity profile] faithharkness.livejournal.com on July 9th, 2009 02:37 pm (UTC)
You're welcome--I also agree with Teach; any and all of your stuff would fit in quite well over at epicproportions.
[identity profile] sarahjane6.livejournal.com on July 9th, 2009 03:29 am (UTC)
Your John Hart is an extremely sexy and attractive character. You have given him much more background and evolved him as a person. Bring on more, you write it - I'll read it.
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[identity profile] sal101010.livejournal.com on July 9th, 2009 09:34 am (UTC)
One of the reasons that I love your fic is that the chapters are of a good length. I read drabbles, but I'm hardly ever satisfied with them as they're over too quickly. And I find that angst is only any good if there's actually something happening as well!

Yay for more John Hart fic - there really isn't enough! In fact, you could always start a comm especially for him - then you'd have somewhere to post it!! I really should read comments before posting...

Edited 2009-07-09 09:36 am (UTC)
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