fearlessfan (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
fearlessfan) wrote2007-05-28 02:17 am
fearlessfan) wrote2007-05-28 02:17 am
Entry tags:
self-indulgent meme! top five stories
Okay, so there's this meme going around, you might have seen it:
WRITER'S MEME: Sometimes it's ok to pimp yourself out. Post a list of the top five favorite stories you've written, regardless of fandom or the reason you love them. This isn't about the BEST things you've written, but what you LOVE most.
I feel kind of ridiculous taking part since I haven't written that many stories, and worry that I will sound ridiculously self-congratulatory and lame. But then I thought to myself: What is the purpose of an LJ if not to TAKE THOSE RISKS! I am daring to be potentially lame!
(Not that I think people who have already taken part in this meme are lame - I've enjoyed reading what people have to say!)
See, the thing is, I write so few stories, and spend so much time on the ones I do finish, that I kind of miss having them in my head after the fact and can't pass up the opportunity to talk about them later.
Here is my list! Though to be honest, if you ask me another day, you'd probably get a very different list. Different things bother me about my writing on different days, and therefore my favorite stories change. Here are the ones I like best at the moment. As you already know, I am incredibly long-winded. And so we use the cut-tag!
Drive (Ocean's 11, Rusty/Linus)
Again, lots of flawed parts, but it makes the list mainly because I like the tone, I'm pretty happy with most of the dialogue, and I think it has the best opening line of any story I've written. It took a long time for me to finish; the first section sat on my hard drive for over a year before I wrote any of the rest of it, which is something I tell myself every time I see a stalled story file on my computer (like, say, the one I've got open on my computer right now). Other than the opening line, I like the Linus/Rusty scene in the café and the scene between Rusty and Danny at the airport. Those were the two scenes I thought that got across exactly what I wanted them to (although I still think the ending of the airport one is a little clunky). There are a lot of parts that I have trouble with when I'm rereading it (the bit at the motel, for example, I think is kind of clunky), but I still like the story a lot. I like stories about people who on the surface have little in common, but deep down share a lot, and this was a fun story to write in that respect; that Rusty and Linus might not be the first person either would think of as a friend or companion, but they find themself in the same place and seek something like comfort and escape in each other.
Breathe (The Bourne Identity, Jason/Marie)
This is probably the darkest of the stories here, and it's actually less dark than I originally envisioned it. I loved the Jason/Marie relationship in the two movies, but one time after watching them, I was joking with a friend about how awkward it would be for Marie if she wasn't that into him after what happened. You finally escape the crazed assassin with amnesia and set up your shop by the sea and holy crap! He's back! How do you gently reject a man who can make you disappear? I mean, of course that's not how I really see their relationship (I totally buy their love for each other), but I do think that the relationship does cost Marie a lot. That's what I wanted to get across in the story, that she helps him find his past and ends up giving up her own. I couldn't get too dark with it (I think I am incapable of Getting Too Dark), and so (I hope) I made it pretty clear in the story that it's Marie's choice to stay in the relationship, that Jason does offer her something that she's willing to accept in return for what she's giving up. And the last line of the story, which is one of the first things I came up with for the story, is one of the few last lines I've written that I really like, and is a pretty good description of what (I think) keeps Marie from leaving.
Spring Cleaning (The Office, Jim/Pam)
When I started the story, I meant for it to be a story that could have fit anywhere late in season two. But then I (characteristically) took forever to finish the story, the finale happened, and I ended up revising all of the Jim/Pam stuff to make it a post-Casino Night story. I gave myself a set of challenges: I wanted the story to involve all of the major players, give Jim and Pam a happy ending, and take place over the course of one day. It's not perfect, in part because of those weird challenges (for example, I forgot about Meredith and her section was hastily added on in a way that I think shows, and the Roy resolution takes place off-page and could potentially make Pam seem like a pretty cold person). But the desk-switching in general was fun to write, largely because the show itself is so great, full of vivid and funny supporting characters, and I liked the challenge of coming up with tangible ways to show Jim and Pam's love for each other. Old phone messages, pens bought out of pocket, etc.
The Right Time (Ugly Betty, Daniel/Betty)
I'm worried that this is on the list just because it's the most recent thing I've written and therefore I don't see the story clearly. Usually I end up hating stories and myself for attempting to write them, but this was a story that was fun from start to finish, probably because there isn't a mean beat in the story, and no real plot to speak of. It's basically 6000 words of my interpretation of Daniel and Betty's adorable relationship and why they're mfeo. I'm not sure about the ending – whenever I read it over, it seems a little anti-climactic – and there are some cheats in here, too; I'm not sure when or how Betty will realize she's in love with Daniel, so I kind of skipped over it here by making Betty in love with him from the start. But there are things about the story I do like. This is definitely a story that errs on the side of kindness and happy endings, but I am okay with it here because Ugly Betty is kind of a stylized, fairy tale-ish universe, and I really expect nothing less than a perfect happy ending from the show. Of course Betty is an award-winning journalist. Of course Daniel's fiancée breaks it off. Of course they find each other in the end. One thing I really like about the Daniel/Betty relationship on the show is how you can see (less often lately, but more often earlier in the season) how much each of them enjoys the other's company and conversation, how comfortable they are with each other, how much respect and affection each has for the other. I think that came across in the story, particularly in their conversations with each other, both in the past and the story's present.
I tag everyone to take part in this, if only to make me feel less lame! Really, it's so I can read more about what people think of their writing, and also to offer me more stories to read. Please partake!
WRITER'S MEME: Sometimes it's ok to pimp yourself out. Post a list of the top five favorite stories you've written, regardless of fandom or the reason you love them. This isn't about the BEST things you've written, but what you LOVE most.
I feel kind of ridiculous taking part since I haven't written that many stories, and worry that I will sound ridiculously self-congratulatory and lame. But then I thought to myself: What is the purpose of an LJ if not to TAKE THOSE RISKS! I am daring to be potentially lame!
(Not that I think people who have already taken part in this meme are lame - I've enjoyed reading what people have to say!)
See, the thing is, I write so few stories, and spend so much time on the ones I do finish, that I kind of miss having them in my head after the fact and can't pass up the opportunity to talk about them later.
Here is my list! Though to be honest, if you ask me another day, you'd probably get a very different list. Different things bother me about my writing on different days, and therefore my favorite stories change. Here are the ones I like best at the moment. As you already know, I am incredibly long-winded. And so we use the cut-tag!
Drive (Ocean's 11, Rusty/Linus)
Again, lots of flawed parts, but it makes the list mainly because I like the tone, I'm pretty happy with most of the dialogue, and I think it has the best opening line of any story I've written. It took a long time for me to finish; the first section sat on my hard drive for over a year before I wrote any of the rest of it, which is something I tell myself every time I see a stalled story file on my computer (like, say, the one I've got open on my computer right now). Other than the opening line, I like the Linus/Rusty scene in the café and the scene between Rusty and Danny at the airport. Those were the two scenes I thought that got across exactly what I wanted them to (although I still think the ending of the airport one is a little clunky). There are a lot of parts that I have trouble with when I'm rereading it (the bit at the motel, for example, I think is kind of clunky), but I still like the story a lot. I like stories about people who on the surface have little in common, but deep down share a lot, and this was a fun story to write in that respect; that Rusty and Linus might not be the first person either would think of as a friend or companion, but they find themself in the same place and seek something like comfort and escape in each other.
Breathe (The Bourne Identity, Jason/Marie)
This is probably the darkest of the stories here, and it's actually less dark than I originally envisioned it. I loved the Jason/Marie relationship in the two movies, but one time after watching them, I was joking with a friend about how awkward it would be for Marie if she wasn't that into him after what happened. You finally escape the crazed assassin with amnesia and set up your shop by the sea and holy crap! He's back! How do you gently reject a man who can make you disappear? I mean, of course that's not how I really see their relationship (I totally buy their love for each other), but I do think that the relationship does cost Marie a lot. That's what I wanted to get across in the story, that she helps him find his past and ends up giving up her own. I couldn't get too dark with it (I think I am incapable of Getting Too Dark), and so (I hope) I made it pretty clear in the story that it's Marie's choice to stay in the relationship, that Jason does offer her something that she's willing to accept in return for what she's giving up. And the last line of the story, which is one of the first things I came up with for the story, is one of the few last lines I've written that I really like, and is a pretty good description of what (I think) keeps Marie from leaving.
Spring Cleaning (The Office, Jim/Pam)
When I started the story, I meant for it to be a story that could have fit anywhere late in season two. But then I (characteristically) took forever to finish the story, the finale happened, and I ended up revising all of the Jim/Pam stuff to make it a post-Casino Night story. I gave myself a set of challenges: I wanted the story to involve all of the major players, give Jim and Pam a happy ending, and take place over the course of one day. It's not perfect, in part because of those weird challenges (for example, I forgot about Meredith and her section was hastily added on in a way that I think shows, and the Roy resolution takes place off-page and could potentially make Pam seem like a pretty cold person). But the desk-switching in general was fun to write, largely because the show itself is so great, full of vivid and funny supporting characters, and I liked the challenge of coming up with tangible ways to show Jim and Pam's love for each other. Old phone messages, pens bought out of pocket, etc.
The Right Time (Ugly Betty, Daniel/Betty)
I'm worried that this is on the list just because it's the most recent thing I've written and therefore I don't see the story clearly. Usually I end up hating stories and myself for attempting to write them, but this was a story that was fun from start to finish, probably because there isn't a mean beat in the story, and no real plot to speak of. It's basically 6000 words of my interpretation of Daniel and Betty's adorable relationship and why they're mfeo. I'm not sure about the ending – whenever I read it over, it seems a little anti-climactic – and there are some cheats in here, too; I'm not sure when or how Betty will realize she's in love with Daniel, so I kind of skipped over it here by making Betty in love with him from the start. But there are things about the story I do like. This is definitely a story that errs on the side of kindness and happy endings, but I am okay with it here because Ugly Betty is kind of a stylized, fairy tale-ish universe, and I really expect nothing less than a perfect happy ending from the show. Of course Betty is an award-winning journalist. Of course Daniel's fiancée breaks it off. Of course they find each other in the end. One thing I really like about the Daniel/Betty relationship on the show is how you can see (less often lately, but more often earlier in the season) how much each of them enjoys the other's company and conversation, how comfortable they are with each other, how much respect and affection each has for the other. I think that came across in the story, particularly in their conversations with each other, both in the past and the story's present.
I tag everyone to take part in this, if only to make me feel less lame! Really, it's so I can read more about what people think of their writing, and also to offer me more stories to read. Please partake!
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