Rumours of my demise have been somewhat exaggerated

[icarus]

As I was telling melpemone, I'm not done writing HP. I'm just in a burned out phase, and it feels like a deeper sort of burn out then the last three. (Or four?) The stories coming to mind don't have a lot of meat to them. I don't wanna write crap just to keep writing HP.

I mean, I don't have to write well, that's something for the 10th draft, but there has to be something compelling at the core of each story. It's not there right now, not in HP stories.

It could be I'm just tired, or it could be that I need more canon to chew. But that 'core' feeling, like I have something to say, it's there in SG-1.

Perhaps I'll need to do the occasional HP story, but wait for new HP canon. Or maybe I just need to give myself time to recover, read a while.

Or perhaps something will grab me next week, I dunno. But right now, it's not there. It's not writer's block - that's different. There you feel the story, but it's constipated, stuck. This more like I'm... dry.

Comments

[caseylane.livejournal.com]

I used to be a SG1 fan but when Michael Shanks left the fandom got crazy for awhile, so I dropped out. I haven't been able to get back in, and admit to some reluctance about the fandom. Maybe because at the same time they were throwing Jack/Sam down our throats, or that the few episode I've watched since then have zip slash potential.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I used to be a SG1 fan but when Michael Shanks left the fandom got crazy for awhile

How did it get crazy?

the few episode I've watched since then have zip slash potential.

I'm just watching the first few seasons now, and, holy cow, the fire between them is intense. That lukewarm fizzle between Jack/Sam can't compete.

As for slashy moments, oh, you don't need those. You're talking to someone who wrote Ron/Snape. I mean, talk about zero slashy moments. It's about the characters and how they'd interact in this or that hypothetical circumstances.

Icarus

[caseylane.livejournal.com]

Well, the Jonas character was hated from the get-go. Division between those that liked Jonas and those that didn't got pretty heated. Then there was a lot of frenzy about if the show could even survive without Daniel.

I do agree that there was a lot of slash potential in the first few seasons. Then they started pushing Jack/Sam, much to most fans disgust (even non slash fans). Once they realized that the fans weren't buying it, they did back away from that some. Still, the moments of Jack/Daniel have become few and far between.

In a way Snape/Ron can be easier than J/D. Jack and Daniel spend time together on screen and if there aren't any fireworks or subtext it changes the relationship from possible slash to "just" friends, which is what I'm seeing now. Since Snape/Ron don't have any alone time on screen, speculation can run wild as to what would happen if they did. If they had scenes together where all they did was seemed bored, or to take each other for granted, the potential for that sublimated passion wouldn't seem possible. (Or as possible as HP slash can be).

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Well, the Jonas character was hated from the get-go.

He was a non-character. Good-looking, had some screen presence, but nothing to him. WG has the opinion that they were still in negotiations with Shanks all season, and so didn't want to get too wrapped up in Jonas. He was just a placeholder, a way to tell Shanks, "Hey man, you're replaceable."

Then they started pushing Jack/Sam, much to most fans disgust (even non slash fans).

Yeah, those two are absolutely tepid together.

Still, the moments of Jack/Daniel have become few and far between.

Yep. That's a bummer, though I suspect that since Rick Anderson had to both carry the show and Exec Produce for an entire season, he's entitled to a slightly smaller presence to recover.

But I don't think that reduces the slash potential. I mean, most of my stories are set in season 2 and 3, and built into the pairing is the need to hide the relationship. Some people get better at it over time, once the first heat wears off.

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Ooo. And wouldn't it be great if Jack/Daniel had split up, and are gritting their teeth over each other's current boyfriend/girlfriend/flavor-of-the-month?

"So it doesn't bother you that I'm with [name]?"

"No. No. Just be careful, you know, sleeping with people at work can bite you in the ass." Long pause. "It's going great with [name] by the way."

"Oh." Another pause. "That's good."

"It's doesn't bother you that..." Jack makes a wide gesture.

Daniel shakes his head and makes a face. "No, no, of course not. I mean, ascended, descended, I could hardly expect you to -"

"- it did seem kind of permanent, the death thing."

"- at least this time. I was happy for you -"

"- oh that's good, I was sort of hoping that -"

Daniel nods his head vigorously. "Um-hmm, yeah, I know."

"Good, good."

Another long pause.

Daniel askss, "It's not... serious... between you and -?"

"Naw, no," Jack shakes his head. "You and -?"

Daniel shrugs, "It's, you know."

"Ah. Good."

Another long pause.

"So. Talk to you later?"

"Yeah. Glad we had this little chat." Jack backs away, nearly walking into the wall.

Daniel coughs a little. "Yeah, me too."


Icarus

[ladyflowdi.livejournal.com]

Oh hell yeah. I just got into the fandom myself a few weeks ago. My dad has the Season 1 DVD's, and I recently had a lot of free time so I watched...well...the whole damn season. Guh! Holy! Talk about fire! Jack and Daniel have huge amounts of chemistry. It doesn't hurt that the producers use it at every opportunity, either, instead of blatantly denying its existance (::cough:: Smallville, I'm looking at you). Yada, friendship, blah, whatever. Screw Sam, Jack and Daniel are doing the horizontal polka.

And though I love writing in the HP fandom, I've got to say, it feels so good not to have to worry about Britishisms or accents. Just for a while, anyway :)

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what I did! Addictive, isn't it? Especially when you have the entire season, right there. You have to see season two. That is just -ungh. The chemistry goes off the scale, you have a big argument between them, you have Jack helping Daniel through an addiction... slashers heaven.

Heh. I enjoy Ameri-picking the Brits stories in Stargate SG-1. It's so obvious when a Brit writes a Stargate story. Hah! Take that, yon Brit-pickers. You do it, too.

Icarus

[ladyflowdi.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what I did! Addictive, isn't it? Especially when you have the entire season, right there.

Oh, God yes. I was like, "Oh, that was so good, I'll watch just *one* more episode..." and an hour later, "Okay, this is really the last one" and before I knew it, it was 2 in the morning. ::grins:: My favorite has to be "Fire and Water". I loved Daniel playing with the sea monster, and no, it isn't because Daniel spends most of the episode wet. ::cough::

You have to see season two. That is just -ungh. The chemistry goes off the scale, you have a big argument between them, you have Jack helping Daniel through an addiction... slashers heaven.

Yes! Being the good little fangirl that I am, I went looking for transcript and screen cap sites and read all of season 2 and 3 ::hangs head in shame:: I can't help that I'm obsessed. I'm treating myself to the DVD's for Christmas though. ::squirms, can't wait::

(by the way, Stargate transcripts (http://www.moon-catchin.net/transcripts.htm) and JackslashDaniel.com (http://jackslashdaniel.com/) for excellent screen caps)

Heh. I enjoy Ameri-picking the Brits stories in Stargate SG-1. It's so obvious when a Brit writes a Stargate story. Hah! Take that, yon Brit-pickers. You do it, too.

LOL! "Jack wouldn't say 'bollocks'."
"Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure."
"What about taking his hamburger with chips?"
"As long as you mean Doritos"
"And jumper?"
"What little girls do on the playground with rope."

Hee!

::hugs all British people::

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you need to recharge your HP-writing battery. It's a hazard of this time of year, I think, when it's all about darkness and lying fallow till the spring.

But renewal will come eventually, I do believe. So hang in there.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you need to recharge your HP-writing battery.

Well-phrased. Yes, that's exactly how I feel. This quarter has been really... every week I've been just barely above water. Just barely.

Speed-reading has saved me.

Icarus

[mad-martha.livejournal.com]

I know I haven't been commenting lately, but I have been reading, and frankly your current schedule makes me feels tired! You sound like you need a real break from something, and if it's the HP stuff that has to be jettisoned, then so be it.

We write this stuff for fun, remember. If it's not fun anymore ....

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I have felt barely on top of things all quarter. I described it to wildernessguru as being constantly ever so slightly underwater. I'm hanging in there, but nothing has received the kind of dedication and study it really requires.

Icarus

[lillian78.livejournal.com]

I was a fan of the show and did read a lot of SG slash but I'm sorry to say that I really only liked a couple of writers. Maybe it was me but most of what I saw written couldn't hold a candle to what was being produced in the HP fandom. I hope I haven't ticked anyone off or anything that's just my personal opinion. But back to HP if I begged prettily is there any chance that we'll see more updates of Reunion? I just become a fangirl err...rather fanwoman of that series.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Well, we have to bear in mind that the HP fandom is 30 times the size of the Stargate fandom (statistics based on a comparison of numbers of ff.net stories).

30 times. So where you might have 3000 Stargate stories, you will have 90,000 for Harry Potter. Proportionately there may be an equal number of good writers, but in HP you'll have 90 fabulous writers whereas in Stargate SG-1 you'll only have 3.

Which is, yeah, about how many prolific, high-quality SG-1 writers you'll find. It's a little more than that. But beyond this, you have to hunt for those single good stories where someone dipped their toe in and left.

if I begged prettily is there any chance that we'll see more updates of Reunion? I just become a fangirl err...rather fanwoman of that series.

I didn't say I was dumping the story. A Deserving Man will probably never be finished. It was for my father, but he didn't comment after the last chapter so, *shrug*. Reunion I intend to finish, since I want to write an MPreg I could tolerate. But it is a very s-l-o-w-l-y updated story, has been from the beginning. I warn people when they review and ask for updates.

Icarus

[underlucius.livejournal.com]

I think most of us feel like that - when we have more canon, we'll be inspired a bit.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

*nods* But it's more than that for me right now. I come home, I veg, I scramble through my homework doing a crap job at studying, I veg, I go to work, I bust my tail, I come home veg, scramble through the next assignment. It's been non-stop, except for the exhausted pauses staring numbly into the TV.

Icarus

[cheshyre]

Are you tired of reading HP, or just burned out on writing?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Just writing. Though I've been in the mood just to read the stories I've enjoyed before, rather than branching out into new stuff. Comfort food.

It's been a hard quarter.

Icarus

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Yanno, there are only so many times we can write the characters who interest us in a different romantic scenario before we start to feel we've done all we have in our heads. Hell, it's probably a healthy sign, for a writer--wanting to keep producing something fresh.

I'm sure when there's a reason to have new ideas, we'll want to write in those fandoms some more!