The Growth of a Story
Oct. 13th, 2005 03:00 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icarusThe Growth of a Story
Every now and then I get an incomprehensible email asking me "where do you get your stories?" Then last night someone said that I evade the predictable routes. It made me blink for a minute because I don't deliberately do so, the characters do that.
A few hours later, a Stargate story popped into my head (one that I probably won't write) and I stood outside it with these questions in mind and watched it germinate. Where do the ideas come from? And how is it that said story avoids the tried and true route?
I started with a smirking observation in Prometheus Unbound and Threads: "Hmm. Daniel really likes being restrained." Heck, I know what a guy looks like when he gets off on that sort of kink, the way he lights up and gets energized the moment the cuffs cinch tight. "Oh, it would be fun to write a story where Jack learns this about Daniel...."
A clip of dialogue came up, and an image of Jack's raised eyebrows and Daniel chained up.
Where would this happen? The image had Daniel already chained to a wall and Jack not releasing him, teasing him about this kink. But wait-! How the hell would that happen? And how is it that Jack would be there, but surprised that Daniel gets off on this?
Okay, hmm. So Daniel was chained up by someone else. A Goa'uld. So... why is Jack taking the time to tease him? He's awfully relaxed. And this image looks like the gateroom, or somewhere at the SGC. And how did Jack know that this turns Daniel on if this moment is the first he's heard of it?
Um... there are security tapes. And someone's told Jack. The Goa'uld (female).
But Goa'uld don't have security tapes. Okay, so it is at the SGC. And this Goa'uld has taken over the base. So... whoa... why is Jack so relaxed?
She's bargaining with him. She's not in contact with the system lords at all - in fact knows nothing about them - and she's decided to trade a chained up Daniel for... all of earth.
Clip of dialogue comes to mind. Jack negotiating with this Goa'uld. Jack's voice, "You want to trade me a boy toy --"
Daniel: "Hey!"
"Sorry -- for the whole planet?"
"The Goa'uld have traded entire worlds for less. Especially ones that have little value."
"Excuse me?"
"This planet has no naquadah or trinium, and it is also clear to me that you do not have the resources to control it. So it is of no use to you."
But why would she negotiate?
Suddenly, the message behind the story clicked. What it's really about.
This Goa'uld is from a new queen, has very little in the way of genetic memory and has never interacted with humans before ("this is going to take some serious plot-hole filler," I think). But the bottom line is that the Goa'uld don't think like humans and at first contact they assume that humans are just like themselves. Since Jack is in possession of a Stargate and some advanced technology, she negotiates with him as if he were a lesser Goa'uld in a very bad negotiating position. 'Have some glass beads and go away.' It doesn't even occur to her that the one in charge of the top technology wouldn't have dominion, or would feel a sense of emotional connection to the earth and to those he's responsible for. Goa'uld are opportunistic and never have a sense of home because they never even have their own independent body.
And Jack has to deal with a Goa'uld who's taken over the SGC but somehow has decided that instead of putting snakes in everyone's head, it wants to negotiate. Confused (but glad) he stalls, trying to buy time for (someone?) to get control of the base. He plays the cocky Goa'uld lordling -- and takes the time (also stalling) to razz Daniel about being turned on. Daniel of course has no clue what the plan is.
Image of a smirking and amused Jack waving a VHS tape in Daniel's face: "I have the tapes, Daniel."
"Could we not talk about this now?"
"Oh, the things we don't know about each other...."
"Jack."
Jack waves a hand in a broad gesture. "And to think of all the times in this galaxy we've been tied up, captured, and I never noticed."
"We were a little busy escaping at the time, which, um," he struggles, "by the way, shouldn't we be doing right about now?"
Jack smiles. "I think not." He rattles the tape, smug as he turns away. The Goa'uld guards part and stand at attention as the SGC doors slide open. "I'm going to savor these."
Daniel slumps in his chains with a frustrated sigh.
So there you have it. The creation of a story. That's how it generally works for me: I have an insane idea, usually a fuzzy image combined with dialogue. I dig until I find a "deeper meaning" to hang it all on. Then I spend the rest of the time playing and trying to fill in the huge gaping obvious plot holes that are the result of the fact that the idea was nuts from the start.
Yours truly,
Icarus
Every now and then I get an incomprehensible email asking me "where do you get your stories?" Then last night someone said that I evade the predictable routes. It made me blink for a minute because I don't deliberately do so, the characters do that.
A few hours later, a Stargate story popped into my head (one that I probably won't write) and I stood outside it with these questions in mind and watched it germinate. Where do the ideas come from? And how is it that said story avoids the tried and true route?
I started with a smirking observation in Prometheus Unbound and Threads: "Hmm. Daniel really likes being restrained." Heck, I know what a guy looks like when he gets off on that sort of kink, the way he lights up and gets energized the moment the cuffs cinch tight. "Oh, it would be fun to write a story where Jack learns this about Daniel...."
A clip of dialogue came up, and an image of Jack's raised eyebrows and Daniel chained up.
Where would this happen? The image had Daniel already chained to a wall and Jack not releasing him, teasing him about this kink. But wait-! How the hell would that happen? And how is it that Jack would be there, but surprised that Daniel gets off on this?
Okay, hmm. So Daniel was chained up by someone else. A Goa'uld. So... why is Jack taking the time to tease him? He's awfully relaxed. And this image looks like the gateroom, or somewhere at the SGC. And how did Jack know that this turns Daniel on if this moment is the first he's heard of it?
Um... there are security tapes. And someone's told Jack. The Goa'uld (female).
But Goa'uld don't have security tapes. Okay, so it is at the SGC. And this Goa'uld has taken over the base. So... whoa... why is Jack so relaxed?
She's bargaining with him. She's not in contact with the system lords at all - in fact knows nothing about them - and she's decided to trade a chained up Daniel for... all of earth.
Clip of dialogue comes to mind. Jack negotiating with this Goa'uld. Jack's voice, "You want to trade me a boy toy --"
Daniel: "Hey!"
"Sorry -- for the whole planet?"
"The Goa'uld have traded entire worlds for less. Especially ones that have little value."
"Excuse me?"
"This planet has no naquadah or trinium, and it is also clear to me that you do not have the resources to control it. So it is of no use to you."
But why would she negotiate?
Suddenly, the message behind the story clicked. What it's really about.
This Goa'uld is from a new queen, has very little in the way of genetic memory and has never interacted with humans before ("this is going to take some serious plot-hole filler," I think). But the bottom line is that the Goa'uld don't think like humans and at first contact they assume that humans are just like themselves. Since Jack is in possession of a Stargate and some advanced technology, she negotiates with him as if he were a lesser Goa'uld in a very bad negotiating position. 'Have some glass beads and go away.' It doesn't even occur to her that the one in charge of the top technology wouldn't have dominion, or would feel a sense of emotional connection to the earth and to those he's responsible for. Goa'uld are opportunistic and never have a sense of home because they never even have their own independent body.
And Jack has to deal with a Goa'uld who's taken over the SGC but somehow has decided that instead of putting snakes in everyone's head, it wants to negotiate. Confused (but glad) he stalls, trying to buy time for (someone?) to get control of the base. He plays the cocky Goa'uld lordling -- and takes the time (also stalling) to razz Daniel about being turned on. Daniel of course has no clue what the plan is.
Image of a smirking and amused Jack waving a VHS tape in Daniel's face: "I have the tapes, Daniel."
"Could we not talk about this now?"
"Oh, the things we don't know about each other...."
"Jack."
Jack waves a hand in a broad gesture. "And to think of all the times in this galaxy we've been tied up, captured, and I never noticed."
"We were a little busy escaping at the time, which, um," he struggles, "by the way, shouldn't we be doing right about now?"
Jack smiles. "I think not." He rattles the tape, smug as he turns away. The Goa'uld guards part and stand at attention as the SGC doors slide open. "I'm going to savor these."
Daniel slumps in his chains with a frustrated sigh.
So there you have it. The creation of a story. That's how it generally works for me: I have an insane idea, usually a fuzzy image combined with dialogue. I dig until I find a "deeper meaning" to hang it all on. Then I spend the rest of the time playing and trying to fill in the huge gaping obvious plot holes that are the result of the fact that the idea was nuts from the start.
Yours truly,
Icarus
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no subject
Date: 2005-10-13 07:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-13 07:42 pm (UTC)I start out with a sentence then go on from there.
Oh that's interesting. They must start in a linear progression and build from there.
You probably don't have the problems I do with transitions. I often have pieces of story from all over the timeframe that I somehow have to figure out a way to string together. Instead of getting stuck on climactic scenes it's often the transitions that stall me.
Icarus
no subject
Date: 2005-10-14 03:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 01:08 am (UTC)(becuse I usually plan in images, and try to work out some kind of logical plot to justify them, but the fic that ended up being the most popular? Just started writing -- no plan a-tall.)
(What's really good to hear is that other people use both methods!)