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icarusRemember that de-fanficcing experiment last week? I wanted to convince my professor to let me do NaNoWriMo for my Creative Writing class this fall.
Just got this email:
Hi [Icarus],
It's coming up on time to start thinking about the beginning of class, and I haven't received any of the stories that you said you would send to me. If you'd like me to consider your proposition, please send me those stories. I have to warn you, though, since thinking about your proposition, I've become increasingly uncomfortable with the idea. It sounds like you've done enough genre writing on your own, and that maybe this class would give you the opportunity to inform your genre writing by trying something a little different. Also, the official goals of the course do not mention anything about writing genre fiction, and indeed most of the syllabi I have looked at expressly forbid any submission of genre fiction. I think that your comprehension of a character's motivation will serve you well in whatever writing you undertake, but we are aiming for a depth of character in this course that most likely goes beyond that of genre writing. Anyway, I'd like to see your examples if not to just see some of your writing.
[Creative Writing Prof]
I didn't have anything but fanfic to send him, so, frustrated, I just sent this:
The kitchen was dark with only the light on over the sink, turned low on the dimmer switch.
Sara shut off the water and sponged down the faucet, wringing the sponge out into the drain. That left her with ... no more excuses to avoid the living room. But she did so just the same, waiting, with her hands on the edge of the counter. It was dark outside and there was nothing to see but a black window.
She could hear the low murmur of men's voices from here; Jack's deep baritone, and now and again a softer voice, very mild, edged with gentle humor and self-mockery. She'd been prepared to hate that voice and the man that came with it, with his wide apologetic eyes, but she found she couldn't. Which was disappointing. She supposed she was getting old.
She felt rather than heard Jack come in and lean against the kitchen doorway; there was almost a warmth to his presence behind her. Could almost see the worn shirt pulled tight across his chest, the bit of t-shirt peeking out underneath. He waited, too, studying her, weighing her mood. There was the soft wash of the beer as he took another sip. Forcing her, as usual, to make the first move.
"So he's the one?" she said sharply.
It came out a lot harsher than she intended. She turned to look at him to soften it, but his eyes were tracing the patterns on the floor. She never could read him. They stood in silence in the dark kitchen.
Just about when she'd given up on an answer, he said, "It's only for one night."
Jack looked up at her, his warm, dark eyes glinting. He'd said he was sorry once; he wasn't going to repeat himself. His tone grew frustrated. "He had nowhere else to go."
"He could've stayed on base."
Not charitable, she knew, but she was past caring at this point. She might not be able to hate this person but she'd be damned if she was going to share.
"I can't say that I don't regret what happened, because I do," he said, having the nerve to sound hurt. "And it isn't ... You just have to trust me that history isn't gonna repeat itself. What happened..."
She stiffened and didn't want to hear it again, his rush of explanations about 'a man' and 'a night' and 'a situation.' "But I'm not gonna stop being his friend. I owe him at least that much."
And that was it, wasn't it? Because he was a man it was somehow not okay for her to demand Jack never see him again. Because a man could be a buddy but a woman was what? She was awed at the double standard.
"Do what you want," Sara said, turning her back on him. "You will anyways."
Now I need to scrape up something else I've written. Anyone available to help me de-fanfic Out Of Bounds? That should work, too.
In other news, the federal gov't has yanked all my student loans. Again. Yay! More fun with financial aid. You know, I was starting to miss those guys.
Just got this email:
Hi [Icarus],
It's coming up on time to start thinking about the beginning of class, and I haven't received any of the stories that you said you would send to me. If you'd like me to consider your proposition, please send me those stories. I have to warn you, though, since thinking about your proposition, I've become increasingly uncomfortable with the idea. It sounds like you've done enough genre writing on your own, and that maybe this class would give you the opportunity to inform your genre writing by trying something a little different. Also, the official goals of the course do not mention anything about writing genre fiction, and indeed most of the syllabi I have looked at expressly forbid any submission of genre fiction. I think that your comprehension of a character's motivation will serve you well in whatever writing you undertake, but we are aiming for a depth of character in this course that most likely goes beyond that of genre writing. Anyway, I'd like to see your examples if not to just see some of your writing.
[Creative Writing Prof]
I didn't have anything but fanfic to send him, so, frustrated, I just sent this:
The kitchen was dark with only the light on over the sink, turned low on the dimmer switch.
Sara shut off the water and sponged down the faucet, wringing the sponge out into the drain. That left her with ... no more excuses to avoid the living room. But she did so just the same, waiting, with her hands on the edge of the counter. It was dark outside and there was nothing to see but a black window.
She could hear the low murmur of men's voices from here; Jack's deep baritone, and now and again a softer voice, very mild, edged with gentle humor and self-mockery. She'd been prepared to hate that voice and the man that came with it, with his wide apologetic eyes, but she found she couldn't. Which was disappointing. She supposed she was getting old.
She felt rather than heard Jack come in and lean against the kitchen doorway; there was almost a warmth to his presence behind her. Could almost see the worn shirt pulled tight across his chest, the bit of t-shirt peeking out underneath. He waited, too, studying her, weighing her mood. There was the soft wash of the beer as he took another sip. Forcing her, as usual, to make the first move.
"So he's the one?" she said sharply.
It came out a lot harsher than she intended. She turned to look at him to soften it, but his eyes were tracing the patterns on the floor. She never could read him. They stood in silence in the dark kitchen.
Just about when she'd given up on an answer, he said, "It's only for one night."
Jack looked up at her, his warm, dark eyes glinting. He'd said he was sorry once; he wasn't going to repeat himself. His tone grew frustrated. "He had nowhere else to go."
"He could've stayed on base."
Not charitable, she knew, but she was past caring at this point. She might not be able to hate this person but she'd be damned if she was going to share.
"I can't say that I don't regret what happened, because I do," he said, having the nerve to sound hurt. "And it isn't ... You just have to trust me that history isn't gonna repeat itself. What happened..."
She stiffened and didn't want to hear it again, his rush of explanations about 'a man' and 'a night' and 'a situation.' "But I'm not gonna stop being his friend. I owe him at least that much."
And that was it, wasn't it? Because he was a man it was somehow not okay for her to demand Jack never see him again. Because a man could be a buddy but a woman was what? She was awed at the double standard.
"Do what you want," Sara said, turning her back on him. "You will anyways."
Now I need to scrape up something else I've written. Anyone available to help me de-fanfic Out Of Bounds? That should work, too.
In other news, the federal gov't has yanked all my student loans. Again. Yay! More fun with financial aid. You know, I was starting to miss those guys.
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no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 02:37 am (UTC)As with other several other pieces, I feel like more would be better. In this case, however, it's not that anything is missing so much as I'd simply like it to continue.
Yay! And *whew.*
Date: 2006-09-19 02:45 am (UTC)It's much too short, I have to send him something else, but that remark of his about characterization in genre fic stung. I confess I flung a story at him the moment I read that, without thinking whether this would be a good story to send or not.
Then I went wide-eyed and worried.
Honestly, can you believe that anyone would think sci-fi and fantasy inherently lacks characterization? Why would anyone think that?
Icarus
Re: Yay! And *whew.*
Date: 2006-09-19 02:56 am (UTC)On the up side, one college creative writing textbook I read said that sci-fi/fantasy is not actually a genre; it's a marketing catagory. There are some true genres within the marketing catagory (like epic quest fantasy) but a lot of cutting edge speculative fiction cannot really be called genre. But I'm sure that not every teacher would believe that.
Re: Yay! And *whew.*
Date: 2006-09-19 03:29 am (UTC)My last creative writing professor did say that when he let students write sci-fi they struggled more than the rest of the class, though he was befuddled why. I suggested that they got distracted with the world-building.
Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 03:08 am (UTC)I switched to science from an English major precisely because of people like him. In science, opinion is fine, but there's always an experiment that can be done, hard data that can be generated and studied. In literature, there is nothing but opinion.
So, here's my opinion on the piece. I think it worked. I liked that it was understated. We can have a conversation about choices in punctuation, but I'm not an English professor, certainly not your professor, and none of it bugged me enough to pop me out of the scene. Good scene.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 03:33 am (UTC)I knew his attitudges about genre fiction (one reason I was trying to take those stories out of genre at the same time I was de-fanficcing. *sigh* But it's just a scene and I need to send him something with more heft.
Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 03:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 01:57 pm (UTC)Don't sigh. I don't give a damn what he thinks of it. I thought it was pretty damn good, and worked without any SGA knowledge. And we all know that I am never wrong.
Re: Yay! And *whew.*
Date: 2006-09-19 03:12 am (UTC)In all seriousness though, I'm pretty damn sure you as a writer have nothing to worry about in that respect. Anything of yours outside of Potterverse might as well be composed of nothing but OCs, and what I've read I've liked. Including the wonderfully silly Out of Bounds :)
Re: Yay! And *whew.*
Date: 2006-09-19 03:13 am (UTC)insert a "to me" after "OCs" please.
...Talk about putting my foot in my mouth.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 02:43 am (UTC)But I don't think I like your professor very much. Who says genre fiction can't have character development? :-P
Oh, and I so feel you on the student loans. I'm beginning to think they do this to us because, if we give up, they can stop giving out money. ::sigh::
*flumphs, and yes, that's a word*
Date: 2006-09-19 02:53 am (UTC)I suspect that if it went as fast through the internet as I mentally sent it, it would have whacked him in the face on the other end. (Though you can tell he tried very hard</> not to be insulting and only slipped at the end. On the other hand -- ouch.)
Sparse, huh? Yeah, I need to work on that. My writing style is a little stripped down. My most recent fic, Necromancy for the Living (http://www.icarus.slashcity.net/stories/necromancyfortheliving.html) is richer than what I usually allow myself, taking baby steps in that direction.
Icarus
Student loans... ugh.
Date: 2006-09-19 02:56 am (UTC)I'm doing well at not freaking out. I'm staying calm, cool, and collected and haven't needed this paper bag next to me at all. I'm going with the Zen, yes, I will not panic. Or get angry. I will also not get angry. Or panic. I said that, didn't I?
Icarus (not panicking)
Re: Student loans... ugh.
Date: 2006-09-19 03:01 am (UTC)::pets Icarus:: Action plans. Make action plans.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 03:32 am (UTC)And as for "we are aiming for a depth of character in this course that most likely goes beyond that of genre writing." I think you should let him praise this piece to the skies ('cause he will), THEN tell him that not only is it "genre", it's fanfic.
Oh, thank you. *breathes sigh of relief*
Date: 2006-09-19 03:44 am (UTC)I tossed this at him out of frustration over the "characterization" comment, because this piece is nothing but characterization, darn it. And genre, hmmph.
I may have already tipped my hand though. I told him to guess if it's genre fic or not. Now I need to give him something longer, with more heft though.
No way am I admitting it's fanfic, not until we know each other a lot better. Maybe... mid-way through the quarter.
Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 03:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 05:11 am (UTC)Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 04:32 am (UTC)Your prof obviously hasn't read any genre work produced in the past thirty years. All the submission guides ask for these days is intense characterization rather than focus on tech or gore.
I'm willing to help on OoB.
Are you? That's fantastic.
Date: 2006-09-19 05:05 am (UTC)Your prof obviously hasn't read any genre work produced in the past thirty years. All the submission guides ask for these days is intense characterization rather than focus on tech or gore.
I'm not entirely sure he's ever read genre fiction, at least, not outside of an assignment (if ever).
I'm willing to help on OoB.
Fantastic, thank you. What email should I send it to? I'd only send him partial, I think, up to (maybe) just after the scene on the phone with Radek? I'd like your opinion on that as well, actually.
Icarus
Re: Are you? That's fantastic.
Date: 2006-09-19 05:08 am (UTC)Re: Are you? That's fantastic.
Date: 2006-09-19 05:16 am (UTC)Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 04:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 04:59 am (UTC)Yeah, I really resent the implication that genre fiction can't, by its very nature, have the same "depth of character" as other types of fiction. Gah.
It's as absurd as it is insulting. And yes, I have a hand on my hip as I say that.
Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 05:15 am (UTC)I wish you had a more tolerant/less idiotic professor.
*hand on hip*, definitely.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 07:01 am (UTC)Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 01:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 06:40 am (UTC)I really liked this. I'd read the original a long time ago, but I actually didn't recognize it at first.
I'm so sorry to hear about the loans, too. That's pretty scary--that they can just yank the loans after you've already started school for the semester.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 07:05 am (UTC)I really liked this. I'd read the original a long time ago, but I actually didn't recognize it at first.
You didn't recognize it? Oh, that's kinda cool.
And my prof liked it. He's okayed my doing NaNoWriMo as part of class. Now, if the Federal Government would just cooperate.
Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 08:04 am (UTC)And, no, I didn't recognize the fic right away. It was the names that gave it away, but not until I got about a third of the way through it. :-)
no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 07:38 am (UTC)yeah, sorry for the
flash-publoicitymini-rant but this kind of thinking really annoys me.no subject
Date: 2006-09-19 01:06 pm (UTC)Re: Yay! And *whew.*
Date: 2006-09-19 09:44 pm (UTC)i wish good things for you in this writing class.
Re: Yay! And *whew.*
Date: 2006-09-19 09:45 pm (UTC)gov't bitches...my dad's paying for my college out of his retirement fund :(. he makes too much for them to give us any kind of loan, but we have too many medical problems to just shell out my tuition... oh money...you make life happy and sad.