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On Guerrilla
Oct. 11th, 2010 01:39 pmSo, chapter 15 of Guerrilla is now done, and I am in the final stages of that fic. It's so odd to think about, that I've actually written 64,000 words in a single story, with thematic ideas and threads that weave through the entire piece. I will probably write more about it later, talking about what I view as major ideas and how the story came together for me and how I read comments along the way, but for now, I'm just amazed that I've gotten this far.
Writing Ivan like this has been a real adventure for me. I feel like his voice has come and gone, and part of that, as I reread Bujold to look for him, comes down to the fact that Ivan's voice in the canon books is less about how he says things than it is the things he says themselves. And I am pushing Ivan beyond all the responsibility-dodging and impossibilities, and forcing him to man up. Accordingly, a lot of his manned-up dialogue has been tricky for me.
Berenice has been a similar problem. I cannot avoid the fact that she is in a total Mary-Sue position -- an original character brought in to become a major character and marry my canon lead. Keeping her real and flawed without making her somehow less than the canon characters with whom she needs to mesh has been a challenge.
Chapter 15 was really interesting for me to write, because I realized along the way that other than Ivan, there were only six lines of dialogue spoken by canon characters, and a whole lot resting on my OCs. It is interesting to me that I keep forgetting who are my canon characters and who are my OCs. Berenice and her family I always remember are OCs, but I keep thinking Dy Vorinnis and General Vortala are canon characters, or that Martin Kosti is an OC. The lines have become very blurry in my head. And of course, some of them really do skirt that line. Berenice and Thomas are obviously OCs, but their parents are there in canon (though I've fleshed them out a lot), and almost certainly would have children.
At any rate, it's been a crazy adventure, and it's strange to think this fic will almost certainly be finished before Halloween. Maybe I can do the sequel for NaNo! (Hahahahano.)
Writing Ivan like this has been a real adventure for me. I feel like his voice has come and gone, and part of that, as I reread Bujold to look for him, comes down to the fact that Ivan's voice in the canon books is less about how he says things than it is the things he says themselves. And I am pushing Ivan beyond all the responsibility-dodging and impossibilities, and forcing him to man up. Accordingly, a lot of his manned-up dialogue has been tricky for me.
Berenice has been a similar problem. I cannot avoid the fact that she is in a total Mary-Sue position -- an original character brought in to become a major character and marry my canon lead. Keeping her real and flawed without making her somehow less than the canon characters with whom she needs to mesh has been a challenge.
Chapter 15 was really interesting for me to write, because I realized along the way that other than Ivan, there were only six lines of dialogue spoken by canon characters, and a whole lot resting on my OCs. It is interesting to me that I keep forgetting who are my canon characters and who are my OCs. Berenice and her family I always remember are OCs, but I keep thinking Dy Vorinnis and General Vortala are canon characters, or that Martin Kosti is an OC. The lines have become very blurry in my head. And of course, some of them really do skirt that line. Berenice and Thomas are obviously OCs, but their parents are there in canon (though I've fleshed them out a lot), and almost certainly would have children.
At any rate, it's been a crazy adventure, and it's strange to think this fic will almost certainly be finished before Halloween. Maybe I can do the sequel for NaNo! (Hahahahano.)
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