Process Stories... Pt. II
Okay.
So, the stories at Literotica are up. If you're someone from Lit who's stopping by to check out my ramblings on the stories, you're in the right spot. Hi, how ya doin'. After this piece, if you scan down, you'll find more short stories. Hope you like.
Part I of Process Stories vs. Stories Processed is here. In that entry, I talked vaguely about the two stories, and I'm going to jump into some more detail here.
Just because I can.
The first story I referred to, "Let it Snow, Pt II" can be found here.
The second story, the one that gave me 'agita', "Reflections on Lives Passed", can be found here.
In case you haven't, you should probably go read them, before going on. I don't want to spoil anything for you.
No, really. It's okay. I'll wait.
I'm patient.
Kinda.
Not really.
...
Okay, moving on.
--
So, I've already started getting feedback on the stories. It's all been pretty positive, except for the guy who said that if it took me "a year to write three pages [I] should quit." That was charming, and made me laugh in a "it's actually 30+ pages, but whatever" kinda way.
These two stories, along with the piece I wrote earlier this week, Quiet Moments: Autumn are all linked by their theme: Choices.
More specifically, the build-up and consequences of said choices.
--
Let it Snow Pt. II
This story was intended to be a cliffhanger, but I've gotten some... um.. vehement e-mail about waiting a year for the next(and last) part. I know, I know... you all want to know who he calls, right? Well, if it makes you feel better, I know who he calls, and what he says. But I'm not telling.
I wrote the first part two years ago; it was my first story, and I posted it last year. This year, I posted Pt. II, and I decided to wait another year for Pt. III, only because I like consistency. That's really all it came down to. It's neither malicious intent, nor lethargy.
It's also interesting, because when Pt. III is done, a year from now, I can read all three parts, and see where my writing was, versus where it is now(then).
I'm also looking at the third part a little oddly, because I think I know how it ends. The problem with endings - and that's a whole 'nother entry in and of itself - is that sometimes the characters decide they want to go somewhere else. The story organically creates a different ending than the one I had in mind. More about this in the next part.
I need time for the third part, so that I can find the right ending. Endings are important; they're one of the first things I ponder when I'm writing any story. A crappy ending will always be remembered as a crappy ending, regardless of the first 75% of the story.
So, while I'm looking at all the other stories I've got on the back-burner, I can't see knocking out Pt. III by X-mas '04, but I'll keep it in mind. Don't hold your breath, though. :)
In regards to the theme of Choices, LiS pt. II was about making a choice. Right here, right now, who's he going to choose? There was also the matter of trust. And that, honestly, is where you find pieces of me, scattered throughout the story. No, I haven't had anything like that happen to me, but I'm not good with the trust, and that really shows, I'd imagine.
--
Reflections on Lives Passed
The second story, "Reflections on Lives Passed" originally had an introduction at the beginning; I ended up withdrawing that section, because I felt the story worked on it's own. Plus, I realized I could use it here:
"This story originally started off as a Christmas present for a friend of mine. He and his girlfriend had recently ended a relationship, a la "If you love someone, set them free." It was mutual, and yet obviously heart-breaking. He's had some other problems, so I thought I'd cross the 4th Wall, and try to make a buddy feel better."
So I came up with RoLP, and had a specific ending in mine. Once I got to the last scene, though, I realized I had flip-flopped. I *wanted* the ending to be "Well, sometimes shit happens, but life still gets better", whereas it turned into "Make the right choice, or live with the regret forever".
See, this is where the story took on a life of it's own. Whereas I had spent a year on LiS pt. II, putting it together in my head, this story came together in a matter of hours and days. Typing it took only a few hours. So, this one came together much quicker, and without the rough outline and character sketches I had for LiS.
The ending, that was rough. I _wanted_ to be able to say "Hey, Schwartz, this one's for you." And instead I found myself pounding my head against the wall. I guess I wanted a real Christmas Carol, but didn't get one.
Well, I'll add it to my mental list of "stories I want to write".
The story stands on it's own, well enough. It didn't end where I wanted it, but I like Elizabeth's phone call. And I like how he tortures his son earlier in the story. That's so how I treat my friends. :) It's part "If you love someone, set them free", part Schwartz, part "5 people you meet in heaven", and it ended up with a little bit of me. Not much, just a little.
Once again, Choice rears it's ugly head. Whereas LiS leads up to the choice, RoLP shows the outcome of different choices. There's a bit of 'alternate reality' going on, which is how the dreams and framing sequences are used. He says at the beginning, "no more dreams", because he's dreaming what happened if he had chosen the other path; that's causing him pain because he's dreaming of a _better life_.
He's dreaming "The Path Not Taken", which was the original title of the piece. I wanted something different, so I came up with RoLP. I wanted something "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"-esque.
--
Quiet Moments: Autumn
And then there's Quiet Moments: Autumn, which is here on my 'blog. I fear QM:A has destroyed some of my "Kinky Bastard" street cred. At least, that's based on some of the comments and feedback I've gotten on that piece.
Hey, I'm trying to stretch my creative muscles, okay? :)
QM:A is another look at choices, but whereas LiS leads upto a guy making a choice, and RoPL shows the long-term outcome of both choices, QM:A takes a different stance.
Who cares about tomorrow, when you've got tonight? As I live upstate, I watch the leaves turn, and then fall off the trees in about 6 weeks. It already feels like winter, and yet Halloween was two weeks ago. I love autumn, so it bothers me I don't get much of it, which ties in quite nicely with QM:A :
Enjoy the moment.
--
I'll be back with the last part of Process Stories vs. Stories Processed in a day or so. I want to say a little bit more about choices, and talk about finding the balance between reader intrigue/confustion, and how it that relates to Lost on ABC.
I've got a couple short stories ready to go, too for posting here, which I know some of you will like. That's because they're naughty, filthy stories. And you're all naughty, filthy people.
Me, I'm a saint. Can't ya tell?
S.
--
So, the stories at Literotica are up. If you're someone from Lit who's stopping by to check out my ramblings on the stories, you're in the right spot. Hi, how ya doin'. After this piece, if you scan down, you'll find more short stories. Hope you like.
Part I of Process Stories vs. Stories Processed is here. In that entry, I talked vaguely about the two stories, and I'm going to jump into some more detail here.
Just because I can.
The first story I referred to, "Let it Snow, Pt II" can be found here.
The second story, the one that gave me 'agita', "Reflections on Lives Passed", can be found here.
In case you haven't, you should probably go read them, before going on. I don't want to spoil anything for you.
No, really. It's okay. I'll wait.
I'm patient.
Kinda.
Not really.
...
Okay, moving on.
--
So, I've already started getting feedback on the stories. It's all been pretty positive, except for the guy who said that if it took me "a year to write three pages [I] should quit." That was charming, and made me laugh in a "it's actually 30+ pages, but whatever" kinda way.
These two stories, along with the piece I wrote earlier this week, Quiet Moments: Autumn are all linked by their theme: Choices.
More specifically, the build-up and consequences of said choices.
--
Let it Snow Pt. II
This story was intended to be a cliffhanger, but I've gotten some... um.. vehement e-mail about waiting a year for the next(and last) part. I know, I know... you all want to know who he calls, right? Well, if it makes you feel better, I know who he calls, and what he says. But I'm not telling.
I wrote the first part two years ago; it was my first story, and I posted it last year. This year, I posted Pt. II, and I decided to wait another year for Pt. III, only because I like consistency. That's really all it came down to. It's neither malicious intent, nor lethargy.
It's also interesting, because when Pt. III is done, a year from now, I can read all three parts, and see where my writing was, versus where it is now(then).
I'm also looking at the third part a little oddly, because I think I know how it ends. The problem with endings - and that's a whole 'nother entry in and of itself - is that sometimes the characters decide they want to go somewhere else. The story organically creates a different ending than the one I had in mind. More about this in the next part.
I need time for the third part, so that I can find the right ending. Endings are important; they're one of the first things I ponder when I'm writing any story. A crappy ending will always be remembered as a crappy ending, regardless of the first 75% of the story.
So, while I'm looking at all the other stories I've got on the back-burner, I can't see knocking out Pt. III by X-mas '04, but I'll keep it in mind. Don't hold your breath, though. :)
In regards to the theme of Choices, LiS pt. II was about making a choice. Right here, right now, who's he going to choose? There was also the matter of trust. And that, honestly, is where you find pieces of me, scattered throughout the story. No, I haven't had anything like that happen to me, but I'm not good with the trust, and that really shows, I'd imagine.
--
Reflections on Lives Passed
The second story, "Reflections on Lives Passed" originally had an introduction at the beginning; I ended up withdrawing that section, because I felt the story worked on it's own. Plus, I realized I could use it here:
"This story originally started off as a Christmas present for a friend of mine. He and his girlfriend had recently ended a relationship, a la "If you love someone, set them free." It was mutual, and yet obviously heart-breaking. He's had some other problems, so I thought I'd cross the 4th Wall, and try to make a buddy feel better."
So I came up with RoLP, and had a specific ending in mine. Once I got to the last scene, though, I realized I had flip-flopped. I *wanted* the ending to be "Well, sometimes shit happens, but life still gets better", whereas it turned into "Make the right choice, or live with the regret forever".
See, this is where the story took on a life of it's own. Whereas I had spent a year on LiS pt. II, putting it together in my head, this story came together in a matter of hours and days. Typing it took only a few hours. So, this one came together much quicker, and without the rough outline and character sketches I had for LiS.
The ending, that was rough. I _wanted_ to be able to say "Hey, Schwartz, this one's for you." And instead I found myself pounding my head against the wall. I guess I wanted a real Christmas Carol, but didn't get one.
Well, I'll add it to my mental list of "stories I want to write".
The story stands on it's own, well enough. It didn't end where I wanted it, but I like Elizabeth's phone call. And I like how he tortures his son earlier in the story. That's so how I treat my friends. :) It's part "If you love someone, set them free", part Schwartz, part "5 people you meet in heaven", and it ended up with a little bit of me. Not much, just a little.
Once again, Choice rears it's ugly head. Whereas LiS leads up to the choice, RoLP shows the outcome of different choices. There's a bit of 'alternate reality' going on, which is how the dreams and framing sequences are used. He says at the beginning, "no more dreams", because he's dreaming what happened if he had chosen the other path; that's causing him pain because he's dreaming of a _better life_.
He's dreaming "The Path Not Taken", which was the original title of the piece. I wanted something different, so I came up with RoLP. I wanted something "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"-esque.
--
Quiet Moments: Autumn
And then there's Quiet Moments: Autumn, which is here on my 'blog. I fear QM:A has destroyed some of my "Kinky Bastard" street cred. At least, that's based on some of the comments and feedback I've gotten on that piece.
Hey, I'm trying to stretch my creative muscles, okay? :)
QM:A is another look at choices, but whereas LiS leads upto a guy making a choice, and RoPL shows the long-term outcome of both choices, QM:A takes a different stance.
Who cares about tomorrow, when you've got tonight? As I live upstate, I watch the leaves turn, and then fall off the trees in about 6 weeks. It already feels like winter, and yet Halloween was two weeks ago. I love autumn, so it bothers me I don't get much of it, which ties in quite nicely with QM:A :
Enjoy the moment.
--
I'll be back with the last part of Process Stories vs. Stories Processed in a day or so. I want to say a little bit more about choices, and talk about finding the balance between reader intrigue/confustion, and how it that relates to Lost on ABC.
I've got a couple short stories ready to go, too for posting here, which I know some of you will like. That's because they're naughty, filthy stories. And you're all naughty, filthy people.
Me, I'm a saint. Can't ya tell?
S.
--
posted by The Bastard at 1:06 AM
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