She's Baa-aaack...
Aug. 25th, 2008 04:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
frameofmind6Holy crap -- classes start in a week. Time flies, eh?
Well anyway, my cousin's wedding was lovely, and the singing went well. Of course, I was criticizing myself for all the little things I was doing wrong the whole time I was up there, but based on the number of strangers I had coming up to me at the reception telling me what a lovely voice I had and asking about my training and professional ambitions, it seems that most of those things were not audible to the untrained ear. That was a relief. The truth is that I've been studying this so intensely for so long that I honestly can't tell sometimes what other people will be able to hear and what they won't. As I sat down after the prelude, I was sincerely nervous that I hadn't done a good job. But the only person who had anything critical to say was my grandfather, and that was that I was looking down at my music too much (*grin*). And if you knew him, you wouldn't be surprised -- he's a music person (he's directed choirs, attends a lot of concerts, and he translates books and gives lectures on Grieg), and he's also very precise and perfectionistic. Once on a family ski trip he offered me and each of my cousins ten dollars if we could avoid using the word "like" incorrectly while in his presence. Unfortunately it sort of backfired, because we all just ended up avoiding him for fear of getting caught (*grin*). He still picks on me for it, but I just come back at him with the justification that to add the word "like" weakens the certainty of a statement in the same way that such words/phrases as "about" or "somewhat" or "possibly" do -- to simply remove it would be to change the meaning of the sentence. For example, if you say, "I got up at like six in the morning," the person listening knows that you are making an approximation (or possibly an exaggeration, depending on your inflection), and not stating an exact time. If you say, "I got up at six in the morning," the sentence sounds much more authoritative, and any room for approximation or exaggeration is lost.
(*nods sagely*)
I love Grandpa... (*grin*)
Anyway, it was a quick trip, but a nice one. Oh, and I actually had a really nice conversation with my uncle on the way to the airport. He's one of the ones I sort of avoid sometimes, since we have a few...conflicting beliefs (he's pretty right wing), and I'm afraid of accidentally saying things that will offend him or spark awkward questions. (Once, when I was sixteen or seventeen, I mentioned in an email to my extended family that my mom and I had gone to see a play called Boston Marriage, which was about a lesbian couple in I think the early 1900s, and he replied with a somewhat disapproving note suggesting that an intelligent girl such as myself should occupy herself with more appropriate material, or something to that effect. Yeah. So I have to be kinda careful...) But he's really a nice and funny guy -- I forget that sometimes. I like him, as long as we're not talking about politics or morals or values (*grin*). And he's an introvert like me (not to mention a pretty successful guy, career-wise -- he works in stocks), so he had some nice insights into the whole quarter-life-crisis thing (finishing college, getting a job, figuring out what to do with your life, etc.) given that perspective...
So...yeah. Now that that's all taken care of, I can start worrying about the coming semester. Gotta figure out what I'm going to sing for the fall auditions...
On a completely different topic, here's the author meme. I love this one!! (*grin*) I think I officially stole it from Forthy, but I've seen it a couple of different places, so I can't be sure...
3. What do you think you're best at (genre, style, theme)?
Romantic comedy (*grin*). It’s just where my mind lives. I like stories that center around character relationships (usually romantic, but not necessarily), that find their drama and depth through character exploration and small truths, that have a sense of humor about life and situations, and that ultimately resolve in a satisfying and optimistic manner. That’s where I’m most comfortable, and I think it’s where I’m at my best.
4. What would you like to be better at?
A lot of small things. Working action into scenes and plots—not necessarily explosions and gunfire, but movement, activity. Things like cleaning up the kitchen or playing in a baseball game. I sometimes get so caught up in what characters are thinking and saying and how they’re relating to each other that I forget to have things, like…happen (*grin*). I could use some more patience as well. I’m always tempted to jump ahead to the “good parts” in the story and short-change all the important stuff in between.
5. Which of your works do you think best represents you as a writer?
Of the oneshots, Good Dog. Of the multi-chapter stories, probably Playing With Fire—at least at the moment. It’s where I am right now, so it’s what I am right now. But a few months ago I would have said it was Absence, so I guess it’s a fluid thing for me…
6. What's your favorite story you've ever written?
See answer to previous question (*grin*). Actually, I might be tempted to put Kaede’s Story on that list too—there are a lot of things I really like about that one. And I don’t think Absence is really a contender for my absolute favorite—but again, a few months ago I would have said it was…
7. What's your favorite scene/chapter you've ever written?
Well, for a long time it was the “With or Without You” scene from Alter Ego. That was one of those scenes where I thought it up before I even started writing the story, and I wanted to get it exactly right. I’m not so crazy about it anymore though. There’s this one scene near the end of Missing in Action that I’m pretty proud of, but mainly just because I managed to find a nice balance between conversation and stage business (it’s a relatively minor scene in which Miroku and Sango are arguing while walking among the shelves of a storeroom collecting various supplies). But my favorite? I’m not sure. Maybe the scene where Kagome makes her final decision in Absence? Or the one with Inuyasha’s haori. Or the one where she’s talking to the dog…
8. What's your favorite passage or line you've ever written?
Off the top of my head, the last line of Internal Dialogue (it wouldn’t make any sense out of context—you’ll have to read the story if you want to know what it is). For humor, at least. It was one of those ones where I was reading over the story for the last time right before posting it, and it just came to me out of the blue—the perfect cap. For seriousness, probably this one from near the end of Kaede’s Story (sorta spoilers if you haven’t read it—and anyway it probably won’t make complete sense out of context, but what the hell…): “I slid sideways to curl up on the grass, resting my head on my arms and blinking slowly, sleepily into the darkness. Jiro was there somewhere in the space before me, lying beside me and stroking my hair with gentle fingers. A little smile crossed my face, and I let him lull me gradually into a deep sleep.”
9. Have you ever written something that you found really upsetting, that you almost couldn't bring yourself to write?
Sort of. I wrote an AU oneshot really early on where Inuyasha hit Kagome and then tried to kill himself by jumping off a bridge. That was a downer. Didn’t do a great job of it though—probably because it didn’t really make any sense for him to do either of these things (*grin*). But I was going for something edgy and dark, and it sort of collapsed on itself (this was before I realized I had a sense of humor. I wrote a few rather melodramatic things during that period, some more successful than others). I also wrote a drabble just a few months ago in which a pre-Kikyo Inuyasha contemplates suicide. That was tough, but oddly enough I felt really good when I finished it—sort of a catharsis kind of thing. And I’m actually pretty proud of how it turned out. I feel like it really captures the essential hopelessness that drives one to that point, without getting melodramatic or angsty (as I am wont to do with such things). It’s very dry and matter-of-fact.
10. Which (if any) of your works represents a departure from your usual style, you taking a risk and trying something new? Do you think it worked?
13. List the projects you're working on right now or have coming up in the near future.
Well anyway, my cousin's wedding was lovely, and the singing went well. Of course, I was criticizing myself for all the little things I was doing wrong the whole time I was up there, but based on the number of strangers I had coming up to me at the reception telling me what a lovely voice I had and asking about my training and professional ambitions, it seems that most of those things were not audible to the untrained ear. That was a relief. The truth is that I've been studying this so intensely for so long that I honestly can't tell sometimes what other people will be able to hear and what they won't. As I sat down after the prelude, I was sincerely nervous that I hadn't done a good job. But the only person who had anything critical to say was my grandfather, and that was that I was looking down at my music too much (*grin*). And if you knew him, you wouldn't be surprised -- he's a music person (he's directed choirs, attends a lot of concerts, and he translates books and gives lectures on Grieg), and he's also very precise and perfectionistic. Once on a family ski trip he offered me and each of my cousins ten dollars if we could avoid using the word "like" incorrectly while in his presence. Unfortunately it sort of backfired, because we all just ended up avoiding him for fear of getting caught (*grin*). He still picks on me for it, but I just come back at him with the justification that to add the word "like" weakens the certainty of a statement in the same way that such words/phrases as "about" or "somewhat" or "possibly" do -- to simply remove it would be to change the meaning of the sentence. For example, if you say, "I got up at like six in the morning," the person listening knows that you are making an approximation (or possibly an exaggeration, depending on your inflection), and not stating an exact time. If you say, "I got up at six in the morning," the sentence sounds much more authoritative, and any room for approximation or exaggeration is lost.
(*nods sagely*)
I love Grandpa... (*grin*)
Anyway, it was a quick trip, but a nice one. Oh, and I actually had a really nice conversation with my uncle on the way to the airport. He's one of the ones I sort of avoid sometimes, since we have a few...conflicting beliefs (he's pretty right wing), and I'm afraid of accidentally saying things that will offend him or spark awkward questions. (Once, when I was sixteen or seventeen, I mentioned in an email to my extended family that my mom and I had gone to see a play called Boston Marriage, which was about a lesbian couple in I think the early 1900s, and he replied with a somewhat disapproving note suggesting that an intelligent girl such as myself should occupy herself with more appropriate material, or something to that effect. Yeah. So I have to be kinda careful...) But he's really a nice and funny guy -- I forget that sometimes. I like him, as long as we're not talking about politics or morals or values (*grin*). And he's an introvert like me (not to mention a pretty successful guy, career-wise -- he works in stocks), so he had some nice insights into the whole quarter-life-crisis thing (finishing college, getting a job, figuring out what to do with your life, etc.) given that perspective...
So...yeah. Now that that's all taken care of, I can start worrying about the coming semester. Gotta figure out what I'm going to sing for the fall auditions...
On a completely different topic, here's the author meme. I love this one!! (*grin*) I think I officially stole it from Forthy, but I've seen it a couple of different places, so I can't be sure...
1. What was the first fic you ever wrote? (picture you drew, manip/vid you made - sub in your form of expression for all questions).
Ah—that would be a seven-chapter, 18,000-word little ditty called Fortune’s Fool. A complete train wreck, by the way—read it if you’d like a laugh (always gives me one). It’s still up on ff.net, if only for the sake of nostalgia. That one was a Ranma ½ fic though—my first one for Inuyasha (the first one I started, that is) was Missing in Action—a hell of a lot longer, and slightly less of a train wreck, but it definitely has its problems…
2. What's your most recent work?
Aside from the occasional drabble or oneshot, my main project at the moment is an AU romantic comedy called Playing With Fire. I haven’t written a full-on rom-com since Alter Ego, which I finished about four years ago—and that one hasn’t aged particularly well for me, so I thought it would be fun to take another shot at the genre in the full-length format.
2. What's your most recent work?
Aside from the occasional drabble or oneshot, my main project at the moment is an AU romantic comedy called Playing With Fire. I haven’t written a full-on rom-com since Alter Ego, which I finished about four years ago—and that one hasn’t aged particularly well for me, so I thought it would be fun to take another shot at the genre in the full-length format.
3. What do you think you're best at (genre, style, theme)?
Romantic comedy (*grin*). It’s just where my mind lives. I like stories that center around character relationships (usually romantic, but not necessarily), that find their drama and depth through character exploration and small truths, that have a sense of humor about life and situations, and that ultimately resolve in a satisfying and optimistic manner. That’s where I’m most comfortable, and I think it’s where I’m at my best.
4. What would you like to be better at?
A lot of small things. Working action into scenes and plots—not necessarily explosions and gunfire, but movement, activity. Things like cleaning up the kitchen or playing in a baseball game. I sometimes get so caught up in what characters are thinking and saying and how they’re relating to each other that I forget to have things, like…happen (*grin*). I could use some more patience as well. I’m always tempted to jump ahead to the “good parts” in the story and short-change all the important stuff in between.
5. Which of your works do you think best represents you as a writer?
Of the oneshots, Good Dog. Of the multi-chapter stories, probably Playing With Fire—at least at the moment. It’s where I am right now, so it’s what I am right now. But a few months ago I would have said it was Absence, so I guess it’s a fluid thing for me…
6. What's your favorite story you've ever written?
See answer to previous question (*grin*). Actually, I might be tempted to put Kaede’s Story on that list too—there are a lot of things I really like about that one. And I don’t think Absence is really a contender for my absolute favorite—but again, a few months ago I would have said it was…
7. What's your favorite scene/chapter you've ever written?
Well, for a long time it was the “With or Without You” scene from Alter Ego. That was one of those scenes where I thought it up before I even started writing the story, and I wanted to get it exactly right. I’m not so crazy about it anymore though. There’s this one scene near the end of Missing in Action that I’m pretty proud of, but mainly just because I managed to find a nice balance between conversation and stage business (it’s a relatively minor scene in which Miroku and Sango are arguing while walking among the shelves of a storeroom collecting various supplies). But my favorite? I’m not sure. Maybe the scene where Kagome makes her final decision in Absence? Or the one with Inuyasha’s haori. Or the one where she’s talking to the dog…
Okay, I like a lot of scenes from that story (*grin*). Oh! Or the plane scene from Playing With Fire—that one was so much fun to write. Actually, all of their bickering scenes are fun to write…
Have I actually chosen a scene yet? I don’t think so—hm. Have to get back to you on that…
8. What's your favorite passage or line you've ever written?
Off the top of my head, the last line of Internal Dialogue (it wouldn’t make any sense out of context—you’ll have to read the story if you want to know what it is). For humor, at least. It was one of those ones where I was reading over the story for the last time right before posting it, and it just came to me out of the blue—the perfect cap. For seriousness, probably this one from near the end of Kaede’s Story (sorta spoilers if you haven’t read it—and anyway it probably won’t make complete sense out of context, but what the hell…): “I slid sideways to curl up on the grass, resting my head on my arms and blinking slowly, sleepily into the darkness. Jiro was there somewhere in the space before me, lying beside me and stroking my hair with gentle fingers. A little smile crossed my face, and I let him lull me gradually into a deep sleep.”
9. Have you ever written something that you found really upsetting, that you almost couldn't bring yourself to write?
Sort of. I wrote an AU oneshot really early on where Inuyasha hit Kagome and then tried to kill himself by jumping off a bridge. That was a downer. Didn’t do a great job of it though—probably because it didn’t really make any sense for him to do either of these things (*grin*). But I was going for something edgy and dark, and it sort of collapsed on itself (this was before I realized I had a sense of humor. I wrote a few rather melodramatic things during that period, some more successful than others). I also wrote a drabble just a few months ago in which a pre-Kikyo Inuyasha contemplates suicide. That was tough, but oddly enough I felt really good when I finished it—sort of a catharsis kind of thing. And I’m actually pretty proud of how it turned out. I feel like it really captures the essential hopelessness that drives one to that point, without getting melodramatic or angsty (as I am wont to do with such things). It’s very dry and matter-of-fact.
10. Which (if any) of your works represents a departure from your usual style, you taking a risk and trying something new? Do you think it worked?
Kaede’s Story. Actually, in a way I guess that one was sort of a return to the style I always used to aim for when I first started out—but with a lot of newly acquired skills under my belt. It’s a longish oneshot written in the first person (I almost invariably write in third, often with multiple perspectives) and centered around a minor character (the vast majority of my works revolve around Inuyasha and Kagome), and it’s generally more serious—not much overt humor, and it has a bit of a dark side. Not “darkfic”dark, mind you—but it’s definitely less than sunny in certain places…
Oh! And then there was that yaoi drabble I wrote for iyhed a week or so ago. That was definitely a departure (and a relatively successful one it seems. Who woulda thunk it…? *grin*).
11. Who's your favorite character to write? Who do you think you write best?
Inuyasha, on both counts. I often find myself gravitating towards Kagome as a protagonist (particularly in AUs), but I think that’s just because she’s a woman—it’s a familiar perspective for me, so it’s easy to use her as my window into the world of the story. And I really love writing Miroku’s quippy, one-line observations—he’s great for when you need a bit of sophisticated comic relief or a dash of perspective in a ridiculous and/or melodramatic situation. But bottom line, Inuyasha would have to be my favorite. I love writing him when he’s being grumpy and difficult, love him when he’s oblivious and confused, love him when he’s acting tough, love him when he looks completely ridiculous, love him when he’s bitter and damaged, love him when he’s vulnerable (those rare occasions), love him when he’s scared out of his mind (and trying desperately not to show it)—and perhaps most of all, when he’s finally getting his shit together (and still sorta bungling things anyway). I just feel like I really get him—and he gives me so many options in almost every situation. He’s a riot…
12. Name five things that typically characterize your work.
Humor, Romance, Internal Conflict, Banter, and Kisses (*grin*)
11. Who's your favorite character to write? Who do you think you write best?
Inuyasha, on both counts. I often find myself gravitating towards Kagome as a protagonist (particularly in AUs), but I think that’s just because she’s a woman—it’s a familiar perspective for me, so it’s easy to use her as my window into the world of the story. And I really love writing Miroku’s quippy, one-line observations—he’s great for when you need a bit of sophisticated comic relief or a dash of perspective in a ridiculous and/or melodramatic situation. But bottom line, Inuyasha would have to be my favorite. I love writing him when he’s being grumpy and difficult, love him when he’s oblivious and confused, love him when he’s acting tough, love him when he looks completely ridiculous, love him when he’s bitter and damaged, love him when he’s vulnerable (those rare occasions), love him when he’s scared out of his mind (and trying desperately not to show it)—and perhaps most of all, when he’s finally getting his shit together (and still sorta bungling things anyway). I just feel like I really get him—and he gives me so many options in almost every situation. He’s a riot…
12. Name five things that typically characterize your work.
Humor, Romance, Internal Conflict, Banter, and Kisses (*grin*)
13. List the projects you're working on right now or have coming up in the near future.
Playing With Fire is the big one, but I’ve got drabbles and things in progress for my two collections (Under the Influence, which has an alcohol theme, and Random Inspirations, which is just what the title suggests). I’ve also got a couple of oneshots that have been finished and posted to LJ coms, but that I want to edit some more before I put them up at ff.net—and a few other things that are basically finished, but still have missing pieces. Oh—and I’ve got sort of a loose sequel/companion piece to Kaede’s Story called The Monks of Murasame, centered around Miroku’s family. That one’s more or less planned, and a few scraps are written, but who knows how long it will be before I pull it together. And then I’ve got one about Inuyasha’s childhood (beginning with Izayoi’s death)—that one’s planned as well (probably a bit more clearly than Monks of Murasame), and the first few pages are written, but that’ll be awhile too. Oh! And just the other day I sort of picked up this idea I started working on a year or two ago, called Ginta and Hakkaku Are Dead. I would really love to finish that one this time around—but it’s really tricky to write (if you’re familiar with the namesake, you can probably guess why… *grin*). Here’s hoping…
14. How do you think your writing has changed since you first started (in the fandom specifically, for those of you who do this for a living too)?
Dramatically, I hope. I’ve uncovered my sense of humor and learned to trust it, and especially to use it to balance out my melodramatic tendencies. My technical skills are much better (grammar, spelling, formatting, etc.), I’ve gotten better at serving the characters rather than trying to make the characters serve me, I’ve become more attuned to subtleties of tone, point of view, etc. My vocabulary has gotten better, my sentence structure and sense of verbal rhythm has gotten tighter—and dialogue! Oh my, I used to be absolutely dreadful at dialogue. When I started out, my writing was a lot heavier on the narrative end of the spectrum—now I’ll often find myself getting so caught up in the conversation taking place between two characters that I have to just write out all the dialogue first, and then go back and add in tags (so people don’t get lost), stage business, blocking, expressions, context, etc. So yes, I think I’ve improved a lot—but I think that says more about how bad I was when I started (nearly five years ago—my anniversary is coming up in December) than how great I am now (*grin*). There were a lot of things to improve upon…
15. Describe yourself as a writer in five words or less.
Long-winded, witty, impatient, safe…entertaining?
16. Links to any archives or websites where you have your work.
14. How do you think your writing has changed since you first started (in the fandom specifically, for those of you who do this for a living too)?
Dramatically, I hope. I’ve uncovered my sense of humor and learned to trust it, and especially to use it to balance out my melodramatic tendencies. My technical skills are much better (grammar, spelling, formatting, etc.), I’ve gotten better at serving the characters rather than trying to make the characters serve me, I’ve become more attuned to subtleties of tone, point of view, etc. My vocabulary has gotten better, my sentence structure and sense of verbal rhythm has gotten tighter—and dialogue! Oh my, I used to be absolutely dreadful at dialogue. When I started out, my writing was a lot heavier on the narrative end of the spectrum—now I’ll often find myself getting so caught up in the conversation taking place between two characters that I have to just write out all the dialogue first, and then go back and add in tags (so people don’t get lost), stage business, blocking, expressions, context, etc. So yes, I think I’ve improved a lot—but I think that says more about how bad I was when I started (nearly five years ago—my anniversary is coming up in December) than how great I am now (*grin*). There were a lot of things to improve upon…
15. Describe yourself as a writer in five words or less.
Long-winded, witty, impatient, safe…entertaining?
16. Links to any archives or websites where you have your work.
This would be the main one: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/510938/FrameofMind
I don’t think there’s anything posted elsewhere that isn’t also posted there, but if there is, there are links on the bio page…