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Post by Ace on Dec 21, 2006 12:57:19 GMT -5
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Post by Yuliya on Jan 3, 2007 15:35:54 GMT -5
Hey, if I need to go away for everyone to start praising me, I'm game. Somebody talk to my manager. Please, feel free to discuss specifics. Ace, thanks for providing the direct link. One of these days I'll find time and upload the wiped out files, but I think I'll unpack our stuff first.
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Post by Ace on May 25, 2007 12:25:23 GMT -5
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Post by Lauryn on May 25, 2007 12:37:56 GMT -5
Ace, what sharp little eyes you've got! And well-timed, too. Weren't you just lamenting the death, I mean dearth, of Steele fan fiction? And now we can sit back and uncork some of the best. (Someone hacked Xenon's website? Barbarians!)
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Post by Ace on May 25, 2007 13:07:13 GMT -5
I already gobbled it up but who could resist after the opening paragraph:
When the cat was away, the mice were supposed to play. It was tradition. More than tradition - it was immortalised in rhyme. That gave it a status far above a mere saying, and elevated it to little less than a law. And so, with Laura Holt away at a private investigators' convention in Denver, Remington Steele was quite determined that he was going to play. The problem was, he couldn't seem to think of anything to do. Not anything that really seemed worth the effort, anyway; that really seemed to earn for itself the splendid, wonderful, glorious title of true play - of true irresponsibility . Nothing out of the ordinary.
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Post by Lauryn on May 25, 2007 14:24:47 GMT -5
I already gobbled it up but who could resist after the opening paragraph: When the cat was away, the mice were supposed to play. It was tradition. More than tradition - it was immortalised in rhyme. That gave it a status far above a mere saying, and elevated it to little less than a law. And so, with Laura Holt away at a private investigators' convention in Denver, Remington Steele was quite determined that he was going to play. The problem was, he couldn't seem to think of anything to do. Not anything that really seemed worth the effort, anyway; that really seemed to earn for itself the splendid, wonderful, glorious title of true play - of true irresponsibility . Nothing out of the ordinary. Oh, the cruel irony! What will he teach Laura then? Aren't we in luck that Xenon has such a wonderful way with words and with Steele? I'm leaving town for the weekend so I'll probably wait until I get back to read it, because when it promises to be this good, I refuse to rush things.
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Post by Yuliya on May 25, 2007 23:45:37 GMT -5
When the cat was away, the mice were supposed to play. It was tradition. More than tradition - it was immortalised in rhyme. That gave it a status far above a mere saying, and elevated it to little less than a law. And so, with Laura Holt away at a private investigators' convention in Denver, Remington Steele was quite determined that he was going to play. The problem was, he couldn't seem to think of anything to do. Not anything that really seemed worth the effort, anyway; that really seemed to earn for itself the splendid, wonderful, glorious title of true play - of true irresponsibility . Nothing out of the ordinary. Ohhhh! Awwww! Why can't I write like that?!
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Post by Lauryn on May 26, 2007 0:49:26 GMT -5
When the cat was away, the mice were supposed to play. It was tradition. More than tradition - it was immortalised in rhyme. That gave it a status far above a mere saying, and elevated it to little less than a law. And so, with Laura Holt away at a private investigators' convention in Denver, Remington Steele was quite determined that he was going to play. The problem was, he couldn't seem to think of anything to do. Not anything that really seemed worth the effort, anyway; that really seemed to earn for itself the splendid, wonderful, glorious title of true play - of true irresponsibility . Nothing out of the ordinary. Ohhhh! Awwww! Why can't I write like that?! These days I simply ask myself "why can't I write?" But that's another story. Or not. And I'm very fond of your writing, YS, so I hope our mutual writer's block misery is temporary.
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Post by Yuliya on May 26, 2007 11:11:07 GMT -5
These days I simply ask myself "why can't I write?" Lauryn, I'm glad that, unlike me, you're not swimming the dangerours waters of the great Egyptian river infested with crocodiles (or not infested, if one swims below Assuan these days. But that's also another story, and it belongs to the environmental forum.) I like your writing, too, but that's not exactly what I had in mind. My writing tends to be more precise and to the point, without sidesteps, small essays, or even long, but interesting descriptions, and when I once attempted the latter, MJ told me to stop - it was a draft no one else ever saw, but I've always thought my (and a few other's) stories would have been better if they were more fleshed out.
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Post by Ace on May 31, 2007 12:58:30 GMT -5
With Xenon, that seems to be part and parcel of his writing style -- even in his non fiction journal entries. See his MySpace journal -- very very amusing, clever and whimsical. Far be it from me to disagree with the talented MJ but I will -- you shouldn't just stop. Maybe for that particular story or that place in the story more description or embellishment wasn't working or taking away from the main narrative . Maybe at that point as a writer you weren't comfortable enough with it or your writing skills as a whole. A way to get comfortable is to experiment and try things out. If it doesn't fit your personal style, or if it's something you're forcing because you feel it should be there more than it needs to be there your self editor will probably know if it's not really working or just needs more tweaking and refining. Maybe you could play with your facility at writing sidesteps/descriptions etc by writing smaller pieces that deal more with mood, thought and character than storyline. Basically try your hand at a more free form piece. Even in that there is need for precision so it doesn't get too ornate or rambling etc but there wouldn't be any need to cut to the point since the point is the description.
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Post by Ace on May 31, 2007 13:00:36 GMT -5
And a quote I recently read that I think most writers and fans should take to heart:
It is a very strange feeling when one is loving a clock that is to every one of your class of living an ugly and a foolish one and one really likes such a thing and likes it very much and liking it is a serious thing, or one likes a colored handkerchief that is very gay and every one of your kind of living thinks it a very ugly or a foolish thing and thinks you like it because it is a funny thing to like it and you like it with a serious feeling, or you like eating something that is a dirty thing and no one can really like that thing or you write a book and while you write it you are ashamed for every one must think you a silly or a crazy one and yet you write it and you are ashamed, you know you will be laughed at or pitied by every one and you have a queer feeling and you are not very certain and you go on writing. Then someone says yes to it, to something you are liking, or doing or making and then never again can you have completely such a feeling of being afraid and ashamed that you had then when you were writing or liking the thing and not any one had said yes about the thing.
— Gertrude Stein, quoted in "Someone Says Yes To It: Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, and 'The Making of Americans'" by Janet Malcom. The New Yorker, June 13 & 20, 2005.
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Post by steeleinc on May 31, 2007 13:44:43 GMT -5
Come again? Care to translate that quote, Ace? As an editor, I'd have a heyday with it!
Debra
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Post by Ace on May 31, 2007 16:22:02 GMT -5
Come again? Care to translate that quote, Ace? As an editor, I'd have a heyday with it! Debra And make her sound like everyone else? She's far from my favorite writer but that's what makes her uniquely Gertrude Stein. I'd as soon force capitals in ee cummings or add punctuation to the last chapter of Joyce's Ulysses. Ace
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Post by lotsofluck on Aug 19, 2007 13:52:28 GMT -5
I am a devoted fanfic reader, but I am not a writer. I would like to recommend my hot fanfic pick of the week:
[http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/remingtonsteele/fanfic/new/OneNight.html]
Is one of the stories I always go back to and read again and again. It seems to capture Laura's insecurities vs her human needs. I like the way it is presented. You see why I am not a writer, I cannot find the words to describe it, I just recommend you read it.
I have always been a reader of classic literature, sci-fi, romance, trash, instructions, anything. But now that I have begun reading RS fanfic, I have almost lost interest in anything else. I almost do not have the patience to read through character development, none of that is needed in RS fanfic, I know the characters. Does this make me a fanfic junkie?
By the way, I used to have a web site listed in my favorites, Magnifying Glass. It was an RS fanzine with articles and fanfic by various authors, but my link does not work. Does anyone have a link to this great stie?
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Post by Ace on Aug 19, 2007 14:57:15 GMT -5
Alas The Magnifying Glass as a site was taken down by it's creator last year. Some of the stories are printed elsewhere like on Nancy's Kreb's Files. I tried using Web Archive (http://web.archive.org) but the site is blocked from being searched. I saved most of the stories there, if there are any you remember by name or specific content I could e-mail them to you if I could find them. This is why I download all stories I find, sites tend to fold up or go missing.
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Post by Lauryn on Aug 20, 2007 13:21:39 GMT -5
I am a devoted fanfic reader, but I am not a writer. I would like to recommend my hot fanfic pick of the week: [http://www.angelfire.com/fl3/remingtonsteele/fanfic/new/OneNight.html] Is one of the stories I always go back to and read again and again. It seems to capture Laura's insecurities vs her human needs. I like the way it is presented. You see why I am not a writer, I cannot find the words to describe it, I just recommend you read it... Yay! Thumbs up! The Hot Fanfic Pick of the Week thread isn't dead yet. That story from Laura's perspective, One Night Steele, does seem very real. I could see Laura thinking that if she could just sustain the "one night stand" illusion she could have the pleasure she'd so long denied herself with him without the risk. It does smack of desperation to try to turn this mental trick. She can compartmentalize with cases, so why not this? Maybe it's possible to seal off her heart. And not worry much about her lust object's feelings either. You get the feeling that, in order to take the leap sexually, she wishes, by some mental magic, she could perpetually re-set the clock to a consequence free zone before they really knew and were tied to each other. She could have made this kind of purely carnal play with him very early on in the first season, but it becomes untenable fairly quickly. Maybe in "Steele Your Heart Away" she might, had Xanadu and the watch not interrupted, have taken a tumble with the Steele who didn't have a past, or a past with her. Handcuffs might have made it a bit tricky. Or do I mean kinky?
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Post by Ace on Aug 20, 2007 13:35:23 GMT -5
Handcuffs? Both The story is very good and the stream of conscious effect works very well. It also does seem very real and true to Laura's need to compartmentalize and control and her confusion when she's unable to. Unfortunately that also means Steele gets squashed like a bug. As much as I appreciate the attempt to humanize Laura and her confusion and how well it's done, I read this story (and others of similar tone) and my advice for Steele is "You poor bastard. Run away! Run away!". (though to be fair sometimes that's my reaction when watching the show. )
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Post by Lauryn on Aug 20, 2007 13:55:19 GMT -5
Handcuffs? Both The story is very good and the stream of conscious effect works very well. It also does seem very real and true to Laura's need to compartmentalize and control and her confusion when she's unable to. Unfortunately that also means Steele gets squashed like a bug. As much as I appreciate the attempt to humanize Laura and her confusion and how well it's done, I read this story (and others of similar tone) and my advice for Steele is "Run away! Run away!". LOL!! Do I hear the clip-clop of coconuts? I haven't read "One Night Steele" in a while but I remember Laura does seem ashamed, but even that is focused on what a mess she's made of things and how hard it is to face Steele now after how she's acted than in wondering about how he feels. On one level it seems like an omission, but on another, that the psychology is truer that we might like to think.
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Post by Ace on Aug 20, 2007 14:16:27 GMT -5
LOL!! Do I hear the clip-clop of coconuts? Only as a response to the clip clip of coconuts.
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Post by Lauryn on Aug 20, 2007 14:25:13 GMT -5
LOL!! Do I hear the clip-clop of coconuts? Only as a response to the clip clip of coconuts. Too late! We should have offered some of these to the RS soundmen. As for the One Night Steele story, forgive me if my take on the psychology makes Laura sound so self involved. It's just that in this situation I think she is. There's so much of an emotional hump to get over (pardon the expression) for her to be with Steele sexually that it almost has to be "all about her."
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