Sunday Small Talk

[jana_denardo]

The talk will be very small this time out as it was not a kind week to the writing. Let's leave it as I started the week needing two doctor's appointments and those lead to the scheduling of three more doctors' appointments. Yeah, a very unkind week.

I did get to go to the North American Festival of Wales and met up with some people from the University of Abersytwyth and maybe I'll get to spend some time there in the future. They were thrilled I gave them a new professor in the story The Light of Winter

I wrote a free story for Chuck Wendig's flash fiction challenge. Even Superheroines Get the Blues. It was based on the challenge the week before where you came up with a new character for people to use. I got luck. Two people used mine. kiramaru7 wrote The Tale of the Green Physician Apprentice and Anna took a darker path here. It was fun to see two very different stories shape up from my character offering.

I'm still making too-slow progress on Blood Red Roulette & Simmer. Wish me luck.

Comments

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

*huggles* I hope this week's better for you! :D

I read Anna's fic! Very dark! It's amazing how your lil character fic inspired 2 completely different take on things!! It's really awesome! :D

Good luck! I totally understand how that feels! *more huggles*

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

It is amazing how different the stories are and that I got two people to bite on that character is great. I'm very happy.

Thanks. seriously it's like just write already

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

You're welcoem! :D

I know, right? :D Awe... I'm glad you're happy about it! :D

You're welcoem! *laughs* I've been telling myself that too. XD

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

I hope you're having more success writing than I am.

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

Thanks, but all I have is a wayward plot bunny hopping around my head. I can't seem to corral him though. XD How about you? Get anything done?

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

nope not really other than I finally named the spirit hunting group and finally gave Ryan and Santino last names

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

It's more than what I have, so it's good. :D

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

huzzah!

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

:D

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

and now using a combination of http://writtenkitten.net/ and http://writeordie.com/ I've gotten over 1,500 words

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

Yeah? Awesomeness!! :D

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

now i'm sitting here worrying about is this scene boring and can I accurately portray people falling in love.

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

Awe... *huggles* I know I like reading things where they take it slow, and... It's hard to explain. *sighs* I do know I don't like it when the characters are like "I love you..." sighs, hearts, & flowers, & then the next paragraph is like hot monkey sex. XD Where you get the sense that they really don't know each other & are only rutting for the sake of rutting.

Do you want to pm me the scene & I'll let you know if it's boring or not?

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

Well I'm of the same mindset. I think that's one of the hardest things to do in a short story, to make the attraction feel real and not rushed.

Thanks. I'll probably just email you over the whole file. I know you saw scene one because I remember you didn't like Mary (well nor should you really) but i don't remember where you left off. whoo hoo senility

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

*nods* Yeah, it really is. That's why I like show different parts of a relationship through a series of short stories, even if I tend to time skip. XD

You're welcoem. Yeah, I remember not liking her when I read that excerpt. XD Well, I've had a couple of concussions in my life, so I get Dory fish moments too. XD I hate it, cuz it annoys peeps, but I can't help it. ^^;

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

yeah i just time skipped Luc and Arrigo's story and I'm still not sure Arrigo seems like he's in love either.

concussions will do that. Every day I get more like Dory

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

*nods* It's a bit harder there, cuz it's a Cinderella story. Hmmm... He's helping Luc cuz when he first sees him, he feels sorry for him, then he's helping cuz he likes him as a person & tells himself that's what friends do, There's some guilt there (cuz of what happened to Luc). He looks out on the strip and wonders what Luc is up to. That becomes worry if he's okay. Maybe he thinks about him & someone calls him on it, maybe Sibhon(sp?). I can see her teasing him about Luc. Some denial, but when Luc gets in trouble, he frets cuz he can't help him as he ahs no clue where he is & he realizes life is just not the same without Luc along with never forgiving himself if something bad happens. It's little things, like a look, a smile, very subtle. I think it works when you show a physical attraction that somehow becomes friendship which deepens into love. Just when it looks like it's not going to work, someone leaves, they have a fight & aren't speaking to one another for a few days & they mope around, cuz they miss them.

Like with Bernd & Amber, he's always liked her without realizing at first that's what it was, since they met as lil kids, but that became a friendship of sorts, and those feels became a crush & sadness on his part when she didn't feel the same way, to spending more and more time together and sharing each other's interests, always being there for the other one & doing things to make the other one happy & worrying about them. He suffers from depression & emotional issues to the point where Amber told him to go to therapy & made him go, even though he hates it. She supports him in his effort & he makes the effort cuz he knows she's right & cuz they love each other. It's something as simple as eating a MoonPie with him, even though she hates them, but he likes them.

Maybe some research watching a couple of Rom-Coms would help. Since you have roughly 2 hours to tell a story with a movie & while things would tend to move a bit quickly, with a book, you can slow down time, by mentioning that days/weeks/months have passed. Take note of how the main characters act towards each other, how their friends react to the fact that they're falling for each other. And watch "Pretty Woman" for an idea of how to do a Cinderella story.

One more thing, if Luc wonders why Arrigo is helping so much that he calls him on it,have him tell him it's cuz he likes him as a person. He's XY &Z, even if luc doesn't believe, given his background. Arrigo's got to work very slowly with him cuz of all Luc's baggage. Arrigo rushing things can work in your favor too, by giving it an up & down feeling to the relationship. things go smoothly & then bang! he's left wondering what he did to scare Luc off, when life tosses them together again. "I'm sorry, I think we can make this work, if we're both willing to try."

I hope that helps...^^;

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

thanks for the help. I appreciate it.

I'll be honest, I can't sit through rom-coms. They are so not my thing. Ironic, isn't it?

You have summed up Luc and Arrigo's relationship very well. I think it'll come to a head in the scene I'm working on now where Luc is in trouble and Arrigo realizes just how worried he is about him.

Also I think Cinderella stories are harder to work in m/m fiction. I see them a lot but I've also seen a lot of male readers saying how they find it unrealistic. Honestly it usually is regardless if it's het or gay so I have to be very careful here with this (and figures I have two other stories with similar lines. Why am I doing this to myself?)

I like your example of Bernd and Amber. One day I'm going to have to start from the beginning of your series and read it.

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

You're welcoem.

*laughs* I'm like that with romance books & yet, what I write is often romance, so yeah. XD

Thanks! Oh good! :D

*nods* That's cuz you're emasculating one half of your pairing. And you're right; they are unrealistic. One thing I hate about yaoi is the whole idea of "seme"/"uke". They're both guys & I'm sure they spice up their love life by switching off for one thing & for another they tend to write as a man paired up with what is basically a woman with a penis & that's stupid & insulting. Yeah, but as long as you're aware of what you're writing & you amke an effort to even things out with your pairing. Just cuz Arrigo can take Luc out for a fancy schmancy dinner, doesn't mean Luc can't treat him to lunch at Del Taco. ;p (or Denny's; there's a new one across the street from the Mirage)

Thanks. If you do read it, starting anywhere is fine, since they're all short stories & take place at various times in their relationship. :D

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

Oh man, you just touched on everything I hate about yaoi. I honestly don't read much of it. From listening to gay men (and I'm glad some of them are open about it otherwise how would I learn) that yes, it's not uncommon to switch off and probably less common to have someone always bottom/always top. I also hate in yaoi the 'he raped me, I love him' and the "no, no no no" means yes themes. Half of what I've tried falls into that. Two of the yaoi (or more likely shonen-ei) that I did like had no sex and more like yes, the characters are gay and let's move on with it (Vassalord and No. 6). I think a lot of times yaoi readers are like some of the readers I was uneasy about, in it for the fantasy sex life.

And yes you're right, Luc can take Arrigo out somewhere cheap. I'm sure he mentioned it at least once and in the latest chapters has decided he needs to take Arrigo out for minature golf and bowling.

oh okay, that makes it easier. is there a timeline for the stories or do you just writer wherever in the timeline?

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

Yeah? XD That's awesoem! Seriously, how are you supposed to learn stuff if no one is open enough to tell you about it? I figured they aren't all that different from het couples. And if you find a position that works, or if you're "lazy" in bed & like your partner to do all the work & they don't mind, then that works for you & you just go with it. :D

I hate that No means Yes/rape thing, but if you understand it's a stereotype that goes hand in hand with a tsundere type character, then it's not so bad. Junjou Romantica I'm looking at you. ;p I think the problem is most of the yaoi readers aren't mature enough to understand that this is just a fantasy & RL doesn't work like that. I like shonen-ai, cuz it focuses on the relationship, where thwy like each other, but we don't see them doing anything, & if we did, it's probably just handing hands or *gasp* a kiss. ;p I've noticed that sometimes if a gay character appears in a series they're played for laughs which again is insulting. *sighs* Why can't we just have people being people? With lil quirks that make them seem real, even if they are archetypes? XD


Nice! I used to go out with this guy who liked to play minigolf! :D


No real timeline, just Bernd met Amber when they were 4, she's got a twin brother James & Bernd used to mix them up. Being that little they seen each other naked & Bernd was just fascinated by the fact that sometimes Amber had a Penis & sometimes not as well as the fact that James also had a removeable one. ;p And as they grew up, Amber & James were like Bernd's best friends & were like part of the family. Amber eventually leaves home & comes to live with them. Bernd's depression surfaced when he was teen & he was in college when Amber insisted on therapy if they were going to have a future together. He's also got abandonment issues as his mother passed away when he was 4 years old, but his father never remarried & for a while a divorced friend of his lived with them along with his children & some foster kids he later adopted. So there's a family unit but an unconventional one. ;p

Any time you're ready to read anything, let me know & I'll hunt them all down for you. :D (No PRESSURE at all to read them!)

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

Exactly, I try to listen. Luckily my publisher has a lot of male authors and I DO listen to them.

That is true about the tsundere characters which I usually don't like (even though that probably matches MY personality more). And yes that's why I prefer shonen-ei and shonen of course to most of the others.

I got expelled from a mini golf course once.

thanks that helps. I think you DID give me that once but who knows where I put it

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

*nods* That's good! :D I'm glad they're willing to talk to you about their concerns.

Aaah... It depends on the character. In Hetalia both England & Romano are tsundere characters. I don't care for England, but I LOVE Romano. XD Although, I tend to like characters that are somewhat loners in nature (which in more like my personality or lovable dorks. XD

Yeah? XD

You're welcome. It's possible, but you look at my tags & click on Bernd & Amber, you get all of them. :D And you did read a few of them. :D

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

me too

This is also true, I like Edward Elric and Rin Okamura so... some of the loners are cool too

My advice, don't break a glass clown eye

oh well that's easy enough to remember and yes i have

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

*nods*

*nods* Yeah. I could never get into FMA as a series, but I do love all the fanficcage I've read about it. *is weird that way* I like Blue Exorcist! That was a good series! :D

I'll try to remember that. XD

*nods* And there's a side story about their friend Denis floating around too. I'm going to name & post these fics. I'll worry about claiming bingo tomorrow. ;p

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

that is a bit odd. The manga and Brotherhood were much better than the original (is biased. I think FMA is one of the best manga I've ever read). Blue Exorcist is fun

haha good luck to you

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

*nods* Yeah. XD A lot of peeps have told me Brotherhood is the better of the 2. It was! :D

Thanks! I was just too tired to post anything, so I think I'll do it in a few. :D

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

it was good

i hear you on the too tired

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

I should give it a try when I'm not so tired. XD

Awe... *huggles* It's hard getting up at 6:15 in the morning when I used to get up an hour later all summer. XD But I did get everything posted. Now for a quick nap so I can make dinner & not burn down the house doing it. XD

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

it took me two tries.

oh yes I'm sure it is. I save that for the spring semester.

good luck.

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

Yeah?

*nods* Aaah... I just can't. I need that nap & Just got up from it & I sooo want to go back to sleep. T.T

Thanks!

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

aw. I can not nap. Naps give me headaches. If I'm napping I'm either sick or beyond exhausted

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

Yeah? I jut start nodding off anyways if I'm tired & didn't take one. XD

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure which is worse

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

Yeah... it really depends. Sometimes nodding off is worse, sometimes waking up form a nap leaves you feeling even more tired. XD

[jana-denardo.livejournal.com]

I hate that more tired than when I laid down feeling which i get almost every time i nap

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

*nods* Me too. Yeah? XD