Somewhere Different Now

Meme time!  First, I'm nabbing the "seven things about my writing process" meme from eponymous_rose  and rosa_writes .  (Cue skeptical cries of "you have a writing process?!?"  Yes, I do. It's just so slow that it rarely results in actual fic.)

1.  Stories usually start with a general concept.  I turn that concept over in my head for a while, thinking of some scenes and plot elements that might happen in that scenario.  Usually by the time I start writing I have the beginning sitting in my head in a fair amount of detail, plus a few key scenes along the way.  The ending and the rest of the middle are generally much vaguer at the start.  This method results in a lot of temporarily stalled and permanently abandoned stories on my hard drive, but I like working things out as I go along.  Outlines are rare and generally made halfway through a story if I feel like I need a better idea of the structure. 

2.  For longer stories, I usually have one or more sources of mood inspiration besides the DW canon.  That inspiration typically gives me my titles as well as some themes or a tone.  For the "Illyria" series it's Twelfth Night.  For "Path of Needles," it's clearly oodles of fairy tales, especially Little Red Riding Hood, plus various works derived from fairy tales.  I'm working on a mostly-done Doctor/Jack story entitled "Mercy of the Fallen" after the Dar Williams song. 

3.  I do much of my writing in coffee shops.  I concentrate much more easily there than at home.  In addition to having caffeine, I think the effort of tuning out the other people focuses me on what I'm doing, plus the time limit of only having so long I can reasonably occupy a table tends to  prod me to get writing and not dither around on the internet.  My bank account doesn't like this habit, but I really am much more productive there than in my apartment.

4.  I edit incessantly as I write.  I've heard that this is a bad habit, but I just have trouble leaving a sentence alone until it's right.  I can sometimes manage to make myself a deal to come back later if I realize that a large section needs fixing.  Generally, however, I like to get things as good as possible before moving on.  Of course I edit even more once I'm done with a draft, but I rarely make large changes in the shape of the story once the ending is in place.

5.  I almost always type my stories rather than writing by hand first.  The ability to move words around easily is invaluable.  While I don't usually create fast enough for it to matter, on those magic days when my muse is in hyperdrive I type faster than I write.  On the rare occasions when I make an outline, however, these are always on paper.  MS Word's autoformatting is a pain in the butt, and if I'm going to have an outline I want to be able to see it without having to toggle between windows.

6.  When I decide I need to cut out or drastically revamp a paragraph or more, I usually paste the original version at the end of the story's file along with other cut snippets.  Knowing that I'm not yet irrevocably getting rid of those words I slaved over gives me the confidence to make bigger changes and try new things.  I rarely put the originals back, but I like having them there just in case I change my mind.

7.  I rarely place in chapter divisions as I write.  Every now and then events will clearly suggest a chapter break (like the moment Rose exploded in "Path of Needles," which was a chapter ending from before I set fingers to keyboard for that story), but usually I treat the story as a whole until the first draft is done.  Once I'm sure how long it is and I know the plot is basically settled, then it's time to divide it and tweak the story accordingly. 

And now, ye olde 30 Days of TV Meme.

Day 27:  Best pilot episode

Eh, most of my favorite shows were not at their best in their pilots.  I remember the pilot of Twin Peaks as being very good, if sad, though it's been many years since I saw that.  Lost had a cool pilot episode that did an impressive job of introducing a lot of characters and some mystery.  However, I think I may award this one to Heroes.  The beautifully shot pilot set up a bunch of intriguing characters.  When I rewatched Heroes S1 (the only season really worth a rewatch) a few months ago, I was astonished at how much happened in the pilot.  By the end of the episode, Hiro has had his "yatta!" moment of teleportation to NYC, Claire's dad is seen to be involved in some suspicious business, Isaac has painted the bomb exploding, and Peter has jumped off a building, only to be caught by Nathan. On first viewing, I was left eager to know more about these people, their powers, and how they could be connected. 

All three pilots I nominated are from shows I stopped watching before their endings.  Apparently a great beginning leads to increased likelihood of disappointing me later. 

Much of the country is having a heat wave.  My foggy spot of the California coast is trying to join in.  Today, it was actually warm enough for me to wear a little sundress all afternoon and into the evening!  There was sunlight and everything!  *parties* 

The molasses cookies I made last night were quite tasty, although some of them got a tad burnt on the underside.  I counteracted the excessive number of cookies in my diet by deciding to start trying to up my fitness by mixing in a bit of running with my walk.  Conclusion:  running is tiring, y'all.  I would make a lousy companion on Doctor Who.  I'd like to try building myself up so I'm not so embarrassingly unfit at anything above a moderate walking pace. We shall see if this determination lasts.

30 Days of TV, Day 23:  Most annoying character
( cut for those not wanting the negativity of this meme entry )

Putting today's post together made my shipper heart very happy indeed.

Thirty Days of TV Meme, Day 20:  Favorite Kiss

( I can't pick just one, so several favorite photos are under the cut! The last one is spoilery for DW "The Big Bang," but there is spoiler space so you can look at the others without seeing the spoiler )

( still to come in the meme )

Today I went in to donate blood, and they asked me if I'd be willing to donate platelets instead.  I decided to give it a shot.  It was a looong time to spend with a needle in my arm.  However, time is something I have plenty of right now, and it seems they were running a bit low on platelets, so I was glad to do it.  In other real life news, if someone in an area where it is way too hot would like to send over 10 or 15˚F, I think we'd both be happier. 

TV Meme, Day 16:  Your Guilty Pleasure Show

When I'm living on my own, I don't watch much TV other than the few quality shows I love, so no real guilty pleasures here.  When I visit my parents, it's a different story.  My dad is likely to flip the TV on just to see what's showing, and I sometimes join him so we can mock whatever bad stuff is on, like Sci-Fi channel original movies.  One really bad show I remember sitting through all the way on several occasions and guiltily enjoying was World's Wildest Police Chases.  It's just a bunch of real police chases with really cheesy, overdramatic voiceovers.  It has the sort of appeal that makes traffic slow down to look at wrecked cars, but with the show you get to see the action.  I'm not proud of enjoying seeing real-world destruction, but if I recall correctly the show stuck to chases where nobody died.

I suppose I also feel a little guilty about my fondness for Crocodile Hunter.  That show I will watch on my own if I notice it on, though it doesn't rerun as often now that Steve Irwin is dead.  The premise of the show is basically "let's go find some animals and grab them!!!  Wooo!!!"  Thoughtful science it ain't.  However, Steve Irwin's infectious enthusiasm for pretty much every living creature on earth was a genuine good thing for promoting conservation and inspiring kids to love even creepy crawly animals.  I only feel a teensy bit of guilt about this show.  


( still to come in the meme )

 Just as Doctor Who is about to be done for a year, I am sadly at the end of available episodes of another show too.  Yes, I finally finished watching Merlin. ( Merlin spoilers through the end of S2 )

Day 14 - Favorite male character

This is another tricky one!  Declaring one a favorite feels like a betrayal of all the other characters I adore.  My preferences tend to shift with time.  I'm tempted just to say that the brief and hilarious appearance of Victopher on Dollhouse pwns all and be done with it.  However, I think I'm going to endeavor to make a choice.  First, let's hear it for some runners-up, in no particular order (and where they can be found):  Fox Mulder (X-Files),  Oz (BtVS), Captain Jack Harkness (your pants), Wash (Firefly), Spock (Star Trek:  TOS), Merlin (Merlin), Victor (aka Tony; Dollhouse), Spike (BtVS), Wilf (DW), Hiro Nakamura (Heroes), Sam Tyler (Life On Mars), Ianto Jones (Torchwood), and many others that I might list if you asked me on a different day. 

Those paying attention have probably noticed that one character is conspicuous in his absence from that list.  My choice for favorite male character is The Doctor. 
( pics and some reasons behind the cut )

Day 9:  Best scene ever

How can I even answer this question?  There are so many scenes that are incredible in different ways.  Even if I confined myself to Doctor Who, I'm not sure I could choose one.  Should I choose the fantastic triumph of Bad Wolf Rose saving the Doctor in PotW?  The sidesplitting hilarity of the time the Doctor got poisoned in Unicorn and the Wasp and had to do charades with Donna to cure it?  The pure joy of "everybody lives!" in The Doctor Dances?  I could go back to Classic Who for Seven's final speech as he walked away with Ace (Somewhere there's danger, somewhere there's injustice, somewhere else the tea's getting cold. Come on, Ace. We've got work to do.)  As painful as it is, the wall scene from Doomsday does an outstanding job of combining acting, music, and visuals to pack a humongous emotional wallop. 

Consider that the best scene might not come from my favorite show and there are oodles more contenders.  The Topher twofer when VIctor got imprinted with Topher's personality in Dollhouse is a masterpiece of comedic writing and acting.  I love Buffy's confrontation with the first slayer in Restless, with her wonderful little speech affirming her life as a person as well as a slayer (I walk. I talk. I shop, I sneeze. I'm gonna be a fireman when the floods roll back. There's trees in the desert since you moved out, and I don't sleep on a bed of bones.)  The finale of "Once More With Feeling" with Buffy and Spike's duet and kiss certainly ranks high.  I could nominate the endless quotability of Monty Python's dead parrot sketch ('E's pining for the fjords!).  How about the beautiful surrealism of River Tam finding the hold of Serenity covered in leaves and picking up a stick, only to have it revealed as a gun? Argh, I am confounded by an excess of brilliant choices!

You know, I think I'm going to be generous with my definition of "scene."  Even if what's come afterward hasn't been perfect, this is still the best scene I've ever witnessed on TV:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Indecision 2008: Barack Obama Wins
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Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

( Meme progress and what's to come )

Continuing to play catch up with this TV meme, have the best and worst of New Who!
( Day Six (Favorite Ep) and Seven (Least Favorite Ep) )

Once again, my narrow viewing habits are problematic.  I haven't watched any shows that just started this season.  I guess I could list Moffat-era Doctor Who as a new show, but given all the Team Rusty vs. Team Moff growling that seems to be going on around the interwebs, I want to emphasize the continuity of DW.  Instead, let me discuss a show that's not new, but which I have just started watching this season:  Merlin.  It's new in the world of my brain, okay? 

( more under the cut )

I am so late to the party that I don't think it's the same party any more.  Well, put on some tunes and call it an afterparty, because I have decided to share the geeky enthusiasm by participating in the 30 days of TV meme.


Day 01 - A show that should have never been canceled

( answer under the cut )