Fic year in review.
Much like last year, I only completed one new fic. So keeping in that same spirit, I'll go ahead and answer the same set of questions.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Woven From Your Brown Hair, 90,082 words. OFC, ensemble cast, a prequel/sidestory to Stubborn Mouths: Humans In Translation.
Summary: Innogen Bashir had always known exactly what she wanted to do with her life. She’d planned it out in early childhood and made sure to do whatever she could to keep everything on that path: pursue design as a vocation, move to London and take a job at a prestigious firm, marry the woman of her dreams and create a body of work that would live on long after her, and to top it off, still have time to go out dancing. That was her plan.
But as the saying goes, when man makes plans, God laughs.
What was my inspiration for this fic? How did it come to me? The biggest initial source of inspiration was Innogen's name. I'd been working on Stubborn Mouths and needed something to call Julian's aunt, and I was prepared to put in a placeholder term and come up with something later. Then, just like that, I knew her name was Innogen. And I became interested in learning about the sort of person who has that name.
As I was working on Stubborn Mouths, I kept thinking about what life for Federation civilians would be like, and what this particular Julian's childhood would have been like. I ended up having enough thoughts to follow through with turning them into a story.
What’s my favorite part of the fic? Innogen's final confessions, both to Julian and to herself. I'd been working my way up to them through the entire fic, and it was a case of having to nail the landing.
What’s the part of the fic I’m most proud of? The worldbuilding of Federation life, and how to be a Jew in the future.
What part of the fic was the hardest for me to write? A lot of Julian's childhood - his tantrums, his meltdowns, burning the letters. Not for technical difficulties so much as having to put myself out there in ways I've never done before in any story I've written. More of this fic was drawn from experience than I'd like to say.
What part of the fic am I still dissatisfied with? Certain parts of Julian's life in San Francisco were fairly plain expository paragraphs because I couldn't think of a better way to get the information across. They're fine, on a technical level, but they still bug me. His description of the medical case actor was originally supposed to be someone who wouldn't admit to suffering from domestic violence, and in retrospect I should have kept that in there - not because it would show how Grim And Gritty the Federation really was, or make any comment on the unchanging nature of humanity, but because if there's reason to lie, that'd still be high on the list. Even in Star Trek.
Who’s my favorite character in the fic? Innogen. I wouldn't have written it if I hadn't enjoyed thinking about how she saw the world.
Were there any major decisions I made about the fic that could have made it go a whole different direction? Not really, no. I had the whole thing pretty well set up before I started writing, and I knew where it was going to end.
Was there anything I only learned about the fic after I had finished it? (themes, motifs, symbolism, etc) There were a lot of hands in the fic - people reaching out and deliberately and carefully touching each other. Which was why I wanted to show Innogen leting go at the very end.
Did anyone in the fic surprise me by doing anything? If so, what? Olivia surprised me by showing up. About two-thirds of the way through the second major drafting phase, I decided Innogen needed a girlfriend. I hadn't planned on her having one at all, but then I thought how it'd be good for her to have some romance in her life. And so, Olivia.
If I had to sum up this fic in a sentence, what would it be? Either "family is the hardest joy there is" or "I know that it isn't right/but be with me tonight."
If I were to rewrite this fic, what would I change? The few things mentioned above that still bug me.
Did any thing about this fic’s reception surprise me? That it got so much attention! A fic of this length, as a prequel to an AU, from the POV of an original female character, with very little connecting it to the major developments in canon, that I've had so many people say they read it, enjoyed it, and had a deep emotional response to it still throws me.
What were my beta’s major comments about the first draft of this fic? That there were a lot of missing parts which I needed to put in there. Moments that couldn't just fall into the gutter, as Scott McCloud would say. She was right about every single one of those times - Julian reaching out to Innogen after burning the letters, Innogen letting Julian into her office after he'd come to live with her - being necessary for the proper emotional development and payoff. So a big round of applause for![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
serrico, for telling me what had to be done.
If I were to write a sequel to this fic, what would it be about? If I were to do one, I think it'd be about Julian's changing attitudes and perceptions about himself, and how he learns to communicate with other people, Human and otherwise. Stubborn Mouths and Woven have been about other people getting to know him; it'd be interesting to write about him learning about the people around him for a change. I'm not sure how I'd do that, but it's what I'd like to try.
If there are any other question about the fic, I'd be happy to answer them.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Woven From Your Brown Hair, 90,082 words. OFC, ensemble cast, a prequel/sidestory to Stubborn Mouths: Humans In Translation.
Summary: Innogen Bashir had always known exactly what she wanted to do with her life. She’d planned it out in early childhood and made sure to do whatever she could to keep everything on that path: pursue design as a vocation, move to London and take a job at a prestigious firm, marry the woman of her dreams and create a body of work that would live on long after her, and to top it off, still have time to go out dancing. That was her plan.
But as the saying goes, when man makes plans, God laughs.
What was my inspiration for this fic? How did it come to me? The biggest initial source of inspiration was Innogen's name. I'd been working on Stubborn Mouths and needed something to call Julian's aunt, and I was prepared to put in a placeholder term and come up with something later. Then, just like that, I knew her name was Innogen. And I became interested in learning about the sort of person who has that name.
As I was working on Stubborn Mouths, I kept thinking about what life for Federation civilians would be like, and what this particular Julian's childhood would have been like. I ended up having enough thoughts to follow through with turning them into a story.
What’s my favorite part of the fic? Innogen's final confessions, both to Julian and to herself. I'd been working my way up to them through the entire fic, and it was a case of having to nail the landing.
What’s the part of the fic I’m most proud of? The worldbuilding of Federation life, and how to be a Jew in the future.
What part of the fic was the hardest for me to write? A lot of Julian's childhood - his tantrums, his meltdowns, burning the letters. Not for technical difficulties so much as having to put myself out there in ways I've never done before in any story I've written. More of this fic was drawn from experience than I'd like to say.
What part of the fic am I still dissatisfied with? Certain parts of Julian's life in San Francisco were fairly plain expository paragraphs because I couldn't think of a better way to get the information across. They're fine, on a technical level, but they still bug me. His description of the medical case actor was originally supposed to be someone who wouldn't admit to suffering from domestic violence, and in retrospect I should have kept that in there - not because it would show how Grim And Gritty the Federation really was, or make any comment on the unchanging nature of humanity, but because if there's reason to lie, that'd still be high on the list. Even in Star Trek.
Who’s my favorite character in the fic? Innogen. I wouldn't have written it if I hadn't enjoyed thinking about how she saw the world.
Were there any major decisions I made about the fic that could have made it go a whole different direction? Not really, no. I had the whole thing pretty well set up before I started writing, and I knew where it was going to end.
Was there anything I only learned about the fic after I had finished it? (themes, motifs, symbolism, etc) There were a lot of hands in the fic - people reaching out and deliberately and carefully touching each other. Which was why I wanted to show Innogen leting go at the very end.
Did anyone in the fic surprise me by doing anything? If so, what? Olivia surprised me by showing up. About two-thirds of the way through the second major drafting phase, I decided Innogen needed a girlfriend. I hadn't planned on her having one at all, but then I thought how it'd be good for her to have some romance in her life. And so, Olivia.
If I had to sum up this fic in a sentence, what would it be? Either "family is the hardest joy there is" or "I know that it isn't right/but be with me tonight."
If I were to rewrite this fic, what would I change? The few things mentioned above that still bug me.
Did any thing about this fic’s reception surprise me? That it got so much attention! A fic of this length, as a prequel to an AU, from the POV of an original female character, with very little connecting it to the major developments in canon, that I've had so many people say they read it, enjoyed it, and had a deep emotional response to it still throws me.
What were my beta’s major comments about the first draft of this fic? That there were a lot of missing parts which I needed to put in there. Moments that couldn't just fall into the gutter, as Scott McCloud would say. She was right about every single one of those times - Julian reaching out to Innogen after burning the letters, Innogen letting Julian into her office after he'd come to live with her - being necessary for the proper emotional development and payoff. So a big round of applause for
serrico, for telling me what had to be done.If I were to write a sequel to this fic, what would it be about? If I were to do one, I think it'd be about Julian's changing attitudes and perceptions about himself, and how he learns to communicate with other people, Human and otherwise. Stubborn Mouths and Woven have been about other people getting to know him; it'd be interesting to write about him learning about the people around him for a change. I'm not sure how I'd do that, but it's what I'd like to try.
If there are any other question about the fic, I'd be happy to answer them.