Posting is still underway at i_reversebang, so hop on over for some great Inception art & stories!

I've posted 3 stories so far (with a fourth to come). They are:
Après-ski - Arthur/Eames AU
Proteus - Arthur/Eames Canon
Verity - Arthur/Eames AU

Three wildly different tones and settings, but I'm happy with how they all turned out.

Also, on a different note: a list of 22 writing rules from Pixar. Good stuff.

Written for insearchtion

This is a meta on the kink of AUs. It begins with a definition of the terms alternate universes and alternate realities, continues a discussion of the appeal of both, and concludes with a couple of recs.


I. Definitions
Alternate universes can be roughly defined for the purpose of this meta as a ‘what if’ scenario. What if characters were swashbuckling pirates. What if the characters lived on the moon. What if they worked as gas station attendants. Generally speaking, the characters are taken from their roles in canon and transplanted into new settings.

Alternate realities can be used as a term which refer to a specific subset of the ‘what if’ scenarios in which the universe and characters are largely the same except for one (or more) significant deviations from canon. Examples of this can include: Mal incepted Dom rather than the other way around. Arthur is the forger instead of the point man. Ariadne never joins the team. Ultimately, the canon world of Inception stays mostly the same except for the differences generated by the author's deviation from canon.

II. The Appeal
A large part of the appeal of AUs is getting to read about well-liked characters living under different circumstances and leading different lives. Seeing Robert & Saito get a happy ending in a space opera can be a different experience than reading about two random characters because the reader is invested in Fischer & Saito's well-being from the get go. Fans are generally like seeing what Yusuf and Ariadne and the rest of the gang get up to in moments that aren't covered by the film, so reading about them in different contexts can be enjoyable.

AUs can also be a way to explore different facets of the characters. Stories that make Eames a musician or an artist explore the creativity and imagination necessary to do his canon job as a forger. Stories that make Arthur a lawyer or an accountant can explore his attention to detail and his strong work ethic. Stories that make Cobb an architect can explore what sort of man he might be in happier circumstances.

There is also the appeal, of course, of bringing canonically dead or unavailable characters back to life and exploring what they might have been like outside of dreams. What was Mal like as a person and not simply a vengeful shade? What scenario could have ever made Fischer Senior and Junior reconcile with each other? Who was Fischer Senior when he was alive and healthy--as a business tycoon he was probably a vibrant and charismatic man, able to build energy empires within a lifetime. His wife died when Robert was quite young--what would their lives have been like if she’d lived beyond his boyhood?

With an AU, there’s a chance to drill down and really focus on a particular character, or set of characters and their interactions. It can be a way to explore character nuances in a setting that’s more familiar for an author, easier to flesh out, or just plain fun to write.

AUs can also be a way of avoiding some of the darkness of the Inception universe and its characters if an author wants to. For example, it’s difficult to come up with a way to bring the entire team back together without handwaving certain difficult truths: Yusuf and Cobb both betrayed the team, which made both Arthur and Eames angry--Eames enough to quit the job and sit out. Arthur might have enough personal loyalty to Cobb to continue working with him even after a betrayal like that, but it’s difficult to imagine Eames simply signing up again without any reservations--especially given that the stakes can turn out to be so unexpectedly high. With an AU setting, none of those canon wrinkles have to be sorted out before a plausible scenario of a team-fic can be created.

III. Recs
A story that really demonstrates what can be done with an interesting Alternate Reality is In Medias Res by starlingthefool, who inverts all the roles in the movies. Mal is the extractor tormented by a shade of Cobb, Arthur is the forger, Eames the Point Man, Yusuf the Architect, Ariadne the Chemist, Fischer the client, and Saito the mark. It's a fascinating exploration of the ideas and world fo the movie.

Of Monsters by jibrailis is a story that plays with the mythology of dreams and the world of Inception, emerging with a riveting portrayal of Yusuf as a dream-eater and Mal as the shade who manages to will herself into the waking world. It’s a really fascinating take on both these characters and who they might be.

1. Tom Hardy photo of the day, courtesy of recrudescence:

2. An interesting post on how the enemy of joy is coolness:

[R]ather than embracing our impulses toward joy, we worship cool, a tendency that acts like a “joy police” to tamp down uninhibited displays and enforces this restraint with humiliation and ridicule... The extent to which joy and coolness are opposed is striking, even if not really surprising. Joy is inclusive and embracing; coolness is detached and superior. Joy is energetic and abundant; coolness is muted and scarce. Joy is warm, and coolness is well, chilly. Coolness is a rigid code of self-control that thrives in a climate of judgment, while joy is at its purest before we learn to judge. At its root, coolness is a status-conscious system, while joy is non-hierarchical, oblivious to rank and prestige.

I think the joy and sharing of joy is often a large part of the appeal of fandom. In the regular world, it can be uncool to be "too into" certain things, while fandom at its best can be focused around positivity, creativity, encouragement, and happiness in creation.

3. More of my getyourwordsout meme on the Sex Bucket List Story:
02 Describe the world that the story happens in (use photos or graphics if you want)

The answer to this one is pretty short: it's set in the Inception world shortly after they finish the the inception job. So pretty much in canon.

03 Explain the main basis of the plot

The short version is that Eames comes up with a sex bucket list and recruits Arthur to help him carry it out. What the story's actually about is much more complicated--much like all my novels, really. It's about aging, the consequences of our actions, family, relationships, fear, vulnerability, communication, intimacy, meaning--and of course, sex with strangers on trains.

04 Your favourite character to write about and why

I'd say that Arthur is, in some ways, easier for me to write mostly for dialect reasons. I'm American, and my accent is pretty similar to Arthur's within the movie, so I've given him a similar class and regional childhood background.

Eames is more challenging because he is British, and cultural differences influence everything from his vocabulary and sentence structure to the food he eats. Additionally, within my story, he is 41 years old, which I am not, and he's gone through a slew of life experiences that are vastly different than my own. However, in spite of those differences and the added challenge (am still looking for a Brit-picker, btw, if anyone is interested in volunteering) I really enjoy writing Eames and trying to wrap myself into a worldview that is both striking similar and different from my own. Sometimes it's nice to be forced to step outside of myself completely when writing a character.

05 Your favourite part of the story

There is a chapter where someone from Arthur's past comes back into his life with a blaze of light and glory. I like it because it generates a lot of conflict between this person v Arthur and this person v Eames and Arthur v Eames, but I also like it because it reveals so much about Arthur's past.

It's an OC, which I love writing, and I hope this OC jumps off the screen in particular. I look forward to seeing reader responses, as I suspect this OC will engender some very strong ones.

1. Tom Hardy image of the day:


2. If you haven't heard about Camp Nanowrimo, it's basically the summer version of the regular Nanowrimo in November. You pledge to write one 50,000-word novel from scratch in a month’s time.

Writing begins 12:00:01 AM on June 1, and again on August 1. To be added to the official list of winners, you must reach the 50,000-word mark by 11:59:59 PM on the last day of the month. Once your novel has been verified by our web-based team of robotic word counters, the partying begins.

I won't be signing up since the last thing I need is to start yet another novel (heh) but if you've been toying with a novel idea and November doesn't work for you, it might be worth signing up.

3. One of the things I love about Groupon is the hilarious and irrelevant/irreverant blurbs they include at the bottom of each deal. Today one of them was a Groupon Guide to: Writing a Novel

With the economy in its current state, the most fiscally responsible plan of action is to quit your job to write a novel for teens that adults will read. Here, then, are all the bones that make up the skeleton of a good novel:

Narration - Your book will need a narrator. Your book can be…
1st Person Perspective: Told from the point of view of the first character you come up with
3rd Person Perspective: Told from the point of view of the weakest of three triplets
Swear-word Thomas Perspective: Told from the point of view of town character, Swear-word Thomas

Inciting Incident - Your book needs a moment that starts off the story. It can be when…
The mayor declares being in love illegal in this proud Space Station
The family needs someone to fetch Lilly’s medicine from the capital, but Pa’s in the ground and Ma’s got the Fester Leg. Looks like it’s up to bookish little Tabitha Greenwood!
The tornado gains sentience and a hatred of humanity after colliding with the computer factory

Plot Structure - Your book needs a plot structure. It can be…
We learn about the characters in their pleasant if boring lives until the bad thing happens. The main person is sad about the bad thing but resolves to change it. They try to have some success but then something related to the main person’s main flaw makes the bad thing way worse than ever. Then something even worse happens. The main person wants to give up but through the power of not giving up fixes the bad thing and falls in love with the person they overlooked in favor of the hot person who turned out to be bad or neutral. They are happy in the end.
Nothing Else

An About the Author Photo - Your About the Author photo should contain at least three of the following:
Unkempt Hair
Black Turtleneck
Typewriter (symbolizes writing)
A Rocky Beach
A Labrador
Thick Eyebrows

Written for insearchtion, this is a meta on the kink of Role-Playing, beginning with a definition, a discussion of themes or ideas that can be explored in role-play, and concluding with a brief analysis of the unique possibilities of role-play within a fandom like Inception.

I. What is role-playing: When one or both partners (I'm going to refer to two partners in a consensual sexual roleplay for ease in this meta, though theoretically a roleplay could involve many more people in different configurations) takes on a persona for a certain amount of time, often involving or leading to sexual activity.

Examples include: pretending to be teacher/student, cheerleader/jock, strangers meeting for the first time, pirates. There are specialized kinks that may be considered offshoots of general roleplay which have their own considerations and parameters including: daddykink, infantilism, ponyplay, etc.

Kinky sex--in general--can be a way of demonstrating the level of trust and intimacy between two characters. Depending on the sex act, a character may be leaving themselves highly vulnerable to their sex partner, physically or emotionally. They may be showing sides of their personalities they fear being judged or shamed for, parts of their personality they feel are ugly or weak or otherwise negative in some way. When a partner embraces those aspects of a character’s personality without judgment, it can speak to closeness, affection and deep connection. It is a powerful thing to feel as though one’s flaws/idiosyncracies are accepted (and loved) as well as one’s strengths.

II. Themes or ideas that can be explored through role-play:
1. Role-playing can be a way to express secret desires in a ‘safe’ way. Because there’s a layer between the person taking the action (the role), plausible deniability can be at work: I don’t want to be spanked, I was just acting out a role as a rebellious student. I don’t want to fuss over someone and tuck them in at the end of the night, I’m just acting out my role as a daddy. If a particular couple has a specific set of roles they return to time and time again, initiating that role-play may be a shorthand way of one character expressing a desire for a particular act or series of acts without having to directly vocalize the request.

2. It can also be about expressing different parts of one’s personality, aspects that may be otherwise hidden. A more tender part, a more insecure part, a more outgoing part--whatever it is. An example in the form of cross-dressing/dressing up: I want to feel pretty and delicate in ruffles and lace, or, alternatively: I want to feel strong and authoritative in combat boots and fatigues. I want to feel adventurous like a cowboy, or I want to feel innocent and overwhelmed like a virgin. Role-playing gives characters a context to try on different costumes and identities in a safe and limited way.

3. Lastly, role-playing can be interesting to read/write because it’s a chance to explore character in unusual ways--to go beyond the surface of how a character usually presents him or herself. In spite of the fact that the characters are ostensibly taking on a 'role,' the deeper characterization lies in what roles they choose to take up and how they approach those roles. Why did they choose this particular scenario to act out above all others? Why are they doing it? What does it reveal about them? What does it reveal about the relationship between the characters engaging in the role-play? And how does the role-play experience change the relationship of the characters engaging in it? Does it?

III. Role-playing in Inception:
Role-plays in the context of dreamshare can be especially potent because of the potential to change appearance beyond clothing/dress (in the case of Eames) or dramatically alter setting to fit a role-play. You can imagine yourself as gladiators in front of a thousand cheering projections, or in a high school locker room surrounded by sweaty jocks. The possibilities are endless.

One of my favorite role-play stories in Inception is Take What's Yours And I'll Take Mine by recrudescence, which reveals so much about Eames the man as well as his backstory and his youth, and his relationship with Arthur.

Role-play stories can make for fascinating character studies that are several layers deep--in more ways than one.

Written for insearchtion, a brief meta on Mal, things to consider when writing her, and pitfalls to avoid:

I. What is known:
One of the trickiest parts about writing in Inception is that almost all of the characters, excluding Cobb and perhaps Fischer, exist more as broad archetypes rather than clearly defined individuals. Every actor in the ensemble brings their own quirks and a spark of life, but the characters are all essentially painted with broad strokes, and chiefly defined by their roles on the team. Arthur, the meticulous and well-dressed Point Man. Eames, the mercenary, changeable Forger. Ariadne, the wide-eyed Architect still excited by the possibilities of dreaming, and the gateway for the audience into the world of Inception. Mal is no exception, though the audience’s view of her is even more skewed from the get go.

There are very few things that are conclusively known about the Mal. She was French; she was the daughter of a dream-sharing architect and Cobb’s mentor, Miles; she was married to Cobb; she was the mother of two young children, Philippa and James; she lived in Los Angeles in a house with Cobb; she was incepted by Cobb, and grew to believe that reality was a dream that only death could free her from.

Things to consider when writing Mal:
Beyond that, all the audience sees of her is the projection in Cobb’s head. Though he may have known and loved her very well, it seems unlikely than any projection could ever encompass the totality of a person as they were in real life--love can often file down the rough edges, conveniently forget the foibles, excuse glaring flaws. A lover’s memory can also fixate on the high points: someone at their most alluring and glamorous, as opposed to how they look rolling out of bed, or at the end of a long day.

Even in the movie that sort of distortion is demonstrated: in the opening sequence set in Saito’s party, Mal is a femme fatale in a skintight dress and heavy makeup. In Cobb’s actual memories, such as her playing in the sand with their children, or the ones set in their house in LA, she is less aggressively sexualized and more of a normal, relaxed woman. She’s still beautiful and fashionable, but her clothing is no longer skintight and the makeup is much less dramatic.

Beyond remembering to differentiate between an idealized version of Mal and the real one, there’s also the problem that her projection represents Cobb's guilt and gnawing self-loathing, which warps her appearances in the movie even further. The real Mal would probably not come up with a million and one ways to brutally murder everyone who enters Cobb’s mind, nor would she cavalierly torture Arthur (if his comment about her being lovely is to be believed). But leaving out ‘psychopath’ and ‘sadist’ still leaves hundreds of possible interpretations of what she could be like.

Introverted or extroverted? Cobb’s opposite, or his reflection? Humble and sweet or arrogant and dismissive? Romantic or someone more practical and down to earth? Someone mostly content with their family life or desperate for a way out? Someone nurturing and good with children or someone who had to force her way through dozens of childrearing books and still sometimes feels lost when holding a baby?

Pitfalls to avoid:
There are any number of ways that an author might choose to go with Mal, and all of them could be plausible if crafted with care and thought. The most important thing to remember when writing her, however, is not to fall into stereotypes. Mal already has so many good qualities established in canon (her intelligence, the fact that she inspired warm regard from her husband and Arthur, her beauty, her love for her children) that it’s important to give her faults, or otherwise she will read as a totally boring and unrelatable character. Give her flaws, as well as goals and motivations separate from the male characters surrounding her, and readers will be as excited to read about her as a writer is to write about her.

1. I'm trying a new format: here's today's Tom Hardy photo of the day:



Did that get your attention? ;)

2. I wrote another brief Arthur/Eames PWP inspired by Jiggle's arms. It's about 2,500 words and pretty fluffy. Would anyone be interested in beta reading?

3. An interesting article on the positive social effects of reading fiction. I'm not sure if I agree with all of the conclusions the authors draw, but interesting all the same: Why Fiction is Good for You

Excerpt: "The psychologists Mar and Keith Oatley tested the idea that entering fiction’s simulated social worlds enhances our ability to connect with actual human beings. They found that heavy fiction readers outperformed heavy nonfiction readers on tests of empathy, even after they controlled for the possibility that people who already had high empathy might naturally gravitate to fiction. As Oatley puts it, fiction serves the function of “making the world a better place by improving interpersonal understanding.”

It's been a while since I've done a meta post on writing, so I thought I'd try to tackle a topic that is near and dear to my heart: editing. And more specifically within that: the beta process.

Having worked with a double digit amount of betas over the course of my time in fandom (at least 30 different individuals) and beta read a fair amount of stories myself, I think I have enough data-points to be able to articulate some of the trends I've seen, as well as what I think makes for a good beta experience in general. In this post, I'll give a brief overview of my writing process and then I'll talk about what I believe the function of a beta is. In a few days, I will probably post a followup entry discussing what makes for a smooth, positive, & helpful beta experience on an author's end.

I. My writing process:
To start, I'll just lay out a simplified version of how my writing process works since I'll be using my own experiences as examples, and it's best to be clear at what stage I usually bring betas in so I can distinguish them from what I call 'alpha readers' (who are also helpful, but serve a different and distinct function for me as an author).

When I get an idea for a story, I create a detailed outline before I begin writing. I then write a rough draft and during this stage, I have people I call alpha readers (or cheerleaders, as they're sometimes known) read over what I've written to give me their immediate feedback on how it's coming together. They will usually offer general reactions (emotions, thoughts, whether they're enjoying it) and then I will ask them specific, targeted questions about areas in the story that I am concerned about (what do you think about the characterization of X, or the dynamic between X & Y, how did you feel when Y did this thing). Alpha readers do no proofreading, no edits, and generally don't offer suggestions either--they exist purely for me to get a sense of whether what I've written so far will work for a reader as I've intended it.

For a more concrete example: I write a scene that is intended to be sad. The alpha reader gives me feedback on whether it actually reads as sad, or is unintentionally hilarious, or conveys no particular emotion at all. Based on their feedback, I can go back and revise, or make course corrections for the rest of the story. I may also discuss planned plot twists or scene sketches with alpha readers in abstract terms, just to work through ideas and get their thoughts. My alpha readers are almost always different people from my beta readers.

After I've written the draft, I do 5-10 revision passes on my own of the entire draft. This means I read through the draft 5-10 separate times for issues like: flow, pacing, line edits, typo fixing, and continuity. I try to present as clean a copy to my beta team as possible (that is, free of typos).

After the betas go through and make their corrections/suggestions, I make all necessary changes and rewrites. If the rewrites are significant, I send it back to the team and we go back and forth until everyone's happy. I will usually do another 2 revision passes over the entire story, and then finally post.

As you can see, my writing process is lengthy and the bulk of it is dominated by editing in some form. If I were to break it down into percentages, here is how much time spent is in every stage: 20% outlining/planning the story, 40% writing the story, 40% editing what I've written or doing re-writes.

II. The Function of a Beta Reader
At the most basic level, a beta reader is another set of eyes passing over a story draft which will catch issues like typos, SPAG errors, and other mechanical problems. Beyond mechanics, a beta reader can also provide detailed feedback and critical analysis of the higher level aspects of a story: flow, pacing, plot, characterization, theme, and so forth. Will all betas be able to provide both? No. What I've found is that any given beta will be stronger at one or the other, and there will be a wide range of skill.

There are several dimensions in which a beta can be skilled, but I will limit my discussion to the following categories:
1. Proofreading - ability to notice and catch errors in a text such as typos
2. SPAG - understanding of grammar/punctuation rules, and I'm going to throw in here breadth of vocabulary as well
3. Critique - Ability to correctly identify problems and articulate them in a way that is helpful to an author
4. Writing Analysis - familiarity with the tenets of storytelling, familiarity with a particular genre's conventions/rules, familiarity with topics like theme and story structure

1 & 2 - Proofreading and SPAG abilities are what most beta readers in fandom have to offer. They are the skills most easy to develop as an amateur given enough time, patience, and interest in reading. For example, most native speakers of a language can tell when a sentence "feels" grammatically off and articulate that ("this sentence reads a little weird") even if they can't say what the exact issue is (ex: comma splice, sentence fragment, improper semi-colon usage). An author who is still shaky on the basic mechanics of writing/grammar should definitely enlist a beta who is at least competent in these areas. Even authors who do have a firm grasp of SPAG can benefit just from having a second set of eyes catch typos and easy to miss mistakes.

I should note that finding someone who is truly excellent at proofreading and spotting subtle typos is extremely rare. Most people can spot the big stuff: a sentence with grammar that is totally off, the odd misspelling. But things like comma placement, subject-verb agreement, and stray plurals can be all too easily missed when an author is reading and sees what they intended to write instead of what's actually written. When I work as a beta reader myself, I'm only okay at this, not excellent. That's why when I run across a beta reader who is excellent I hang onto them for dear life.

3 - The ability to accurately identify and articulate a problem within a piece of writing is something that may not seem intuitively obvious as a skill, but is perhaps the most important for a good beta reader to have. Within the context of SPAG, this can be easy: either a word is spelled correctly or incorrectly--there is no room for debate. But within the context of problems that are less obvious than a misspelled word, it becomes much more difficult.

For example: think of the last movie you watched that you disliked. Imagine someone were to ask you: what exactly did you dislike about the movie? Can you articulate the root of the problem? Was the dialogue was poorly written? Was the acting wooden? Were the characters thinly drawn? And so forth. If you can identify exactly what aspects of the movie you disliked, do you have any suggestions for how it could be improved? What lines of dialogue would you change? How would you go about making the story less predictable?

It's easy to say a movie or story is 'bad' or 'boring' but it's much harder to pinpoint what makes it so. Is it because a story's pacing is off? Is it because there's too much dialogue that doesn't advance the story? Is it because the plot developments are so predictable the reader already knows everything that is going to happen before it does? Even if one can correctly diagnose the problem, it's important to be able to tell the author in a way that doesn't shatter their confidence (if they have a fragile ego, which many do) and helps them improve. Ideally, a beta wants to see the story become the best it can be before posting, and for the author not to give up writing completely after the endeavor.

To expand on the last point: many authors have easily bruised egos, especially when they first start writing and probably aren't very good yet. All authors have to start somewhere, and very few write inspired fiction right out of the gate. Part of being good at critiquing is understanding where an author is in terms of skill level and confidence, and tailoring critiques to communicate most effectively with that author. If someone's got 20 years, 3 novels, and plenty of experience with other betas/editors under their belt, they've probably developed a thicker skin than the newbie writer who is scared/excited to post their first 1,000 word fanfic. A beta shouldn't communicate with one the way they'd communicate with the other. A newbie who doesn't receive encouragement, support, or understanding with regards to their early attempts may not continue writing, and if they don't continue writing, they'll never become the author with 20 years, 3 novels, and plenty of experience under their belt.

I know that I personally started out writing the badficciest badfic around, and that all the betas I've worked with over the years gave me the encouragement I needed to keep writing and improving. It's no exaggeration to say that all of their comments and feedback have led me to become the writer I am today.

4. A beta with the ability to analyze writing and stories thoughtfully is helpful only when an author has a firm grasp of SPAG, the mechanics of writing, and the basics of storytelling. If an author is still having problems mastering the basics, they're better off sticking with a proofreader/SPAG fixer until they improve sufficiently. Writing analysis is also only necessary when a story calls for it; a PWP, for example, doesn't typically require a deep understanding of theme.

Writing analysis is usually most helpful when combined with the ability to effectively critique. The more familiarity a beta has with the common weaknesses in fiction or the conventions of a genre, the more ability they have to effectively point out and critique those areas. Note that formal schooling is not the only way to develop the ability to analyze writing well--reading extensively in a particular genre, for example, may result in someone internalizing all the rules and conventions of that genre well enough that they can help an author trying to write in the genre. For example, someone who reads a ton of mystery novels can help authors who are less familiar with the genre avoid writing plot "twists" that are already cliches.

Being a good beta reader isn't easy, and each beta has their own strengths and weaknesses. There is a reason why professional critics and editors get paid to do what they do.

More on how to get the most out of a beta reading process as a writer in a few days.

1. Did my check-in for getyourwordsout. Wrote about 20,000 words this month: 8000 of the Sex Bucket List and 12,000 for Gangstermoll = 20,000 total. So that, combined with my previous months' totals, means I have crossed the threshold into 100,000 words written this year so far. Yay!

2. And here are links to some meta I've been meaning to post on putting aspects of yourself in characters:

1) Use your experience and emotions, but don’t make them yours.
2) Give the character one of your traits twisted a bit sideways.
3) Don’t let your connection to the characters limit your imagination.
4) Remember that non-attractive traits have a place—and not only in your villains.
5) Remember that not everything has to go in a story.
6) Not all of it has to be conscious.
7) Use the bits of yourself to map out other character traits

3. Meta on writing emotions:

1) Go for description of emotions, but not clichéd description.
2) Learn to distinguish between grace note emotions and emotions that should be followed up on.
3) Don’t use the “But she was in shock!” bit to excuse every lack of an emotional reaction.
4) Don’t go for reactions that would be out of character given that particular person’s history, no matter how “moral” they are.
5) Don’t give a character a “cool” reaction just to be cool either.
6) Try to regard every character as a complete person in and of himself or herself, with a rich emotional life.

And a followup list:

1) No single tears - If the author hasn't done a good enough job of describing the character's emotions, tears are a gaudy string of pearls around an empty moment.
2) Your character should always be your character, even in the midst of extreme situations.
3) Study common physical and emotional responses when confronted with a strong sensation.
4) Don't rely on the "muddle of emotions" to get you out of describing every situation..
5) Many adult characters are inexplicably teenage about emotions, and especially emotional confrontations.

1. Since everyone on my flist has been abuzz with Avengers, I finally decided to get caught up on my superhero pop culture and watch the following movies:
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (already watched the first one)
Iron Man 1 & 2
Captain America - probably my favorite out of all of them.

The only ship I felt even slightly compelled to write was JARVIS/Tony and JARVIS/Steve. I can't get enough of bittersweet robot love, apparently.

2. Am working on the next part of Gangstermoll and the next part of the Sex Bucket List. I didn't realize the latter would move so slowly; every time I think I've got everything figured out, a new wrinkle in characterization crops up. Eames & Arthur are mighty complicated mind criminals.

3. One of the most thought-provoking posts I've read on that difficult to define concept of authorial 'voice': What is a Writer's Voice

Your writer’s voice is the expression of YOU on the page. It’s that simple—and that complicated. Your voice is all about honesty. It’s the unfettered, non-derivative, unique conglomeration of your thoughts, feelings, passions, dreams, beliefs, fears and attitudes, coming through in every word you write. Voice is all about your originality and having the courage to express it.

One of the most common problems with fiction by new authors is the lack of a unique voice on the page. How is this possible? You are unique. You can’t help it, you just are. You aren’t exactly like anyone else. How, then, are you failing to express that on the page?

I think it’s because most of us spend our lives presenting to the world anything and everything except who we really are. We present images of who we want to be. We show the world what we want them to see. We expend lots of energy upholding our facades, and in the process, we can lose touch with our true, unique selves. Many of us are afraid of real, total, gut wrenching honesty.

1. Gangstermoll Act III Part 2a (try saying that three times fast) is off to the betas! The last part I posted was in, good god, November, but to be fair, I was traveling during December and churning out 40,000 words worth of musical culinary romance in the form of Amuse-Bouche during January. I also spent the better part of February and March working on the Sex Bucket List story. So, I have been writing. Just on different projects.

So I clocked in at 80,000 words total for my March getyourwordsout check in, which is about 40% of my 200,000 words this year goal. I wrote 5000 for the Sex Bucket list and 10,000 for Gangstermoll this month and am hoping to get another 10,000 banged out (perhaps another part of Gangstermoll?!).

2. Three excellent talks by John Cleese on creativity: Creativity is not a talent it's a way of operating


His five factors for increased creativity:

1. Space (“You can’t become playful, and therefore creative, if you’re under your usual pressures.”)


2. Time (“It’s not enough to create space; you have to create your space for a specific period of time.”)


3. Time (“Giving your mind as long as possible to come up with something original,” and learning to tolerate the discomfort of pondering time and indecision.)


4. Confidence (“Nothing will stop you being creative so effectively as the fear of making a mistake.”)


5. Humor (“The main evolutionary significance of humor is that it gets us from the closed mode to the open mode quicker than anything else.”)

1. I'm currently searching for one or more alpha readers/cheerleaders. This can be distinguished from a beta reader in that you won't be doing edits/corrections, but will instead be reading lots of drafts of my works in progress and providing feedback to me on the characters, how the plot is unfolding, and so forth. As implied by the cheerleader title, you should also enjoy my writing, want to talk to me about it, and be willing to read/have read everything that I am currently working on. What I need is positivity and encouragement in the early stages of writing my numerous works in progress. Volunteers would be greatly appreciated.

Stories that I am actively working on:
-Gangstermoll (This Thing of Ours)
-Sex Bucket List (There's got to be a morning after)
-Digestif (coda to Amuse-Bouche, set after Aperitif)
-Starving Artist Eames/Investment Banker Arthur (Until January, low priority)

2. Kurt Vonnegut on how to write a great short story:

1. So I wrote about 3000 words yesterday and edited at least 5000 more. It feels like not a lot because it was spread across several of my WIP's (Gangstermoll, Pop AU, Sex Bucket List) but any progress is good progress. It's just slow going when my attention is divided across several long form projects. I need to buckle down on my SPN Reversebang Steampunk story anyway, but it's good to be caught up on the others.

2. A nice list of 25 quotes from authors: 25 Insights on Becoming a Better Writer. I think the most valuable ones are about being brave enough to write badly--sometimes overcoming writer's block is about the willingness to write really crappy crap with the understanding that no one has to read it, and you can always delete or edit it later. But you can't break the block if you don't write at all.

3. Tomorrrow's snippet will be from the long-languishing AU, Until January, wherein Eames is a starving artist and Arthur is an investment banker.

Today's snippet is a short one from the Popstar AU. Arthur's just been offered a job as Eames' bodyguard, which he takes, and he has to inform his previous employer and the girl he's been guarding, a singer called Krystyl.


"Oh, Arthur," Krystyl says as she throws her arms around his waist. "I'm going to miss you."

"No you won't," Arthur says as he hugs her back. "I'm old and crochety and never understood any of your text messages."

"But that's why," she replies, craning her head back to look at him. "You don't kiss my ass like everyone else does."

"Yeah, well." He steps back and ruffles her hair. "I don't kiss anyone's ass. You're no exception."

She smiles. "I know. And I hope you have fun on tour with Eames. I hear he's cool underneath the meat kilt."

"I don't even know where to begin with that sentence," Arthur says. "Now get out of here. I need to pack and you need to use the twitters to facebook your tumbling."

1. I feel like a proud meta matchmaker for helping to inspire as charming a fic as Life Among Islands by wldnst, an AU based on the movie The Holiday, as suggested by laria_gwyn. It's lovely and sweet, and brings back fond memories of hanging out on a beautiful beach in Hawaii, so if you haven't read it yet, you really should. Inception AU, Ariadne/Yusuf & Arthur/Eames.

2. dream_holiday, which is an Inception holiday fic/art exchange, is now open for signups. I won't be participating myself, but it might be fun if you enjoy exchanges.

3. I've embedded below a Youtube video of a pretty decent seminar/talk on story structure. There's a pretty basic outline that the speaker discusses, and he uses movie/story examples in various genres to illustrate his points (The Matrix, Pride & Prejudice, The Tell-tale Heart, Lord of the Rings). It's a decent watch if you are interested in writing something longer or plottier, and want a jumping off point for understanding the bare bones of structuring a story. It's nothing new or revolutionary, but it is a good basic jump point. His structure outline is as follows:

-Hook (what sets the story in motion and gets the audience interested)
-Plot Turn 1
-Pinch 1 (he defines this as 'pinching' the protagonist, which is basically piling on more conflict to force the characters into action)
-Midpoint
-Pinch 2 (more conflict to again force the characters to action)
-Plot Turn 2 (he defines this as the final key to unlocking the resolution, or basically the last element needed to make the resolution possible)
-Resolution

1. Query to my flist: I have a couple of dresses that no longer fit on top, but have lovely and adorable bottom halves that do fit and would make lovely skirts. I have read do it yourself articles say one can cut apart the dress and transform it it into a wearable skirt, which is what I want to do with these dresses. However, I lack the skill, energy, and time to tackle this sort of project, but would really love to figure out a way to get it done. Is there somewhere I can go to find someone with the skills to do this? Online or off? I'm willing to pay some money to get this done. Ideas?

2. I'm not a huge fan of Chris Evans yet (though I hear he's an up and coming actor) but this photo is just spectacular. The curve of that ass, mmm:



3. A really interesting meta on class issues in Supernatural. Definitely worth a read if you watch the show, I think.

1. Here's a pretty excellent meta that's a 101 primer on how to mod a challenge. The focus of the meta is exchange challenges, but most of the advice is broadly applicable. There are a few points I disagree with based on my own experience, but on the whole it is an excellent place to begin if you ever want to start up a challenge or volunteer to mod for one at some point. What's covered in the post:

1. What you should be prepared to do when modding a fest
2. Sign-up forms & rules
3. Deadlines & length requirements
4. Organization; advice on matching with an eye on smaller fests
5. Check-ins & mod visibility/contact
6. Extensions, pinch-hitters & emergencies
7. Etiquette & behavior
8. appendix: terminology

2. A related post where the commenters discuss what factors influence them in deciding whether to join a challenge/fest/fic exchange or not, ranging from schedules to, interestingly enough, who the moderators are.

For me, the number 1 deciding factor is the timeline. I have a busy schedule and there are some months of the year I know are consistently busy/difficult for me to write during, so I have to work around those times. I also don't like having lots of challenges due around the same time; I need space in between to dedicate to each writing project as they come due.

After the timeline, I look at the rules and the wordcount requirement. Generally, wordcounts aren't an issue for me in that I can write in excess of 5-8,000 words in a day if pushed, and most of my writing tends towards the long side anyway. But wordcounts are relevant in helping me determine what sort of story idea to develop for the challenge, how long it might take me to write it, and whether there are any rules or conditions that will affect what I might write. For example, in a fic exchange I would never write anything dark or with a sad ending; an exchange is simply not the place for it. For a Big Bang, I have more leeway, but I need to keep in mind that the story idea I decide to write should be one that will have some visual appeal for an artist, otherwise no artist will pick my summary to work with.

If it's something with an exchange or collaborative component like a Big Bang or Reverse Bang, I also consider who the other sign ups are. If there doesn't seem to be anybody I know or want to work with signing up, or if none of my friends are signing up, I may not join up. I pretty much will not ever sign up for an exchange/collab type challenge if the sign ups are secret.

Who the mods are may influence me in some cases--if it's a friend running the challenge, I am much more likely to sign up. If it's a mod who I'm familiar with (either we worked together before or I participated in a challenge they ran), then whether I sign up will be strongly influenced by my previous experiences with that mod. If they were positive ones, I'm much more likely to participate in a challenge with them on board. If it was negative, then the odds are extremely low I'll sign up and deal with them again. For really large challenges like Reverse Bangs or Big Bangs, the moderators probably won't matter to me because they're such big fandom events and usually the only ones of their kind in the fandom, unless we're talking a juggernaut fandom like SPN or HP where there are separate BB's for different parts of fandom.

Dealbreakers:
-Posting timeframe doesn't fit in my schedule.
-Secret sign ups in exchanges/collaborative type challenges.
-Confusing/vague rules. If the rules aren't clearly stated, that is a glaring red flag to me that the challenge is going to be poorly organized and run. It also means that it's likely the mods haven't clearly figured out all the rules or thought about the contingencies, which means that the first time a curve ball comes up, there's probably going to be modly chaos. I'm too busy to participate in something where the people running it can't figure out how to get it together.
-Mod I've had a bad experience with, whether in modding with them or participating in a fest they've run.

1. Am writing more Gangstermoll. It's going well, and I may have a preview scene up soon!

2. A few interesting links:
A Podcast on the Credit Card Black Market - really fascinating piece by NPR on the online buying/selling of CC numbers. Good reading for anyone who writes in fandoms dealing with such things (Inception, SPN maybe, if you pretend Sam is some kind of super hacker).

A related NPR Podcast on Bitcoin, which is a new digital currency favored by hackers (amongst other legitimate users).

Excerpt: Bitcoin is a new kind of currency. But unlike, say, the dollar or the yen, it's not backed by any government. Also, you can't hold it in your hand or put it in your pocket; it exists only on computers. Bitcoin is supposed to be cash for the Internet age — anonymous money that anyone can use without using a credit card or going through a bank.

3.

The community for anything Hikaru Sulu. Be it fic or icon, het or slash, AOS or TOS... All Sulu-centric fanworks are welcome.

1. I'm contemplating joining Inception Big Bang again, as it'd be nice to have a hard deadline and be forced to finish a story within that time (not to mention the beautiful art and chance to work on an artist on something). However, I don't have any ideas currently that seem to be about the right length--that is, from 15,000 words to about 30,000 (a novella, I guess). I've been surfing the prompt post but nothing seems to be jumping at me except a Persona 3/4 crossover (which appears to be claimed, but are second claims of the same idea allowed?)

Alternatively, I've been considering trying my hand at writing a rom-com. They're not really my style, but I think it'd be an interesting exercise to write something in the genre and follow the relatively stringent rules of the category. I've written stories in other genres as experiments before and they've always been very fascinating experiences (fairy tales, horror, science fiction, etc). The problem is, I'd need to find a rom-com movie I feel works for the characters of Arthur and Eames since I'd prefer to write them as rakish and charming in some echo of their movie self as opposed to, say, shy high school kids.

Any ideas, f-list? Any rom-coms you've really been jonesing to see Arthur and Eames in?

2.
Round 2 of the inception_bang has started!
All pairings/genres are welcome, 15,000 word mimimum for fics.

FAQ | Prompt Post

Sign Ups: Author | Artist | Track Two | Beta



3. An interesting meta on writing angst. The essay defines angst-fic very narrowly, but it brings up a lot of interesting points.

Excerpt: angst is about compromise. The standard angst story structure is that the character wants something, probably something that they shouldn't want, and must thus struggle with both their own desire, and the obstacles to it. Through these struggles, they change. The nature of what they want alters, or what they're prepared to do to get it grows beyond the point where they might initially have drawn the line, or they change so much that when they get it, they don't want it any more anyway. In some way, the 'protagonist' is changed by his struggle - he compromises himself - and this is where the angst lies.

The angst must spring from the protagonist. He must be an active participant in his own tragedy. Otherwise it's just bad things happening to him, and that's not angst. It's plain sad.

1. Meme time: Give me the fandom (that I've written in), pairing and title of a fic, and I will write you that fic's first sentence.

Pairings: Arthur/Eames, Arthur/Fischer, Kirk/Sulu, Chekov/Sulu, Dean/Castiel

2. A useful essay on revising a longer story (a novel, or something sufficiently complex and lengthy enough to have subplots): The Revision Process. It's part of a series, though I didn't find the first essay or the third in the series particularly interesting.

Excerpt: Common Issues with Basic Storytelling:
• Lack of suspense
• No clear theme (usually results in unrelated plots, unrelated subplotting)
• Overplotting/underplotting
• Flat characters
• Cliché characters

On suspense: Raise questions for the reader but make sure the answers aren’t already known by your characters. Often I find well-intentioned writers creating “suspense” by withholding info from the reader that the character is already aware of. That does not create suspense. It only creates reader-aggravation because readers prefer to be right there with their characters. Instead plot the book to continuously raise questions for both your characters AND your reader that will be mostly answered during the climax and resolution.

On subplots: The easiest way to truly integrate your subplots into the story is to think about how they work with your theme and make the situation worse for your characters... In other words, they shouldn’t just be related subplots; they should be subplots that make it harder for the character to grow as well.

On flat characters: If you can flip through your manuscript and point at a piece of dialogue and say, “Anyone could say that…” and that keeps happening as you flip through your book, chances are your characters’ dialogue is extremely flat, and therefore, so is your character. That’s usually the first sign. Then you also need to see if your character has any unique thoughts or actions specific to them and no one else. How your characters says things, think things, and do things are under your control. So strive to make these dimensions of your characters unique.

3. More from the 30 days of Fanfic Meme:

26 – What is the oddest (or funnest) thing you've had to research for a fic?

How to shave a beard. Gross, but vaguely amusing all the same.

I also learned how to fire a gun and all about the details of gun parts. I've actually been to a shooting range to fire guns. It was... interesting.

27 – Where is your favorite place to write, and do you write by hand or on the computer?

I don't have a particular place to write at the moment, though I tend to write on my bed or in an armchair at home. I also write my rough draft out in longhand and then later type it up. Occasionally, I'll write something out directly onto the computer, but that's rather rare.

1. Fall TV Preview: The Complete Broadcast Premiere Calendar - The complete guide to when new and returning series will kick off the season.

2. Gangstermoll--it is being written! And thus far, Act III has 4 parts. All of which are... lengthy. But it is the last act.

I just wanted to take a minute to reiterate something that I posted about before, but way back in March: This Thing of Ours is not a romance novel. If I had to categorize it, I suppose it'd be closest aligned with literary fiction--which, hey, claiming fanfiction to be literary is probably the height of pretension, but I've already written 94,000 words of it so I might as well go all the way, eh?

The story is, at its core, about Arthur's journey. He is not a romantic hero--though I hope that regardless, he is still a compelling character--and I leave it to each reader to judge him as they will. Just as I leave it to each reader to weigh and judge his relationships individually; they're all complicated, with good sides and bad, dysfunctions and joys. In other words, This Thing of Ours isn't meant to be a 'ship fic', with the Arthur/Eames relationship being the central focus of the story.

I know there can be differing reader expectations regarding fanfic with a pairing/pairings in them, and I don't want anyone to come in expecting one thing and feeling disappointed/cheated because they got another.

3. And now, a few metas on characterization:
An excellent meta on character creation: Cohering a Hero

Excerpt: 1) Know your own motives. Your audience may never know what the authorial intent behind a certain move in the book is. You must. Why does this character have this past experience, this nifty ability, this reaction to someone crying? No, you don’t need to outline every nuance of their background, to the point that you’re writing a biography rather than a story. What you have to know is why you put them there.

2) Know the implications... a trait doesn’t exist in isolation.
3) Show different combinations of traits working together in different circumstances. It’s also noticeable when the author has apparently decided that just one quirk of the protagonist’s defines her.
4) Be prepared to explain superficial contradictions.
5) Remember that your character does not stop at her skin. Part of her identity comes from the larger society she exists in, including her personal history, yes, but also the reactions other people have to her.
6) Weave weaknesses and flaws in. The simplest way to do this is to take a double-edged trait that can be both strength and flaw and allow it to show its other edge. A sense of humor can easily go along with saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, self-confidence with self-involvement, “spunkiness” with a disastrous belief in one’s own immortality. The problem, as always, is not letting the flaw be an actual flaw. If the trait always benefits the character, it’s not a flaw or weakness.

On fleshing out secondary characters.

Excerpt: The quickest way to sum up what I mean is to say: consider all characters as people. Not stock types, not plot devices, not mindless, heartless villains, not mindless yes-men of the good characters. That may be the function they have in the story, but when the author confuses their function with their inner selves—as if a villain really were a Dark Lord even to himself, as if the hero’s perception of him perfectly matched the reality of him—I think sympathy has stopped. One of the things that loving a lot of characters can do is prevent you from falling in love with any single one.

1) Have characters act outside their roles.
2) Try to move in imperfect step with everybody.
3) Flaws are great. Mistakes are wonderful. Yes, they really are.
4) Relativism is also good.
5) Have a series of interactions in mind.
6) Take an interest.

1. Question: I'm looking to donate a lot of lightly-used, clean purses. Anyone know of any places that accept them?

2. Longer Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy longer trailer:


3. An interesting article in the WSJ on all the layers of underwear that Victorian women used to wear (including a slideshow and video) - How to Undress a Victorian Lady in Your Next Historical Romance: Authors Who Crave Verisimilitude Learn to Unlace a Corset in a Good Bodice Ripper.

4. More of the 30 days of Fanfic Meme:

21 – Sequels – Have you ever written a sequel to a fic you wrote, and if so, why, and if not, how do you feel about sequels?

Yes, I wrote a story for holiday_heist called Kindred and a sequel called If. Surprisingly, in SPN I haven't written a sequel to anything, though I did actually want to write a sequel (and may one day write it) to my story 'No Termination Date.'

22 – Have you ever participated in a fest or a Big Bang? If so, write about your favorite experience in relation to one. If not, are there any you've thought about doing? And if not, why not?

I have participated in so many fests and Big Bangs over the years--they're a great way to get the words and a completed story out for a deadline. Left to my own devices, I'd plod through 1 novel a year, otherwise.

These are the fests/Bangs I've participated in: inception_bang, i_reversebang, holiday_heist, deancas_xmas, Renegade Angels deancastiel Secret Santa , apocabigbang, dc_fireplace, deancasbigbang, spn_reversebang, trekreversebang, & teamgoldxchange.

23 – When you post, where do you post to? Just your journal? Just an archive? Your own personal site?

My journal, and my journal alone. I prefer to have as much control over my works as possible, including formatting and so forth.

1. Have been working quite diligently on Gangstermoll. I've made up the scene list for Part 1 of Act III, and it's looking good so far. Woo \o/

2. An essay on writing dialogue: Theatre Techniques to Sharpen Your Dialogue

Excerpt: After 22 years as a local actor and director, I think the dialogue in my fiction has grown considerably. Theatre, after all, relies almost exclusively on dialogue. Here are four “actor’s homework” techniques you can use to improve the dialogue in your fiction.

Establish the character’s Want.
Decide if the line is a Win or a Loss.
Block the actors.
Set the scene.

4. More of that 30 days of Fanfic meme:
17 – Titles – Are they the bane of your existence, or the easiest part of the fic? Also, if you do chaptered fic, do you give each chapter a title, or not?

I enjoy titles mostly because they give me a chance to add a secondary layer of meaning to the story most of the time. I love it when a good title comes together with a story easily. Sometimes they come early on in the process, and sometimes later (I prefer earlier).

I do title my chaptered fic if the structure lends itself to that. Sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it doesn't, but see my enthusiasm over second meaning overlays with titles.

18 – Where do you get the most inspiration for your fics (aka "bunnies") from?

Everywhere. Anywhere. Other stories, whether fiction or nonfiction or in the news. Sometimes dreams. Sometimes things just appear in my head mostly formed. Ideas are never really the problem--it's just ideas for novel-length stories take forever to develop and write and finish.

19 – When you have bunnies, do you sit down and start writing right away, or do you write down the idea for further use?

I try to mull over the idea and write it down on my list for the future. If I think it's something that can be written in a relatively short amount of time (under 10k), I might try to bump it up towards the top of my To Write list.

20 –Do you ever get bunnied from other people's stories or art in the same fandom?

Yes. I usually don't get possessed by the urge to remix people's stories entirely (although I did do that in SPN, a D/C story by trinityofone called Make the Man). Usually, it's some aspect of the story or art that I want to explore on my own.

1. LJ seems to be hobbling its way back to functionality for me. Thank goodness!

2. From Comic Con, it's official: Eames' Totem (and pictures of Fischer's pinwheel and Arthur's totem and etc in the photostream). Relatedly, an Arthur/Eames rec: Breaking & Entering. I really enjoyed the characterizations in this one.

3. Some of these photos made me tear up: 60 Awesome Portraits of Gay Couples Just Married in New York

4. An essay on where to begin your story: Beginnings: Action and Change

Excerpt: Start with a change. I almost always know where to start the story. All I have to do is figure out which event knocks the entire story into motion. Before I heard this piece of advice, I often heard "start with action." Which seems reasonable. It's better than starting with boring, right? But I think there's a difference between action and change. Action can be change, and change can be action -- but they aren't necessarily the same thing. If you want to start with action, it's important to make sure your action is also a change.

There are a couple of film critics who I absolutely adore for their viewpoints and critiques because they discuss not only what doesn't work for them as a viewer, but also why it doesn't work. Two of the critics I listen to regularly discuss how most movies would benefit with cutting out the first 10 or so minutes and just dropping the viewer into the midst of the action. The above meta actually distills a key element of that advice that often gets lost in novel or story writing (less often with films, simply because films usually have a necessarily rigid structure due to time constraints), which is that any old action isn't enough: it has to be the action, the event, the change that kicks the rest of the story into motion. It has to be the push that drives the protagonist--who had, prior to the story, been existing in a relatively dull state of inertia--into forward motion and a fascinating plot.

A lot of beginning writers stumble on this point because they want the reader to have all this information at once (the dreaded info-dump) so they can skip the boring explaining and exposition and get to the good stuff. But what they don't realize (and I counted myself among them, once upon a time) is that the reveal of the world, the characters, their backgrounds, and how they got to be where they are, going where they're going--that's all part of the unwinding of the story too. That's part of the Good Stuff.

Another meta related to beginning a story: Creating Memorable Characters

Excerpt: I stepped back and I looked at my story, looked at the new direction of the plot. And I asked myself– What kind of character would be most interesting in this story? I was throwing a modern girl into 1815. What kind of modern girl would struggle the most in that situation?

This moment, to me, is the most important in creating a memorable character– it’s the moment before you truly start writing. You have your idea—your hook. Maybe you have most of the plot worked out in your head. What you need is the right character to throw in there. A character who will struggle with the conflicts you throw at her.

In other words—your character and your conflict work together to form the perfect, memorable book. By choosing the right character type, you’ll maximize your ability to exploit all the other parts of the book—conflict, tension, plot, heck, even setting.

The actual essay itself isn't that helpful beyond what I've excerpted above, though it does provide a longer illustration of the key point. The advice is sound if you're deciding on who your POV character should be, or what sort of OC you should create. Pick the one that's going to have the hardest time within the parameters of the story and the world you create.

1. I went to see Harry Potter yesterday. End of an era, guys. It reminded me of how much I loved the twisty and complicated character of Albus Dumbledore (even if we only caught glimpses of that through Harry's eyes), how tragic it was that an entire generation full of promise was cut short by war (Remus, Sirius, James, Peter, Lily & Severus were all so young when they had to take on Voldemort), and how magnificently magical this whole ride of the Harry Potter books and films has been. Over a decade with all the same cast of fantastic British actors including Daniel Radcliffe, who has really grown into himself as an actor, and of course all the adult players who brought the world to life even with limited speaking roles (Dame Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent, etc). I have to say too, that I really came to love Alan Rickman's casting as Snape because he brought a weight and gravitas that anchored the character in a way that wasn't existent in the books (where Snape was much more immature and petty), and which made the final revelation of his deal with Dumbledore that much more poignant.

2. And of course, seeing the teaser for the next Batman on the big screen (along with Tom Hardy) was quite good too:



3. A powerful and moving essay on being a full-time, unpaid caregiver, and how the myth of Noble Cripple/Love-is-enough Caregiver is just that--a myth: In which I talk about being a caregiver, and being a person with disabilities, and being a person who thinks and says and does problematic shit.

Excerpt: I have friends and partners and family members who need or have needed, for short or long periods of time, some degree of care. Sometimes I volunteered. Most of the time ... look, there are people who decide to be caregivers and go and take training and do it professionally and thank GOD those people exist and are mostly competent and kind and smart.

But what mostly happens if you're your basic ad-hoc caregiver is that you meet someone or get born to them or fall for them or somehow end up with the same parents as them or whatever and it turns out that they have a few mental or physical issues. Or they develop some, through aging or running into a bus or a virus or a loose stone on the walkway or a genetic predisposition or an assault or a traumatic experience or an IED or something and you sit by their hospital bed and explain very carefully to The Department Of Making Life Fair that this is in fact not what you signed up for and apply for a return to status quo ante and your application comes back marked Oh You Fucking Wish and the only choices you have are Cope, Fail, Leave, or Die First. You're allowed to combine those options, or try them all, though. Cope + Fail is a popular mix.

I'd be more impressed with myself, but I know lots of people like me. I'd be more impressed with myself, but I know how short I fall of what a Good Caregiver should be.

A lot of great comments to the entry, too. From the comments:

There are ways to be a caregiver that don't mean living together and doing everything yourself - which isn't even always best, as much as it's valorised as The Most Loving Thing... Because this I have learned: if we don't care for ourselves, we'll have nothing to give, so giving it all up is not only undesireable, it's not even really possible. It doesn't work.