Recent reading + musings on fic structure

[luzula]

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie (2019)
Well hey, I read something not related to my current obsession, but that's because it was for my fannish book club. We all enjoyed this one, and moreover it led to interesting discussion, which is not always the case when all of us enjoy a book. I was far more invested in the storyline of the stone than in the other part--there was so much interesting worldbuilding. I feel like the book managed to get me so deep into the POV of the stone that I found it completely sympathetic and then the ending was...rather chilling.

In other news, today I spent six hours chairing the annual meeting of my union. It is something I am good at and enjoy, but it is extremely tiring. Plus there was too little lunch, so I was ravenous at the end. : (

Flight of the Heron story almost at 25,000 words. I'm thinking about the structure of it, and how it really starts from a point where the characters already have feelings for each other, because the canon has done the heavy lifting on that already. Well, of course they have to fully realize it, and get together, but a lot of the story is basically the world throwing obstacles in their path and them struggling to overcome those obstacles. So it's quite plotty and it has a lot of...not pining, because that means it's not requited, or that the other person doesn't know about your feelings, but there's a lot of longing, which is something I haven't written a lot before. And it really is a canon where it's hard to figure out a way for the characters to be together. I find that both frustrating, but also quite challenging and rewarding, if you can make it work.

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

Chairing a six-hours meeting! OMG that sounds brutal.

You deserve to roll around in your Heron fic.

[luzula]

Well, we had some breaks, but still, yes. People thanked me and said I explained things well for the newbies and did a good job, though, so that was nice. : )

[chestnut_pod]

It was a chilling ending, wasn't it? You're totally there with the stone, and then it does something that seems so totally inhuman that it jars you right out of that easy identification. It's wonderful writing! Leckie is just so good with people who are not human but who are human-adjacent.

[luzula]

Yes, exactly! I never really clicked with the Ancillary series, but this one worked better for me.

[isis]

Ugh, meetings. I hate meetings. And SIX HOURS, wow. I would be slitting my throat. Amazing of you to do that!

And, I'm with you, the stone's story was the more interesting one, I thought.

[luzula]

I actually like meetings! If they're productive and well chaired, that is. This is partly why I want to do the chairing. : ) I think it's also connected to me being a teacher--it's not the same kind of skill, but it's related. I know how to formulate things clearly in front of a large group of people.

Yeah, I seem not to be the only one most interested in the stone. : )

[skygiants]

Yeah, I love the rock but I don't know that I can say, objectively speaking, that it is a good rock!

[luzula]

I mean, I don't know what it would mean to be a good rock, but certainly from a human's POV, the rock is not reliably interested in your survival. Except if it has adopted you, I suppose.

[hyarrowen]

A six-hour meeting! D: Tell me you were able to accomplish a great deal?

And yay for 25k on the fic. It really is hard to work out ways for them to be together, but as you say, that's part of the fun of it. The story comes from picking a way through the difficulties, not the things that are easy.

[luzula]

Well, it was an annual meeting, so there was a lot of formal stuff, and we did have some breaks. But I actually love chairing meetings! I think it's partly connected to me being a teacher--it's not the same kind of skill, but it's related. I know how to formulate things clearly in front of a large group of people, and I like thinking about how to make things pedagogical for newbies.

Yes, definitely it's rewarding when you can make it work! And as you say, picking one's way through difficulties makes for a good story.

[regshoe]

Wow, that meeting does sound tiring—hopefully it was worth it!

And yeah, that's the thing about this pairing, I think. There is so much standing in the way of them being together—in canon they manage to become so important to each other despite everything, but it doesn't get to last, and so fix-it fic gets to continue that development of their relationship while also dealing more with all those obstacles and having to find a permanent way around them. I agree that it's both frustrating and rewarding! And I love longing in fic—I can't wait to read the whole thing :D

[luzula]

Yes, it was worth it--the democratic process and all that. And I do think it's fun, even if it's tiring.

A permanent way around them, that is definitely quite difficult!

I've never thought much about longing as its own thing in fic, but I'm certainly enjoying it now. : )