Toph and Aang wrote themselves, but Jet was hard because I outlined his part in early September when I needed a minor villain encounter to get Zuko and Katara out of Faces-To-The-East village. Then I went and read a bunch of Jetko and Jet-centric fic that made me realize that to write him as I'd planned would be character assassination, so I had to re-work the entire sequence from start to finish.
I actually originally had him as an out-and-out slaver who kidnaps Tahnra and other children and forces Katara and Zuko into enraged pursuit... Yeah. Not so much. I bounced a lot of ideas and permutations off suzukiblu until I came up with Charmed and Trapped as written, which work far, far better in all ways and really brings out more of Katara and Zuko's interaction as well. He's both Season 1 and Season 2 Jet at once, and ended up ringing really true for me: flawed sincerity and charm, a foil to Zuko's drive and unconscious charisma.
Oh gods the language barrier. Groan. It was so frustrating writing it out, especially in the later chapters, because I'd actually write out Katara or Sokka's entire dialog in order to "translate" it into what Zuko's hearing. Then I'd have A++ bromance / snarky!zutara, but no way to share it in the narrative. :( It's all preserved in comments in the word document I work from, and I'm toying with releasing Enslaved: The Annotated Edition after the story concludes.
I'm really glad I forced myself to keep the process I did, though, for a lot of reasons. It really gave the readers empathy for Zuko, being in effectively in the same boat with him, in a way that I hadn't realized would be so powerful. It became a really handy story-telling tool and forced me to figure out some of Zuko's backstory that I wouldn't have otherwise, and made me really develop the world more than I might have.
It's also helped me... stall. I'll admit that a lot of the story and the background and the world has been developed on the fly and it's easy to hide that by chalking it up to a language barrier. Interestingly, though, by stalling like that, I've had time to really let ideas simmer and percolate and then they sort of emerge fully formed in a way that fits really naturally into the established story. Let's see if I can think of a non-spoiler example...
Okay, not coming up with one right now. The threads in this story are really really long and really really interwoven so it's hard to separate any one of them to look at until everything's out in the open.
Oh, wait. Here's an example, sort of. In... chapter five, after Katara's nearly killed Zuko but then suddenly backed off, they're sort of warily watching each other that evening. Katara says something to Zuko, and Zuko responds by apologizing for killing her husband, knowing full well she can't understand him, either. At the time I wrote that, I really had no idea what Katara said.
See, this entire thing is really unfolding from Zuko's perspective for me almost as much as for readers. Whenever driesla draws something for Enslaved (<3!!!!!!!) it's a bit of a shock, since it's typically drawn from a third-person perspective and I'm really visualizing almost everything from either Zuko's perspective or from over his shoulder, effectively.
Anyway. I had no idea what Katara said in that scene, just that her voice was soft and perhaps regretful and definitely quietly troubled, and I wrote Zuko sort of responding in kind. Since then, I've figured out exactly what Katara said, have written it in my annotations, and really fit it into how the story is progressing and what Katara is really thinking of all this.
OH GODS I THINK I HAVE EVEN MORE TO SAY BUT I THINK I'VE BEEN WRITING FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR AND I REALLY NEED TO GO IRL FOR A WHILE. *dies*
Lovely talking and discussing with you; let's do it some more, yes? <3
Glad you don't mind people being analytical with your fiction. Randomly, how did you find your way to this conversation? I'm quite curious about the way the web works sometimes.
Until... almost a year ago now, good heavens, I hadn't written fiction in ten years, and have been pleasantly surprised that all that technical writing experience makes storytelling way easier -- or at least better.
Oh, so you're a technical writer? I may have to pick your brains about that. I just graduated with an English degree and tech writing is one of the things I've looked at doing.
It's also shaped the less concrete driving tensions in the story. "Zuko learns Water Tribe" and "Zuko gains his freedom" have given way to "What is Zuko going to do now?" and, frankly, "What is Zuko going to brood about now?" Damn that IJ introspective anxiety.
It's totally 'what is Zuko going to brood about now?' *sigh* That reminds me of how much I love and miss angry angry Zuko of season one.
One of the things I love about Avatar is indeed that every major character is a well-developed individual with a distinct personality that drives their sub-plot, so I've tried hard to maintain that in the story.
Me too! And of the younger cast, we get a very, very broad section of personality types, which really gives depth to the world and, as you said, facilitates their personalities bouncing off of each other nicely.
I actually originally had him as an out-and-out slaver who kidnaps Tahnra and other children and forces Katara and Zuko into enraged pursuit... Yeah.
What you decided on was definitely better. And if that had happened, the need to return the children to the village could have made Zuko's choice about what to do easier.
It was so frustrating writing it out, especially in the later chapters, because I'd actually write out Katara or Sokka's entire dialog in order to "translate" it into what Zuko's hearing. Then I'd have A++ bromance / snarky!zutara, but no way to share it in the narrative. :( It's all preserved in comments in the word document I work from, and I'm toying with releasing Enslaved: The Annotated Edition after the story concludes.
Ha! Frankly, I would love it if you released an annotated version. Now I'm picturing Zuko going 'Sorry for killing your husband' and Katara going 'your abs are lickable and i totally want to jump your bones.'
Whenever driesla draws something for Enslaved (<3!!!!!!!) it's a bit of a shock,
Speaking of that, lucky girl! Driesla is one of a handful of artists who I pray will one day be inspired by my fanfic and draw something for it.
Lovely talking and discussing with you; let's do it some more, yes? <3
rashaka linked me to it. Praise, great, concrit, wonderful, analysis -- be still my beating heart. I'm getting more into the mechanics of writing than I ever have before and it's so gratifying to see that not only most of it works, but other writers are analyzing it on the same level and thinking it works, too.
Technical writing is a large portion of my wishy-washy humanities-centric non-profit job(s). English 101 and Journalism 201 are the only "writing" classes I've ever taken, but I had a lot of writing-intensive humanities classes that really taught me how to write. I fell into doing the technical writing by accident, by following internships and thesis work into opportunities to write, and sort of stumbled into it. I don't really know if I have any tips so much as just saying "WRITE" whenever however whatever. I actually got my technical writing doing LJ Support -- small world, really.
Anyway. YAY AVATAR, so much fertile ground to work with. My only hope is that one day I have an "original" idea half as good as one of my fanfic ideas. Sigh.
I'm getting more into the mechanics of writing than I ever have before and it's so gratifying to see that not only most of it works, but other writers are analyzing it on the same level and thinking it works, too.
Yeah, there is really nothing like taking a story apart and seeing how it ticks.
I actually got my technical writing doing LJ Support -- small world, really.
Ha! It really is!
Anyway. YAY AVATAR, so much fertile ground to work with. My only hope is that one day I have an "original" idea half as good as one of my fanfic ideas. Sigh.
My advice? Read a lot of novels and original story stories, and just practice daydreaming and coming up with characters and ideas and adventures.
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timeasmymeasure
SHARKFLIP SPEAKS! pt II
I actually originally had him as an out-and-out slaver who kidnaps Tahnra and other children and forces Katara and Zuko into enraged pursuit... Yeah. Not so much. I bounced a lot of ideas and permutations off
Oh gods the language barrier. Groan. It was so frustrating writing it out, especially in the later chapters, because I'd actually write out Katara or Sokka's entire dialog in order to "translate" it into what Zuko's hearing. Then I'd have A++ bromance / snarky!zutara, but no way to share it in the narrative. :( It's all preserved in comments in the word document I work from, and I'm toying with releasing Enslaved: The Annotated Edition after the story concludes.
I'm really glad I forced myself to keep the process I did, though, for a lot of reasons. It really gave the readers empathy for Zuko, being in effectively in the same boat with him, in a way that I hadn't realized would be so powerful. It became a really handy story-telling tool and forced me to figure out some of Zuko's backstory that I wouldn't have otherwise, and made me really develop the world more than I might have.
It's also helped me... stall. I'll admit that a lot of the story and the background and the world has been developed on the fly and it's easy to hide that by chalking it up to a language barrier. Interestingly, though, by stalling like that, I've had time to really let ideas simmer and percolate and then they sort of emerge fully formed in a way that fits really naturally into the established story. Let's see if I can think of a non-spoiler example...
Okay, not coming up with one right now. The threads in this story are really really long and really really interwoven so it's hard to separate any one of them to look at until everything's out in the open.
Oh, wait. Here's an example, sort of. In... chapter five, after Katara's nearly killed Zuko but then suddenly backed off, they're sort of warily watching each other that evening. Katara says something to Zuko, and Zuko responds by apologizing for killing her husband, knowing full well she can't understand him, either. At the time I wrote that, I really had no idea what Katara said.
See, this entire thing is really unfolding from Zuko's perspective for me almost as much as for readers. Whenever
Anyway. I had no idea what Katara said in that scene, just that her voice was soft and perhaps regretful and definitely quietly troubled, and I wrote Zuko sort of responding in kind. Since then, I've figured out exactly what Katara said, have written it in my annotations, and really fit it into how the story is progressing and what Katara is really thinking of all this.
OH GODS I THINK I HAVE EVEN MORE TO SAY BUT I THINK I'VE BEEN WRITING FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR AND I REALLY NEED TO GO IRL FOR A WHILE. *dies*
Lovely talking and discussing with you; let's do it some more, yes? <3
Red Responds
Until... almost a year ago now, good heavens, I hadn't written fiction in ten years, and have been pleasantly surprised that all that technical writing experience makes storytelling way easier -- or at least better.
Oh, so you're a technical writer? I may have to pick your brains about that. I just graduated with an English degree and tech writing is one of the things I've looked at doing.
It's also shaped the less concrete driving tensions in the story. "Zuko learns Water Tribe" and "Zuko gains his freedom" have given way to "What is Zuko going to do now?" and, frankly, "What is Zuko going to brood about now?" Damn that IJ introspective anxiety.
It's totally 'what is Zuko going to brood about now?' *sigh* That reminds me of how much I love and miss angry angry Zuko of season one.
One of the things I love about Avatar is indeed that every major character is a well-developed individual with a distinct personality that drives their sub-plot, so I've tried hard to maintain that in the story.
Me too! And of the younger cast, we get a very, very broad section of personality types, which really gives depth to the world and, as you said, facilitates their personalities bouncing off of each other nicely.
I actually originally had him as an out-and-out slaver who kidnaps Tahnra and other children and forces Katara and Zuko into enraged pursuit... Yeah.
What you decided on was definitely better. And if that had happened, the need to return the children to the village could have made Zuko's choice about what to do easier.
It was so frustrating writing it out, especially in the later chapters, because I'd actually write out Katara or Sokka's entire dialog in order to "translate" it into what Zuko's hearing. Then I'd have A++ bromance / snarky!zutara, but no way to share it in the narrative. :( It's all preserved in comments in the word document I work from, and I'm toying with releasing Enslaved: The Annotated Edition after the story concludes.
Ha! Frankly, I would love it if you released an annotated version. Now I'm picturing Zuko going 'Sorry for killing your husband' and Katara going 'your abs are lickable and i totally want to jump your bones.'
Whenever driesla draws something for Enslaved (<3!!!!!!!) it's a bit of a shock,
Speaking of that, lucky girl! Driesla is one of a handful of artists who I pray will one day be inspired by my fanfic and draw something for it.
Lovely talking and discussing with you; let's do it some more, yes? <3
Works for me!
Re: Red Responds
Technical writing is a large portion of my wishy-washy humanities-centric non-profit job(s). English 101 and Journalism 201 are the only "writing" classes I've ever taken, but I had a lot of writing-intensive humanities classes that really taught me how to write. I fell into doing the technical writing by accident, by following internships and thesis work into opportunities to write, and sort of stumbled into it. I don't really know if I have any tips so much as just saying "WRITE" whenever however whatever. I actually got my technical writing doing LJ Support -- small world, really.
Anyway. YAY AVATAR, so much fertile ground to work with. My only hope is that one day I have an "original" idea half as good as one of my fanfic ideas. Sigh.
Re: Red Responds
Yeah, there is really nothing like taking a story apart and seeing how it ticks.
I actually got my technical writing doing LJ Support -- small world, really.
Ha! It really is!
Anyway. YAY AVATAR, so much fertile ground to work with. My only hope is that one day I have an "original" idea half as good as one of my fanfic ideas. Sigh.
My advice? Read a lot of novels and original story stories, and just practice daydreaming and coming up with characters and ideas and adventures.