Character Conversations, The Ship edition
Jul. 22nd, 2008 09:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalTrying to get my muse restarted...
“So what’s the problem?” Paul asked.
“You’re boring,” I replied.
Paul frowned. “Oh, nice. So, the idea of a cashiered ex-space navy officer with experience in exploring hyperspace routes isn’t interesting enough for you? ”
“I’m sorry, but you are. Mirap is going to be fighting for his people, S.C is the story’s MacGuffin. You… right now you’re just observing.”
“That’s because we haven’t even gotten the meat of the plot yet. You’re still setting things up for their arrival at the Starlight.”
I threw up my hands in frustration. “I’ve written fifteen thousand words and haven’t gotten to the plot? How many readers are going to put up with that much flab?”
“Have you read any Tom Clancy novels since Red Storm Rising?”
“Very funny. What about you, S.C.?”
The aged humanoid cheetah lay back in her massage chair and let out a groan of relief. “I think if you hit it big, some bright feminist is going to end up writing a book about your interpretations of women and their reactions to the patriarchy.”
“I don’t think I’m that…”
“Let’s see, there’s Teal, who ends up being coerced over four stories into becoming the slave to a dragon. Andrea, who was Tez’s slave and didn’t want to be freed. Not to mention your interpretations of Leeza “Women in Prison Movie” Blake. Oh, I forgot, then there’s me, you bastard.”
“Your pain is integral to the plot of the story. What you do at the end wouldn’t make any sense unless it’s framed by your suffering. It’s not like the audience isn’t going to be rooting for you at the climax.” I shook my head. “Which means that it’s really about you and not about Paul. Again, he’s just an observer.”
“So give me something to do,” Paul said.
“But I don’t know what!” I wailed.
“Don’t look at us, writer boy,” S.C. said without sympathy. “We’re just the characters. You made us, you tell us where to go and what to do.”
I muttered something about blood from a stone and went back to my keyboard.
“So what’s the problem?” Paul asked.
“You’re boring,” I replied.
Paul frowned. “Oh, nice. So, the idea of a cashiered ex-space navy officer with experience in exploring hyperspace routes isn’t interesting enough for you? ”
“I’m sorry, but you are. Mirap is going to be fighting for his people, S.C is the story’s MacGuffin. You… right now you’re just observing.”
“That’s because we haven’t even gotten the meat of the plot yet. You’re still setting things up for their arrival at the Starlight.”
I threw up my hands in frustration. “I’ve written fifteen thousand words and haven’t gotten to the plot? How many readers are going to put up with that much flab?”
“Have you read any Tom Clancy novels since Red Storm Rising?”
“Very funny. What about you, S.C.?”
The aged humanoid cheetah lay back in her massage chair and let out a groan of relief. “I think if you hit it big, some bright feminist is going to end up writing a book about your interpretations of women and their reactions to the patriarchy.”
“I don’t think I’m that…”
“Let’s see, there’s Teal, who ends up being coerced over four stories into becoming the slave to a dragon. Andrea, who was Tez’s slave and didn’t want to be freed. Not to mention your interpretations of Leeza “Women in Prison Movie” Blake. Oh, I forgot, then there’s me, you bastard.”
“Your pain is integral to the plot of the story. What you do at the end wouldn’t make any sense unless it’s framed by your suffering. It’s not like the audience isn’t going to be rooting for you at the climax.” I shook my head. “Which means that it’s really about you and not about Paul. Again, he’s just an observer.”
“So give me something to do,” Paul said.
“But I don’t know what!” I wailed.
“Don’t look at us, writer boy,” S.C. said without sympathy. “We’re just the characters. You made us, you tell us where to go and what to do.”
I muttered something about blood from a stone and went back to my keyboard.
