How's It Monday Already?

[itsallovernow]

Mostly this weekend, I worked. A freelance gig on Saturday which was endless (and huge apologies to iamsab and wearemany, I got out far later than I expected, missed my rehearsal and then crashed when I got home!! I owe you beer and paint and cupcakes!). Also a workshop on Sunday with Jillina (www.jillina.com) who I've known forever, and is indeed a Bellydance Superstar and a fabulous dancer and teacher and choreographer (those of you who are now taking bellydance, if you have a chance to see Jillina or any of the Superstars dance, I guarantee a great show. She's their Creative Director as well). I've never gotten to take a workshop from her, and this one was really great and was four hours of straight dancing and I am beyond exhausted because when it was done, I came home, crashed and then went to a client's and then came home and did layout work.

So, no writing got done, although I know the next section of the origin story and if work continues to be this dull, I'll write it this afternoon.

Remix authors were posted, and I want to say thank you to azuremonkey and to leadensky for their beautiful Remixes. If you haven't read them, go forth and do so Lonely See and Sky by Hossgal and Alien by Azuremonkey. The first is poetry, pure and sort of perfect,something I would be utterly incapable of producing and yet it fits perfectly with Mare Tranquilis, and feels like it belongs there. The other is POV switch, Aeryn's response to something John wants for her. Both make me very happy.

My own Remix is more a story sparked by sentences than a proper Remix. I had a lot of trouble narrowing in on a way I could answer my author's other stories, in any of the fandoms I could write in. After calling in the reinforcements, I was offered a plan that I readily accepted. Part of this is, I think, a failure on my part. Most of the stories didn't work for me on a personal level because of my own take on the characters. And if I were a better - not writer, but imaginer, perhaps - I could have taken the concepts, redefined them, reshaped them, but I couldn't. I kept getting stuck in the text and left without a place to go, which is my own fault. I think I disappointed my Remix author, for which I apologize, but you gotta work within the limits of your own lenses and frames, I guess.

I think, interestingly enough, the fact that the bulk of the Farscape stories from this author were sex, and slash, threw me off. Not that I have any issues with either, but I couldn't reapproach the stories based on the original.The particular take on sexuality in the stories didn't resonate for me (not the who, but the why and how). It just wasn't happening no matter how hard I tried and so I went from this suggestion of a greater story. And that was interesting in itself because it wasn't an idea that I would have had, but once Feldman kick started me, I understood exactly how it needed to unfold. So all in all, I guess that while I may not have answered the recipients desires, I feel like the resulting story is better than one I would have written by forcing a perspective that didn't work for me. I did that with the first Remix I wrote,Consonance, and it's not exactly a great story. It feels forced, and the original is much better.

And I think I learned as much by writing this one, and produced a better product, so that's something.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

You had angst with your remix? I'm sorry to hear that. I ended up writing a little story that was good enough and respectful enough and I liked how it rang true for me in a daily-struggle sort of way, in small obstacles you really shouldn't resent as much as you do, but ultimately it had to stay small in scope because the original was such a tiny moment, and being tethered to something that isn't your way is limiting more than inspiring sometimes.

It took me to the kind of story I wouldn't have written otherwise, though, so I'm really pleased with it overall. Hope you are tooooo.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

I'm quite pleased with the end result. It was such a surprise to have a story at the end that felt so very satisfying to me.

The angst was of the "What the hell am I going to write variety," more than anything. My writing style, my impetus is so specific and I was having a hell of a time getting to a place where I could tell a story that would be worth telling, that would be any sort of answer to any of the original author's work.

Once I started writing (after having been whipped into shape by Feldman), it worked out so much better than could have been expected. And, on a side note, if you do read it, there's nothing in there that will spoil you for FS. It's all Season 1 with no foreshadowing whatsoever:)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_minxy_/]

Oh fantastic, I shall read. I had trouble on the Farscape pages without any setting information. Serves me right for coming to a series late, really, can't blame people for assuming you've seen everything.

My angst was more about how I had to go so far back into my remixee's fanfiction that I hit her 'emo kid' stage and was working from her very first attempts at fanfic ever. Got to where I was clicking from page to page just trying to find something that spoke to me. It was a cool experiment, but a totally different approach than I've ever taken before.

[kernezelda]

I had no idea who'd written Tit for Tat, but it's my favorite of all the stories written this year. It's long and deep and feels true to the characters. I finished reading and sat back with a sigh of contentment.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Loves you utterly, and apologizes for not sending a thank you to your feedback. The anti-spam measures are wearing me down!

(And hee, did you really not know it was me? It's because I was so nice to John, isn't it:)

[raithen.livejournal.com]

weekends need to be longer, don't they? there is never enough time for the sleeping.... *snores*

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Exactly!! Not enough sleeping!!

[raithen.livejournal.com]

I vote that we both take 20 mins right now for Monday Afternoon West Coast Workers who are Cute! and Busy! Naptime. ;).

[midnightsjane.livejournal.com]

I love your icon!

[raithen.livejournal.com]

*hee* thanks! that was the creation of the ever lovely philipispdr :D. He knows me too well ;)

is that your boy in your icon?

[midnightsjane.livejournal.com]

Just wanted to tell you I've rec'd and linked to your Remix story on my Lj. I really liked it a lot.

[thassalia.livejournal.com]

Oh thank you!! That's lovely to hear.