Corrupting Power
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Weekly Update - 5/18/22
🕑 Added 2022-05-18 22:11:12 +0000 UTCHad fun putting out QT: Phil's Tale 7 yesterday, revisiting Phil's second appearance from the mainline QT story with a bunch more information and perspective. It's always nice to show how two characters in the same scene see things quite differently.
I also started work last night on Mr. Magpie 2, which I'm aiming for Friday, but might be Saturday. It's going to be very much in the other direction from the first one. which I hope would be obvious since one was for sorrow and two is for joy. I've always wanted to write a scene like the one in MM2, but I never found a good place for it. Before now, anyway.
For 5/24, we'll be back to Brewster's Brood and that'll heat things back up again, as we get to the chosen spotlight character for the month, one I certainly didn't anticipate winning the poll! That's good! That means sometimes things I'm throwing out there are taking purchase without me keeping too firm a guiding hand on the story. I like it when they can surprise me.
It's looking like, barring a last-minute upset, that 5/27 will be another portion of IIH 10, and we'll see if that'll be the last part of that chapter, or if it needs to get broken into a fourth part.
Speaking of polls, this is an open question to everyone - two of the recurring things that have been getting regular votes in my What Am I Writing polls have been spy fiction and space opera. If spy fiction ever wins that poll, I know what I'll be doing for that (probably a riff on the "Three Days of the Condor" conceit, but we'll see), so no worries on that front, but I want to talk about the other option for a brief minute - space opera.
For those of you who don't know, space opera basically refers to a throughline of specific sci-fi, like Star Wars or Flash Gordon, with larger-than-life characters and somewhat exaggerated plots. I haven't written any public fanfic for a long time, because I'm always nervous about playing with other people's toys, or getting continuity just spot on. That said, I might be interested in taking a crack at writing some Star Wars erotic fanfic, set in the universe but not really featuring any of the characters people might be familiar with. Playing around with the set pieces and societal structures could be a lot of fun, and I'm a big (but not obsessive) Star Wars fan, so I have some ideas about how I could use the universe without touching existing characters, but if you folks wouldn't be interested in that, I can just as easily dream up my own galaxy whenever space opera wins a turn at the cycle. And if it doesn't take, that's okay.
Part of the way I'm doing this is very much structuring it so I can try ideas out, and if after a few chapters, people aren't interested, I can let them sit for a bit, trying to figure out what about the story isn't connecting with the audience. As a prime example, I thought that the Silversmith story (A Trick's Treat) I did last fall would resonate better than it did, but that's okay, because I certainly didn't expect Mr. Magpie to connect with the audience as immediately as it did, especially considering how much of it was written in the angry post-wreckage of the damage to my car. But that story generated a lot of feedback, and that usually tells me when I'm doing things right. Hopefully I've set everyone's expectations with that so the tonal shift between Magpie 1 and 2 doesn't throw anyone too much.
What are your thoughts on the whole original/fanfic paths when I do eventually take a stab at space opera? Would you rather I create something from whole cloth, or does the idea of me taking a shot at a Star Wars-set fanfic (featuring next to none or even none of the characters you're familiar with) sound like something you want to see?
Anyway, that's probably enough of my yammering for the time being, although two final things. One, there's likely to be a week or so break in August, although I'll try and do my best to get ahead of schedule to mitigate that. That said, I'll be travelling internationally during that month, and so I'm probably going to blanket a week's vacation sometime around there, which just means 2 less chapters for the month of August, although maybe I'll be ahead enough by that point that I can just schedule posts while I'm gone. That's three months out, so consider it plenty of advance notice that a light month is coming. The final thing is music of the week to leave you with. This is one of the stranger things we came across in my youth, and so, of course, we loved it... The lead singer died of cancer in 2000 at the age of 57, way too young.
Ian Dury and The Blockheads – Reasons To Be Cheerful, Pt. 3 (Official HD Video) - YouTube
Comments
Corrupting Power
No need for concern. The next chapter of Quaranteam is scheduled for 5/31. :D
Ummmmmmm... Quaranteam was stopped on a HUGE cliffhanger.... Please do not make me wait till fall to find out what happens
Corrupting Power
Wasn't offended, and apologies if I came across like I was. Was simply trying to clarify what I was considering and what I wasn't, and I was worried that I hadn't been clear enough in my post. Not everything is for everyone, and that's completely okay. I just wanted people to have a clear picture of what I was considering and my reasons for doing so. Magpie was certainly darker, and if I decide to take a spin in the stars, I don't anticipate going that far deep down the hole, but who knows what'll be the thrust of the story. I'm more of thinking out loud right now, see what people do and don't want me to focus on. ;) All thoughts are always welcome.
SP Rupert
My sincere apologies for seemingly having offended you. I’m sure whatever you create will be worth my time to read. Everything I’ve read so far has been great. I even enjoyed Threadbinders which I tend to steer clear of that genre for the most part anymore. In fact the only thing I haven’t read is the Magpie story and that was only due to your warning and other’s feedback of it. So I look forward to your next choice of story. Whatever it turns out as.
Corrupting Power
Just make sure you're always taking in other people's visions in your spare time. Music, film, TV, comics, games... I've had ideas sparked from all sorts of things I would never expected. You don't have to stick to highbrow stuff either - some of the most interesting idea springs I've had have come from truly lowbrow entertainment, simply because someone will say something, or I'll see something, and my mind will make six leaps away from it to something else and then I've got a root to start in on. Other than that, it's also just a discipline. Carve out some time for being creative every day and try and produce, even if it turns out to be crap. It doesn't have to be stories - you can spend a day writing descriptives, or character descriptions, or just two people having a conversation to practice making your dialogue diverge based on characters.
Corrupting Power
IF (and that's still a big IF at this point) I were to delve into a Star Wars fanfic, I wouldn't use ANY known characters in any starring roles. In fact, I would go out of my way to avoid having them in any fashion other than maybe being spotted in the background. I would play around with the existing concepts like Jedi and the Empire, but I wouldn't want to even come close to playing around with characters who have any development. Were I to write a story in their universe, you might see Skywalker or something in the background momentarily, but it wouldn't ever be interacting with our characters. All of this is purely a thought experiment, seeing if people would be interested. There's a lot of existing flavor about Star Wars I like (and know well), but right now it seems like the majority of people would prefer if I take a stab at sci-fi/space opera that I do my own world building, which is entirely something I'm capable of.
Joel M Frye
As to a new direction, there's already a glut of Star Wars spinoffs. Would rather see you take on one of the classic sci-fi writers, maybe Ellison or...hmmm, some of Heinlein borders on erotic fiction for his time. Could be fun to see what water-sharing evolves (or devolves) into after Michael Smith's demise.
Joel M Frye
First off, let me say that I'm amazed at the depth of the well of creativity from which you draw. Secondly, I admire the way you've arranged the plots of your stories to allow the erotic and the prosaic to coexist so seamlessly. Lastly, I beg of you to tell me what diet you're feeding your muse, as mine needs some serious re-nourishment.
SP Rupert
On one hand I’d like to see something original for a space opera theme. On the other hand - and I mean no disrespect whatsoever here - I don’t know your sci-fi background well enough to make that determination. Basically my question is would you make it believable enough that you could draw me in without having to suspend too much disbelief? Maybe I’ve been spoiled with the likes of The Martian and 2001 but I tend to like my sci-fi more on the believable side. Although I say this with the expectation that you were referring to a true space opera and not something along the lines of A.I. or Cybernetics. For that I’d think you’d excel at things like Bicentennial Man, iRobot or Blade Runner. Anyway, if you do delve into Star Wars in particular I’d be fine with you using discarded legacy characters like Mara Jade, a secondary film character that was never properly used like Wedge Antilles or even the Disney dumped Cara Dune. Basically any character that Disney is not going to use in the future but was actual part of the Universe at one point. I mean I think your intent was to not use any of them but from my perspective I’d be fine with it. In the end you always make fantastic choices and I’m just happy you are continuing to create. Thank you for sharing that creativity with us.
Kaywye
I agree with Rick. There is enough fan fiction of Star Wars out there. Good, not so good, and awful. So if you take a trip into space opera, I would prefer to see what YOUR universe would look like. Especially considering how amazing you are at world-building. Thanks for asking us though! I like that you include us in your decision making loop.
Rick Shaw
I would prefer to see something original, rather than a fan fic route
