Tired

[estepheia]

Okay, the new chapter of Perdition is almost finished. I need a fresher pair of eyes than the one I have right now to check if it really works. So, I won't post now, but give it some more attention "tomorrow" morning, which is in about 5 hours.

This chapter was/is difficult for several reasons:
a) Xander is drunk, but also the narrator, so his ability to interprete events (and Spike) should by rights be impaired, but not to an extent that the reader doesn't get what's really going on.
b) Xander is drunk and behaving less responsibly. His moral compass is off kilter, which might make it look like he's out of character. Reckless!Xander is tricky.
c) *I* know what's going on in Spike and why he reacts the way he does, but Xander doesn't (not just because of the booze but because of canon knowledge Xander doesn't have). Will the reader get it?
d) Souled Spike is still a bit of a wild card when he's sane. Crazy!Spike is easy to write, but how does Souled!Spike react to change? Like a "big fluffy puppy with bad teeth?"

Ack, going to bed now. Maybe sleep will help untangle my brain.

Comments

[lordshiva.livejournal.com]

Ooh, new perdition coming up. Yay. I'm certain you will manage to pull it off despite your misgivings about alcohol impaired Xander. So far, it's pretty clear he's drowning his sorrows and at the stage when even if you are aware of your inhibitions you have the excuse of being drunk to justify any bad behavior come morning. Seemed apparent to me in last chapter.

And can I just say WOW on your post at TWoP Deep Thoughts. My issues exactly. Eloquently stated without the snark.

Maybe I take the process of writing too seriously. Maybe in my youth I would have written something like Repossession (though likely without the slash because my mind doesn't naturally go there) but I would never have put it out for public consumption.

That poor woman Luvsbitch. She just caught the brunt of an ongoing issue I have with that stupid never-ending fic.

Looking forward to more of yours though.

Thanks!

[estepheia.livejournal.com]

Hi Kalima,
Hey that was nice, finding your comments this morning! That put me in a good mood. Besides they convinced me to follow my gut feeling and rewrite sections of Perdition in which Xander was too nice. I posted the new part this afternoon. The next one shouldn't take long (and will be a bit lighter)

I wasn't aware that you read the series. It's nice to know but it also makes me quite nervous, because I regard your writing in very high esteem. *gulp*

TwoP got rather boring since the BV krewe caused the death of the badfic thread. *sigh* It was good of you to stir things up.

Maybe I take the process of writing too seriously. Maybe in my youth I would have written something like Repossession (though likely without the slash because my mind doesn't naturally go there) but I would never have put it out for public consumption.

I don't think so. Take is seriously - many people don't but it's okay to have a wide scope. I like being challenged by a fic, but sometimes a mediocre fic will hit the spot. Even bad smut can be fun. Heck, I've written a smut series which is one endless shameless PWP with several moments that nowadays make me cringe. But it marked a step (actually several steps) in the development of my writing abilities and I look at it with a certain indulgent fondness. All part of the learning curve. I *did* put it out for public consumption and a lot of people like it. But I'd be surprised if anyone were to give excessive praise. :-)