Wtf: My Creative Process (Or, "How The Angst Creeps In") DVD extras + Meme

[black_sluggard]

Because I'm trying to maintain a streak of posting something every day (even if it's just random crap)...

So, roachstar has this habit of asking to see my unfinished fics. Which I love for two reasons:

#1. I love getting feedback on what I'm still working on. It helps me feel better about some of the weird shit I come up with before I've committed a bunch of time and effort to, I don't know, say...super-powered immortal Nazis or something equally as ridiculous.
#2. Priceless "artifacts".

When I write, I take my notes, which usually take the form of a jumble of vague crap and bare dialog and more or less cannibalize the text in that file as I convert it to a proper story. So, basically, as I create the finished product, my original draft is destroyed. But the unfinished stories I've sent stick around in my sent-box for forever, which allows me to look back over them and smile.

Or shake my head. Usually that.

I know I have a tendency to deride myself about unexpected angst in my stories. It's so ubiquitous that I don't see how I could have ever expected it not to be there... But sometimes, I look over my old files and, peering through the notes, I see how the story I had was light hearted and funny at one time...even if the end result didn't turn out that way.

I thought I'd share an example. This is from my original notes on Evidence to the Contrary. Believe it or not, the original working title was "Abbott and Costello Meet the Wolfman".

For those of you who haven't read  it, or may not have read it for a while, this eventually became chapter three of that story, which is probably the heaviest, most serious part of the whole fic. Yet it was meant to be a climax of funny. Which probably sounds ridiculous, but here is my proof:

---

Ch.

They have a big case the night of the full moon--something incredibly bizarre, as usual ever since Castle had joined their little team--but they make an excuse about Ryan getting food poisoning. Esposito tries to get Montgomery to let him take some time to make sure Ryan's okay, but the Captain says they can't spare both of them. Ryan sets up his webcam so that Esposito can at least see him, watch him to make sure he doesn't freak out and so he can tell the man he's not a damned werewolf and have some recorded proof to boot. Of course, he manages to get a call in to Kevin around moonrise to talk him through it. Ryan seems to be having some symptoms (psychosomatic, Esposito is sure) as the "moment" draws close. Of course, Javier suddenly isn't feeling too hot either. Or, rather, he is. Maybe there was something wrong with that Chinese food...

Ryan asks: "Fever? Dizziness? Ache in the lower back?"

Javier looses his tie, it's getting kind of warm in the station.

Javier: "Yeah kinda, how--"

Ryan: "Shit, Javi, did I--" He's cut off by a pain or seizure of some kind and drops the phone.

Javier is on the phone watching a soundless feed at the station. He hangs up and begins to dial 9-1-1, only... He really can't be seeing what he's seeing.

Javier: "Madre Dios..."

He's sitting there numbly at his desk as he watches his partner turn into a freaking wolf. Jesus Christ. He doesn't care what Montgomery says, he's going to go check on Ryan. Castle and Beckett notice him get up to leave and follow. He tosses them an excuse.

Espo: "Called Ryan to check up on him. Something's wrong, I gotta make sure he's okay..."

They follow him into the elevator. Seems so cramped, hot... Javier undoes his tie completely, bracing his hands against the wall. Castle puts a hand on his forehead and Espo slaps at it.

Castle: "Ah, man, you're burning up. You coming down with what he's got?"

Beckett: "I don't like the idea of you getting behind the wheel with a fever.."

Espo shakes his head.

Espo: "Stay on the case, I'll take a taxi, just--"

Castle's words sink in.

You coming down with what he's got?

"Shit...shit." He leans against the wall of the elevator, pushing the buttons frantically. Which doesn't make the elevator go any faster, but he's panicking. The surge of adrenaline as he tries helps him to focus past the heavy ache of heat that feels like it's pooling in his bones... "Gotta get out of here now!"

And Beckett is trying to get him to calm down. Which, good luck with that, because he's not sure if there's actually a good place to turn into a freaking monster, but he's pretty sure the elevator isn't it and he's certain Castle's obituary should bear the headline Mystery Writer Strangled by 'Muse' and not Mystery Writer Murdered by Werewolf. As far as fates worse than death go the thought of answering that one to Alexis Castle's scary bright eyes all shiny with tears fell somewhere in between having to explain to her father exactly how he'd been bitten by his partner and castration on barbed wire.

And finally the doors open and he pulls away to stumble out into the hallway. He manages only a couple of steps before he falls to his knees. The voices of Castle and Beckett are distant as they reach him, drowned out by the rush of blood in his head. The last thing he remembers is Kate rolling him over and looking up at her as he tries to speak. Only he can't get his mouth to form the words.

Which sucks, because he's trying to tell her to run.

---

So, yeah, that's how it works. I write down what happens and what the characters say. Then, thinking I have any idea where the story is actually headed, I begin to write, converting my notes into prose.

My mistake: I rarely plan what is going on in the character's head. And when I let them figure that out as I'm writing...well...

And that's how the angst creeps in.

ETA: Hah, got it in just under midnight according to my calendar. *fistpump* Oh, and I was going to remind that I had this meme here. Because I like talking about meta crap from my own fics, obviously.

Comments

[game-byrd.livejournal.com]

That's not too far from my usual process. I get down bare action and simple dialogue on the first pass, then come back through and flesh out description - body language, expressions, setting, etc. and then on the next pass I'll layer in the thought process, feelings, emotions and reactions.

[black_sluggard]

Heh. See, the situation above wound up changing out of nowhere from:
"Cop A gets bit by werewolf, cop A begins acting like a basketcase. Cop A sleeps with cop B, cop A bites cop B during sex. Cop A freaks out, and eventually confesses to cop B that he thinks he's a werewolf. Cop B tries to deal with this logically, but come full moon they're now both werewolves. Cue shenanigans."
To:
"Cop A gets bit by werewolf, cop A begins acting like a basketcase. Cop A sleeps with cop B, cop A bites cop B during sex. Cop A freaks out, and eventually confesses to cop B that he thinks he's a werewolf. Cop B tries to deal with this logically, and comes to the conclusion cop A has a brain tumor or someshit, and that he accidentally took sexual advantage of cop A..."

But it still did end with the full moon, shenanigans, and eventual soft core werewolf sex...so I guess it all worked out

[game-byrd.livejournal.com]

I have got to read more of your stories! Geez, if only I had more time!