Percolate - on Scald and suffering through it · 1:58pm Dec 20th, 2015
I finally finished the ending of Scald about ten days behind schedule. What a surprise that a story written purely on writer's block could not, in fact, be written quickly. As far as the "finish before publish" experiment is concerned, this was a spectacular crash and burn, but at least I could get some personal closure out of it.
As a piece of work, though, the fic turned out very satisfying. It got to EqD on the first go, with some very thoughtful advice from the pre-reader Pascoite - skilled author, great editor, all around solid Fimficcer that you should really get acquainted with if you aren't already. We've been acquaintances for a decent while - he was the one who got me into my (very brief) stint as an EqD prereader - but the advice he gave was something I was hoping very much but had not asked for. If anything, that was the real victory: getting a fresh taste of some real editing experience, just as how Scald itself was an exercise in fresh writing.
As previously mentioned, Scald is the product of something I've always wanted to write: sticky, traumatic coffee-shop-setting drama. I'm a sucker for atmosphere and mood, and the Korean dramas I've had passing experiences with all have this - a drawing power constructed from rigorous production value, and the interesting power of what I'll call "unblemished fantasy". Cue sidetrack:
Have you noticed? None of the key actors in Korean dramas have skin problems, unless it's a plot device. All the floors are clean and the bedrooms and living spaces are lavish and experience. My sample size is admittedly small, but what I see is that the volume of drama focusing around luxurious living far surpasses suburbian droll. When you pick up fantasy to indulge in, too much realism nitty-gritty ruins it (again, the caveat is that there are always exceptions).
Fantasy: that's exactly what it is and what it should try to be. We don't need to know that your fridge is understocked, Mr. Drama Leading Man, because you've been busy handling your love interest's tragic situations. Your hourly (one-way) commute, Mrs. Comic Relief, is worthless unless it's a setup for some joke or plot device. The "real behind the scenes" stuff is behind the scenes because it's not very good for the story.
The problem with me is that I was led to believe somehow that making fantasy super-realistic would be a good thing. Perhaps it was inspired by the popularity of Twilight - what a terribly unbelievable series that yet did so well - that I wanted to write a subversion. Realistic fantasy. Fantasy that is still fantasy, just with the caveats of reality always in the way.
Scald was written post-realization, that realism, as with almost everything else, should take the backseat in preference of story (which is not to say that you can justify unrealistic things for the story resulting in reader disbelief, because then your story just fails). It doesn't care that Percy living up in the attic is really convenient when you think about it (nor for the building codes that probably prevent you from cooking in a legacy building). It doesn't care about all the ways that Percy could have turned out not psycho, or that Lilac could have turned out okay. I mean, you know, a young adult's life is still pretty long, and that's a lot of time to work through the issues, right? No - not for Scald.
It was too caught up on doing what I wanted it to do - be a carrier for atmosphere. And a great atmosphere, like fog, covers a multitude of problems (as Pasco himself told me). I was happy with not thinking too much about every element, because the overall feel of it was fine - and therein lies one of the paths to satisfaction.
It's also the product of a style I've wanted to try: being able to write without feeling inspired. I had the idea for the ending, and a general idea of where it was to go. I knew that the big turning point was the spilling of coffee. I didn't actually write out a plan or whatever - most of Act 1 and Act 2 is pretty much meandering in an overall direction. Lilac's transformation from self-denying hipster into a genuine pony wasn't supposed to be that big. I guess I got away with it because Scald really isn't that long - managed to end without getting lost in the plot points and the details.
The conclusion:
1) I lack the discipline to write steadily day by day, or to publish fics before they're done.
2) I do have the ability to eke out words in a functioning collection, but not having the aforementioned discipline makes it pretty moot.
3) Man, OC-centric fics really have it rough on the market, don't they?
Both Percy's and Lilac's traumas have their roots on anxiety and depression - extrapolated from my own, much less severe experiences. I guess I did allow for a little bit of smug realism in the end: a good deal of emotional and personal problems that drive drama are weakened by good care and counselling, just like how in a world where everyone eats healthy and works out, medical dramas would have a lot less material to fill the weeks with. So it felt proper to end it with them going to counselling.
Funny fact: Scald was originally planned to be marketed as a oneshot. I thought I didn't have a lot of those, but as it turns out I actually do - go figure.
The ending was made largely possible, in fact, by the relative success of Trust Me. The reason why it was delayed for so long was because, as with all endings, it was difficult to be happy with, but Piquo Pie's advice on publishing helped a bit. Long dialogues are all right, it seems, so I could give the big reveal the green light. If people were happy to read through talking without prior investment, then surely they'd love it when every bit of dialogue gives closure on something you're already invested it... right? Ah, we'll find out soon enough. Do let me know in the comments!
So, what's next? Let's see: I have in the backburner a fic about CPR and Twilight choking. A Kino's Journey crossover, but I'll have to read the novels again to get back into the mood. Maybe that epic Flim Flam brothers backstory fic sorry Caughlin - I'm not ready for you yet... maybe not.
I've been obsessing over the word "entropy" for a while. That could be fun.
I SEE CAUGHLIN
MORE CAUGHLIN WHEN 8V
Aigoo! That makes a lot of sense, coffee oppa.
I knew the feel of it was familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Right down to the look of Lilac's apartment.
Of course, now I can't stop seeing Lilac as a young Korean woman, and Percy with long bangs. I can't see them as ponies at all. Not that that's a bad thing.