My Muse Hates Me. (State of OI&E post)
Jan. 28th, 2008 03:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thefroggSo, I'm sitting here, with the beginning of Earnest Appreciation part 3, and the end of it, and the beginning of then-titled Pride Swallowed, which was going to be a Garcia-fic but turned into an untitled Haley-fic...
Which is kind of odd. No, more like, really damn odd. Because I usually have middles of stories. I don't have a clue how to start them - which is why a lot of chapters of OI&E probably sound like the middle of a scene. They ARE. Start in the middle, because if I start at the beginning, I end up writing three pages of scene setting and background and never get to, you know, the story. And then I just keep writing until I get to a good stopping point and put the end on it.
Good enough for me.
But I have two beginnings and an end, and I've been mucking around trying to connect the beginning and the end of the story that actually go together (Earnest Appreciation part 3), and my muse has been like this:
Frogg: So, Emily says that, and now what happens?
Muse: *sits there*
Frogg: I need to finish this, so Emily can [censored], and then [censored] comes to the office and [censored].
Muse: I want to read more SPN fic.
Frogg: I've already had to scrub my brain out with bleach three times...look, just help me finish this story and we'll go trawl the reclist again, okay?
Muse: *throws fit*
Frogg: Look, you've already turned my sweet, funny, ANGSTY Morgan/Reid series into an ensemble series. I don't know how you managed to do that. Did I stop paying attention or something? People aren't happy. They want more Reid. And Morgan. Hey, I want more Reid and Morgan.
Muse: More SPN fic.
Frogg: If you're not going to help me with Earnest Appreciation, what about any of the rest? *shows Excel spreadsheet master timeline to muse* Anything look interesting?
Muse: Meh. *splat*
Frogg: *sigh* Ok, fine. One SPN fic, then you come back here and help me finish Earnest Appreciation.
Muse: *perks up, nods, and crosses fingers behind back*
Frogg: *knows better* Okay. Character Questions okay? The mock interview one?
Muse: *nodsnodsnods*
Frogg: *reads fic*
Muse: *purrs* SPN fic!
Frogg: Okay, you had your fic, help me finish Earnest Appreciation.
Muse: *sits there*
Frogg: Hmm. Well, if you're going to refuse to help me with any OI&E stuff, I guess you're not going to get to help me write an OI&E version of the interview fic.
Muse: *stares in horror*
I swear, dealing with my muse is harder than herding cats. At least I don't work for EDS (if anyone remembers that commercial).
Oh, I forgot. I also have the first part of Logical Patterns written. Hotch should really start charging for counseling sessions, he really should.
Those of you who don't know what SPN is, it's Supernatural, which airs on the WB. It's the only other show I watch besides Criminal Minds. The mock interview story (byesorlehcar), which I thought a brilliant exercise in writing, is actually an "Ask my ['verse] characters questions" meme and is posted here.
So. Ask my OI&E Criminal Minds characters, any of them (even the originals), whatever. I'll try and have them answer. In character. I'm not putting limits on # of questions, or timeline, but if the questions are time-specific, please specify.
Which is kind of odd. No, more like, really damn odd. Because I usually have middles of stories. I don't have a clue how to start them - which is why a lot of chapters of OI&E probably sound like the middle of a scene. They ARE. Start in the middle, because if I start at the beginning, I end up writing three pages of scene setting and background and never get to, you know, the story. And then I just keep writing until I get to a good stopping point and put the end on it.
Good enough for me.
But I have two beginnings and an end, and I've been mucking around trying to connect the beginning and the end of the story that actually go together (Earnest Appreciation part 3), and my muse has been like this:
Frogg: So, Emily says that, and now what happens?
Muse: *sits there*
Frogg: I need to finish this, so Emily can [censored], and then [censored] comes to the office and [censored].
Muse: I want to read more SPN fic.
Frogg: I've already had to scrub my brain out with bleach three times...look, just help me finish this story and we'll go trawl the reclist again, okay?
Muse: *throws fit*
Frogg: Look, you've already turned my sweet, funny, ANGSTY Morgan/Reid series into an ensemble series. I don't know how you managed to do that. Did I stop paying attention or something? People aren't happy. They want more Reid. And Morgan. Hey, I want more Reid and Morgan.
Muse: More SPN fic.
Frogg: If you're not going to help me with Earnest Appreciation, what about any of the rest? *shows Excel spreadsheet master timeline to muse* Anything look interesting?
Muse: Meh. *splat*
Frogg: *sigh* Ok, fine. One SPN fic, then you come back here and help me finish Earnest Appreciation.
Muse: *perks up, nods, and crosses fingers behind back*
Frogg: *knows better* Okay. Character Questions okay? The mock interview one?
Muse: *nodsnodsnods*
Frogg: *reads fic*
Muse: *purrs* SPN fic!
Frogg: Okay, you had your fic, help me finish Earnest Appreciation.
Muse: *sits there*
Frogg: Hmm. Well, if you're going to refuse to help me with any OI&E stuff, I guess you're not going to get to help me write an OI&E version of the interview fic.
Muse: *stares in horror*
I swear, dealing with my muse is harder than herding cats. At least I don't work for EDS (if anyone remembers that commercial).
Oh, I forgot. I also have the first part of Logical Patterns written. Hotch should really start charging for counseling sessions, he really should.
Those of you who don't know what SPN is, it's Supernatural, which airs on the WB. It's the only other show I watch besides Criminal Minds. The mock interview story (by
esorlehcar), which I thought a brilliant exercise in writing, is actually an "Ask my ['verse] characters questions" meme and is posted here.So. Ask my OI&E Criminal Minds characters, any of them (even the originals), whatever. I'll try and have them answer. In character. I'm not putting limits on # of questions, or timeline, but if the questions are time-specific, please specify.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-01-29 02:01 am (UTC)Gideon, what did you think Emily was talking about when she told you Reid told her about something that happened to him during his kidnapping?
Haley, if Hotch is "Mom" and Gideon is "Dad", what part if any do you see yourself playing in the team?
Reid, what was going thru your mind when Morgan told his Mom about you guys?
Morgan, do you ever get jealous of any of Reid's other relationships?
That's all I can come up with for now. As I've said before, now you know why I read and not write!
no subject
Date: 2008-01-29 05:32 am (UTC)Now I just have to decide if I'm doing a panel discussion (as in all the characters are there at the same time) or not. Why me.
no subject
Date: 2008-01-30 10:19 pm (UTC)Hmmm . . . I'll second the above question for Haley and add one:
Haley, you're very generous in the comfort and support you give Aaron and the team, but what about when you need comfort and support? When Aaron's not around, would you turn to anyone else on the team? And, if they weren't available, do you have your own set of friends who can help you with those periods of worry and waiting when the team's in the field?
Hotch, do you sometimes wish that you could just give all that leadership responsibility to someone else? How do you think you'd deal with it if you got a supportive supervisor or friend who could be your 'mom'/'parental figure'? Would you distrust them, or would you be happy to let them take some of the strain?
Emily, given that you now know that the team wants and needs you there, however you got the job in the first place, and that you're dating JJ, where do you see yourself fitting into the BAU 'family'?
Emily and JJ, do your mothers know about your relationship? How did they react to the news?
Garcia, given that the rest of the team seems to have paired off with each other, do you ever feel left out or get lonely?
Morgan and Reid, have you ever thought of adopting kids? Is Morgan's mother pushing for grandkids?
Hotch, Gideon and Haley, given that your family of choice is based around a shared job, do you worry about a time when people may have to leave the team, because of injuries, or retirement, or career decisions? Do you think about how you would keep the family intact if most of the members didn't work together anymore?
Hotch and Haley, who are Jack's legal godparents and why? How much does Jack know/has he figured out about your relationships with your family of choice?
Hope that helps the muse sit up and take notice and start being more helpful . . . maybe random questions from strangers will turn out to be the muse version of catnip?
no subject
Date: 2008-02-03 10:04 pm (UTC)Reid, do you ever top Morgan?
Morgan, I still don't really understand why you broke up with Reid when he was hurt. What were you thinking, ya dumb lug!
JJ, how long have you been attracted to Emily?
Morgan, were you at all jealous or concerned about Reid meeting up with Ethan?
Garcia, what were you thinking taking that picture?!
Garcia, Are you at all jealous of Reid, now that he gets all of Morgan's attention?
Reid, remember in Intentional Innocence when Hotch tells you to call him if you have any problems with Morgan having flashbacks? Have you ever had to call him?