(no subject)

So one of the things whirling around in my had is Pirate!Sherlock, and this has led me to want to set Much Ado on the open sea. I really need to separate that out into its own story, but right now my brain is demanding I watch Pirates of Penzance and try to meld the two stories...

Right - snippet in which I am horrible after the thinky thoughts.

Writing in the present tense.

I’ve knocked it off because I’m having a serious go at something original and since it’s Officially Frowned Upon I figured I should make the change sooner rather than later, and switching back and forth would be a nightmare because I’d be continually switching within each story. I didn’t really set out to write in the present on purpose; when I started out on that first story I realized pretty quickly that I was mixing tenses and when I went to fix it the present tense was definitely just working better for the flow of this beginning passage that was in my head.

I miss it for fic. It makes me feel, as the writer, more in the character’s head and as a reader it makes me feel like I’m acting the part of each character in my head which helps me visualize the events of the story as if they were on a screen in front of me – which is what fic is all about for me.

Not using it does make it easier to switch perspectives within a scene. I felt pretty locked into each character by sections, and it also made it very important to balance the story between characters, switching off perspective at regular intervals. I didn’t run into any issues of - I need to switch to Sherlock here, but the next section really has to be in John’s head - but this is likely due to the fact that I haven’t written very much yet, and the stories were fairly short compared to what I’m tackling now.

It is extraordinarily easy to slip back into it. I let myself put John’s flashback into present and it took me a long time to stop slipping again. I decided against giving Sherlock the same privilege when he goes into his head over the music.

So, speaking of which, I am a horrible person and I am the only one J&S are running away from instead of trying to catch...

Peter rose from his crouch and gestured out at the grounds. “Rocky and Madge want to site a new garden, a proper walled affair, just beyond that dip,” Peter pointed into the distance. “I told them it may not be possible what with the stream; I’d run into a drainage issue straight away. I suggested they put it next to the maze instead. What do you think?”

Sherlock walked to the west edge of the roof to survey the first spot in question then proceeded to the south west corner to view the second. Without thinking about it, he took a further half step so that his left foot rested on the parapet as he peered into the distance thoughtfully. “Yes, next to the maze would make more sense. Why had they settled on the other spot?”

“Some notion of Madge’s, something about a barbeque pit.”

On the ground, John and Claude were just cresting a hill as they made the final approach to the house. John had just remarked cheerfully that the weather was really very pleasant for December when they came into view of the house and his eyes were drawn up; to the figure of Sherlock, standing on the edge of the roof. His head reeled dizzily and his vision went grey; the bicycle sideswipes him and he drops.

(no subject)

So one of the things whirling around in my had is Pirate!Sherlock, and this has led me to want to set Much Ado on the open sea. I really need to separate that out into its own story, but right now my brain is demanding I watch Pirates of Penzance and try to meld the two stories...

Right - snippet in which I am horrible after the thinky thoughts.

Writing in the present tense.

I’ve knocked it off because I’m having a serious go at something original and since it’s Officially Frowned Upon I figured I should make the change sooner rather than later, and switching back and forth would be a nightmare because I’d be continually switching within each story. I didn’t really set out to write in the present on purpose; when I started out on that first story I realized pretty quickly that I was mixing tenses and when I went to fix it the present tense was definitely just working better for the flow of this beginning passage that was in my head.

I miss it for fic. It makes me feel, as the writer, more in the character’s head and as a reader it makes me feel like I’m acting the part of each character in my head which helps me visualize the events of the story as if they were on a screen in front of me – which is what fic is all about for me.

Not using it does make it easier to switch perspectives within a scene. I felt pretty locked into each character by sections, and it also made it very important to balance the story between characters, switching off perspective at regular intervals. I didn’t run into any issues of - I need to switch to Sherlock here, but the next section really has to be in John’s head - but this is likely due to the fact that I haven’t written very much yet, and the stories were fairly short compared to what I’m tackling now.

It is extraordinarily easy to slip back into it. I let myself put John’s flashback into present and it took me a long time to stop slipping again. I decided against giving Sherlock the same privilege when he goes into his head over the music.

So, speaking of which, I am a horrible person and I am the only one J&S are running away from instead of trying to catch...

Peter rose from his crouch and gestured out at the grounds. “Rocky and Madge want to site a new garden, a proper walled affair, just beyond that dip,” Peter pointed into the distance. “I told them it may not be possible what with the stream; I’d run into a drainage issue straight away. I suggested they put it next to the maze instead. What do you think?”

Sherlock walked to the west edge of the roof to survey the first spot in question then proceeded to the south west corner to view the second. Without thinking about it, he took a further half step so that his left foot rested on the parapet as he peered into the distance thoughtfully. “Yes, next to the maze would make more sense. Why had they settled on the other spot?”

“Some notion of Madge’s, something about a barbeque pit.”

On the ground, John and Claude were just cresting a hill as they made the final approach to the house. John had just remarked cheerfully that the weather was really very pleasant for December when they came into view of the house and his eyes were drawn up; to the figure of Sherlock, standing on the edge of the roof. His head reeled dizzily and his vision went grey; the bicycle sideswipes him and he drops.