Fic Talk > Featured Story of the Month

Featured Story of the Month for March 2009: Unsuspecting Sunday Afternoon

<< < (3/5) > >>

DaniGiggles:
Thank you guys!

I finally got around to these questions, soooo here we go!

1) Tell us one thing about your story that no one else knows?
        I originally didn't intend for the story to be this long, and subsequently, I didn't expect to take this long to finish it lol. Honestly. I started it on a whim from some stupid little daydream I had and it just kept progressing into this emotional roller coaster, and I realized to do the characters and the story justice, I had to go more in depth with them to get all angles of the situation. I didn't want any character to be hated, though it is easy to considering the circumstances. I want people to feel what the characters are feeling.

2) How long did it take you to write this entire story?
         I started writing it in December '07, so it's been well over a year. I swear I'll finish it before summer! *shakes fist at writers block* I swear!

3) Give us a summary different from the one you have posted on AC, with a few more spoilers to make people tune in.
        Brian and Leighanne are planning their wedding, but Brian is having second thoughts  - he's unhappy with how things are progressing with his ever changing Leighanne. Nick gets a new girlfriend, a dancer named Leslie, who he meets at rehearsals for the BSB's upcoming tour for Unbreakable. Brian meets her and is immediately drawn to her, as she is just as equally drawn to him (though she deeply cares for Nick). They resist each other for awhile, but their feelings become too much, and on an unsuspecting Sunday afternoon, they give in to each other by betraying their significant others in the worst way imaginable. The pain, heartache, and drama that follows is never ending! It's a unique love story.

4) If you could cast this story as a movie who would play the main roles and why?
        Jeez, this is such a hard question lol Really, it is. Uh, Leslie would be Rachel McAdams most definitely. Brian would probably have to be played by Jake Gyllenhaal perhaps? Paul Walker for Nick and Scarlett Johannsen for Leighanne.

5) Have you ever thought of giving up on the story and if you did what made you continue to work on it?
         I never give up on a story. Never have, and never will. Time nowadays seems nonexistant for me so it's hard to get the motivation to write, but I'm bound and determined to finish it. I love this story to pieces, and I've put so much time and thought into it that it would be a terrible waste to just leave it as is.

6) What was your writing process? (Outline, make it up as you go along, the characters wrote it, I am Tonja and plagerized lol)
         I've tried outlining and it doesn't work for me lol I wish. I just make stories up as I go along, though I have big scenes in my head I want to happen. Just getting there in a reasonable and interesting manner is the problem. It seems to work out for me well enough lol

7) Who was your favorite character in this story and why?
         Probably Brian because what he does with Leslie goes completely against how any of us perceive him to be. He's not the typical Brian that is found in fanfics or in real life for that matter. He goes against his religion and his morals for this woman he barely knows anything about. He betrays his fiancee, his best friend, and his bandmates all for this uncontrollable feeling he has. It's intriguing and it's sooooo much fun to write!

8 ) You had to know this was coming, who was your least favorite?
         I hate to say it, but Leighanne. I never intended to make her a villian in any way, and I still don't think I made her one completely (I think her character is very sad, and I feel bad for her), but her desperation to keep Brian around is unsettling. She goes to great lengths to get him to fall back in love with her, and when it doesn't go exactly how she wants it to, she hurts him the only way she knows how.

9) Are all the boys in this one? If not why did you choose to exclude them?
         Yes, all of them are in this one. Some of them are in it more than others. Kevin and Howie get the shaft a bit lol Kevin cause he's not in the group, so he can only make an appearance occasionally, and Howie because I favored AJ as the counsler for the main characters over him.

10) If we like this story...then we'd love what story? (Could be by you or someone else) and obviously tell us why lol 
          If you like angsty romance stories that are original, check out Imaginary by me. It's a Nick fic. I only have a few chapters up, but I'm really excited about it. I have wonderful, sad, lovely plans for it *rubs hands evilly*
           Otherwise! Definitely read:
           A Little Taste of Sin by MellzBellz (my fellow adultery writer ;)
           Casual by Cabybakes
           Left and Leaving by Sakabelle
These three stories definitely have angst and romance! And the authors are wonderful, amazing writers.

cabybakes:
First, thank you for the Casual shout out, so sweet of you...

One of my favorite things about this story is that you put Brian in a role that we don't usually see him in, typically he is type cast in FF to be some angelic, goody-two-shoes.  One of the most unique things about USSA is that Brian is fighting an inner battle because of his decision...the re is betrayal, adultery, all of these things we don't usually associate with him.  Was it difficult to write Brian in this way?

I know in my own experience in writing, fans do not like it when Nick is wronged in anyway by ANYONE...in USSA, Nick was wronged not only by a girl, but by Brian as well.  In many ways, the ULTIMATE betrayal.  And, he was blindsided by the whole thing.  Did you worry about reader reaction to this plot?  Is it this something you took into consideration when writing this? 

I am so happy you were chosen as the feature...hope fully this will light a fire under you to update!  I want more!

Hugs,
Darby

mare:
^ I was just going to ask the first question Darby just asked you lol Drats!

But i'll also ask you what made you choose Brian?

Sakabelle:
Thanks Dani for recommending Left and Leaving :)

Anyway, I have a question for you (and it's a little spoilerific so those of you who plan to read might want to skip this post)

I'm wondering what made you decide to do what you did with regards to AJ.  The fact that he caught them, and yet kept his mouth shut was very interesting to me because it basically made him (as you said) in a position to be a counselor for the characters.  Did you have a reason for picking him, and was that whole part planned from the beginning or did you just kind of wing it?

I also noticed that your story is very musical, in that you use a lot of songs and the like to express a certain feeling and mood for a scene.  I really like this aspect of it, and have downloaded pretty much everything you mentioned in the story.  You've done a great job in creating the atmosphere with all the songs you chose! 

DaniGiggles:
Of COURSE I gave you a shoutout Darby! Your story is awesome, and there are tons of people that obviously think the same thing lol :) Thank you for your comments, they made me smile :)

And honestly, it wasn't too hard to write Brian in this way. I knew it would be different and I didn't know how people would react to it because he's normally portrayed as angelic like you said. Even the most innocent of people make mistakes, and I thought it would be interesting to take this so called "mistake" to the extreme lol. I've written enough fanfics over the years that it was easy to keep Brian Brian, while changing his actions so drastically.

Reader reaction was DEFINITELY a worry. Like you said, Nick fans hate it when he's wronged, and the fact that it was by his girlfriend and Brian just made the situation ten times worse. But though it was a worry, I didn't let it change my plans for the plot in anyway. But it did have an affect on my writing style. I wanted the reader to not judge Brian and Leslie soley on the surface of their actions, I wanted them to see the feelings and heartache behind them too, because this isn't just your standard adultery story. There's more to it than the physical, which Brian and Leslie clearly see down the line. So I went more in depth in the emotions than I orginally thought I was going to, and surprisingly, I've gotten more support for Brian and Leslie than I thought there would be. Granted, I have a few die hard Nick fans that absolutely hate their guts and want absolutely no happiness for them, but what can ya do? lol I tried, and I can't say that I don't see where they're coming from, cause I do. It's just surprising to see that I don't get much reaction from the adultery aspect than I do with hurting Nick, it's interesting lol.

Thanks for the awesome questions Darby!

Yay for Mare! Lovely Oprah :)

Brian's my fav BSB member, and in the past years he has always been the subject of my stories, so it was automatic for me to pick him. But at the same time, I knew this type of story wouldn't be as effective if I had chosen AJ for example. And I couldn't pick Nick cause not many people would care if he stole Brian's girlfriend, or Howie or AJ's. Brian seemed the best choice in terms of shock value and as a good ol' writing challenge.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page