Fic Talk > General Discussion
The Writing Thread: Orlando Passaggio (aka The Writing Thread 3)
nicksgal:
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 11:03:44 AM ---I know some former BSB authors who have moved on to writing about other boybands, like One Direction and BTS. I wouldn't be surprised if some wrote for completely different, not real person fandoms as well.
--- End quote ---
Are the ones writing about other boybands mostly younger or is it a mixed bag? I suppose just because I can't see myself really caring about another boyband doesn't mean that other people around our age wouldn't. :shrug: There's other things I've enjoyed, but not enough to write stories about them. I dabbled a bit in the 2005-2007 days, but nothing really gave me as much enjoyment as writing about the Boys (or just not fanfic). While characters are more important to me than plot, I wonder if that's because there's never been a plot that stuck out to me for other characters I've enjoyed.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 10:49:36 AM ---Yeah, I think we've all discussed our writing enough here that there's not a lot left to assume. But it would be interesting to hear the assumptions of readers who have never actually talked to me or seen my posts here.
I'm gonna save the list of questions for a separate post!
--- End quote ---
Writing and just lives in general. No secrets!
"Julie's an apocalypse-prepper with a medicine-related degree of some sort." "Dee's a scientologist with a demon fetish." lol
RokofAges75:
1. Summarize your work-in-progress in 10 words or less.
I ruin Kevin's life.
2. Post a line from your work-in-progress with no context.
"It’s a good thing I have such expressive eyebrows."
3. Does your work-in-progress have a title? If so, explain its significance. If not, what are you calling it for now?
I was originally going to call it "Take Care" after the song that inspired it, but when I actually started writing it, I changed it to my "My Brother's Keeper." This is a Bible reference that means brothers should take care of one another and have each other's back, which is the theme of this story.
4. Describe the setting of your work-in-progress.
It's set in early 2008 in L.A.
5. Search for the word "knife" in your work-in-progress. If you find it, paste the line and explain the significance.
I have not used the word "knife" in this story.
6. Search for the word "dream" in your work-in-progress. If you find it, paste the line and explain the significance.
I've used "dream" eight times already! Here is the first occurrence: "It had been a dream come true… until it wasn’t." This is Kevin reflecting on why he left the Backstreet Boys. He goes on to say, "When I realized I was no longer living the dream, but dreading the next tour, I knew my time with the group needed to come to an end."
7. What are you most proud of?
I'm proud of the time and effort I've put into researching and "world-building" for this one. Once again, I've found myself writing about a situation I have no firsthand experience with, so I've tried to immerse myself in stories of people who do. I read an entire memoir three or four years ago when I was first working on this idea, and since coming back to it, I've been listening to podcasts and watching YouTube channels about the issues I'm writing about in this story.
8. What is your biggest challenge?
Going along with my answer to the last question, I think it's going to be writing about something I've never experienced in a realistic, sensitive way that will make for a compelling story without getting too melodramatic.
9. How would you describe your writing style for your work-in-progress?
10. How would you describe your work-in-progress' narrative style?
I feel like these questions go together. I'm writing this one in first person, alternating between Kevin and Nick's point of view. Because it's in first person, there's more emphasis on the characters' thoughts and feelings than flowery descriptions of the setting and whatnot. I'm trying to only describe what the character who's telling the story would notice.
11. Which character do you have the most in common with?
12. Which character do you have the least in common with?
I don't really have anything in common with any of them LOL. I guess that's the fun of writing fiction, though, trying to put myself in their shoes.
13. Your characters are stranded on a deserted island? What happens?
Nick would probably flourish on a deserted island, away from all the temptations of society, but Kevin would be screwed.
14. Have you chosen birthdays for any of your characters? If so, what are they? (Exclude any Boys, because I assume their birthdays in your stories are their birthdays.)
Not for this story. It doesn't have any original main characters, and those are the only ones I would go as far as choosing birthdays for.
15. Do you know your characters' MBTI personalities?
I took a test at https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test for Nick and Kevin in my story.
According to that, Nick is a Campaigner, ENFP-T. Extraverted, intuitive, feeling, prospecting, turbulent.
"The Campaigner personality is a true free spirit. They are often the life of the party, but unlike types in the Explorer Role group, Campaigners are less interested in the sheer excitement and pleasure of the moment than they are in enjoying the social and emotional connections they make with others. Charming, independent, energetic and compassionate, the 7% of the population that they comprise can certainly be felt in any crowd."
(https://www.16personalities.com/enfp-personality)
Kevin is an Advocate, INFJ-A. Introverted, intuitive, feeling, judging, assertive.
"Advocates are the rarest personality types of all. Still, Advocates leave their mark on the world. They have a deep sense of idealism and integrity, but they aren’t idle dreamers – they take concrete steps to realize their goals and make a lasting impact.
Advocates’ unique combination of personality traits makes them complex and quite versatile. For example, Advocates can speak with great passion and conviction, especially when standing up for their ideals. At other times, however, they may choose to be soft-spoken and understated, preferring to keep the peace rather than challenge others."
(https://www.16personalities.com/infj-personality)
It would be interesting to see if others got the same or similar results for the Boys.
16. What would your characters be for Halloween?
Kevin would probably be something cute for his son Mason, who would have been a year old on Halloween 2008. Maybe Thomas the Tank Engine... Train as a train LOL.
Nick had a show on Halloween 2008 and apparently dressed up as a gecko. Geico Gecko, perhaps? https://youtu.be/l9ZyY5XpScI This was in Montclair, NJ. Were you at this show, Tracy?
17. Does your work-in-progress have any themes or motifs?
Role reversal, dependability vs. dependency, brotherhood, and change are going to be the big themes of this one. The only motif I can think of that has come up so far is dancing.
18. What's easier, dialogue or description?
Dialogue
19. Post a picture or gif that describes your work-in-progress.
Here's the banner: https://i2.wp.com/dreamers-sanctuary.com/fanfic/wp-content/uploads/brotherbanner.png
20. Post a brief excerpt.
--- Quote ---As the other guys returned to their own rooms to get ready to go, AJ and I picked up around mine. He grabbed every piece of clothing I’d left laying around and tossed it to me to put in my luggage.
“You need to invest in a laundry bag, dude,” he said, giving me a look of disgust as he lifted a pair of my dirty underwear with his thumb and forefinger, trying to touch as little of the fabric as possible. “Since when do you even wear undies? What happened to going commando?”
“Chafing. Chafing happened,” I said, ducking out of the way as he whipped them at my head.
Chuckling, AJ went into the bathroom.
“Wait!” I called, suddenly remembering what I’d left on the counter. “I’ll clean up in there!”
AJ didn’t say anything until he walked back out a few seconds later. “Too late, Prick,” he replied, holding up a plastic baggie in each of his hands. One contained a small amount of white powder; the other, an array of colorful pills. “I already found your stash.”
My heart sank as I heard the disappointment in his voice and saw the look of defeat on his face. I hung my head, ashamed, as he continued, “Damn it, Nick, I thought you quit this shit!”
“I did!” I cried. “It’s not like I do it all the time, just… you know, sometimes, when I’m out partying. It’s like how some people only smoke when they drink.” I hesitated. “You’re not gonna tell the other guys, are you? Please, AJ… What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, right?” I knew I sounded pathetic, but I didn’t care. As far as Brian and Howie knew, I had cleaned up my act over the past few months. They had enough to worry about without finding out I was still using. I didn’t want them to see what a mess I was.
AJ shook his head. “Now’s not the time for that.” At least we agreed on that much. “We’ll talk about it later.”
He flushed my drugs down the toilet while I finished packing my bag. Neither of us spoke again until we were out in the hall with the others.
--- End quote ---
RokofAges75:
--- Quote from: nicksgal on March 21, 2021, 11:23:35 AM ---Especially if you're not typically writing much during the school year, that's a long time to accumulate story ideas! Would you say those two were pushy or just "right time, right place."
--- End quote ---
I have gotten better at writing during the school year the last few years. It was really just when I was in my master's program that I hardly wrote during the school year because I didn't have time, since I spent most weekends doing homework. Since I came back from my little hiatus with AHTIM, I've been able to at least write pretty consistently on the weekends.
Bethlehem was definitely "right place, right time," since it took place during the pandemic. But I had been wanting to write a survival story for a while, so I guess it wasn't an entirely new idea - the car accident and Kevin's injury were elements I was planning for a survival story that would have taken place in the desert outside Vegas during the residency. Everything else I came up with shortly before I started writing it.
SAMS was a little pushier. It came at a time when I had other stories in progress - Undead, Guilty Roads, and my Harry Potter crossover - but none that I was actually updating regularly. So I followed my inspiration and started writing it in the summer of 2013, but didn't post any of it until February 2014.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on March 21, 2021, 11:23:35 AM ---lol! I mean, in the countries that do more of the "boy band factory" model, they seem less stringent on the five boys in a boy band rule. But what are the stereotypes of the last two? What needs to be added to "the cute young one," "the heartthrob," "the bad boy," "the shy one," and "the older brother"? "The sick one?" "The brooding one?" "The smart one?" "The angsty one?" I have no idea!
--- End quote ---
"The sick one!" LMAO! Dead. I dunno about boyband archetypes, but the sick one, the brooding one, and the angsty one would all be great for fanfic.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on March 21, 2021, 11:23:35 AM ---I also sat down to write so that I didn't break my streak since last Saturday, haha. My very important two words were "I can," I'm basically a literary genius! ;) Glad your streak is still alive as well!
Me too. It definitely reminded me of my life in pre-COVID days. Don't remember being completed exhausted afterward though, lol! Glad you got lunch with your parents! That sounds like a fun way to get out of the house too. :)
--- End quote ---
Those are very inspiring words! "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..." Better than "I can't." LOL
It is definitely weird going out to places again after a year of quarantining. I've pretty much only gone to work, the grocery store, and occasionally my parents' house in the past year. The monthly Google Maps timeline emails I get are so pathetic because they only show the same three places every month.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on March 21, 2021, 11:33:53 AM ---Are the ones writing about other boybands mostly younger or is it a mixed bag? I suppose just because I can't see myself really caring about another boyband doesn't mean that other people around our age wouldn't. :shrug: There's other things I've enjoyed, but not enough to write stories about them. I dabbled a bit in the 2005-2007 days, but nothing really gave me as much enjoyment as writing about the Boys (or just not fanfic). While characters are more important to me than plot, I wonder if that's because there's never been a plot that stuck out to me for other characters I've enjoyed.
--- End quote ---
The two I'm thinking of are around my age. I can't see myself ever caring enough about another boyband to write about them either, but I also don't write or read fanfic for other fandoms that I do really love, like Harry Potter or The Walking Dead. I have shrines to both HP and TWD in my house, but fanfic? Not interested. There's just something uniquely special about BSB.
--- Quote from: nicksgal on March 21, 2021, 11:33:53 AM ---"Julie's an apocalypse-prepper with a medicine-related degree of some sort." "Dee's a scientologist with a demon fetish." lol
--- End quote ---
LOL Pretty much! And then they find out you're a sorority girl and we're both elementary school teachers.
nicksgal:
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---1. Summarize your work-in-progress in 10 words or less.
I ruin Kevin's life.
2. Post a line from your work-in-progress with no context.
"It’s a good thing I have such expressive eyebrows."
--- End quote ---
LMFAO!
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---3. Does your work-in-progress have a title? If so, explain its significance. If not, what are you calling it for now?
I was originally going to call it "Take Care" after the song that inspired it, but when I actually started writing it, I changed it to my "My Brother's Keeper." This is a Bible reference that means brothers should take care of one another and have each other's back, which is the theme of this story.
--- End quote ---
Ooh themes! Do you plan out your themes and motifs ahead of time or do they just kind of happen?
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---6. Search for the word "dream" in your work-in-progress. If you find it, paste the line and explain the significance.
I've used "dream" eight times already! Here is the first occurrence: "It had been a dream come true… until it wasn’t." This is Kevin reflecting on why he left the Backstreet Boys. He goes on to say, "When I realized I was no longer living the dream, but dreading the next tour, I knew my time with the group needed to come to an end."
--- End quote ---
Aww. :( Glad it became living the dream again. :) I missed Kevin and I bet hot mess Nick did too! I look back on some of the things he said in regards to Kevin back then with the wisdom of age and say, "Ah, yes, there's a scared kid who feels betrayed by what he thought was a constant in his life."
But also, poor Kevin. He probably deserved more sympathy from all of us than he got.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---7. What are you most proud of?
I'm proud of the time and effort I've put into researching and "world-building" for this one. Once again, I've found myself writing about a situation I have no firsthand experience with, so I've tried to immerse myself in stories of people who do. I read an entire memoir three or four years ago when I was first working on this idea, and since coming back to it, I've been listening to podcasts and watching YouTube channels about the issues I'm writing about in this story.
8. What is your biggest challenge?
Going along with my answer to the last question, I think it's going to be writing about something I've never experienced in a realistic, sensitive way that will make for a compelling story without getting too melodramatic.
--- End quote ---
That's cool! Do you often find your research involving reading other books or is it typically "things you can find on the internet"? When you do need to read other books, do you feel like writing goes slower afterward or quicker?
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---9. How would you describe your writing style for your work-in-progress?
10. How would you describe your work-in-progress' narrative style?
I feel like these questions go together. I'm writing this one in first person, alternating between Kevin and Nick's point of view. Because it's in first person, there's more emphasis on the characters' thoughts and feelings than flowery descriptions of the setting and whatnot. I'm trying to only describe what the character who's telling the story would notice.
--- End quote ---
Do you find yourself starting to write about things they wouldn't notice often or after you switch POV, writing about something Nick or Kevin would notice, but not both?
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---13. Your characters are stranded on a deserted island? What happens?
Nick would probably flourish on a deserted island, away from all the temptations of society, but Kevin would be screwed.
--- End quote ---
Nick would learn to build a boat, escape, and save Kevin on a harrowing high seas adventure, lol.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---15. Do you know your characters' MBTI personalities?
I took a test at https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test for Nick and Kevin in my story.
According to that, Nick is a Campaigner, ENFP-T. Extraverted, intuitive, feeling, prospecting, turbulent.
"The Campaigner personality is a true free spirit. They are often the life of the party, but unlike types in the Explorer Role group, Campaigners are less interested in the sheer excitement and pleasure of the moment than they are in enjoying the social and emotional connections they make with others. Charming, independent, energetic and compassionate, the 7% of the population that they comprise can certainly be felt in any crowd."
(https://www.16personalities.com/enfp-personality)
Kevin is an Advocate, INFJ-A. Introverted, intuitive, feeling, judging, assertive.
"Advocates are the rarest personality types of all. Still, Advocates leave their mark on the world. They have a deep sense of idealism and integrity, but they aren’t idle dreamers – they take concrete steps to realize their goals and make a lasting impact.
Advocates’ unique combination of personality traits makes them complex and quite versatile. For example, Advocates can speak with great passion and conviction, especially when standing up for their ideals. At other times, however, they may choose to be soft-spoken and understated, preferring to keep the peace rather than challenge others."
(https://www.16personalities.com/infj-personality)
It would be interesting to see if others got the same or similar results for the Boys.
--- End quote ---
I love 16-personalities. It's actually a tab I often have open on my phone. Taking their little mini quiz polls and reading research results is fun.
I feel like Nick and Kevin could be both of those!
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---16. What would your characters be for Halloween?
Kevin would probably be something cute for his son Mason, who would have been a year old on Halloween 2008. Maybe Thomas the Tank Engine... Train as a train LOL.
Nick had a show on Halloween 2008 and apparently dressed up as a gecko. Geico Gecko, perhaps? https://youtu.be/l9ZyY5XpScI This was in Montclair, NJ. Were you at this show, Tracy?
--- End quote ---
Aww, train as a train!
lol, a Gecko is like a tiny crocodile.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---17. Does your work-in-progress have any themes or motifs?
Role reversal, dependability vs. dependency, brotherhood, and change are going to be the big themes of this one. The only motif I can think of that has come up so far is dancing.
--- End quote ---
Interesting! Did you pick these ahead of time or did they come out as you were planning and writing?
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---19. Post a picture or gif that describes your work-in-progress.
Here's the banner: https://i2.wp.com/dreamers-sanctuary.com/fanfic/wp-content/uploads/brotherbanner.png
--- End quote ---
The stark white is interesting! Less busy than many banners!
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---20. Post a brief excerpt.
--- End quote ---
Oh, hot mess Nick. "I only do x when x" is a slippery slope! It really hits when it's AJ being disappointed. I laughed that he picked up Nick's underpants at all, lol. Also the "chafing" bit.
nicksgal:
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 01:16:15 PM ---I have gotten better at writing during the school year the last few years. It was really just when I was in my master's program that I hardly wrote during the school year because I didn't have time, since I spent most weekends doing homework. Since I came back from my little hiatus with AHTIM, I've been able to at least write pretty consistently on the weekends.
--- End quote ---
It's hard to write for fun when you have constantly looming deadlines, especially when they involve intense amounts of writing.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---Bethlehem was definitely "right place, right time," since it took place during the pandemic. But I had been wanting to write a survival story for a while, so I guess it wasn't an entirely new idea - the car accident and Kevin's injury were elements I was planning for a survival story that would have taken place in the desert outside Vegas during the residency. Everything else I came up with shortly before I started writing it.
SAMS was a little pushier. It came at a time when I had other stories in progress - Undead, Guilty Roads, and my Harry Potter crossover - but none that I was actually updating regularly. So I followed my inspiration and started writing it in the summer of 2013, but didn't post any of it until February 2014.
--- End quote ---
The pandemic was what you needed for the survival story to click! Nothing that happened seemed too crazy and it was plausibly remote. :) I enjoyed it.
Poor Guilty Roads. It keeps getting knocked to the side, haha.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---"The sick one!" LMAO! Dead. I dunno about boyband archetypes, but the sick one, the brooding one, and the angsty one would all be great for fanfic.
--- End quote ---
2Ge+her did it sympatheticall y! lol And you're right, they're all great in fanfics. Perhaps "the brooding one" and "the angsty one" are better combined as "the one who can be changed with love." That's all boyband archetypes are, right? Different types of boys that would be "good" romantic interests for the target demographic?
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---Those are very inspiring words! "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..." Better than "I can't." LOL
--- End quote ---
If only they were that inspiring! lol I changed the less consent-oriented "I'll" to the more consent oriented "I can" in the line "I can give you a boost [up this tree]?” And then I laid on the couch and watched tv instead.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---It is definitely weird going out to places again after a year of quarantining. I've pretty much only gone to work, the grocery store, and occasionally my parents' house in the past year. The monthly Google Maps timeline emails I get are so pathetic because they only show the same three places every month.
--- End quote ---
I don't even go to the grocery store, hubby does that! lol I stopped looking at the Google Maps timeline because I don't want to be reminded that I don't go anywhere, haha.
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---The two I'm thinking of are around my age. I can't see myself ever caring enough about another boyband to write about them either, but I also don't write or read fanfic for other fandoms that I do really love, like Harry Potter or The Walking Dead. I have shrines to both HP and TWD in my house, but fanfic? Not interested. There's just something uniquely special about BSB.
--- End quote ---
It's that little spark of care and love. :) I wish RPF was less taboo in the fanfic world. But I get it. I enjoy it more because it feels like there's more creating that gets to be done, even when the story sticks closer to "canon."
--- Quote from: RokofAges75 on March 21, 2021, 12:48:45 PM ---LOL Pretty much! And then they find out you're a sorority girl and we're both elementary school teachers.
--- End quote ---
I'm the peppiest, most exuberant kind of dark, haha! I think it works both ways, people outside the writing/fanfic world would never know that we're secretly so dark and people in the writing/fanfic world would never know that we're so... fluffy (?) outside of writing. I'm going to call us well balanced, lol.
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