Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Fic Talk => Featured Story of the Month => Topic started by: mare on August 01, 2007, 12:29:53 PM
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Greetings all! Well it's August already so what better way to bring summer to a close than with a story that so many people seem to enjoy.
This one seems to be a faovirte of a lot of people so I thought we'd discuss this one this month.
Here is the link
http://absolutechaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=8030
Feel free to post your thoughts, questions and feedback here for Julie and i'm sure she'll be more than willing to repsond!
Congrats and enjoy your month Julie!
:)
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Here's the survey lol
1) Tell us one thing about your story that no one else knows?
2) How long did it take you to write this entire story?
3) Give us a summary different from the one you have posted on AC, with a few more spoilers to make people tune in.
4) If you could cast this story as a movie who would play the main roles and why?
5) Have you ever thought of giving up on the story and if you did what made you continue to work on it?
6) What was your writing process? (Outline, make it up as you go along, the characters wrote it, I am Tonja and plagerized lol)
7) Who was your favorite character in this story and why?
8 ) You had to know this was coming, who was your least favorite?
9) Are all the boys in this one? If not why did you choose to exclude them?
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
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Congrats Julie! Haven't read it.. may start to now though!
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Oh wow!! Thanks, Mare! I honestly did not expect to be picked for this (at least not anytime soon) because I haven't been very good at posting during other people's months. I'm out of the habit since FFF died! LOL I'm still on Kelly's story from June LOL. So I apologize for that, but if anyone does tackle BMS this month, you rock, and I appreciate it! ;D
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1) Tell us one thing about your story that no one else knows?
I was gonna say "the ending," LOL, but that's not exactly telling you something, is it? Um... how about this: The outline for it, which I have saved as a Word doc, is currently 22 pages long. It's probably been even longer than that, but I've taken some stuff out that isn't relevant anymore.
2) How long did it take you to write this entire story?
I've been writing it since March 2004, and it's still going. It's getting close to being done, though, so I'll probably finish it this year.
3) Give us a summary different from the one you have posted on AC, with a few more spoilers to make people tune in.
Critical illness tends to complicate relationships, but in Nick and Claire's case, it brought them together. Now, in the aftermath, their growing relationship must face the challenges of everday life and the reality of their two very different lifestyles. They say relationships based on intense experiences never work, but when theirs falls apart, it just may take a few more intense experiences to bring them back together.
(Okay, now here's my author's note: It sounds like a romance, and it IS a romance, but there's really more to it than that. It's not all fluff and petty couple issues. There's a lot of drama too - hopefully the realistic type, not just melodrama for the sake of it. So I hope no one will avoid it just because it's a romance, especially if you liked Broken. If you know me, you know that I get bored by romance without some major drama and angst included, so expect drama and angst too LOL.)
4) If you could cast this story as a movie who would play the main roles and why?
For Nick, I have NO idea. The best choice would be him LOL, and if not him, maybe someone like Ryan Phillippe, cause he's a good actor and does anger/angst well LOL (and he's hot!), but he might be too old. I don't know of any younger actors that would fit the part, so I'm gonna pass on that one LOL.
For Claire, Bryce Dallas Howard because she's got the look, Scarlett Johansson because she's got the casual, cool vibe, or Rachel McAdams because she's a fantastic actress and could fit her personality too.
For Jamie, Shane West because he can play a jerk well and does a great smirk. Joaquin Phoenix would be my second choice because he's such a great actor, and he sort of has the look.
For Laureen, I'm kinda blanking again... I dunno. Probably an unknown that I'd discover through auditions. :)
For the rest of the Boys, I'm just gonna cheat and say I would want them to play themselves. ;) It's seriously hard to think of actors who would do them justice! It's too weird to imagine them portrayed by anyone else LOL.
5) Have you ever thought of giving up on the story and if you did what made you continue to work on it?
Nope, never. It's my baby. Only before I actually started did I think I might never get through it because I have a horrible track record with sequels LOL, but here I am, almost done with it! The end is in sight. It's been pretty easy to write, for the most part.
6) What was your writing process? (Outline, make it up as you go along, the characters wrote it, I am Tonja and plagerized lol)
LMAO I always enjoy the end of this question. :D I've used an outline, for the most part. I planned out the major events of the story before I even started it, and I have stuck with all of those. The minor stuff in between, I have kinda made up and changed along the way. I've added subplots and characters I didn't plan originally, and some characters have become more important or less important than I intended, so in that way, the characters and the story kinda wrote itself, but there was still a lot of planning that went into the overal story arc.
7) Who was your favorite character in this story and why?
Aw, it's gotta be Nick; I love Nick anyway, and I like the character he has developed into throughout Broken and this story. He's my favorite to write about.
8 ) You had to know this was coming, who was your least favorite?
I'm gonna group the whole Carter Clan into one and say them. Nick's family. I write about them as little as possible and much less than in Broken even because I can't stand writing about them LOL. It's too hard not to exaggerate them, and yet I find them so much more fun to write about when they're crazy and dysfunctional than when they're "normal," so I've just started avoiding them altogether LOL.
9) Are all the boys in this one? If not why did you choose to exclude them?
Yep. They're not in it as much as they were in Broken, but they're there. The reason they're not in it as much is because they're not really a part of the main storyline. They're just a subplot. Usually their parts are just there for filler and don't move the story along much, so to force out Bsb parts that have no real point just seemed like a waste of time and pages for me, so I didn't bother. The story's long enough as it is LOL. But there are some good Bsb parts, so never fear. :)
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
"Cover Me With Dreams" by Heidi - http://www.covermewithdreams.com/cmwd.html
I read this story for the first time when I was nearing the end of Broken, and it was a HUGE inspiration to me when writing BMS. I had already decided to write a sequel, but I drew a lot of inspiration from CMWD when it came to the romance/relationship aspect of the story, since that is not something I'd really written as the main focus of a story before (not WELL, anyway LOL). It's a romance/drama, like BMS, and tells the story of Bsb coming together, as well as how the main couple in it came together. It's more Backstreet-oriented than BMS and a far better story than I could ever hope to write, in my opinion. Definitely read it!
One other thing I wanna say... in case you don't know, "By My Side" is actually a sequel to my story "Broken." So if you haven't read Broken, I would HIGHLY recommend reading that before you tackle this one. Otherwise you'll be missing out on some key plot points and character development. If it's okay with Mare, I have no problem with anyone reading Broken instead of BMS this month and posting feedback on that here. The two stories go together, so we can kinda discuss both - BMS for the people who have already read it or have read Broken and are going to read it, and Broken for those who haven't read that and want something new to read.
Here's the link to Broken: http://accidentalchaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=5354
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^ OMG it is so NOT okay... you megalomaniac!!
lmao just kidding, of course it makes sense to also read Broken especially if you haven't read that one yet. I don't think anyone falls into that category though, do they?
I'll be back as Oprah and of course you'd get your own month. I already have this mapped out until March lmao I look for people who post on this forum more so than post in the story of the month section although it is nice if people do give each other shout outs lol
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Oh, well thanks. :) I really am sorry for not participating in this particular section more. Some of the stories I have tried and just didn't really get into, and others I have totally slacked on, and I apologize for that. The time just gets away from me.
And yeah, there are a lot of people who haven't read Broken (at least I don't think they have), and that is totally fine. If they do want to read it, this month is a good opportunity :D, but I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, so it's cool.
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lmao just kidding, of course it makes sense to also read Broken especially if you haven't read that one yet. I don't think anyone falls into that category though, do they?
*quietly waves and whispers* I do..
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Oh, well thanks. :) I really am sorry for not participating in this particular section more. Some of the stories I have tried and just didn't really get into, and others I have totally slacked on, and I apologize for that. The time just gets away from me.
And yeah, there are a lot of people who haven't read Broken (at least I don't think they have), and that is totally fine. If they do want to read it, this month is a good opportunity :D, but I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, so it's cool.
no need to apologize. I admit I haven't read any of them except for Mersey's. I have attempted though lol I just lost my umph for reading unless they fit into the what Mare will read criteria lol I still love everyone though *group squishy hugs*
I do make a good Oprah though :)
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no need to apologize. I admit I haven't read any of them except for Mersey's. I have attempted though lol I just lost my umph for reading unless they fit into the what Mare will read criteria lol I still love everyone though *group squishy hugs*
I do make a good Oprah though :)
Yes you do. :D Well, I'm glad I'm not alone. Honestly, Mersey's is one I didn't even look into because it's a crossover with a show I knew nothing about. I'm not a big fan of crossovers, but I would at least have given it a try if it was of two fandoms I knew something about it. Sorry, Mers! I'm sure it's an absolutely great story if you're a fan of both Bsb and Supernatural. :)
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Yes you do. :D Well, I'm glad I'm not alone. Honestly, Mersey's is one I didn't even look into because it's a crossover with a show I knew nothing about. I'm not a big fan of crossovers, but I would at least have given it a try if it was of two fandoms I knew something about it. Sorry, Mers! I'm sure it's an absolutely great story if you're a fan of both Bsb and Supernatural. :)
aww I know what you mean. I'm not a fan of crossover fics and it's hard to get into one if you have neevr watched the show lol
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Yay Julie!!!! I'm so excited for you! I loved Broken, but honestly... how the hell am I supposed to read this story in one month!?!?!?!?! lol... I guess just starting it will have to be good enough. But it's high time I did that, so I'll have to get started.
;D
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Thanks Kelly! ;D
That's another thing - I know it's really long, so don't feel like you have to read it all in a month. It's not finished anyway, so it's not like we can have a discussion about the WHOLE story from beginning to end anyway. I would love it if you gave it a try, read what you want during this month, and if you like it, you can always read the rest later. :)
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Finally! We have a story I actually am caught up on before it's story of the month. I'm still working on Pbox lol.
By My Side is addicting, very very addicting. Honestly I was a bit skeptical at first, unsure if there was more story to tell. Trust me, there is. It goes very much into Claire and Nick, but perhaps not the way you'd think if you've only read Broken. It's a very good read. Long lol, but good.
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Thanks Rose! ;D Hehe, you'll have any easy time this month!
I was skeptical at first too! If you'll remember, I didn't even link it on my site for months, just through the Yahoo Group, because I was afraid I would get partway into it and get stuck and quit! LOL
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okay so my first Oprah question to you, What made you decide to write this sequel and tell us about your inspiration behind Clare.
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okay so my first Oprah question to you, What made you decide to write this sequel and tell us about your inspiration behind Clare.
Yay Oprah questions! :D
I hadn't planned on writing a sequel to Broken because at first, I didn't think it needed one. I had a beginning, middle, and end, told in three parts, just the way I had planned, and I felt like the story I wanted to tell was told.
But really, only one part of the story was told. Broken's focus was on Nick's battle with cancer, and the relationship with Claire that came out of it was just a subplot, even though it became more important as the story went on. It was important for me to not have them get together until the very end because I didn't want it to be "a romance." That wasn't the point.
But then, once they DID get together, I realized there was still plenty more story to tell. These two characters have just started a relationship born out of shared misery, basically LOL - but beyond that, what else do they have in common? Is that really enough to keep these two different people with very different lives together? That was the general premise of By My Side, to focus on their relationship in the aftermath of the stuff that happened in Broken. Of course, I was wary of the idea of writing a story that ONLY focuses on the romance, so I threw in some subplots, and there's built-in drama and angst already, and that's how the whole idea came about.
As for Claire... I liked the idea of Nick finding a confidant and companion in someone who had been/was going through the same thing he was. Someone who would understand him on a deeper level than even the guys would because she could relate. And of course, because I'm a hopeless romantic at heart, it had to be a girl, but I wanted them to have a good solid friendship before it developed into anything more than that. So my goal was to create a female character who is kind of a guy's girl - the kind of girl guys want to be friends with. Outgoing, good sense of humor, casual, not overly girly, not afraid to get dirty, etc. I wanted her to be strong and tough, yet not unrealisticall y so... I remember thinking she needed to get emotional when the really bad stuff happened because that's just what you'd expect a person in her place to do, and I think she does. She's a character I'm proud of, because she really did turn out to be the way I wanted her, for the most part, in Broken. And her character develops further in BMS, maybe not in ways that everyone likes, but she does change.
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So my next question is, and i'm not positive about this one because I have not read this story yet, but what made you decide to not have Nick and Claire together since one of the reasons you wrote this was to focus on their relationship. Because if i'm not mistaken she is with someone else in this story isn't she?
And I know how meticulously you researched your information for Broken, tell us your process behind that. What made you decide on leg amputation?
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So my next question is, and i'm not positive about this one because I have not read this story yet, but what made you decide to not have Nick and Claire together since one of the reasons you wrote this was to focus on their relationship. Because if i'm not mistaken she is with someone else in this story isn't she?
Well, they start out together... but you can't have a good story without conflict, and since the main storyline focuses on their relationship, that couldn't be without conflict either. And I think it's realistic conflict, born out of the fact that you have two people with very different backgrounds and lives, brought together by a shared experience. Once that experience is over, what's left? Is it real love, or is it just a mix of empathy and lust? They do break up in the story, but you have to read to understand why. The simple answer from me is that they had to have a conflicted relationship in order for me to have a good story. :)
And I know how meticulously you researched your information for Broken, tell us your process behind that. What made you decide on leg amputation?
I knew I wanted to give the "cancer story" another try, but do it realistically, which meant researching. I did most of my research online. For the basic physical aspect of it, I used a lot of medical sites to get my facts straight, and blogs and other fiction books I've read (mostly Lurlene McDaniel) helped me with the emotional aspect of it.
My first step was to decide what kind of cancer... I wanted to do one that hadn't been done before, by me or anyone else, and bone cancer was one that I hadn't seen in a fanfic before. I was kinda weighing my options, thinking where I could go with that, and the thought occurred to me that hm, if I gave him bone cancer, I could have him lose a limb... And then I laughed at myself and was like, "Haha, right, you could never do that." And that's exactly why I decided to do it, cause I knew it would be a challenge for me, and it would have some shock value with the readers, and it would be an interesting twist. I had a lot of doubt about it, but looking back, it was absolutely the right decision to make for the story.
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Congratulation s Julie! You know I've said it to you a millon times but Broken and By My Side are clearly like two of the most brillant fan fics I've ever read. I'm not usually on for Nick with cancer stories, but this really suckered me in, probably because of the realistic aspect you tried to keep up. I have to admit I was VERY wary beginning Broken especially since the story starts out with Nick dating a stripper who cheated on him with Justin Timberlake but once the story REALLY gets rolling I forgot all about that.
I particulary love BMS though cuz it really is MY kind of story. Like you Julie, I do like to read romance, but complicated romances. Not where everything falls into place perfectly. I love the added drama and angst, so BMS just blew me away. There were so many great issues between Nick and Claire that you tackled (Claire being the first girl he was intimate with after losing his leg, their completely different lifestyles, their ongoing health problems even after battling cancer etc) I also LOVED LOVED LOVED the whole complication of the Nick/Laureen/ Claire/ Jamie plot. In a way you REALLY want Nick to get back with Claire, but I also liked him w/ Laureen too and yea it was just done really well. The only one I had no sympathy for was Jamie of course, but only cuz he's such a jerk.
I highly reccomend BMS to anyone who loves angsty drama-romances. This story has been a HUGE inspiration to me and actually has given me a lot of awesome ieas for my sequel to UMS that have got me really excited to begin writing it!
Oh yea... Side note. I used to love Lurlene McDaniels books LOl. Funny fact, but there's actually one where the girl gets diabetes (I don't remember the title) but she's a ballet dancer and her name is Rachel. Amyway she has a crush on this guy in school and guess what his name is? Dun dun dun.... Nick Carter!!! LOL How funny is that?
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Congratulations Julie! You know I've said it to you a millon times but Broken and By My Side are clearly like two of the most brillant fan fics I've ever read. I'm not usually on for Nick with cancer stories, but this really suckered me in, probably because of the realistic aspect you tried to keep up. I have to admit I was VERY wary beginning Broken especially since the story starts out with Nick dating a stripper who cheated on him with Justin Timberlake but once the story REALLY gets rolling I forgot all about that.
Thanks, Mel! ;D Honestly, I HATE the beginning of Broken - if there's anything I could change about it, it would be that. But I'm too lazy, and I like to preserve stories in their original form - the only thing I like about the sucky beginning is that it's proof of how much BETTER the story (and my writing) gets as it goes on. It did do what I wanted it to do, though, which was to set up the story slowly and make the readers think it was going to be totally different than how it turned out to be. I was afraid of scaring people off with another "cancer story" because it'd been done before, and like you, a lot of people aren't into that. I'm really glad you gave it a try and got into it though! ;D
I particulary love BMS though cuz it really is MY kind of story. Like you Julie, I do like to read romance, but complicated romances. Not where everything falls into place perfectly. I love the added drama and angst, so BMS just blew me away. There were so many great issues between Nick and Claire that you tackled (Claire being the first girl he was intimate with after losing his leg, their completely different lifestyles, their ongoing health problems even after battling cancer etc) I also LOVED LOVED LOVED the whole complication of the Nick/Laureen/ Claire/ Jamie plot. In a way you REALLY want Nick to get back with Claire, but I also liked him w/ Laureen too and yea it was just done really well. The only one I had no sympathy for was Jamie of course, but only cuz he's such a jerk.
I highly reccomend BMS to anyone who loves angsty drama-romances. This story has been a HUGE inspiration to me and actually has given me a lot of awesome ieas for my sequel to UMS that have got me really excited to begin writing it!
Any compliment from a romance writer on this story means a lot to me because I don't really see myself as a "romance writer." Many of my stories since the very beginning have contained romance, but never really as the MAIN storyline. My older stories always contained a lot of drama, but usually it was drama outside the relationship. BMS is one of the first "complicated romances" I've written, and it was a challenge because I'm not used to focusing on the relationship and its problems so much, so it's really flattering when another romance writer likes it!
I remember when I first started writing this story, I was afraid I wasn't going to have enough material to write about. I had a basic sequence of events, but I was afraid of running out of filler material. But as I started writing, the subplots you mentioned - the emotional issues and complications and so on - came into play and became subplots of their own. In that way, the story kind of wrote itself. It wasn't until I got into that that I could say 100% that it was a good idea to chop off NIck's leg LOL, because look at all the bonus issues it gave me in this story! All of the insecurity/emotional stuff would not have really been an issue in this story without that, so I think it's added a lot.
I'm so flattered that it has inspired you - that's awesome!! ;D
Oh yea... Side note. I used to love Lurlene McDaniels books LOl. Funny fact, but there's actually one where the girl gets diabetes (I don't remember the title) but she's a ballet dancer and her name is Rachel. Amyway she has a crush on this guy in school and guess what his name is? Dun dun dun.... Nick Carter!!! LOL How funny is that?
Oh wow!! I actually haven't read that one! I've read almost all of her older books (and own most of them), but I know she's written some new ones since I kinda stopped buying them. I did order one of her newer ones last year and read it, but it didn't do anything for me. I'll always love the ones I grew up reading, but I think she's too formulaic for me to really get into a new one anymore. Her books still inspire me a ton though. I still pull them off the shelves and read parts when I need inspiration or information for stuff I'm writing - like Broken and BMS. If I ever write a "real" book, I think I need to include her in my thank-yous because she's been the biggest influence on my writing!
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I know several people on the board have read this story already, and some probably have no interest in reading it at all, but is anyone actually checking it out for the first time? Or reading Broken for the first time? If so, what are your thoughts so far? Good, bad, anything? :)
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I know several people on the board have read this story already, and some probably have no interest in reading it at all, but is anyone actually checking it out for the first time? Or reading Broken for the first time? If so, what are your thoughts so far? Good, bad, anything? :)
Well... I had never read Broken before, so when I saw BMS was a sequel, I decided to read Broken first. And when I saw how many chapters there were, I literally groaned. But, I persevered, and read it through completely last night/this morning (who needs sleep?). I was amazed at how quickly I was drawn in, and the characters were really true to me. I loved how Nick changed bit by bit, and not overnight like I've read in other fics. And Claire! God, words can't describe how much I love her.
I've downloaded the copy of BMS to read while I'm offline tomorrow/this weekend, and I'll be back with thoughts on that later. (I print out a few chapters at a time to read in bed and...other places *blush*)
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Well I loved Broken, but you already know this! lol
I thought it was great storytelling with a very original plot. And I know a cancer story doesn't always fall under original, but the idea of amputation does.
Plus you had the female in the story also have cancer but it wasn't the typical 'poor dying girl so everyone pity me' plot going on. I admit I was afriad of that. That suddenly the focus would be on her and not Nick where all the boys are "Oh my God is Claire okay?" lol that is always so unbelievable to me in fics like the boys would really all sit and mull over a random girl's illness for chapters at a time. Even a girlfriend.
I admit I loved the group moments the most. My favorite all time scene is with Nick and Brian on the beach. Moments like that define Broken to me.
I haven't read it in a looong time but it's still very memorable and for me who can't remember a thing, that says a lot. (watch there is no beach scene with Brian and Nick lmao)
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Well... I had never read Broken before, so when I saw BMS was a sequel, I decided to read Broken first. And when I saw how many chapters there were, I literally groaned. But, I persevered, and read it through completely last night/this morning (who needs sleep?). I was amazed at how quickly I was drawn in, and the characters were really true to me. I loved how Nick changed bit by bit, and not overnight like I've read in other fics. And Claire! God, words can't describe how much I love her.
I've downloaded the copy of BMS to read while I'm offline tomorrow/this weekend, and I'll be back with thoughts on that later. (I print out a few chapters at a time to read in bed and...other places *blush*)
Wow, thank you!! Thanks for reading it, and thanks for the comments! I'm really glad you liked Broken! I don't blame you one bit for groaning at the number of chapters LOL, but thank you for giving it a chance and perservering! LOL I guess that's the perk of a long story, is that it allows for the characters to develop slowly and change in a realistic way, over the course of time, not just in a couple of chapters LOL. Writing a story that gradually was something new for me - before Broken, I had never written a story that even came close to being that long. I was shocked myself at how long it turned out to be. I was never a very good character writer either, and I'm still working on that, but I'm getting better - anyway, it means a lot to me that you liked Claire's character, because that was one thing I challenged myself to do with that story - write a good, believable, likeable female character LOL.
I hope you're liking BMS so far LOL - thanks again for reading! ;D
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Well I loved Broken, but you already know this! lol
I thought it was great storytelling with a very original plot. And I know a cancer story doesn't always fall under original, but the idea of amputation does.
Plus you had the female in the story also have cancer but it wasn't the typical 'poor dying girl so everyone pity me' plot going on. I admit I was afriad of that. That suddenly the focus would be on her and not Nick where all the boys are "Oh my God is Claire okay?" lol that is always so unbelievable to me in fics like the boys would really all sit and mull over a random girl's illness for chapters at a time. Even a girlfriend.
I admit I loved the group moments the most. My favorite all time scene is with Nick and Brian on the beach. Moments like that define Broken to me.
I haven't read it in a looong time but it's still very memorable and for me who can't remember a thing, that says a lot. (watch there is no beach scene with Brian and Nick lmao)
Thanks Mare! ;D
I totally know what you mean about the female characters in the story. Like in Swollen Issues II... the first time I read it, I was totally addicted, happily reading along, and then entered this girl (named Julie :) LOL), who, like Claire, also had cancer, and I remember just GROANING and going, "Noooo, PLEASE don't ruin this story by turning it into some sappy romance!" And they didn't at all, but oddly enough, they inspired me to do exactly what I didn't want them to do in their story and stick a female character in mine LOL. I hadn't started Broken yet; Claire was planned pretty much from the beginning, but that's actually where she came from, and because of my reaction to reading it in another story, I knew that I wanted to make her different from what people were expecting - not someone that you're supposed to feel sorry for, or be inspired by, or anything like that. And I didn't want any hints of romance until later in the story, after they already had a solid friendship developed. I had to force myself to hold off on it, cause I'm still a hopeless romantic at heart, but I'm glad that I did cause that way I didn't scare people like you away LOL.
LMAO okay, I'm not saying this to be a smartass, but in all honesty, I'm blanking on the Brian/Nick beach scene. :P There's one with AJ and Nick that I'm thinking of... but there totally could be a Brian/Nick one too, for all I know! I only skim through parts of it once in awhile when looking up stuff for BMS; I haven't been through the thing in a long time either LOL.
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^ i'm thinking of the scene where nick is making up his mind whether he wants to have the surgery or not. Brian is there but i'm not postive if he stays on the beach the entire time. It's a big pivitol scene in the story lol and I know Brian was a big part of it but for the actual beach part, he might not have been there? lmao
And yes, I did the same thing with Swollen as well lmao but luckily she went away and you're right because had Claire's character not been introduced slowly and just kind of overhwlmed Nick I probably would have stopped reading. lol although of course the anit romance perosn in me was like is she going to kill her off? COOL!! lol
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^ i'm thinking of the scene where nick is making up his mind whether he wants to have the surgery or not. Brian is there but i'm not postive if he stays on the beach the entire time. It's a big pivitol scene in the story lol and I know Brian was a big part of it but for the actual beach part, he might not have been there? lmao
And yes, I did the same thing with Swollen as well lmao but luckily she went away and you're right because had Claire's character not been introduced slowly and just kind of overhwlmed Nick I probably would have stopped reading. lol although of course the anit romance perosn in me was like is she going to kill her off? COOL!! lol
Gotcha! I did think of that too - I know exactly what you're talking about now. Brian is there at Nick's house, and then there's a scene with Nick on the beach, but like you said, Brian isn't actually in that scene. But same difference. :)
Yeah, I don't really like stories where all of a sudden, a chick comes in and just kinda takes over. If she's there from the beginning, fine... or if she comes in slowly and becomes more important as the story goes on, okay... but when the story suddenly revolves around her within a chapter or two, that is kind of annoying. It took a lot of patience and willpower for me to work Claire in slowly, but I knew it had to be done that way.
I dunno if I ever really considered killing her... I think in the beginning of my planning, I wondered if I should kill her or kill Nick, but I couldn't really think of a good reason for either of them, so I didn't LOL. Carrie (Swollen Issues Carrie, ironically enough LOL) ends most of her emails to me with "KILL CLAIRE!" though, so you're not alone. ;D
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Gotcha! I did think of that too - I know exactly what you're talking about now. Brian is there at Nick's house, and then there's a scene with Nick on the beach, but like you said, Brian isn't actually in that scene. But same difference. :)
Yeah, I don't really like stories where all of a sudden, a chick comes in and just kinda takes over. If she's there from the beginning, fine... or if she comes in slowly and becomes more important as the story goes on, okay... but when the story suddenly revolves around her within a chapter or two, that is kind of annoying. It took a lot of patience and willpower for me to work Claire in slowly, but I knew it had to be done that way.
I dunno if I ever really considered killing her... I think in the beginning of my planning, I wondered if I should kill her or kill Nick, but I couldn't really think of a good reason for either of them, so I didn't LOL. Carrie (Swollen Issues Carrie, ironically enough LOL) ends most of her emails to me with "KILL CLAIRE!" though, so you're not alone. ;D
Ah okay well at least I was semi right lol I loved that entire chapter.
And lmao at Carrie. I guess it's always a hard decision when writing a story like that, whether to kill the perosn who is suffering or not. Did it ever run through your mind to have either of them have a recurrence? Although that might happen in BMS, i'm not sure.
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Ah okay well at least I was semi right lol I loved that entire chapter.
And lmao at Carrie. I guess it's always a hard decision when writing a story like that, whether to kill the perosn who is suffering or not. Did it ever run through your mind to have either of them have a recurrence? Although that might happen in BMS, i'm not sure.
I know... I just didn't see the point of killing either one of them, especially Nick, because after all that suffering, to not even beat the thing is just sad LOL. Realistic, sometimes, but it's a story, and I just couldn't do it. I wanted Nick to make it through the obstacles and come out a stronger, better person, not just die LOL.
About the recurrence thing, it did run through my mind, but I just decided it would be too much, especially for Nick. And the way I saw it... he got cancer in his leg, they cut off his leg, it had already spread to his lung, but they cut out a lobe of his lung, so how long could I really keep playing the "Oh, it must have spread JUST before they got rid of it the last time" game before it got ridiculous? LOL So instead of doing the same old thing and having it come back again, I focused more on the after effects... the physical and emotional complications of going through something like that. There are still medical issues in BMS, but not a relapse for either one of them, no.
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And yes, I did the same thing with Swollen as well lmao but luckily she went away and you're right because had Claire's character not been introduced slowly and just kind of overhwlmed Nick I probably would have stopped reading.
That's funny cuz when I was reading Swollen Issues (after I had read Broken by the way) they introduced Julie and I was like OMG its going to be another Claire and even though I LOVE Claire I wasn't sure if I wanted to read that SAME scenario different author. But yea luckily her character sort of fizzled out.
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That's funny cuz when I was reading Swollen Issues (after I had read Broken by the way) they introduced Julie and I was like OMG its going to be another Claire and even though I LOVE Claire I wasn't sure if I wanted to read that SAME scenario different author. But yea luckily her character sort of fizzled out.
Aww yep, Julie (the character) existed first, so if anything, I copied them, definitely not vice versa LOL. Same basic premise, just taken in different directions, which is what I wanted.
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Another Oprah question for you Jules :)
Get into your characters heads and let's pretend they had to put a time capsule together to open in ten years. Pick only one thing for each of your characters to put in there and tell us why. (From BMS)
Wow this might be a good thing for the Alias board lol
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Another Oprah question for you Jules :)
Get into your characters heads and let's pretend they had to put a time capsule together to open in ten years. Pick only one thing for each of your characters to put in there and tell us why. (From BMS)
Wow... good question, but hard! LOL
Nick - A copy of his latest solo album because it represents where he was in his life then.
Claire - A baby book with her babies' footprints, locks of hair, pictures, hospital bracelets, and so on because in ten years, they'll be ten years old, and she'll want to look back on those memories and show them how little they were.
Jamie - A picture of himself and Claire with their daughters (even though I'm not sure one exists... ouch LOL) as a memory of the family he once had.
Laureen - A picture of herself and Nick from the night they went to the 80s club because it represents one of the good times she had with him while they were dating.
Those are really the main four, so that's all I'm doing LOL.
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Good answers lol I thought this would take you longer than it did.
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Haha, me too!
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Ah, it's always good to see stuff I've already read as the featured story! Kudos to Julie because I absolutely adore BMS ... I get all hyped up when there's an update, and I have never been let down! So, to put in my two cents I just need to say well done, keep up the good work, and all that jazz! :)
I enjoyed your survey answers too!
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Ah, it's always good to see stuff I've already read as the featured story! Kudos to Julie because I absolutely adore BMS ... I get all hyped up when there's an update, and I have never been let down! So, to put in my two cents I just need to say well done, keep up the good work, and all that jazz! :)
I enjoyed your survey answers too!
Thanks Julilly! ;D
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WIth all the excitement going on with BSB I am forgetting to be a good Oprah, i'm sorry about that Julie lol
Here's another question for both stories
What has been your favorite chapter/scene to write in each story so far? And what has been the most challenging part of the stories for you?
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WIth all the excitement going on with BSB I am forgetting to be a good Oprah, i'm sorry about that Julie lol
Here's another question for both stories
What has been your favorite chapter/scene to write in each story so far? And what has been the most challenging part of the stories for you?
Nooo problem, I've been the same way! I had planned on updating BMS and writing more yesterday, and that didn't happen for the same reason LOL.
Hm, favorite scene or chapter... for Broken, I'm gonna cheat a little and say Chapters 117-118. 118 is the "King Kong" chapter... which I have always really liked; it was very satisfying to write LOL. But 117 leads into it, and I almost like that chapter better.
Most challenging part for Broken, definitely 106 or one of those chapters after it... the choppage stuff. I think 112 was where I hit a wall and started going "Okay, why the hell did I do that?" and took some prodding to get going again LOL. I remember that chapter being challenging to get going on, but once I did, it was okay. 106 was a lot of me staring at the computer screen and writing like two sentences every day for a few days, until I finally got going on it... it ended up taking me like a week to write, which was a long time then.
For BMS, it's hard to pick a favorite chapter because there are so many chapters and a few that I really like, and a few that I'm probably forgetting I like LOL. But I think my favorite chapter recently has been 182. It just felt like a classic "Nick and Claire" chapter, not necessarily in a couple-y way ('cause they're not a couple), but it fit every aspect of the kind of friendship/relationship they have with each other.
Actually, I found another one I almost forgot about - Chapter 35. I love that one too.
Biggest challenge... from the emotional standpoint, I think 148 because it deals with an issue that I feel pretty strongly about; there were times when I was even reduced to tears just trying to research for it, so I knew writing it was going to be challenging in that respect. Just from the writing standpoint, I remember I got so stuck on Chapter 41 because it was the first time I brought Nick's family back into it since Broken, and becuase they HADN'T been in the story in so long, I found it really hard to kind of explain their total absence in Nick's life LOL. It was just a mess.
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LOL I am blaming poor BSB for all of my slacking lately. Well that and all the pre school meeting happening now which i'm sure you're well aware of!
Great answers. I had a feeling you were going to mention the choppage scene. I think I remember the King Kong scene. Was that a Nick and Claire date? Their first real date? I do remember it though.
If you had to rewrite Broken and give Nick another form of cancer what would it be and how different do you think the inital outcome of the story would have been?
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LOL I am blaming poor BSB for all of my slacking lately. Well that and all the pre school meeting happening now which i'm sure you're well aware of!
Great answers. I had a feeling you were going to mention the choppage scene. I think I remember the King Kong scene. Was that a Nick and Claire date? Their first real date? I do remember it though.
If you had to rewrite Broken and give Nick another form of cancer what would it be and how different do you think the inital outcome of the story would have been?
LOL yep, I totally know what you mean! I haven't been around much at all, and when I am, I'm catching up on all this exciting Bsb stuff!
Yep, the King Kong part was their first unofficial "date" with their first kiss. ;)
As for your other question... you know, that is tough to answer. After kind of weighing my options, I went with bone cancer because it gave me the most options of where I could go with it... which eventually led me to the amputation stuff. If I hadn't written that, the story would have been SO much different, and I don't think I would have written a sequel. I didn't realize it at the time, but that had such an impact on not only the rest of Broken, but BMS too; it gave me a lot to write about. I think if I had gone with a different kind of cancer, the first two parts of Broken would have been about the same, but from then on, who knows.
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isn't it funny how a minor change in detail can really turn an entire story around. Not that cancer is a 'minor detail' lol but you know what I mean.
Another question for you, for both stories I would imagine
but how much did lyrics factor into your stories? I know you used some lyrics for Broken.
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Lyrics... I do incorporate lyrics into both stories, but I wouldn't say they're a huge factor. They're just something to help set the tone and add that extra burst of emotion. I think if you actually know the song or can listen to it and it fits the part, it can add a lot, just like how music adds a lot to a scene in a TV show or movie.
I went on a big lyrics kick in Broken, and I've kind of gotten away from that in BMS cause I didn't want to be on lyrics overload, but I do still use them when they really fit and I really like the song. And once in awhile, I do have parts that are actually built around a song, rather than the song magically fitting the part (although that happens too). Music inspires me, so I like to include it when it works for the story. Even if the readers don't pay much attention to it (I know I usually don't when I read a story with lyrics in it... I skim right on past them and keep reading the story LOL), it means something to me, and it's my story, so hey... LOL
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^ lmao i'm the same way. I have never really used lyrics in my stories but I do tend to not read the lyrics when they are posted in a story.
You mentioned another story you were working on that ties in with BMS and Broken. Why don't you explain to everyone what that's all about. Also if you could borrow a character from any other story to fit into BMS as a special guest, who would you choose and why?
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^ lmao i'm the same way. I have never really used lyrics in my stories but I do tend to not read the lyrics when they are posted in a story.
I find if there's a couple lines, like a quote from a song or a small piece of lyrics I will read them but if there's a whole song in there I scroll
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You mentioned another story you were working on that ties in with BMS and Broken. Why don't you explain to everyone what that's all about. Also if you could borrow a character from any other story to fit into BMS as a special guest, who would you choose and why?
Yep, the other story is called "Footprints." It's basically snippets from Claire's life/back story in her point of view (so first person). A lot of it is stuff that took place before Broken, and soon I'll be getting into some things that happened during Broken, but from Claire's perspective, which we've never seen before. It's interesting for me to write because I've had all this back story in my head for years, and now I'm actually writing it out in story/journal form (cause it's like Claire is telling the story), and it's very satisfying to do that. Hopefully it's interesting to the readers too.
For the other question... if I could give anyone else's character a cameo, offhand, I would choose Ciara from "Cover Me With Dreams" because that story had such a huge inspiration on me for BMS, and I really like her character. I could have totally put her in as a nurse for Casey or something; that would have been cool.
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Hey all! I can't even believe it, but this is the last week of August already!! Where did August go exactly? lol
So don't forget to post some final thoughts or observations about Broken and BMS. That inclused you Julie, if there's anything you want to share with us concerning the stories. A funny anecdote or anything like that.
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I knew it would go by fast! It always does for people who are in school or... teaching school! LOL
I'm working on BMS as we speak... taking advantage of my free time while I still have it LOL. Btw, I have a sneak peek up that you should check out, Mare - it doesn't matter if you've read the rest or not. http://www.dreamers-sanctuary.com/bms189sp.html ;)
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LMAO!!! That was awesome.
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Thank you. ;D