Could the timing be worse? (and the writing meme)

[lls_mutant]

So I was eating breakfast this morning and flipping through C&EN when I noticed something... an open faculty position at Lasalle University.

Starting in Fall of 2005.

WHY NOW????? I would LOVE to teach at Lasalle! It's nearby, it's a smaller, mainly undergrad university, and the department head knows my current boss, so he might at least LOOK at my resume. I even finish my job in September! But because of the baby... yeah. It's just out. ::Sigh:: I mean, I know they can't refuse you a job on the basis of pregnancy, but let's face it. I am not a strong enough candidate for a teaching job (I have one post-doc under my belt, and no real teaching experience, AND it's a p-chem position, and I'm a fuel scientist) for them not to find a perfectly good, legal, and valid reason to hire someone else over the lady who's going to need 3 months maternity leave three months into the job. Honestly.

Of course, the baby would be born right around finals and all...

No. Reasons why I can not even think about this:

1.) There's a REASON I'm opting to stay home.
2.) I have very few refereed pubs. Do I really think I've got a shot anyway?
3.) First year teaching job = many, many hours to be put in. Hubby is still working 70-80 hour weeks. This is not a good combination with a newborn.

Couldn't they have wanted someone for Fall 2006? ::Sniff::

Anyway. Gakking this from everyone else:

Ask me anything about my stories and/or writing process: inspiration, process, what the hell was I thinking, etc. No limit on questions, just ask away.

And to answer the one I know is coming- I hope sometime next week.

Comments

[magic-at-mungos.livejournal.com]

I'd say apply and see if you interview. At least then, they'll have your name the next time round.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Here's the thing with small colleges though... there probably won't be a next time around. Small colleges generally have 6-10 positions, period, and they tend to turn over only when someone retires. (Once you have tenure, it's pretty hard to pass up!) And because I'm so inexperienced and so obviously not going to get the job... I don't know that they'd have a favorable impression of me if I did apply, y'know? ::Sigh:: Ah well. There's other colleges in the area!

[magic-at-mungos.livejournal.com]

Oh dear. *hands you a nice cup of tea* It was the sggestion. It will all come out in the wash. :)

[ignipes.livejournal.com]

A question about characters: When you come up with a character for a story, whether a main character or someone in the background, do you build the person up slowly, with details and notes and descriptions, or does just spring, fully-formed, into your mind? In other words, are you one of those people who 'character charts' (whether written down or not), or do you just start with a general idea of a person and worry about the details later?

That was a wordy question.

Also, go read this story by lacylu42. Sirius, Remus, and tickling. It's wonderful.

That sucks about the job, but I'm sure you'll find something else when you're more ready for it (i.e., after your baby learns how to sleep through the night...) ;) .

[krisomniac.livejournal.com]

Okay, this is my Official Question, because I am highly curious. Really ask yourself (don't just answer politely or PC-ly): Do you write for yourself? Or for the fandom? If you could never post another story, would you still be writing them?

And oh man. Sucks about the job. But something will come along when you're ready, and you'll be so much happier that you waited.

[aome.livejournal.com]

How much of the DTF/AIL story arch did you have in your mind initially? How much have you been working out as you go? Do you have a favorite part to that story arch, so far (not counting anything coming up)?

Bummer about the job timing.

[jlarinda.livejournal.com]

Ohh poor Lissa-chan! That reminded me of a time my mother told me there was a job opportunity in Europe, but as she was ill (actually she died just a few months later) she couldn't take it, but it would have been perfect if it had been before, cause it payed a lot and she'd have been doing what she liked (something about ingeneering...Can't remember.) and we would've been living in Europe and not this crappy country, and we'd have been away from Gramma who's awful and etc. I think a perfect life would require perfect timing.
I can't really think of a question concerning your writing...*is stupid*

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Great story! Very darling. (I left feedback there, too.) And thanks about the job. Oh well. The logical person says who says I even would have gotten it anyway? :) Professorships are HARD to get!

Characters:

It depends. Peripheral characters often tend to pop into my head fully formed. That was the case with characters like Alphard and Caradoc. Both of them I knew a lot about before hand. Of course, the problem is we don't see much growth with characters like that... which is usually fine, because they aren't central to the story. They might be complex (like Alphard) or not so complex (like Caradoc), but they don't really change.

My main characters evolve. I will start with a character chart a lot of times, because I feel like I at least need to know things like their family, their appearance, their job, and a basic idea of their history. Then what will usually happen is a plot idea will occur to me and I'll say "oooh... how does THAT work?" Sometimes those plot ideas go away, sometimes they become incorporated into the character to the point where it becomes a defining moment for them. The best one I can think of was a character I used to write for a zine. On a whim, I had him have a daughter. You can see where that really then shaped his character. Since he was only 17 at the time, it was a development that really, really worked, watching him go from clueless to devoted dad, and learning how to balance his life (as I learned how to balance it for him!) I find that technique works much better for characters whose heads I really need to get into.

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Definitely with the job. Just one of those ARRGH! moments! :) (Besides, I wouldn't be able to write if I was starting an academic appointment!)

Really ask yourself (don't just answer politely or PC-ly): Do you write for yourself? Or for the fandom? If you could never post another story, would you still be writing them?

Yes.

Haha. Actually, that's a great question without a simple answer.

I love to write. And I love to write fiction. I got into writing fanfiction ages ago, in a small Zine club for Pern fanfic. That's kind of gone defunct, and my best friend from there and I tried translating our story over to the real world. HUGE project. It's been stalled in editing, and I got sucked into HP fanfic.

In many ways, I write for myself. I write the story because it needs to be told- it needs to get out of me. It's actually very frustrating, because Part 8 of AIL has another EXCELLENT ending spot (part 3 was a great ending spot too), and I can't end it there because I KNOW the rest. I hate that. So I have to write the whole thing, because I can't get much else written until it's done.

But on the other hand, I won't deny that I LOVE positive feedback, and that was one of the things that drew me into fanfic. When we got so stalled in the editing process, we really both started going through that questioning of "am I a good writer?" Writing HP fanfic not only let me -write- again (which is much more fun than editing!), but it also got me something I haven't been able to get from the original stuff, and that's praise. And who doesn't like praise?

I certainly have reviews that mean more to me and are more motivating. Any time I get a review from a writer I respect I read it carefully (especially if they have questions or criticisms!). And certainly any well-thought out review makes me grin longer than "that was great!" And yes, I get a total high on the rare occasions I get someone who I REALLY respect writing a REALLY detailed review, or when I got niffled. And yeah, there's a part of me that is trying to claw my way to the top tier of names in R/S fic, but I think that's because I'm a competitive bitch or I always have to reach the top. I like the challenge of trying to become acknowledged as good. (This explains why I have a black belt and a Ph.D., I think.)

So there's both in your question. I do love to write, and I do have pieces that I will never show anyone, or will show a very limited audience. Not because they're bad- one of the pieces is a piece I wrote right after going to a friends' stillborn baby's funeral. One of the most powerful pieces I've ever written, but it's very personal. But do I really, really, really love feedback and occasionally post something to get it? Pfft. YES. :)

I'll always write, as long as I have the time. Just like I'll always draw. (I'm actually a reasonable artist, but I don't have the time to do it so much, because you need BIG blocks of time.) And I'll always publish in some form. But what I won't do- ever, I hope- is change something in my stories just to make it more acceptable or more along the lines of what fandom is thinking. I know I've broken a lot of R/S cliches (which I admit I have fun doing, and sometimes do just to be contrary, like making Remus the beater as opposed to Sirius), but even if it costs me readers, I'm not deviating from the story -I- want to tell.

Does that make sense? :) Or have I just babbled on as I procrastinate my workout?

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Ooooh. Fun!

What happened:

I post over at Immeritus, and for a while I was one of a few slashers there. There was a "Sirius Black is Mine" contest, and someone suggested that since I was so convinced Sirius and Remus belonged together, I write an essay for Remus. So I did. It gave a history, and one of the lines was something about the only time Remus had ever seen Sirius really cry was when he ran away from home. So someone (that would be Evra, if she's reading!) suggested that she'd never seen a truly good fic with Sirius running away from home, and I should write one.

So I did.

Most of DTF sprung into my head pretty well formed, probably because the main story line was already there. I also knew Remus's parents really well from the beginning, and I knew Peter's father was going to die very early on as well.

Mentors formed once I introduced Alphard. That was harder to write, because it wasn't quite so clear-cut of an arc. I knew the ending from the beginning, but I didn't know a lot of the rest of it. The stuff with McGonagall- especially the night out- was a surprise to me. But the letters about the Prank and about sex I knew from the beginning.

Accidentally In Love has been a mix. I know the basics. Again, this is partly because JKR has laid out a lot of it for us. I also know VERY well how it ends, and where there's some doozies of moments. But again, some things surprise me. Alice and Sirius gravitated to each other as soon as she came on the page. Frank being bi was a bit of a surprise too (although it's not overly relavent.) And the Lily plotline fit perfectly into what I want to do with Remus, but it was one of those things that jumped into my head, again, fully formed. As soon as I thought of it I knew EXACTLY how it would play out and what kind of consequences it would have (many of which we've not yet seen, but we will). But there are things I've known they've been coming from the beginning. I knew Alex Sommers would reappear, grown up, and that he would save Remus and lose his job doing so from the minute he started pressuring Remus in part 1. (Sadly, I know what happens to him, too, although it doesn't happen in this fic and I'm not sure I'll write the story.) I knew about the Triage, and Marilyn's death, and I knew about Tina- I think I knew all of those when I was writing Deny Thy Father.

I don't have a favorite part, but I have favorite scenes. I was really, really happy with the ending of Deny Thy Father, when I pretty much broke the fourth wall. I loved Sirius's speech to James in part 7, when they're dancing in Wandwaver's. (Actually, I was REALLY happy with all of Part 7. It's probably my favorite part.) The other thing I've really enjoyed are the relationships- particurly Sirius/Damien and Caradoc/Remus, and although we never see it I REALLY love the relationship between Caradoc and Moody.

My least favorite parts are probably some of DTF where I went a little over the top, and the journey to Turkey. The problem with that is I've had two women point out that I got the culture a bit wrong. Oops. I keep meaning to go back and fix it, but that time thing...

Heh. I've rambled long enough. Fun question though! Thanks!

[topaz-eyes.livejournal.com]

That's too bad, that the job starts this fall instead of next...

I wouldn't worry too much about your number of refereed pubs. A few high-quality, well-placed pubs go a lot further than dozens of low-quality ones in obscure journals...

I hear you re juggling kidlets and tenure-track positions. Academia just doesn't give female profs breaks when it comes to pregnancy and childrearing. I've heard of female profs planning their pregnancies so that the baby is born during the summer break, or while they're on sabbatical...one of these things they never tell you when you decide to go into academia it seems. If I had advice for women who want kids and tenure, it'd be: have the kids in grad school. Or during a post-doc. It's way more flexible.

Now, as to your stories (rubs hands in glee): when you write, do you write in a linear fashion (one chapter/story at a time) or do you have several chapters/stories going at once?

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

The stuff about academia and kids is good to know. I haven't done a lot of research yet on it, and I'm sort of skeptical of being able to get an academic position anyway, especially since I don't want to move. (But I live near Philly.) I'm a post-doc now, so... yeah. Kids are good right now!

Now, as to your stories (rubs hands in glee): when you write, do you write in a linear fashion (one chapter/story at a time) or do you have several chapters/stories going at once?

This is really interesting because the answer isn't always the same!

When my cowriter and I wrote our huge Pern fanfic Through the Fire, we patchworked a lot- wrote the scenes as they came to us. There's value in that, in that we wrote scenes when we had the inspiration, but there's difficulty in that as well in that it can be hard to tie them together. We also did that with our original stuff. But at the same time, I'd have other stories going on as well. Usually, these were shorter stories, although a couple (like one of my favorites called "Fly") took a LONG time.

With HP fanfic, I'm very linear. I know how certain scenes should go, but I don't always write in order. That was especially true for Deny Thy Father, and the first 4 parts of Accidentally In Love. Part 5 was much harder, mainly because of the Turkey trip. (I have a harder time writing the adventure sections.) Mentors was a patchwork effort. Parts 5 and 8 of AIL (both parts that are heavy on the adventure) have been more patchwork.

There's only one AIL scene I actually wrote long before I needed it, and that was the scene with James and Sirius in Wandwavers. Even then, the whole scene wasn't down- just that long paragraph where Sirius talks about dancing. I did write the ending for Part 8 last night, even though I'm not quite there, and I have the beginning for Part 9 in my head... it's wierd.

But every now and then I'll get a plotbunny of something short, and I'll write it. Ten Galleons was written in a few hours, and Cooking Lessons took about a day. Collecting Spoils was written at a convention as I listened to talks on glycerol utilization. Heh.

So a little from column A, a little from column B.

I should really read AIL

[jazzypom.livejournal.com]

oh, but it's a WIP. Will you be finished with it before HBP? Because after HBP comes out, I don't think I'll be reading anything online for a while.

Why's everyone doing this meme again? (not wanting to be cranky), okay I will bite.

What's the hardest thing for you to write in terms of story? Is it plot, characterization or dialogue? How do you get around it, since you don't have someone to read over (or even speak to, if I'm correct?) about your work?

Re: I should really read AIL

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Heh. I HOPE I'll be finished with AIL before HBP, because HBP will totally blow it out of the water. But I'm not guarenteeing.

However, the end point of Chapter 8 (which should be up in a few days) is a really nice ending if you want happy. You can guess where the story goes after that pretty well! Chapter 9 on is going to be everything starting to be destroyed.

I think everyone's doing the meme again because they're bored- no other good reason. I put it up because I like the sound of my own "voice".

What's the hardest thing for you to write in terms of story? Is it plot, characterization or dialogue? How do you get around it, since you don't have someone to read over (or even speak to, if I'm correct?) about your work?

Hmmmm. Dialogue, I think. Every now and then I have trouble with characterization, but I usually recongize it and send the scene out for a quick beta. I had that problem with Damien at one point- when Remus came out I didn't want his parents to be too angry, because Remus has enough angst, thanks. But the general concensus was Damien was WAY too soft the first time I wrote it. But that was one of those things I already knew anyway.

Dialogue can be hard for me because if you listen to me speak in person, I'm often times very awkward and stilted. I'm terrible at small talk and a lot of times I just come off very blonde. I'm much better with people I know well, but I'm very shy, so...

A lot of times I'll read dialogue outloud. That helps a lot. What gets really hard is coming up with insults- I'm really not good at that. Not even witty insults, just the kind that HURT.

If I hit a block, I'll ask people. I've asked a few times in my LJ entries- most recently and notably, how to rob Westminster Abbey. Heh. When I was writing DTF and the scene where Sirius's parents find out about the Prank and what Sirius did to Remus, I asked in a chat at Immeritus, because I was having trouble coming up with good insults. Usually I just need a few prompts and then I'm off.

The last thing I find I have trouble with, well, there's two. Setting. I'm TERRIBLE with setting. I think this is beause I write fanfic, and the settings have mostly been established for us. I rarely give enough detail, and that's been something that's been consistent across my writing. It wasn't so much a problem in DTF, because I used very few original settings. It is noticable in AIL a bit more, because there's new places like Caradoc's lab, Sirius's flat (Remus's flat was easy because it was based on my first apartment), and a pub called The Dragon Rider where the Order meets. The other thing I have a hard time with is getting enough action into my stories. I like stories about people and their relationships, but you need action in them as well. Not necessarily action-action, like action movies, but motion. I sometimes feel like my stories lack that. I don't feel it as much in AIL (note the as much bit!), or really any of the series, but I do REALLY feel it in some of my original stuff.

For anything original, I don't worry so much, because I have someone I could ask to beta. I don't ask her to beta my R/S stuff because while she reads HP some, she doesn't read it a lot, and I write SO freaking much. I've also now got a few people in the R/S world that I consider tough but fair critics. If I ever wanted to really give a piece a thorough grounding, I would ask them to go over it with me. The reason I don't with my bigger pieces is because I feel pretty comfortable with them as a whole, and while I love writing them, they're just huge! I feel like I should compensate if someone actually beta-ed for me. So really what I do now is post on LJ first, where people tend to be good about giving constructive feedback, then wait a week, make edits, and send to FA. :)

[mashlie.livejournal.com]

Hi!
I found AIL and DTF not long ago - and have already reread them! Is it okay for me to friend you?

And, as for the actual meme...Do you have any post-AIL plans? Or, since HBP might be out by then, are you going to wait and see if that gives you othr ideas?

[lls-mutant.livejournal.com]

Friend away- thanks!

Well I'd really, really like to get some original stuff going. I think I'm probably going to stick to one-shots unless JKR gives us something so juicy I need to write it. (please no!) Forunately, as much as I love the Trio, I don't feel compelled to write about them. Or Snape. So that should help.

I do have some one-shots planned. I promised one to ignipes, but I haven't decided what. I REALLY want to write the Adventures of Remus and Caradoc on the Isle of Drear. And I'm doing the HP gen femfic challenge, which I have no CLUE what I'm doing for because I have about 20 ideas swirling. But I think my major fic efforts will be original after this, and just the one shots that I can do in a few days !