tell me a story

[hedda62]

So here's a question for the fic writers, in the Writers Are Egotistical What A Surprise department.

If you had the chance to give one of your stories to a source creator (which is by way of saying book author, or writer/actor/director/producer/whatever in visual media) to read, which one would you choose? You are allowed to resurrect people from the dead for these purposes; you're also allowed to say no thanks.

I am uncomfortable myself with the idea of doing this with visual media fics, possibly because as implied creative responsibility is so fractured and also because I feel at more of a distance. I mean, I get book authors. I get actors, too, but the idea of handing Laurence Fox a copy of "And Love Itself Have Rest" freaks me out no end; Clare Holman and "Dear Stephen," maybe, but she probably doesn't care a fig for Patrick O'Brian in real life.

So I think we're looking at the Vorkosiverse here, not surprisingly. I actually had a second-hand report ten years ago that Lois Bujold had read one or more of my Snape crossovers, and had positive things to say, but I can't verify that. I do know that she read my essay on plants and gardening, and mentioned it on her blog (IIRC she said it was "nice in all the meanings of the word" or something similar).

So that's one of the reasons I'd point her to "The Emperor's Garden." Other reasons: It's good. :) I'm proud of how it turned out; the prose is accomplished; the story is coherent; it's constructed interestingly (being a fic about Ekaterin that never uses her POV); it has lots of characters in it, including minor ones (Tsipis!), and I think they are all in character; it's got funny bits and touching bits and long and lyrical bits. It's very me. It has one of the highest hit counts of all my fics, and the highest kudos count, despite being a story about garden design. It does not have sex in it, aside from Miles kissing Ekaterin's neck, so no squirming while wondering if the author thinks I'm debauching her sloth beloved creations. I would not be embarrassed if she read "Imperial Bedrooms," or even "L'oiseau qui vole," but I wouldn't want to know ahead of time. Also, it is set post-canon (I believe she's said she won't write anything chronologically past Cryoburn) and therefore is more or less legally safe, although for the purposes of this question I'm waiving that requirement. But I think that might help make the exercise easier for both of us, as long as reading something where Aral's dead isn't overwhelmingly uncomfortable.

So that's my choice, for this extremely hypothetical situation. :) Anyone else want to chime in with choices from their own oeuvre?

Comments

[mmegaera]

Thanks!