Missed Connections (Author's Notes)
Oct. 5th, 2009 10:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hafitalWhew. Well, I'm glad that's done. :D
In case anyone actually cares for this sort of thing...
Writing
Sometimes I think a story is actually a list of answers to a bunch of interrelated questions. I've always been intrigued by the Missed Connections section of the Village Voice, and suddenly started imagining what sort of messages Duncan and Methos would write. What moments in the series were missed connections, and how would they be expressed? The more I thought about it, the more I fell in love with the idea. But this fancy idea was problematic. *g* If Duncan and Methos were leaving messages for each other via the 'Missed Connections' section of a newspaper, that would necessarily require them to be parted. Well, why are they parted? Because of a challenge. Okay, what sort of challenge? Why? From whom? etc etc. And the story just sort of spiraled outward in a very messy sort of way. I've written stories on a mad dash with a plotty twists before, but never one that kept wanting to jump tracks constantly like this one. It was interesting, and a learning experience.
At one point, somewhere mid Part 4 I think, I had to stop and gut the story, move parts around, and sew it back up again. Story surgery!
I complained a lot to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
killabeez who was very patient with me as I sent her messy clumps of story. *g*
Characters
I didn't know Camilla was Camilla until the time came to write Joe telling Duncan who she was. I needed a name, and wanted her to be tied to something real or a legend. I forget now how I came upon Camilla of the Volsci; probably by complete random divine intervention.
Diego de Almagro is also a real conquistador. But, I only borrowed his name and his birthdate, and made everything else up. He's considered an important historical personage in South America and you'll see his name everywhere.
I used the name Anastasia to allude to the famous Anastasia from Russian royal family. I leave it up to the reader to decide whether Anastasia the Immortal could be the missing family member.
Keyumars changed names several times -- I was unhappy with my earlier choices because I wanted him to match the others who all alluded to real people and/or legends. I kept poking the internet, and history, and poking my brain, finally discovering Keyumars.
These four had to be like the Horsemen, or at least they *wanted* to be like the Horsemen, so whether or not they were indeed legends or only faking it is a question I left unanswered.
The Village Voice
The Village Voice no longer as the "Missed Connections" section in its printed paper. It's a shame because it used to be quite entertaining. As was said in the story, there is a Missed Connections website now, and also, all Craig's Lists have a 'missed connection' section, but they seem to have been reduced to mere personal ads now (and more questionable activity goes on via Craig's List than is generally known).
Shoot The Freak
Shoot the Freak, a longtime Coney Island tradition (of nebulous morality), was shut down sometime in 2008, so it's no longer there. You can see what it looked like in these pictures. The Freak's Domain
The same photographer also has some other interesting photographs of the Coney Island boardwalk. Under the Boardwalk.
The things people can do with computers these days
You know, if one tenth of what Alec Hardison can do on Leverage is true, we are all living on thin ice. *g*
As I was writing this story, which although I don't say expressly is supposed to be set contemporaneously with the present, it became really apparent that it sucks to be an Immortal in the modern age. I mean, granted not all Immortals are going to be as tech savvy as Camilla and Co. but just the advent of youtube would make life hell for Immortals. I'm just saying.
ETA: The Testoni shoes
I almost forgot to mention the shoes. I settled on Testoni because I like the name *g*. They're a steal at $849, reduced from $1799. I actually had a different pair in mind, but when you haveunovis_lj as a beta, you really have to choose your expensive mens shoes carefully. *g* Anyway, I fibbed a little on the price in the story because I liked the rhythm of "fifteen hundred dollar shoes" better.
In case anyone actually cares for this sort of thing...
Writing
Sometimes I think a story is actually a list of answers to a bunch of interrelated questions. I've always been intrigued by the Missed Connections section of the Village Voice, and suddenly started imagining what sort of messages Duncan and Methos would write. What moments in the series were missed connections, and how would they be expressed? The more I thought about it, the more I fell in love with the idea. But this fancy idea was problematic. *g* If Duncan and Methos were leaving messages for each other via the 'Missed Connections' section of a newspaper, that would necessarily require them to be parted. Well, why are they parted? Because of a challenge. Okay, what sort of challenge? Why? From whom? etc etc. And the story just sort of spiraled outward in a very messy sort of way. I've written stories on a mad dash with a plotty twists before, but never one that kept wanting to jump tracks constantly like this one. It was interesting, and a learning experience.
At one point, somewhere mid Part 4 I think, I had to stop and gut the story, move parts around, and sew it back up again. Story surgery!
I complained a lot to
killabeez who was very patient with me as I sent her messy clumps of story. *g* Characters
I didn't know Camilla was Camilla until the time came to write Joe telling Duncan who she was. I needed a name, and wanted her to be tied to something real or a legend. I forget now how I came upon Camilla of the Volsci; probably by complete random divine intervention.
Diego de Almagro is also a real conquistador. But, I only borrowed his name and his birthdate, and made everything else up. He's considered an important historical personage in South America and you'll see his name everywhere.
I used the name Anastasia to allude to the famous Anastasia from Russian royal family. I leave it up to the reader to decide whether Anastasia the Immortal could be the missing family member.
Keyumars changed names several times -- I was unhappy with my earlier choices because I wanted him to match the others who all alluded to real people and/or legends. I kept poking the internet, and history, and poking my brain, finally discovering Keyumars.
These four had to be like the Horsemen, or at least they *wanted* to be like the Horsemen, so whether or not they were indeed legends or only faking it is a question I left unanswered.
The Village Voice
The Village Voice no longer as the "Missed Connections" section in its printed paper. It's a shame because it used to be quite entertaining. As was said in the story, there is a Missed Connections website now, and also, all Craig's Lists have a 'missed connection' section, but they seem to have been reduced to mere personal ads now (and more questionable activity goes on via Craig's List than is generally known).
Shoot The Freak
Shoot the Freak, a longtime Coney Island tradition (of nebulous morality), was shut down sometime in 2008, so it's no longer there. You can see what it looked like in these pictures. The Freak's Domain
The same photographer also has some other interesting photographs of the Coney Island boardwalk. Under the Boardwalk.
The things people can do with computers these days
You know, if one tenth of what Alec Hardison can do on Leverage is true, we are all living on thin ice. *g*
As I was writing this story, which although I don't say expressly is supposed to be set contemporaneously with the present, it became really apparent that it sucks to be an Immortal in the modern age. I mean, granted not all Immortals are going to be as tech savvy as Camilla and Co. but just the advent of youtube would make life hell for Immortals. I'm just saying.
ETA: The Testoni shoes
I almost forgot to mention the shoes. I settled on Testoni because I like the name *g*. They're a steal at $849, reduced from $1799. I actually had a different pair in mind, but when you have
unovis_lj as a beta, you really have to choose your expensive mens shoes carefully. *g* Anyway, I fibbed a little on the price in the story because I liked the rhythm of "fifteen hundred dollar shoes" better.
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