Yuletide story commentary
Jan. 6th, 2006 10:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hafitalI hesitate to say this is a commentary of any great depth, and probably I'm the only one interested in this, but whatever. *g*
Once upon a time, I was visiting the lovely![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
killabeez and we were sitting down to watch some dvds when she suggested (innocently, I am sure) we watch some Wiseguy. I'd heard a fair amount about the show from her already, and really, I wasn't going to say no, cause that would have been rude *g*. But I had no objections -- If Killa liked it chances were high that I would. And thus I got to know Vinnie and Frank and Sonny (SOB!) and eventually Roger.
After finishing the Steelgrave arc, I wasn't sure where the show could go next. That arc is so complete unto itself, it just seemed weird that it was really only a few episodes. Not even a whole season. I still have a little trouble grasping the fact that both the Steelgrave arc and the Profitt arc happened in the same season (and the first season, at that). When I started the Profitt arc, I didn't know what to think. I don't think I cared for Roger much, and wasn't sure what was going on, and really, felt very much like Vinnie does in the show *g*. But then Kevin Spacey entered the picture and there was no leaving at that point. So, I kept watching and was soon totally engrossed. I think shortly after the episode "Smokey Mountain Requiem" my reaction to Roger started to change, and then certainly after we find out the truth about him, he won me over. Turned me 180 degrees by the end of the arc and by the end of the last episode, I absolutely adored him. I don't think I've ever had that much of a reversal with a character before.
I didn't continue watching the rest of the series at that point, except for a few one off episodes. I think things got busy and I got distracted and a whole year went by, when lo and behold, what do I get for my Yuletide assignment but Wiseguy, Vinnie/Sonny or Vinnie/Roger. I panicked a little when I read my assignment, mostly because Wiseguy has a very particular feel and style to its dialogue that I wasn't sure I could do justice to it. However, I am not easily daunted and I rewatched both the Steelgrave and Profitt arcs from the beginning, falling in love with the show all over again.
I don't really know why I went the way of Vinnie/Roger rather than Vinnie/Sonny. Part of it is that I'm deeply fascinated by Roger, but another part (and I realize this might be a bit contrary to popular opinion) is that I think it's more plausible than Vinnie/Sonny. Sonny and Vinnie love each other and their physical chemistry is really kinda out there it's so high, but there's an uncompleteness to it, especially at the end. It just feels like they could never quite figure it out, imo. Part of this is because of how the Steelgrave arc ends, like a severed limb. And I'm just a canon slut, really. Hard to break out of the habit, especially for a first story in a fandom. I had to make it fit within canon.
So, then I turned to Roger (yay!) and starting percolating some thoughts about how to get these two boys naked and sweaty. *g* Which was NOT EASY. I say Vinnie/Roger is more plausible, but not in the least bit easy, let me tell you, at least for me. Finding out where in the arc it was likely something between them could have happened wasn't so hard, but building the relationship was. Getting Roger to a place where it felt right for him to let go, even for a little bit, was very very tricky. Particularly since I was writing it from Vinnie's POV.
In the first draft of the story, I think I just skimmed the surface. I had all these scenes that really didn't tell you much of what was going on in either Vinnie or Roger's head, and weren't really doing much for the story. Luckilydestina didn't hesitate to tell me so in her beta, and thus I had to really figure out exactly what I wanted from the story.
One of my teachers this last semester at school really harped on what he called the "magic if", which is not a new concept. He took it from Stanislofsky and it's a thing actors use -- "If I were so and so, what would I do? What would I want? What would I say?" etc etc. My teacher's point in harping on the "magic if" was to really stress each action, each desire, etc etc, that a character does on stage and what he/she says, has to be something they would really do. Pretty obvious, right? Yeah, and also not easy. *g* Most of us do some variation of this when writing without even thinking. We know our fandoms and their characters so well, it just takes a little bit of thinking and we know how to write them. While I did listen to what my teacher said, I didn't *really* feel like he was teaching me anything I didn't already know. I felt more than confident in my ability to make sure I'm always writing in character; it's like breathing, very natural. Except when it's not. *g*
I didn't even realize I was doing it but when I started rewriting Make Me Believe, I had to go through the paces with each scene to find out exactly what I needed to show. I had to ask the question, and stop, and visualize, and sort of wait for the answer to bubble up, and then edit the scene. The actual changes to the story weren't that great, in the end, but I think the story is much more effective because of the rewrite. Really, I've never had so much trouble with characters before. *g*
Part of this, I think, was that I lacked the time to rewatch the show over and over again when I was first writing, and I think I kind of need that. To write in a fandom it needs to be on in the background all the time. I need to sort of live and breath the show for a while, and I just didn't have the time (or the energy) to do that properly. This is one of the reasons why I'm never going to be very multifannish. Eventually I did rewatch the Profitt arc a couple of times. (I have the show on VHS, which was also part of the problem. Although I finally broke down and got the Profitt arc on DVD. YAY. Steelgrave arc coming soon!)
Another reason writing this story was so tricky is that Roger is just one cagey SOB. *g* He's not an easy one to figure out (to say the least), to really understand his motivations and how his past and present actions affect him. What helped was rethinking the entire arc from his POV. If the main character of the show had been Roger Lococco, how would we have seen things? Specifically, how would Vinnie appear to him? From Roger's POV, he's the one in the right. It may be completely misguided, but he thinks he's working for a greater goal. He thinks his mission is an imperative. And then in comes this Vinnie person, who for all intents and purposes is a wiseguy player from New Jersey and just a glorified hood and pretty much creates upheaval where ever he goes and ruins everything. *g* Of course Roger is cagey and suspicious, not to mention tightly wound.
One thing the arc sets up, very subtly at first, is that Roger and Vinnie really are two sides of the same coin, and that was the other hook that I needed to figure out their relationship. They're both drawn to each other because of this. They fight against it, or at least Roger does. Vinnie is a little bit more open *g*, but they both feel it, they both feel a connection to each other. That's why Roger can never bring himself to kill Vinnie, despite what he says at the beginning of the arc when he asks Vinnie if Vinnie could ever kill a friend.
By the time I'd finished writing the story, I was pretty much completely in love with Roger. I'm not sure I can explain why. Part of it is just the act of writing. Another part is how damaged he is, and how needy, and that deep down, he's really a good guy. Kinda scary, kinda wouldn't really want to meet him in a dark alley or anything, but he's beautifully complex and scarred and lonely. Vinnie is easy to love -- he's like the exact definition of the type of character I always gravitate towards, and he's also scarred and lonely but less of a mystery. Sonny, well, there's no not loving Sonny. Sonny is forever. And then of course, there's Frank, less we forget. *g*
I loved writing Wiseguy, even if it was a bit like sweating blood. I have no idea if I'll be able to write more. I'd like to. I think I'm now too attached to all the characters to let it go quite so soon, so hopefully, I'll manage something.
Whew. That was a bit rambley, wasn't it?
Once upon a time, I was visiting the lovely
killabeez and we were sitting down to watch some dvds when she suggested (innocently, I am sure) we watch some Wiseguy. I'd heard a fair amount about the show from her already, and really, I wasn't going to say no, cause that would have been rude *g*. But I had no objections -- If Killa liked it chances were high that I would. And thus I got to know Vinnie and Frank and Sonny (SOB!) and eventually Roger. After finishing the Steelgrave arc, I wasn't sure where the show could go next. That arc is so complete unto itself, it just seemed weird that it was really only a few episodes. Not even a whole season. I still have a little trouble grasping the fact that both the Steelgrave arc and the Profitt arc happened in the same season (and the first season, at that). When I started the Profitt arc, I didn't know what to think. I don't think I cared for Roger much, and wasn't sure what was going on, and really, felt very much like Vinnie does in the show *g*. But then Kevin Spacey entered the picture and there was no leaving at that point. So, I kept watching and was soon totally engrossed. I think shortly after the episode "Smokey Mountain Requiem" my reaction to Roger started to change, and then certainly after we find out the truth about him, he won me over. Turned me 180 degrees by the end of the arc and by the end of the last episode, I absolutely adored him. I don't think I've ever had that much of a reversal with a character before.
I didn't continue watching the rest of the series at that point, except for a few one off episodes. I think things got busy and I got distracted and a whole year went by, when lo and behold, what do I get for my Yuletide assignment but Wiseguy, Vinnie/Sonny or Vinnie/Roger. I panicked a little when I read my assignment, mostly because Wiseguy has a very particular feel and style to its dialogue that I wasn't sure I could do justice to it. However, I am not easily daunted and I rewatched both the Steelgrave and Profitt arcs from the beginning, falling in love with the show all over again.
I don't really know why I went the way of Vinnie/Roger rather than Vinnie/Sonny. Part of it is that I'm deeply fascinated by Roger, but another part (and I realize this might be a bit contrary to popular opinion) is that I think it's more plausible than Vinnie/Sonny. Sonny and Vinnie love each other and their physical chemistry is really kinda out there it's so high, but there's an uncompleteness to it, especially at the end. It just feels like they could never quite figure it out, imo. Part of this is because of how the Steelgrave arc ends, like a severed limb. And I'm just a canon slut, really. Hard to break out of the habit, especially for a first story in a fandom. I had to make it fit within canon.
So, then I turned to Roger (yay!) and starting percolating some thoughts about how to get these two boys naked and sweaty. *g* Which was NOT EASY. I say Vinnie/Roger is more plausible, but not in the least bit easy, let me tell you, at least for me. Finding out where in the arc it was likely something between them could have happened wasn't so hard, but building the relationship was. Getting Roger to a place where it felt right for him to let go, even for a little bit, was very very tricky. Particularly since I was writing it from Vinnie's POV.
In the first draft of the story, I think I just skimmed the surface. I had all these scenes that really didn't tell you much of what was going on in either Vinnie or Roger's head, and weren't really doing much for the story. Luckily
destina didn't hesitate to tell me so in her beta, and thus I had to really figure out exactly what I wanted from the story.One of my teachers this last semester at school really harped on what he called the "magic if", which is not a new concept. He took it from Stanislofsky and it's a thing actors use -- "If I were so and so, what would I do? What would I want? What would I say?" etc etc. My teacher's point in harping on the "magic if" was to really stress each action, each desire, etc etc, that a character does on stage and what he/she says, has to be something they would really do. Pretty obvious, right? Yeah, and also not easy. *g* Most of us do some variation of this when writing without even thinking. We know our fandoms and their characters so well, it just takes a little bit of thinking and we know how to write them. While I did listen to what my teacher said, I didn't *really* feel like he was teaching me anything I didn't already know. I felt more than confident in my ability to make sure I'm always writing in character; it's like breathing, very natural. Except when it's not. *g*
I didn't even realize I was doing it but when I started rewriting Make Me Believe, I had to go through the paces with each scene to find out exactly what I needed to show. I had to ask the question, and stop, and visualize, and sort of wait for the answer to bubble up, and then edit the scene. The actual changes to the story weren't that great, in the end, but I think the story is much more effective because of the rewrite. Really, I've never had so much trouble with characters before. *g*
Part of this, I think, was that I lacked the time to rewatch the show over and over again when I was first writing, and I think I kind of need that. To write in a fandom it needs to be on in the background all the time. I need to sort of live and breath the show for a while, and I just didn't have the time (or the energy) to do that properly. This is one of the reasons why I'm never going to be very multifannish. Eventually I did rewatch the Profitt arc a couple of times. (I have the show on VHS, which was also part of the problem. Although I finally broke down and got the Profitt arc on DVD. YAY. Steelgrave arc coming soon!)
Another reason writing this story was so tricky is that Roger is just one cagey SOB. *g* He's not an easy one to figure out (to say the least), to really understand his motivations and how his past and present actions affect him. What helped was rethinking the entire arc from his POV. If the main character of the show had been Roger Lococco, how would we have seen things? Specifically, how would Vinnie appear to him? From Roger's POV, he's the one in the right. It may be completely misguided, but he thinks he's working for a greater goal. He thinks his mission is an imperative. And then in comes this Vinnie person, who for all intents and purposes is a wiseguy player from New Jersey and just a glorified hood and pretty much creates upheaval where ever he goes and ruins everything. *g* Of course Roger is cagey and suspicious, not to mention tightly wound.
One thing the arc sets up, very subtly at first, is that Roger and Vinnie really are two sides of the same coin, and that was the other hook that I needed to figure out their relationship. They're both drawn to each other because of this. They fight against it, or at least Roger does. Vinnie is a little bit more open *g*, but they both feel it, they both feel a connection to each other. That's why Roger can never bring himself to kill Vinnie, despite what he says at the beginning of the arc when he asks Vinnie if Vinnie could ever kill a friend.
By the time I'd finished writing the story, I was pretty much completely in love with Roger. I'm not sure I can explain why. Part of it is just the act of writing. Another part is how damaged he is, and how needy, and that deep down, he's really a good guy. Kinda scary, kinda wouldn't really want to meet him in a dark alley or anything, but he's beautifully complex and scarred and lonely. Vinnie is easy to love -- he's like the exact definition of the type of character I always gravitate towards, and he's also scarred and lonely but less of a mystery. Sonny, well, there's no not loving Sonny. Sonny is forever. And then of course, there's Frank, less we forget. *g*
I loved writing Wiseguy, even if it was a bit like sweating blood. I have no idea if I'll be able to write more. I'd like to. I think I'm now too attached to all the characters to let it go quite so soon, so hopefully, I'll manage something.
Whew. That was a bit rambley, wasn't it?
