Writing meme

[pensnest]

Seen about the place, and I thought I'd try playing, though there are of course many other things I ought to be doing:

Ask me anything you want about any of my stories: how I thought of the idea, what I did to write it, what I was thinking when I wrote it, what I feel about it now, what I wish I'd done differently, etc. Or ask any of the characters from particular stories something you want to know, and get an answer from them. Or both.

Comments

[ninjetti75.livejournal.com]

How on Earth did "Merchandising" come about?

[pensnest]

Ah, Merchandising. After about six weeks of *gorging* myself silly on popslash, I was reading nopseud's Pornutopia series in her LJ, and looking through the comments with great amusement.

In that fic, I think it's JC who creates a 'to-life' model of his own equipment for Lance to take to Russia. There was some speculation on the subject, in comments, and someone - nopseud, I think, though I could be wrong - suggested that JC's model ought to be pink and glittery. There was enthusiasm...

That was the spark that began the story. So, not really my idea at all!

[ninjetti75.livejournal.com]

*snicker*

Ah yes, I remember that entry in the Pornutopia setting, heee...

[turloughishere.livejournal.com]

I want to ask about Prize. Why Nick Carter? How come you decided to include him into the story and not some other sparkly boy?

[pensnest]

My SeSa recipient had Chris/Nick down as her crossover pairing, simple as that. I figured I would fit both pairings, sort of, into the same story. And he makes a nice visual contrast with Chris and Lance, I always think!

[turloughishere.livejournal.com]

he makes a nice visual contrast with Chris and Lance

He really does!

[turps33.livejournal.com]

Okay, a question to Sir Chrisfer.

Two questions really, did you always want to be a Knight, and Lancyn, surely you really don't want him to be with your sister.

[pensnest]

It was either that or a life of crime.

Nah, not really, but you know, I never really saw myself settling down somewhere to be a respectable citizen with a family and a farm or a business of my own. I wasn't apprentice material—never really sat still long enough to learn a trade—and I didn't inherit any property, and besides, I always wanted something different. And then, when I was, oh, I don't know how old, just a kid, there was a problem in the village where we lived, and a knight came in to settle it all. Something about a dispute over a goat, originally, but it grew into a full-scale feud and the knight who turned up had to do a lot of talking and knock some heads together...

And I thought, that looks like the life for me. So my mother sent me to a Tower for training, and after a few years of that I persuaded Ser Bolyn to take me on as his squire, and it's suited me very well. I wasn't entirely joking about that life of crime, you know, because people are so stupid, really, it's a pleasure to bash some sense into them, sometimes, though of course when you're Elite you always try to start with talking, which I can also do. I could have gone a long way tricking fools out of their purses, but it's more satisfying to put things right in the world than it would have been to just be looking out for myself.

So, I suppose I'd have to say I always wanted to be a knight, ever since I knew what knights were.

And Lancyn? He's a good kid, and closer to being a full knight himself than he realises. I wouldn't want him to find himself partnered with someone who'd be no good for him, you know? Who'd want him to be less than he can be? Besides, my little sister is a sweet girl, and she's a bit shy. She deserves someone who's really worth keeping, and Lans is that. I suppose I shouldn't interfere, but it sort of goes with the job really, organising other people's lives for them, though unfortunately Lans can be a stubborn brat at times, but I don't think it's unreasonable to, um, want to keep him as part of my family. Of course, Elite are a sort of family, too, but some of them are like distant cousins you never see, and some of them frankly are the sort of family you wish you weren't related to, so it's not the same.

As soon as Lancyn takes the Oath he's going to go off adventuring on his own. I mean, questing. You know, dealing out justice throughout the land. He probably won't get into quite as much trouble without me, he's actually quite sensible (although, that said, he's nearly turned my hair white a couple of times, I have a lot more sympathy now for what Ser Bolyn went through with me), but when you spend years with a person, training him and working with him and having a lot of fun together, it's hard to imagine him going off and, you know, not being around any more. So if he's officially part of my family, I won't lose him. I really don't want to lose him.

[turps33.livejournal.com]

Dude, I'm all flaily.

Thank you for answering Sir Chrisfer.

But that last line just about broke my heart.