marycrawford: 13 hour clock icon (Default)
marycrawford ([personal profile] marycrawford) wrote2003-10-03 09:00 pm
Entry tags:

Serendipity

Thanks to [livejournal.com profile] dbw's discussion of Sentinel fan fiction awards, I find that Martha has a LJ as [livejournal.com profile] soulcake.

And even better, she is still writing the occasional bit of Sentinel fiction, for [livejournal.com profile] sentinel_thurs.

If you've never read one of her stories, I urge you to try. She is so damn good.
Her story Snake Oil needs a 'this story will scare the pants off you' warning. I couldn't sleep after reading it, and I can't think of higher praise.
In a way, I think she's the perfect complement to Francesca. Martha writes angsty, gorgeously realized gen, whereas Francesca writes snarky, sexy slash. But their Jim and Blair voices are note-perfect, their characterization unrivalled, and they build worlds so riveting that you want to live in them.

[identity profile] dbw.livejournal.com 2003-10-03 12:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Actually, Francesca has an LJ as well -- she's [livejournal.com profile] cesperanza. Enjoy. :-)

We'll have to agree to disagree on her stories, though. I thoroughly enjoyed them the first time through and, if asked, would recommend them to anyone wanting to read TS slash. But, for some reason, I can't re-read them--and that bothers me to no end.

I've tried, but they just don't ring true for me. I loved the snarkiness the first time through--but, on a re-read, they don't sound much like the Jim and Blair that I hear in my head and I haven't been able to finish a single one again. I keep trying, though, since it puzzles me why this is the case.

I do realize that I'm pretty much in the minority on this. The difficult thing is that they are well-written. For me, though, they just feel "off." I wish I could describe it better. Frankly, I think her DS stories are closer, though I've had a hard time getting through some of those as well.

[identity profile] marycrawford.livejournal.com 2003-10-03 12:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Actually, Francesca has an LJ as well -- she's cesperanza. Enjoy. :-)

Nonono. That's Cesperanza. That's a different person! :-)

(I'm not entirely joking, here - I do tend to think of them as two different people. Did I mention that I am a little weird sometimes?)

What you say about Francesca's stories is very interesting. I love her stories, and they don't feel 'off' to me, but I think I know what you mean, because it's something that I've had happen with other writers.

I think in the end, characterization is a very personal thing - you're comparing the people who live in your head (Jim and Blair, in this case) to the people who live in the writer's head, and sometimes the edges don't match.

It's different when they're obvious shadows of themselves, or plastic puppets, or Bizarros (Girly!Blair, Abusive!Jim, ad infinitum et at nauseam), but when they're so well written that they're almost but not quite right, it's much harder to pinpoint the problem.

[identity profile] dbw.livejournal.com 2003-10-03 01:11 pm (UTC)(link)
I think in the end, characterization is a very personal thing - you're comparing the people who live in your head (Jim and Blair, in this case) to the people who live in the writer's head, and sometimes the edges don't match.

Exactly. :-) Which is why I don't have a problem with being in the minority on this. I know most people love her stories and I'm glad about that. Like I said, they're well-written. *I'm* the one who can't squint enough when I re-read them to make them work for me the next time around. ;-)

Nonono. That's Cesperanza. That's a different person! :-)

Actually, I do understand what you mean. :-)

[identity profile] rhiannon-jehane.livejournal.com 2003-10-03 12:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow, really? I've always felt that Francesca's stuff is very in character.

I think it's interesting -- and pretty cool, actually -- how we can all watch the same show and all have slightly different takes on the characters. :-)

[identity profile] dbw.livejournal.com 2003-10-03 01:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Wow, really? I've always felt that Francesca's stuff is very in character.

And so do most people. Which is why I've hesitated to post anything like this in the past. Sometimes folks can get rather, er, rabid when they think a favorite author has been slighted in any way and I'd rather avoid those kinds of things. I'm certainly not trying to give the impression that her stories should be avoided--I had a great time reading them. Just that I have trouble with them the second time around.

I think it's interesting -- and pretty cool, actually -- how we can all watch the same show and all have slightly different takes on the characters.

Ain't it though? :-)

[identity profile] rhiannon-jehane.livejournal.com 2003-10-03 12:37 pm (UTC)(link)
But their Jim and Blair voices are note-perfect, their characterization unrivalled, and they build worlds so riveting that you want to live in them.

Oh, absolutely. Martha and Francesca are both brilliant, both in terms of writing and characterization. I am so glad Martha joined [livejournal.com profile] sentinel_thurs.

I'm glad you found it, too. Come on in, the water's nice... ;-)

[identity profile] marycrawford.livejournal.com 2003-10-03 12:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Aw, thanks!

/wades in/