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The glories of yule
Dec. 26th, 2003 12:48 pmI've never been so excited about Christmas as this year, and it's all because of While we tell of yuletide treasure, the obscure fandom Secret Santa project. I wrote a story for it that I never would have dared write otherwise (you'll be able to see which one was mine come January 1st, if you're curious) and I learned a lot about what a good beta can do for you.
As if that wasn't fun enough, I got a story of my very own in return. It's a Hornblower/Pellew tale called Knowledge, Late in the Day and it is gorgeous and I love it. My original Secret Santa defaulted, and this writer kindly stepped in at the last minute to write me this story, which makes it even more impressive. Let me quote my favorite line so you can see how amazing it is:
And neither, now, could he unlearn of this space he had in his body in which another man might sheathe himself: he would carry the knowledge of it around with him, indeed feel as though he newly carried the thing itself around, like a freshly grown limb.
Thank you very much, my mysterious Santa! You made me very happy indeed, and I hope you get a story just as good as this one.
And of course there are hundreds of other stories to read, a gift basket the size of a house. I haven't read more than a twelfth of them yet, but here are some I liked particularly:
- Fine: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. And Etta. Wonderfully written and characterized, a gem of a story.
- A Hogswatch Carol: Discworld. I've never seen a fanfic come so close to the true Voice of Pratchett. This one has it all - an original character who's no less engaging for being dead, Death himself, the Watch, an Igor, ladies of negotiable affection and a murder mystery. I loved it.
- A Helping Hand: Good Omens. This one captures Crowley and Aziraphale perfectly, from an outside POV that really works. And: footnotes!
As if that wasn't fun enough, I got a story of my very own in return. It's a Hornblower/Pellew tale called Knowledge, Late in the Day and it is gorgeous and I love it. My original Secret Santa defaulted, and this writer kindly stepped in at the last minute to write me this story, which makes it even more impressive. Let me quote my favorite line so you can see how amazing it is:
And neither, now, could he unlearn of this space he had in his body in which another man might sheathe himself: he would carry the knowledge of it around with him, indeed feel as though he newly carried the thing itself around, like a freshly grown limb.
Thank you very much, my mysterious Santa! You made me very happy indeed, and I hope you get a story just as good as this one.
And of course there are hundreds of other stories to read, a gift basket the size of a house. I haven't read more than a twelfth of them yet, but here are some I liked particularly:
- Fine: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. And Etta. Wonderfully written and characterized, a gem of a story.
- A Hogswatch Carol: Discworld. I've never seen a fanfic come so close to the true Voice of Pratchett. This one has it all - an original character who's no less engaging for being dead, Death himself, the Watch, an Igor, ladies of negotiable affection and a murder mystery. I loved it.
- A Helping Hand: Good Omens. This one captures Crowley and Aziraphale perfectly, from an outside POV that really works. And: footnotes!
