I've got a bad feeling about this

[rthstewart]

So, see, it's like this.  Thanks to over-writing the last chapter I have a mostly finished next chapter of Apostolic Way ready to go.  Woot!  Thanks snacky !  Snacky helped with the edit on chapter 5 and 6.  So, I'm beginning Chapter 7, The Queen Susan in Liverpool (by the by, I don't suppose any of you very clever folks know anything about the ethnic mix of Liverpool in 1942 other than the fact that there were 20,000 Chinese in the port city and that thousands of Chinese men were working in the merchant marines?  And had married British women?  Right then, moving on). 

Also, in a series of comments back and forth in the previous entry l_a_r_m extolls the virtues and glories of WC Tebbitt and I embarrassingly admit to developing (for the first time) a serious crush on Lt. Col. Clark.  Really, 20 years writing fic and I'm falling for an OC.  I am feeling immense sympathy for Dorothy Sayers.  I'm even casting Lt. Col. Clark in my head, which as someone who avoids the dread visuals, this is nothing short of earth shattering.  I'm very ashamed. 

As a consequence, I've been talking about it all, to myself, in the car during my daily commute.  It's cheaper than therapy and without the side effects of medication.  I've mentioned before that I do this.  Since beginning fan fic again, I don't listen to NPR.  I talk to imaginary friends about fan fic in the car, with a blue tooth headset so that people don't think I'm crazy.  Lt. Col. Clark has been taking up a lot of time the last week as I work through my fangirl crush and listen over and over to the Children of Dune soundtrack.

Except now, a colleague was injured and is in a cast and so now...  I've offered to give him daily lifts to and from work.  In my car.  Every day.  Morning and afternoon. 

This is bad.  For the most part, I do this fic by myself, me, myself, I, and the inside of the Mazda or Toyota.  My colleague is a nerdy, geeking guy, sort of.  But, no.  Just no. 

Comments

[autumnia]

I suppose talking to yourself just in your head won't work as well? No... well, I suppose that can be a distraction while you're driving too.

Yay about the upcoming chapters! I really, really do wish I was able to help you out about the Liverpudlian Chinese but that one's stumping me. Have you tried posting over at little_details? There seems to be quite a remarkable number of people over there with all sorts of fascinating knowledge and/or links.

You are a better woman than I am at the moment. I can't even work on fic as diligently as I should. My head's all wrapped up in gangsters, booze, pretty clothes and old-fashioned dance tunes (am 2/3 of the way through "Boardwalk Empire") and it won't leave me just yet.

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

Based on Boardwalk Empire, l_a_r_m dared to suggest to me Steve Buscemi for Col. Clark. I told her that if she kept that up, Tebbitt was going to have nodular acne scarring and go prematurely bald.

[autumnia]

Buscemi doesn't quite fit the visual of Colonel Clark for me based on the little we know of him (Clark) so far. But his portrayal as Nucky Thompson -- that I could kind of see; it's the character, I think.

And are we soliciting visuals for Tebbitt too?

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

And are we soliciting visuals for Tebbitt too?

I DO Not Do Visuals. Really. Ever. My embarrassment meter skyrockets. I avert my gaze.

Except maybe King Caspian in those nice pants (I went looking for Dorian Gray clips after my second viewing of VotDT). And now, alas, Col. Clark. ACK!!!! Rth reaches for the brain bleach

As for Tebbitt, you may take that up with metonomia and l_a_r_m. They have detailed opinions on this subject.

[autumnia]

So Visuals = Bad. Check.

To make up it to you, just sent you an email with some possible research links for chapter 7. Hopefully, it'll help!

[keeperofqkeys.livejournal.com]

Does this mean we'll get to see more of the good colonel?

Let me just say though, your love for him shines through in the writing. Which makes me, as a reader, love him too. So you'd best not stop loving him!

(As one of my friends said the other day, I have an amazing talent for rationalizing the irrational. Including fangirl love of OCs.)

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

Let me just say though, your love for him shines through in the writing.

Shhhh! Don't tell my husband!

[keeperofqkeys.livejournal.com]

;-X

[intrikate88.livejournal.com]

Aw, that sounds like the time I was talking to one of my characters on the way to work with my phone up to my ear to not look batshit. Aaand one of my coworkers was driving next to me and trying to get my attention and of course I was grinning like a fool and totally oblivious. And then she tried to get me to tell her who I was in love with because apparently I had that sort of face.

It's so sad when we get our crazy temporarily taken away from us.

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

And then she tried to get me to tell her who I was in love with because apparently I had that sort of face.
Oh gawd, YES. This happens. Or, your are thinking about something fic related and grinning like an idiot in the office and someone says, "You are in a good mood." BUSTED

[intrikate88.livejournal.com]

"What? Oh, I just got lucky! ...with a PLOT POINT- that I can't tell you about- oh, bugger."

[cofax7]

Oh noes!

I hate that kind of interference with how one operates. Even when it's in a good cause, like this one: I get resentful.

I hope you are able to come up with a different methodology. Perhaps you can go for long walks at lunch? Or go sit in the car at lunch? Oh, wait, no, it's winter, that won't work.

Well, good luck with it and I hope it won't last too long.

[cofax7]

ps -- I rather liked what I saw of Col. Clark, as well. The gift of Chocolate was a very nice touch: can I assume this was before Hershey and Nestle became a by-word for "terrible American excuse for chocolate" in Europe? *grin*

[lady_songsmith]

Look, given a choice between d-rats and cadbury (I hate cadbury. I know. They'll be turning up with torches and pitchforks any minute now.), I'd take the cadbury in a heartbeat. I would imagine the British reaction to hershey would be much the same. :)

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

There's a lot more of Clark in the next chapter and then more to come down the road. I've thought about it waaay too much, but part of it is that I'm finally writing someone who is unabashedly an American liberal lawyer. He's closer to what I know and to the people I knew who worked in the International Human Rights Law Group in the 90s. This character is also, in terms of the work and role (but not personality), based on a really, really remarkable person who I deeply admire who was then fictionalized in film in a terrific performance. So, yeah, I'm seriously doomed.

As for the chocolate, as E pointed out to me, there is this whole "thing" involving the American GIs handing out chocolate. The idea of Americans handing out candy to poor people is a really fraught image and here, he's handing it out to a non-white man, who will in turn give it to a British woman. These are really loaded concepts, both then, and now. Clark is being generous, and just so American about it -- well meaning, slightly obnoxious, deadly earnest. You can't dislike him for it, but there's a real innocents abroad quality to it as well.

I wondered about the Brits turning their noses up at American chocolate. From what I can tell from the research, there wasn't any true chocolate during the war, or very little with no cocoa beans, and butter and sugar being so tightly rationed. There was ration chocolate which was apparently yucky. I think that even Hershey is going to taste pretty amazing if you've not seen any a while. And I'm going to go have a Special Dark.

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

I also do this while walking the dog -- but as I do it aloud, that can be hazardous as the neighbors all point at the crazy lady talking to herself. I once did this at home in the morning and my son said, "Mom, who are you talking to?"

[min023.livejournal.com]

Oh my giddy aunt. This is just too amazing. I think can foresee additional dog walks in the near future. And I thought it was bad trying not to laugh while I'm reading fic during my lunch break - never mind writing it in my head. Look at it this way - by sacrificing your me-time commute you're building up good deed/do unto others/universal karma (or something) points : )

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

I am doomed. The writing in my head, thinking about, the grinning, is all very unseemly. Given how today is going, even more so .

[katharhino.livejournal.com]

I write fic in the car too! (So I'm kind of excited that the college where I teach is back in session, because I've missed my drives.) What is it about driving that is so conducive to imagination?

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

What is it about driving that is so conducive to imagination?

it is alone, and ME time. No one else. Just you. It's heavenly.

[metonomia.livejournal.com]

Awwwwww <3333333

Who did you cast him as!? (I know this is shocking and shameful for you, but I am all excited. WE SHALL LURE YOU TO THE DARKSIDE). But really, I promise, if you tell whom you cast to play him, I won't even spam you with visuals. :DD

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

NEVER! I'll never tell! LARM was listing all sorts of yucky people and if she keeps that up, Tebbitt is getting a lot of hair on his back. But, in fact, the role Clark plays (though not the person) arise from a very real, amazing individual, who was in turn fictionalized in film, so there's plenty of material to work from. And no, it's not RPatz either. I pointed out to her that RPatz could not play every single role ever but LARM thinks anything is possible with smoke, mirrors, and mustaches.

[metonomia.livejournal.com]

RPatz could TOTALLY do both roles :DDD

OKAY NICE PEOPLE. UM. GEORGE CLOONEY!

[l-a-r-m.livejournal.com]

I pointed out to her that RPatz could not play every single role ever but LARM thinks anything is possible with smoke, mirrors, and mustaches.

UM OF COURSE IT IS LOLOLOLOLZ <333333 This is probably my favorite quote about myself ever.

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

For the record, I dislike facial hair. This is obviously why you need concoct your own mustachio stories

[lauren-titmus.livejournal.com]

I so agree! Most guys look MUCH better clean shaven.

I've just had a thought. Col Clarke's John Malkovich, isn't he?

[amine-eyes.livejournal.com]

Know the feeling! After the Big Bang of doom, I ended up more in love with my OC than with the main characters xD It is awesome you've found another character who just clicks for you though :D

As for the drive - maybe get him to wear earplugs while you drive xD

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

Big Bang of Doom. Yep, I'm doomed.

[lauren-titmus.livejournal.com]

I just have to say that when I saw the entry title my dad told me I had an evil!grin on my face and I was rubbing my hands together in an evil!way.

Asked dad about Liverpool in 1940s and he said it was mostly Irish (A la NYC for number of expats) and the numbers you gave for chinamen sounded a bit high.

Re Col Clarke is it Misha?

I love that userpic!

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

No, he's not Misha! Thanks for asking your dad! I'm going to have to wing it here, I think. Tone back a bit of what I did write, but apparently there were sizeable Irish, Muslim, Indian, and Chinese populations there. Especially once Japan occupied so much of Asia and the shipping companies couldn't send the Chinese merchant marines back.

[l-a-r-m.livejournal.com]

ROTFL I was just wondering if it was Misha! Ha! But no fic in the mornings? Waaaaaaah I'd be so mad. Except it's kind of funny that he's in a cast and you're casting. I totally thought that was a metaphor the first time I read it, like the power of casting and visualization and imagination had Tom Clark in the car with you! Things like that always happen to me; I hallucinate famous people/characters everywhere. Yep. I'm Becky.

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

Never entered my mind, the casting thing. I don't actually talk to the characters... I talk about them. I pretend people are in the car with me and talk at them. About the story.

So, I don't think that's quite Becky. More like Dean trying to talk to Cas when he may or may not be there

[lauren-titmus.livejournal.com]

Can you at LEAST give us a clue? PLEASE! *puppydog eyes*

[min023.livejournal.com]

On a point that has nothing to do with anything, I love, love, love the new tagline. Brilliant!