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Beat Reporter
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OP
Beat Reporter
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 450 |
A discussion on one of the Forever Knight lists I'm on got me thinking--why is it that we never see our favorite characters doing ordinary things in fanfic? I mean, when was the last time you really saw Lois and Clark do the vaccuuming, wash dishes, fold laundry, take out the trash, or any other of the ordinary chores that every one does? So here's my challenge. Write a story in which we see ordinary life. If you're a next gen author, show L&C kissing owies to make them better.  Show the dailiness of life! Laura
“Rules only make sense if they are both kept and broken. Breaking the rule is one way of observing it.”
--Thomas Moore
"Keep an open mind, I always say. Drives sensible people mad, I know, but what did we ever get from sensible people? Not poetry or art or music, that's for sure."
--Charles de Lint, Someplace to Be Flying
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 653 Likes: 3
Columnist
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Columnist
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Posts: 653 Likes: 3 |
I think the reason we don't see them doing the mundane details of life in fanfic is the same reason we didn't see it in the show - it's boring. There are definitely ways you can insert chores and use them as a stepping stone for an interesting scene - I know I've shown them doing dishes, grocery shopping, and pumping gas, among other things - but unless these scenes somehow advance the plot, add comedy to the story or include some fun waffiness...it seems a bit pointless to talk about it. A brief mention adds a nice touch of realism, but frankly the idea of reading a play by play of Lois' vaccumming skills doesn't rate high up on my list of most desired scenes. That said, if someone can make it interesting, I'd be glad to read it. It'll be interesting to see what people come up with.
Annie
Being a reporter is as much a diagnosis as a job description. ~Anna Quindlen
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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I think Claire's Flying Solo meets the criteria. 
Do you know the most surprising thing about divorce? It doesn't actually kill you, like a bullet to the heart or a head-on car wreck. It should. When someone you've promised to cherish till death do you part says, "I never loved you," it should kill you instantly.
- Under the Tuscan Sun
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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I think the point of the challenge is to write it so it's *not* boring, though ... I mean, yes, I doubt anyone would want to read 10 pages of Lois scrubbing her toilet <g>, but I think it could be fun to see them having a conversation while making the bed, for example, whether about beds or about something else that shows the give and take involved with doing a chore together. IMO, the challenge doesn't lend itself to full length stories (nor do I think it was intended to do so) but as super-shorts, I think they could be really cute and I hope people share their ideas with us. Kathy
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Hack from Nowheresville
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Hack from Nowheresville
Joined: Jul 2003
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I know that I've had my characters loading the dishwasher, going to classes and gardening. I don't think I've ever had them vacuuming though. Hmm....
/me runs off to think about writing a vacuuming story.
Imagine.
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Merriwether
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Merriwether
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Have Clark trying to take care of baby twins or a toddler and a fresh baby. Frustration, comedy...
I've converted to lurk-ism... hopefully only temporary.
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
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I'd actually been sort of thinking of a challenge along these lines too but it's more specific - "cleaning out / reorganizing your closet" (or 'editing' your possession' as trendy mags say<g>)
The closet should only have items / clothes that were in the show. So, for example, Lois might have a chicken suit. <g>
What would be in Lex's closet? 2nd season Jimmy ? Cat's closet? Clark's closet??? etc.
Carol
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Beat Reporter
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OP
Beat Reporter
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 450 |
Cute idea, Carol. <bg> I think that adding in some of these kind of details ground your story in reality--the show *did* sometimes show Clark doing things like cooking, but we rarely saw just day-to-day stuff. I'm not saying that we need 10-20 page stories about laundry or vaccuuming, but longer stories where it happens would be good. Hm... how *does* Clark find time to wash his capes?  Laura
“Rules only make sense if they are both kept and broken. Breaking the rule is one way of observing it.”
--Thomas Moore
"Keep an open mind, I always say. Drives sensible people mad, I know, but what did we ever get from sensible people? Not poetry or art or music, that's for sure."
--Charles de Lint, Someplace to Be Flying
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Posts: 1,597
Merriwether
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Merriwether
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OK, I came up with something today ... I'm not sure that it really fits your challenge, Laura, so I posted it in the Fanfic folder instead of here. But I did try to include as many "ordinary chores" in Clark's activities as I could. I hope people enjoy it. Lovesick 1/1 Kathy
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