Outtakes (What are yours?) - Lois & Clark Fanfic Message Boards

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The sunshine coming in through the window was bright and warm and pleasant. The noise of the bustling city outside was pleasant. And then Godzilla came.

That started out as a scene where a guy wakes up next to a girl in a fic involving next-gens and amnesia. It quickly degenerated into a Godzilla story for reasons I can no longer remember.

Did you ever just get frustrated while writing and add a line that you knew you wouldn't keep, just because it was amusing at the time? What are some of your "outtakes" from writing?

Well *I* haven't added it but I've had *someone* keep adding 'and then their clothes spontaneously combusted' to one [or more] of my fics...

And I do keep adding 'and then they flew off to Vegas to get married' to one of Beth's fics...

Carol

I used to do that but I left them in. They became known as 'Tank Endings'.

Tank (who says, like many things, he may have originated the Tank Ending, but he left it to others to perfect)

Well, mine usually don't live long so I don't quite remember them. Luckily for this thread, I just cut the following line:

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“Lois, wait!” Clark’s voice drifted after her a second later and she suppressed a satisfied smile. Clark might be a bit messy at times, but at least he knew how to heel.

Michael

I've never actually done anything like that in my fics. Whenever I write (which, granted, isn't very often), I include only the stuff that I intend--barring the necessary beta corrections--to have in the story the whole time.

Michael - how can you cut *that*?

I haven't stopped smiling about it since I read it earlier.

Whatever the fic is, couldn't you please leave it in?

I used to cut stuff regularly, hoping for a less unwieldly story line. For example, in Connections, I had a thread planned out on Lois' reconnecting with Lucy that didn't make the final.

c.

I cut stuff out all the time too. I have an entire file on my HD that's titled "bits and pieces" because I never throw anything away, and I live with the crazy notion that the stuff was good, and hence should be recycled. lol!

But none of what I cut out is especially amusing. Nor do I start going off on crazy tangents, unless it's because Lois is talking and...well...

Here's something that got cut out of heaven knows what - it's cute, but it was useless:

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"You're really out of this world," she said.

"Oh, you have no idea!" he replied, a teasing grin on his face.

In "Master of Disguise", I cut a lot of things, but one I remember debating about was taken from the final part:

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“I’m all right,” Clark declares. “This,” he points to his shoulder, “isn’t as bad as it looks and the bullet must have grazed me; it isn’t in my … um, leg.”

Henderson’s mouth twitches a little at Clark’s mortified tone. “Right,” Henderson says, his sardonic drawl in place. “You should still get that checked out. What about you, Lane?”

'I may have sprained my ankle when Superman here landed on me,' I think irreverently. I smother my impulse to laugh.

“I’m fine,” I answer. “What happened to Trask?” I ask. “Are they …”

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Originally posted by Female Hawk:
Michael - how can you cut *that*?

I haven't stopped smiling about it since I read it earlier.

Whatever the fic is, couldn't you please leave it in?

Really?

I mean, sure, it's funny as hell or I wouldn't have typed it in the first place - err, okay, that's another blooper

Michael

Here's one that got deleted from Ricochet. Future Clark talking to Past Lois:

"Wait." His hand touched hers to stall her. "I think you might feel more comfortable if I got dressed first."

Lois shrugged, trying to appear casual. "I've seen you without a shirt before."

He moved past her to the door, then turned and winked at her. "I've seen you without a shirt before, too. It's probably better for both of us if I don't get confused."

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He moved past her to the door, then turned and winked at her. "I've seen you without a shirt before, too. It's probably better for both of us if I don't get confused."

Ooo la la! Put it back in, please. /me loving flirty!Clark.

What I cut out of "The Circle Game" became two other stories:"Secrets" and "Rite of Passage". I'm currently revisiting "Secrets" and revising
the over-the-top thouhts. Perfection, goading and taunting, laughs

derisively.

Jude

During an early section in an original version of There's No Place Like Home, I managed to paint myself into a corner and had Kent leaving Metropolis - for good. When I realized what I had done, the story took a slightly different turn:

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Lois let out a breath. “Don’t do me any favors, Kent. I don’t care if you stay in Metropolis. Just stay away from me.”

Kent looked up from where he was scuffing his foot against the floor. “What? No ‘this town isn’t big enough for the two of us’ stuff?”

Lois glared at him.

“Gee, thanks, Lane. So kind of you.”

“Then leave for all I care.”

“That’s exactly what I planned to do, before your grande declaration. But now that you seem to want me to stay sooo badly, how can I resist?”

“But... But... But...” Lois studdered.

“Take out the above section, Ms. Thompson. Lane wants me to stay.”

ML breathed a sigh of relief as she proceeded to do as instructed before Clark could change his mind.

ML

Michael

What I meant to write:

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Kal turned to Lois, startled. "What did you say?"

What I ended up with:

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Kal turned to Lois, startled. "What you say?"

"You have no chance to survive," said Lois. "Make your time."

I never add snarky lines to my own writing, but have added many a line to James' writing during NaNoWriMo when he walked away leaving his computer looking so unguarded and inviting. I always know when he catches me too, since there will be a loud snorting sound from the kitchen.

Elisabeth

QotC:

I'd love to see you write a fanfic like this!

~AnnaBtG.

Queenie said this line from Backwards III 'needs refining'...

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Gramps started to say something else, but was interrupted by an asteroid 17 miles wide slamming into Earth and knocking it off its axis while obliterating the northeastern United States.

I think it's fine personally but I'm guessing it's going to end up in the outtake file...

Carol

*snorts, snickers, and busts out lol-ing at Mary's "all your base" reference*

Maybe someone could create an "Outtakes" fic, a compilation fic, where everyone contributes bits and pieces of outtakes from their own fics? Maybe along with author notes explaining the backstory of the particular section they're about to read. And someone could wrap up the outtakes in some sort of ficverse that makes it all make sense and gets the reader chuckling. I can see it right now, can you? Anyone game?