Notes on Fitness class
[Do not read first; Spoilers]
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No, I told you, read the story first!
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“process”, a friend of mine quotes another author of his acquaintance , “Is death.” At least, to writing.
And yet, lets face it, sometimes in TG fiction, what we’re seeking is process. Good detailed process that can help us get into the story, or alleviate dysphoria. Description of a steel mill in minute detail, not popular. Dressing, well, maybe.
So this story has some of that. Actually, quite a bit.
Further, this is a “Boiling the Frog” story (something like a “shaggy dog” story without the letdown at the end.) Tim little knows when he gets involved where things will progress to. Julia MAY have ulterior motives in setting this up, although she probably doesn’t see past making Tim “a fish out of water” in a sea of unfamiliar females will draw him closer to her, the one familiar thing in the room, but I doubt she assumed she’s be putting him in his first bra. (or was it his first?)
This is the longest story I’ve succeeded in writing so far, although it would be shorter if I elided the process as I would for a regular audience. But we want the sensory feedback of the process steps here, don’t we.
And, fulfilling a long term goal to write science fiction and fantasy, it’s actually an alternate reality story! I’ve never been waxed or attended a class like this one (although I have watched them on YouTube, mostly to see how the males in the classes present), so those settings are made of “the whole cloth”, and I have no idea if they are like that. The shoe store, however, exists, and I have shopped there.
Although I try to put a line in each idea, giving when I sketched it out, this file has no such line. I didn’t write this in three days; I wrote the germ of it down on an iPad, one sleepless night, and have tinkered with it off and on since. The earliest date I can find is 2014.
Everyone in the story is receptive to Tim’s presentation. This is unlikely in real life. Nothing this story makes it clear that Tim will continue as Kate after the last paragraph.
Two notes on WRITING process: 1. I probably botched the class schedule; Make a physical calendar and stick to it.
2. Alternate character names popped up at one point. Make a dramatic Persona list, and use it
And I have worked on several stories with this sort of “mike drop” last line. I should probably vary that a bit more.
Comments
Process is the death of story telling
Some authors process is like stone carving. Chiseling away everything that is not part of the story, Other authors process is like working with clay, Add a bit here, Take a way a bit there, change the shape of this detail. Your process seems to be something like stringing collections of ideas. and building a frame for them to sit in.
Some say process is the death of story telling. Yet we cannot write with out it. Do as little as possible. Do no more than is needed. Someone once told me that self deprecation is a cry for affirmation. Stop that! I'm here to affirm your existence and talent. Brava! Bellisima!
Process is the death of story telling except when it is not. Now all I have to do is take my own advice.
Your friend
Crash
I think, after taking a long
I think, after taking a long contemplated risky action (such as releasing these stories into the wild), a period of trepidation is fairly natural, although I admit letting it reinforce my poor self image was irresponsible.
I will try to control that in the future. But thanks for your affirmation.
And my process is very like
And my process is very like you mention, except for some ideas I have where the story just flows. I hope to mature in my craft to the point where the joins between the ideas and the framework aren't so noticeable, at least.