A Tolkien fic rec

[thrihyrne]

Yes, you saw that right. I've been conferring with a couple of Tolkien-centric people on my flist, found via the Wraeththu fandom (yes, you also read that correctly), and found myself looking through the slashy_santa archives. I know I've mentioned before that I've been leaning more and more toward writing Tolkien fanfiction again, and this gem that I stumbled across has pushed me over the edge back into it.

Oh, and I bought my airline tickets to go to England in October. And then my credit card company blocked me and I had to explain myself. Still, I'll be at the Con and will meet Storm Constantine and veloona who will be visiting from Germany and hopefully callumjames as well, and maybe even ducking over to Ireland. If not, I'll spend a couple of days in Wales. Email me if you want flight details.

So! :cough: llembas, I know you've been having rather a craptastic week, and a couple of years ago when I was writing fic as Christmas gifts, you asked for a Halbarad-centric story and I wrote a wee one. This is an Erestor/Halbarad fic, though as the requester stated, s/he wanted characterization much more than explicit smut, and the author, Lady E, delivered a thousand-fold. It's quiet, understated prose, with some repetition of phrases that I know was intentional, to do with listening (on Erestor's end) and the cage of bones and pulse of blood (for the Man), and it's simply exquisite.

Those of you on my flist whom I've known initially since my Tolkien days, and many who crossover with the Ardaverse, please go here to read "And Whisper You to This Earth". You won't regret it. The only complaint I would lodge, if I had to, is that it's done in present tense, which, as a rule, I dislike. [ACK! In reading my story for Jen that is Halbarad-centric, I see it was also written in present tense. ::raps knuckles::] I was more than willing to overlook it for the rarepair-ness of the coupling (which, I'll admit, was what first drew me in), her canonical knowledge, the imagery and sparse tone to the story, and the innate tragedy of any mixing of Elves and Men. But this one is so inherently quiet in its presentation, which makes it all the more profound when it comes to both its passionate crux and pre-known tragedy.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Just saying.

Back to your weekend and watching the Olympics, or whatever else. I've maxxed out on Project Runway, Shear Genius and Britain's Next Top Model. I've been writing Ithiel-centric fic and dealing with my credit card company and booking my flight to England. Color me done for today. :P

Comments

[kisahawklin]

Hrm, thank you. That's really quite informative. I guess I currently write in present tense (I used to write only in past) because I've found in the fic I read (admittedly not much Tolkien, and mostly SGA, which is a thing in and of itself), I enjoy present tense, when handled correctly. I also enjoy multiple-POV if done for a specific purpose and not because the writer is lazy. I find it interesting that you find it tiring; I've never really thought of fic as tiring. Frustrating, annoying, just plain bad, but never tiring.

That said, I think past tense is simpler (the neutral tone of tenses), and when I beta new writers I recommend they use it because it is a more natural storytelling style. (And if it's fanfic of a book - Tolkien and HP being the biggies - then I insist on past tense, as I've never read a novel not in past tense.)

I know I've heard an argument for episodic fic (again with the TV show thing) present tense seems to read more like the show, and feels more immediate. *shrug*

It only concerns me because I'd hate to have people not read a story I've written because of something like tense. Personally, I read just about anything, as long as it's decent writing, so a vehement reaction to tense is tough for me to understand. I notice it (though if it's really well done I don't) but it doesn't make me stop reading. I have friends who will stop reading, and I... I just don't get it.

I don't write much multi-POV anymore, and I've never written first person or future tense or anything else more 'unusual' than present tense. I almost want to try these things out now; I wonder if there isn't some way to make them more palatable? On the other hand, I prefer to let the story guide things, and framing something in a particular way seems like it'd be certain death to the story element.