Random Thoughts

[jedibuttercup]

I don't know why, but seeing the phrase "Simply put (comma)" at the beginning of any sentence, paper or screen, fictional or not, makes me cringe every single time. I am 90% more likely to click straight out of a story that uses that in an explanatory section, for example; or scroll straight past any blog post containing it. So, all those Ship Wars posts? So not going near them. *twitch*

Haven't been through more than maybe 2% of the stories in the Yuletide archive yet; I've been trying to get the rest of my body of work uploaded to AO3 before the reveal (vain, I know!) and add a bit more to my wordcount before years'-end. (It would be awesome if I hit 200K this year-- though it doesn't look likely, at this point). Not to mention family & friends time. I'll just have to chip away at the reading in January.

Today's schedule: now off to a bonus viewing of Sherlock Holmes with maevebran! I never really got the famous detective before, in the kind of way that would inspire me to buy up the canon and/or write about him and his 'verse; I need a visceral hook into a fictional world to make that happen for me. Boy howdy, did the new movie provide. I think there will be some Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in my book purchases in the new year. <3
~

Comments

More astounding wordcount, and in a year in which you were in a wedding party!!

[pronker]

"Simply put," gets old fast. It's the wrapup to an opinion, or a paragraph of exposition. I feel the same way about "That said," which usually reverses the previous statement.

I predict you'll love SH in any way, shape or form! I've enjoyed the canon and spinoffs for some decades *!* now and not just for the characters, but for the setting. Victoriana will drag you in.

Re: More astounding wordcount, and in a year in which you were in a wedding party!!

[jedibuttercup]

I'm already a fan of the Age of Sail; I expect Victoriana will be equally engrossing, once I get into it.

I just hadn't found the little I knew of Holmes before terribly fascinating-- for the same reason I have serious issues with Agent Pendergrast, the character who disappointingly hijacked and ran away with the book output of otherwise excellent thriller writers Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. I simply cannot identify with the man; his attitude, behavior, expressed opinions, and so on make it impossible for me to get into his skin, and without that window into a protagonist's viewpoint I lose interest very quickly, no matter how engrossing the plot or setting.

RDJ and JL have finally provided me with excellent filters through which to imagine Holmes and Watson, though, so I'm looking forward to exploring their world!

Re: More astounding wordcount, and in a year in which you were in a wedding party!!

[pronker]

Wellll, should you ever go the AU route with Holmes and want to read of his marriage *!* I like Laurie R. King's series of books a lot:

http://www.amazon.com/Monstrous-Regiment-Women-Suspense-Featuring/dp/0312427379/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262475073&sr=1-4

They're fascinating mysteries, loaded with travel and period detail and have the OC, Mary Russell, as a unique person quite able to be appealing to Holmes. I'm sure there are slash stories out there, too, but I haven't read any.

Re: More astounding wordcount, and in a year in which you were in a wedding party!!

[jedibuttercup]

I'll keep that in mind, for after I read some of the originals; thanks for the rec!

Generally, I care a lot more about the quality of the writing than the gender of the significant other (or even presence of a significant other) in any story I'm reading. =)