Jade's Writerly Ramblings

( Easier Isn't the Same as Better )

Flame for Frozen Interlude which amused me:

I like you as a writer, but the ending of this story is HORRIBLE. I absoutely hate it.

And why, exactly...? Oh wait, look, she explains it in her next review:

You need to change the pairing for the story, This is NOT a Draco/Hermione story. Change it, or i'll report it

Ooh, I'm so scared. As I've mentioned many times, dear, in many different places, fanfiction.net does not have pairing categories -- it has character categories. The two characters who appear most in my story are Hermione and Draco, therefore I selected Hermione as character 1 and Draco as character 2. It's quite simple, really. Though I would also like to point out that just because Draco and Hermione don't end up together doesn't mean that it's not a Draco/Hermione fic -- in my humble opinion, of course. The only thing which lends the least bit of power to your threat is the fact that fanfiction.net is notorious for deleting reported fics without reading them.

But anyway, the reaction on ff.net to Frozen Interlude has got me in a reflective state of mind. So I'm going to write a little bit about that fic, and then a little about my Draco/Hermione stories in general.

I must admit that Frozen Interlude didn't turn out quite as well as I had hoped it would. I had planned to go a lot deeper into life at Durmstrang, to take things a lot slower with Draco and Hermione's growing relationship... but I had a deadline, and instead of doing what I've done before and abandoning an idea requiring more, word-count-wise, in favour of something easier to write in the allotted time, I thought no, this is a good idea and I'm going to do the best I can. And I'm proud to say that that's what I did. And while it lacks many of the introspective, intricate and intimate scenes I originally had planned for it, I feel I told a solid story with an acceptable flow to it.

The thing which... amuses me, I guess, is that I had planned that ending to be the way it was right from the start. That ending, the part the ff.netters have berated me for so much... that turned out exactly the way I wanted it. I wanted Hermione's relationship with Draco to end abruptly -- with a short, sharp shock, as it were -- and I wanted the readers to feel that abruptness right along with her. It was either that, or (as I almost always prefer to stick with canon) have her realise that things couldn't work out with Draco (why? That would take a lot of explaining...) or that she really loved Ron more than anyone else in the world (and as I'm not a Ron/Hermione 'shipper I couldn't bear to have to write such a scene.) So... Draco left. Because he's a coward, and we all know he's a coward. It's there in the books and it's there in the fic right from the point where you find out that he's hiding from the consequences of his actions in another country, where he dares not have, let alone voice, an opinion on what his esteemed collegues are planning. It takes Hermione's arrival there to make him decide to actually do something. And then he sees her with Ron, and what does he think? She could never care about him, Draco, more than Weasley. So he takes himself off before he has to deal with the humiliation of her rejecting him -- because, let's face it, he's been humiliated enough in his life.

And Hermione... well, maybe she went looking for him. Maybe she didn't. In any case, she didn't find him, so who else would she end up with but Ron? She's always loved him. Maybe their relationship wasn't quite as exciting as one with Malfoy might have been, but Hermione's a good girl. She doesn't need that -- or at least, so she would certainly tell herself. And if Malfoy doesn't want her, why should she waste her time hankering after him when she has Ron to take care of?

Besides which, the fic was canon-compliant. Of course she ended up with Ron.


I've just been through all the Draco/Hermione fics I have on ff.n. Here are some statistics. Over the last seven years, I've posted

14 total D/Hr fics
-10 where they don't end up together
- -6 where one of them dies
- - - 3 of which involve one of them killing the other
- 4 where they do end up together
- - 3 of which I wrote for fic exchanges

There are five others which I haven't posted on ff.n, for whatever reason (though they're all here on LJ). Out of those, they end up together in 3; the other 2 have one of them dying.

So, as you can see, Draco and Hermione living happily ever after? Not really my thing. The reason for which is, basically, that the main reason I like D/Hr is that they can never be. That's what I find so interesting about them. Make them live happily ever after, and it instantly takes away the appeal for me. I'd rather, much rather, see their problems. I like to see them suffer because that's what they would do, whether from actual physical violence or from the disapproval of their families and friends. Solve that problem (how? How can you do that in a way which is convincing?) and the story's not interesting for me any more. You can have a fluffy epilogue and most of the time it leaves me unsatisfied, because once you've taken the conflict and the danger out of Draco and Hermione's relationship you've taken away what makes it appeal to me in the first place.

I've already noted that most of my "happy ending" fics were written for fic exchanges. I should also note that I've counted as "they end up together" several short, fluffy scenes which, I have no doubt, would have ended badly had I worked them into anything longer because I would have bored myself stiff otherwise. The two fics which genuinely count as "happy ending" fics of a reasonable length were both written for dmhgficexchange. One of them, Stories to Tell the Children, I was never really happy with. I liked the frame of old Draco and Hermione talking to their daughter -- but that was a static scene, important only in the moment, with the future not important. The actual bulk of the story -- the story of how Draco proposed to Hermione -- I struggled with so badly. I tried to work a plot in there, which didn't work out to well mostly because of my choice of first person narration, and it ended up just... blah. People liked it, but I did notice that whenever a reviewer quoted anything it was always from that "frame" story, which was all just banter (which I flatter myself I'm fairly good at) and nothing substantial.

And then we come to the anomaly. Rattled Recollections -- basically, a romantic comedy. This is, actually, one of my favourite things I've ever written. I had a request which was basically "post-Hogwarts comedy with sex". I'd never really done any of those things for a D/Hr fic before, let alone all three at once. So I worked incredibly hard on it and... it worked. I actually do think it turned out well.
But the thing is... the Draco and Hermione in it aren't the Draco and Hermione who make me want to write about Draco and Hermione. They're too fluffy and light and while they were fun to visit, I don't need to go there again.

I just think there are more things to do with darkness.

Current Mood: thoughtful

Written for drcjsnider on dmhgficexchange. the request was:

Rating R (although anything between pg - nc-17 is fine) My ideal fic is a post-war Draco and Hermione romance - either canon and EWE (I would like DH to be considered - although you don't have to make Draco as much of a coward as JKR did) - and some sort of plot line that involves something outside of the Romance. Draco and Hermione working together or against each to accomplish something, Draco and Hermione trapped some where and needing to get out, etc. Sex and fluff are fine as long as they fit the plot of the story. Draco should be sarcastic and witty and conflicted is fine too - as long as he doesn't go emo. Hermione should be strong and smart and sarcastic too. You are going to have to explain why she is no longer with Ron. This can be part of the story or happen before the story - but don't make Ron a jerk or asshole or whatever. I like mature language as long as it fits the story. The story must have some sort of conflict that needs to be resolved - a conflict beyond just the romance. I don't care if Draco/Hermione are together all the way through the fic or if they get together in the fic, but I want them together and reasonably assured of a happy future at the end of the fic.
No affairs, no non-con, no EMO Draco, no completely goody-goody Hermione, no Draco with Ginny or Pansy (in fact if you can leave Ginny completely out of the story - or seen but not heard that would be wonderful), no weird sex stuff, neither Draco or Hermione involved in slash or three-somes, no kids (unless it is the kids mentioned in epilogue - even then they shouldn't be focus of the story), and no babies. No telling the story from Crookshanks or any other animal's point of view.

( Appreciating the Sunset )

Written for auchic on dmhgficexchange. My request was:

Something post-war, however you wish to interpret "post-war" (i.e. whether Voldemort's dead or alive and the ruler of all). If Hermione's in a relationship other than Draco, I'd rather it be with Ron than Harry, and no incest.

Many thanks to monkeyscience for the beta.

( Epilogue )

Written for auchic on dmhgficexchange. My request was:

Something post-war, however you wish to interpret "post-war" (i.e. whether Voldemort's dead or alive and the ruler of all). If Hermione's in a relationship other than Draco, I'd rather it be with Ron than Harry, and no incest.

Many thanks to monkeyscience for the beta.

( Chapter Six )

Written for auchic on dmhgficexchange. My request was:

Something post-war, however you wish to interpret "post-war" (i.e. whether Voldemort's dead or alive and the ruler of all). If Hermione's in a relationship other than Draco, I'd rather it be with Ron than Harry, and no incest.

Many thanks to monkeyscience for the beta.

( Chapter Five )

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

Written for auchic on dmhgficexchange. My request was:

Something post-war, however you wish to interpret "post-war" (i.e. whether Voldemort's dead or alive and the ruler of all). If Hermione's in a relationship other than Draco, I'd rather it be with Ron than Harry, and no incest.

Many thanks to monkeyscience for the beta.

( Chapter Three )

Written for auchic on dmhgficexchange. My request was:

Something post-war, however you wish to interpret "post-war" (i.e. whether Voldemort's dead or alive and the ruler of all). If Hermione's in a relationship other than Draco, I'd rather it be with Ron than Harry, and no incest.

Many thanks to monkeyscience for the beta.

( Chapter Two )

Written for auchic on dmhgficexchange. My request was:

Something post-war, however you wish to interpret "post-war" (i.e. whether Voldemort's dead or alive and the ruler of all). If Hermione's in a relationship other than Draco, I'd rather it be with Ron than Harry, and no incest.

Many thanks to monkeyscience for the beta.

( Chapter One )

I wrote over 1000 words last night. I am so happy -- that's more than I've written in one go in months, and what's more most of it was for my long-neglected-and-left-hanging-halfway-through BSG fic.

The rest of it was a play I'm attempting to write, and I'm realising as I go along that

a) It's been over half a decade since I last wrote something lengthy in script format; since I wrote my last Friends fic, in fact.

and b) The process of writing a script as opposed to prose is more different than I expected. I remember when I was writing those Friends fics that I was convinced writing prose was so much more difficult, but now I'm finding it to be quite the reverse. Where is the introspection in a script? Those vaguely amusing mental asides that I like so much? It's really not just taking away things like descriptions from a prose piece and leaving the dialogue, because so much of a character's inner life is never revealed in the words he speaks. You basically have to construct a story to work entirely on dialogue and action, and I'm just not used to that anymore. You also have to define characters using only these two things -- perhaps with a few notes on their accent or costume. It's a challenge.

But then, I like those :D

Written for edge_of_ruin at bujold_fic. Her request was as follows:

I'd love anything involving Illyan, particularly with Alys, or perhaps something with Cordelia and Alys. In fact pretty much anything involving Barrayarans would be fine. Not anything too explicit. Not so keen on the older Ezar, Aral, Ges stuff.

( A Moment's Pause )

Written for forgotnsuitcase on dmhgficexchange. My request was:

Nothing too fluffy. Hard edges. School time. Realistic. Not much hate. In character. No happy ending. Ties and bad hair and fitting it into canon.

( Impression )

Author's Note: Thanks to pekeana for the beta :)

( Confines Chapter Five )

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Author's Note: Thanks to pekeana for the beta :)

( Confines Chapter Four )

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Author's Note: Thanks to pekeana for the beta :)

( Confines Chapter Three )

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Author's Note: Thanks to pekeana for the beta :)

( Confines Chapter Two )

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Author's Note: Many thanks to my betas, pekeana and nerina_b... whom I shall be sending the second chapter of this later on tonight...

( Confines Chapter One )

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( Feline Affection )

( Burdens Shared )

Written for joss_las Round 5. Prompt: Non-Canon Pairings

( A Brief Respite From Hell )

Other joss_las ficlets:
Obsessions
Absences

Written for joss_las Round 5. Prompt: Canon Pairings

( Absences )

Other joss_las ficlets:
Obsessions
A Brief Respite From Hell

Written for joss_las Round 5. Prompt: Obsessions

( Obsessions )

Other joss_las ficlets:
Absences
A Brief Respite From Hell

This is all pekeana's fault.

( The Kitten )

Author's note: Torvald is my stepmother's cat. He is indeed evil incarnate.

( Another Reunion )

( Reunion )

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

( Dialogue II )

( Dialogue )

Written in response to the Something Challenging This Way Comes... challenge at FictionAlley Park.

( The Candle )