Current Status of the USS Hadhafang
Jun. 14th, 2013 09:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofleithianI'm all right. I'm...generally doing all right. Was more than a little bummed earlier, really; can't exactly say why. Mostly using stuff like rainymood.com as a bit of stress relief. (Would definitely love other recommendations on feeling calmer/more cheerful/what-have-you, all things considered) Also researched (again) "The Impossible Planet" with my mom, if only because...well, it's just a damn good episode. One of my favorite two-parters, really, "The Impossible Planet" and "The Satan Pit" -- great characters, great dialogue, great atmosphere, a genuinely impressive and terrifying depiction of the Devil...just to name a few, actually. Also finished up Russell T. Davies' THE WRITER'S TALE.
As for the book itself? Well, it was really genuinely entertaining. I really loved reading the email correspondence between him and Benjamin Cook; it was really fascinating to read. I also loved the little bits of what could have been -- for example, the instance of the almost-companion Penny Carter, who was going to join the Doctor in Series Four before Donna ultimately did. (Which, while I'm glad Donna was in Series Four as Donna is awesome, Penny also sounded pretty awesome) There was also some sadly deleted backstory for Davros in "Journey's End", which...well, I've mentioned time and time again because let's say it's pretty freaking awesome. I don't really know how it fits in with how Davros has been portrayed in classic WHO in the past (note to self: get thee to watching Classic Who, for goodness' sakes!), but it's still a very interesting piece of dialogue, sort of portraying Davros as something a bit more than...well, you know. He's not just out to destroy reality for the sake of it; the most chilling thing about what he's doing is that he genuinely thinks it will bring peace (yeah, that whole reducing our universe literally to ashes except for the Daleks? That's his idea of peace). Not to mention some of how it's described in the script for that scene, Davros being on the surface of Skaro for the first time after hearing the war between the Kaleds and the Thals above. It's really something that I wish had ended up in "Journey's End", because while I still loved Davros in the finished episode, there's something about this sort of what-could-have-been version of Davros, for lack of a better word, that's really honestly quite chilling because he did all that all while somehow thinking he was doing good. I think those sort of villains are the most chilling.
(Granted, I could be overanalyzing, but still...)
Hell, I frankly want to hear more about Davros before he became the Davros we know too well. And the Kaleds long before they became the Daleks. It would be pretty interesting, I think.
There were some other deleted scenes that didn't quite make it in, such as the Doctor briefly meeting with American newsreader Trinity Wells (the newsreader who's showed up in a lot of the RTD era episodes and such), to name others. Even some casting almost-beens, such as Kate Winslet being considered for River Song. Honestly, I think it was one of the many joys of reading the book, really. I guess I've always been a sucker for the What Could Have Been stuff. Even if some of it (e.g. Davros) gets me wishing it were in the episode in question.
It also taught me a lot about writing, I think. Stuff such as what he said near the end, about making characters selfish -- sort of a case of if you make them selfish somehow, they come to life. And then there's this quote, about the matter of turning characters (which he sort of discusses with Caecilius' son as well, how he changes over the course of "The Fires of Pompeii" which I confess, and I know it sounds ridiculous, I can't say I caught first time around. * And I think that he also discusses with MONSTERS INC., a.k.a. one of many reasons I love that movie):
Rose is open, honest, heartfelt, to the point of being selfish, wonderfully selfish. Martha is clever, calm, but rarely says what she’s really thinking. Donna is blunt, precise, unfiltered, but with a big heart beneath all the banter.
But we come back to what I was saying ages ago about turning characters.
If Rose can be selfish, then her finest moments will come when she’s selfless. If Martha keeps quiet, then her moments of revelation - like her goodbye to the Doctor in Last of the Time Lords, or stuck with Milo and Cheen in Gridlock - make her fly. Donna is magnificently self-centered - not selfish, but she pivots everything around herself, as we all do - so when she opens up and hears the Ood song, or begs for Caecilius’ family to be saved, then she’s wonderful.”
I think it really is very interesting, the fact that he doesn't seem to see that sort of selfishness in these characters as a bad thing, just a human thing. Personally, I think selfishness can be bad, such as when it harms another person, but...it's interesting to see nonetheless.
Not to mention, I think, the key to writing fiction, and especially emotional scenes. Well, one of many keys. But basically...well, here's the quote in question:
“Even if you’re blubbing at the Doctor and Rose on Bad Wolf Bay in Doomsday, you’re empathising, you’re feeling it, and there’s an echo of every loss you’ve ever had in that.
I think it's very true (I know that it's something I'm attempting to get across in my fiction and my fanfiction, that sense of empathy and whatnot. Not entirely certain about how good I am at it), really, because it really is the key to fiction. That feeling of not just laughing, crying, etc. with the characters, but seeing some of it in yourself as well.
And I think it's true in DOCTOR WHO as well, because I think every scene, one way or another, sort of speaks to someone in one way or another. Losing a friend, losing someone you love, things like that. And even things such as Donna's scene with Wilf in "Partners in Crime" with her "I'm not drifting; I'm waiting" -- I know that's definitely something that gets to me personally. And I think that's really one of those things that makes DOCTOR WHO so wonderful. Because I think if it can speak to the viewer in some way -- hell, if any sort of piece of art can speak to the one who views it or hears it -- then really, it's done its job.
I also liked the other things in there, stuff like dialogue being two monologues clashing and that really, the opposite of talking is listening, and while I admittedly felt a bit chastened (or at least, "Aw, shit") in some places like the dream sequences (then again, if JK Rowling managed to pull it off in HARRY POTTER, then I suppose I can do it) **, I think it's definitely helped me a lot. That and there was something oddly comforting (if also occasional "you poor bastard") about seeing the creative process and all and some of the hell that came with it (seriously, I think some of the issues with writing "Voyage of the Damned" could fill a book by themselves, I mean, Jesus! ***), just a sort of "you're not alone". I know that it's something I need considering that I'm having some degree of self-confidence issues in regards to my novel and all.
I know there were plenty of things in there that made me chuckle a bit as well, stuff like calling the 456 "Smokey the Space Pelican" (after, I believe, someone saying that it looked like a pelican. I say a three-headed pelican because...well, the 456 look like this: http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/The_456#Modal. Personally I think they look like a distant cousin of the spider from the IT TV miniseries, but that's mostly me), as well as, well, a lot of what Benjamin Cook said. And some of the subject-lines as well. And there were some really honestly good pieces of advice in there, such as this:
I often get asked to give masterclasses in scripwriting. I usually turn them down, but just this once , I gave a great one…It was for the Fast Track people at Edinburgh TV Festival, the eager ones who really want to get into telly, all about 18,19, 20 years old. I challenged them to admit that they feel, at their age, that they haven’t lived, that they don’t know enough about the world to write about it.Gradually, reluctantly, lots of nodding heads. And then I played them two clips:one from an episode of Buffy where a girl has been so ignored she becomes invisible, and another from I, Claudius where young Claudius is being so ignored he might as well be invisible. I pointed out that both those scenes were the same thing. One popular culture, one high art, but the same drama. More importantly, who hasn’t felt like that?…Of course you’ve lived. That’s you! Which means you can write Buffy and you can write I, Claudius. There’s no limit to what you can write.”
Which I think is comforting at any rate.
And some really interesting insights. For example, the matter of DOCTOR WHO being made to feel very present tense -- sort of figuring out things at the same time as the characters do, basically. I think it really does explain one of many factors that makes DOCTOR WHO so enjoyable -- it's just this sort of "come with me" sort of feel that I someday wish to capture in my writing. I don't know if I'll succeed, but I definitely hope I do. I don't want my work, really, to be art per se. If it can entertain people and make them care about the characters and what's happening and maybe change them in some way, then really? My work here is pretty much done.
I also loved some of the anecdotes given about the cast, and some of the people working with him, such as Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, etc. You really get the feeling of how closeknit they really are, which is really, honestly very sweet. Honestly, this was just a really freaking awesome book. Only problem? When it ended.
* But it really is true. After all, the monsters and such are mostly window-dressing in the end. It's really about the people. Hell, some of the best episodes, like "Midnight", happen to revolve around not the monster, but how the people react. (Seriously, the Midnight creature was bad enough, but the way the people acted pretty much sent me into a sort of numb shock. And it's really why the Weeping Angels, while frightening, don't scare me as much as say, stuff like "Midnight" -- because stuff like "Midnight", that whole mob mentality, could actually happen. Hell, I'm sure there are instances where it does happen. "Blink" is spooky; "Midnight" is just Nightmare Fuel incarnate)
** Seriously, it's like the more sleep-deprived I get at times, the more I write about sleep. *Remembers last year when she had horrible nightmares during NaNoWriMo*
*** Yeah, this is more Series Four and Specials oriented, and covers some of "Children of Earth" in TORCHWOOD also.
So yes, I definitely recommend this book. Seriously.
As for the book itself? Well, it was really genuinely entertaining. I really loved reading the email correspondence between him and Benjamin Cook; it was really fascinating to read. I also loved the little bits of what could have been -- for example, the instance of the almost-companion Penny Carter, who was going to join the Doctor in Series Four before Donna ultimately did. (Which, while I'm glad Donna was in Series Four as Donna is awesome, Penny also sounded pretty awesome) There was also some sadly deleted backstory for Davros in "Journey's End", which...well, I've mentioned time and time again because let's say it's pretty freaking awesome. I don't really know how it fits in with how Davros has been portrayed in classic WHO in the past (note to self: get thee to watching Classic Who, for goodness' sakes!), but it's still a very interesting piece of dialogue, sort of portraying Davros as something a bit more than...well, you know. He's not just out to destroy reality for the sake of it; the most chilling thing about what he's doing is that he genuinely thinks it will bring peace (yeah, that whole reducing our universe literally to ashes except for the Daleks? That's his idea of peace). Not to mention some of how it's described in the script for that scene, Davros being on the surface of Skaro for the first time after hearing the war between the Kaleds and the Thals above. It's really something that I wish had ended up in "Journey's End", because while I still loved Davros in the finished episode, there's something about this sort of what-could-have-been version of Davros, for lack of a better word, that's really honestly quite chilling because he did all that all while somehow thinking he was doing good. I think those sort of villains are the most chilling.
(Granted, I could be overanalyzing, but still...)
Hell, I frankly want to hear more about Davros before he became the Davros we know too well. And the Kaleds long before they became the Daleks. It would be pretty interesting, I think.
There were some other deleted scenes that didn't quite make it in, such as the Doctor briefly meeting with American newsreader Trinity Wells (the newsreader who's showed up in a lot of the RTD era episodes and such), to name others. Even some casting almost-beens, such as Kate Winslet being considered for River Song. Honestly, I think it was one of the many joys of reading the book, really. I guess I've always been a sucker for the What Could Have Been stuff. Even if some of it (e.g. Davros) gets me wishing it were in the episode in question.
It also taught me a lot about writing, I think. Stuff such as what he said near the end, about making characters selfish -- sort of a case of if you make them selfish somehow, they come to life. And then there's this quote, about the matter of turning characters (which he sort of discusses with Caecilius' son as well, how he changes over the course of "The Fires of Pompeii" which I confess, and I know it sounds ridiculous, I can't say I caught first time around. * And I think that he also discusses with MONSTERS INC., a.k.a. one of many reasons I love that movie):
Rose is open, honest, heartfelt, to the point of being selfish, wonderfully selfish. Martha is clever, calm, but rarely says what she’s really thinking. Donna is blunt, precise, unfiltered, but with a big heart beneath all the banter.
But we come back to what I was saying ages ago about turning characters.
If Rose can be selfish, then her finest moments will come when she’s selfless. If Martha keeps quiet, then her moments of revelation - like her goodbye to the Doctor in Last of the Time Lords, or stuck with Milo and Cheen in Gridlock - make her fly. Donna is magnificently self-centered - not selfish, but she pivots everything around herself, as we all do - so when she opens up and hears the Ood song, or begs for Caecilius’ family to be saved, then she’s wonderful.”
I think it really is very interesting, the fact that he doesn't seem to see that sort of selfishness in these characters as a bad thing, just a human thing. Personally, I think selfishness can be bad, such as when it harms another person, but...it's interesting to see nonetheless.
Not to mention, I think, the key to writing fiction, and especially emotional scenes. Well, one of many keys. But basically...well, here's the quote in question:
“Even if you’re blubbing at the Doctor and Rose on Bad Wolf Bay in Doomsday, you’re empathising, you’re feeling it, and there’s an echo of every loss you’ve ever had in that.
I think it's very true (I know that it's something I'm attempting to get across in my fiction and my fanfiction, that sense of empathy and whatnot. Not entirely certain about how good I am at it), really, because it really is the key to fiction. That feeling of not just laughing, crying, etc. with the characters, but seeing some of it in yourself as well.
And I think it's true in DOCTOR WHO as well, because I think every scene, one way or another, sort of speaks to someone in one way or another. Losing a friend, losing someone you love, things like that. And even things such as Donna's scene with Wilf in "Partners in Crime" with her "I'm not drifting; I'm waiting" -- I know that's definitely something that gets to me personally. And I think that's really one of those things that makes DOCTOR WHO so wonderful. Because I think if it can speak to the viewer in some way -- hell, if any sort of piece of art can speak to the one who views it or hears it -- then really, it's done its job.
I also liked the other things in there, stuff like dialogue being two monologues clashing and that really, the opposite of talking is listening, and while I admittedly felt a bit chastened (or at least, "Aw, shit") in some places like the dream sequences (then again, if JK Rowling managed to pull it off in HARRY POTTER, then I suppose I can do it) **, I think it's definitely helped me a lot. That and there was something oddly comforting (if also occasional "you poor bastard") about seeing the creative process and all and some of the hell that came with it (seriously, I think some of the issues with writing "Voyage of the Damned" could fill a book by themselves, I mean, Jesus! ***), just a sort of "you're not alone". I know that it's something I need considering that I'm having some degree of self-confidence issues in regards to my novel and all.
I know there were plenty of things in there that made me chuckle a bit as well, stuff like calling the 456 "Smokey the Space Pelican" (after, I believe, someone saying that it looked like a pelican. I say a three-headed pelican because...well, the 456 look like this: http://tardis.wikia.com/wiki/The_456#Modal. Personally I think they look like a distant cousin of the spider from the IT TV miniseries, but that's mostly me), as well as, well, a lot of what Benjamin Cook said. And some of the subject-lines as well. And there were some really honestly good pieces of advice in there, such as this:
I often get asked to give masterclasses in scripwriting. I usually turn them down, but just this once , I gave a great one…It was for the Fast Track people at Edinburgh TV Festival, the eager ones who really want to get into telly, all about 18,19, 20 years old. I challenged them to admit that they feel, at their age, that they haven’t lived, that they don’t know enough about the world to write about it.Gradually, reluctantly, lots of nodding heads. And then I played them two clips:one from an episode of Buffy where a girl has been so ignored she becomes invisible, and another from I, Claudius where young Claudius is being so ignored he might as well be invisible. I pointed out that both those scenes were the same thing. One popular culture, one high art, but the same drama. More importantly, who hasn’t felt like that?…Of course you’ve lived. That’s you! Which means you can write Buffy and you can write I, Claudius. There’s no limit to what you can write.”
Which I think is comforting at any rate.
And some really interesting insights. For example, the matter of DOCTOR WHO being made to feel very present tense -- sort of figuring out things at the same time as the characters do, basically. I think it really does explain one of many factors that makes DOCTOR WHO so enjoyable -- it's just this sort of "come with me" sort of feel that I someday wish to capture in my writing. I don't know if I'll succeed, but I definitely hope I do. I don't want my work, really, to be art per se. If it can entertain people and make them care about the characters and what's happening and maybe change them in some way, then really? My work here is pretty much done.
I also loved some of the anecdotes given about the cast, and some of the people working with him, such as Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, etc. You really get the feeling of how closeknit they really are, which is really, honestly very sweet. Honestly, this was just a really freaking awesome book. Only problem? When it ended.
* But it really is true. After all, the monsters and such are mostly window-dressing in the end. It's really about the people. Hell, some of the best episodes, like "Midnight", happen to revolve around not the monster, but how the people react. (Seriously, the Midnight creature was bad enough, but the way the people acted pretty much sent me into a sort of numb shock. And it's really why the Weeping Angels, while frightening, don't scare me as much as say, stuff like "Midnight" -- because stuff like "Midnight", that whole mob mentality, could actually happen. Hell, I'm sure there are instances where it does happen. "Blink" is spooky; "Midnight" is just Nightmare Fuel incarnate)
** Seriously, it's like the more sleep-deprived I get at times, the more I write about sleep. *Remembers last year when she had horrible nightmares during NaNoWriMo*
*** Yeah, this is more Series Four and Specials oriented, and covers some of "Children of Earth" in TORCHWOOD also.
So yes, I definitely recommend this book. Seriously.
