All Eyes on Me

One somewhat controversial thing I believe about writing is that it's very good to be able to imitate other writers' styles. Other writers and scholars thereof might disagree, failing to see any practical application for it, and protesting that it's more important to refine and develop your own unique voice rather than trying to copy someone else's. (You often hear that argument when people denigrate the writing of fan fiction.) But I maintain it's not only good practice, it's actually a skill worth having for its own sake.

Voice is an important aspect of writing, as it influences mood, feel, tone, and style. But I think an author shouldn't necessarily be limited, or limit themselves, to only one. As nice and useful as it can be to have a signature style, I think it's good to be able to adapt your writing to sound different for different pieces, or even for establishing different characters. If you don't find some way to be flexible that way, you run the risk of making everything sound the same no matter the feel of the piece you may be going for-- or worse, you make everything sound like you, which I find to be a sign of immature work. So imitating the sound of other writers' styles and voices is an exercise in developing your flexibility. It requires you to stretch yourself beyond your natural impulses or current artistics strengths in order to create something that sounds like someone else's work, which broadens the possibilities for what you're capable of depicting. It gives you more control over the voice you give any one project, and enables a wider variety of feels and effects you can impart to your work.

This for me ties into the appeal of fan fiction. I know not everybody is this way, but both when I'm reading and writing fan fiction, I'm looking for more of the story I already love, with more of the things I love about it. So I'm drawn to pieces that stylistically capture the soul of the original. That also means that when I'm writing it myself, that's what I'm shooting for-- something that believably feels like it could be part of what's canon. So I make a special effort to study and emulate the way the original material is written in my fic. The best job I ever did at this was with my piece for the BBC radio comedy Cabin Pressure. I wrote basically a script for an additional episode of the series which, after the fashion of its idiosyncratic episode titling system, I called "San Tropez". Cabin Pressure has a very specific, British style of humor with characters who have highly distinctive voices, and I worked very hard to capture them. If I may say so, I'm really proud of how good a job I did. I've gotten a number of comments from readers saying I nailed the style and voices exactly, and that it's both funny and extremely in character.

But not only do I think it's just good practice for increasing flexibility in other projects. I think it's actually a useful skill in its own right. For collaborative projects, particularly ones that run for a while and have teams of writers, being able to fit in with the "house style" is essential. I have dreams of someday writing for television, and writers' rooms have to have some degree of cohesion to make all the episodes feel consistent with each other. People tend to notice when the "voice" or "style" of a television show gets inconsistent or deviates from what is established, and reactions are usually disapproving. Sometimes it's even at fault for what people describe as Seasonal Rot. In that case it would be a necessity for me to be able to adapt to a certain voice that may or may not naturally be mine.

So it's more than just an amusing little "party trick" for writers of fan fiction. It's actually a powerful developmental tool for a writer to expand their toolkit, and sometimes even demanded by a collaborative situation to keep the pieces all cohesive. So I like challenging myself to play in someone else's sandbox every now and then.

Today I finally remembered that the last episode of Cabin Pressure had been released-- over two months ago, as a matter of fact --and I hadn't listened to it. Tonight I finally did, and I am reasonably satisfied. To be honest, it didn't WOW me, as it rested on some plot stuff that I personally didn't think measured up to its usual level of construction, but was serviceable enough. And it definitely had the characters grow in the right direction for the finale, which is what really matters. So overall, I'd say a pretty worthy ending.

I wish more people I knew listened to it, for several reasons. polaris_xx introduced me to it a few years back. I highly recommend the series, for people who like podcasts and audio dramas particularly, but also just anyone who likes British comedy. It's very funny, the characters have enough depth and meaning of relationship to make you invest, and the writing is clever in the extreme. I have a fondness for stories where the plots are CLEVER, and some of them are so cunningly put together it's awe-inspiring. Also I need a little character and emotional depth even in my comedies, and I think they strike the right balance.

Notably, it also features Benedict Cumberbatch, having started with it before he became super-famous, and it's the reason that I still have a real fondness for him despite being sick of his oversaturation and disliking some of the roles he gets now. The character he plays is so completely unglamorous that it doesn't come off as self-flattering, he is genuinely funny, and you can see that he can really ACT when he's not being overshadowed by his own hype.

It's written in the style where even when they're delving into the characters' emotions and personal lives, they always seem a bit closed off, like they're not really telling the whole story. I think it's a British thing, as they're not as emotionally open a culture. But it establishes a LOT of depth with just a few inward glimpses, which impresses me, and I like when such things are done with a subtle hand. Plus it allows the audience's imagination to fill in the blanks, and God knows how fandom enjoys that.

My big reason for wishing more people liked it, however, is because I want more people to appreciate what a good job I did with my fan fic. I really think I not only wrote a good piece in it, I actually think I nailed the author's style. The characters sound like themselves, it's genuinely funny, and I think it fits seamlessly into the continuity. No mean feat, making a truly funny comedy in imitation of another writer! I thought it might be too long, but I read on John Finnemore's blog that he shoots for scripts of about 5,600 words, and mine's only a little over 5,700. Neat! Hell, the last episode didn't even knock it out of canon like I feared! Honestly, though the ending's a bit weak in my push to finish it, and I'll be the first to admit it's not closely edited, I actually think my script is funnier than the actual finale was. ;-)

As I have occasionally mentioned before on this blog, I don't think I'm the most talented when it comes to writing comedy. I like to think of myself as a fairly witty person, who can make you laugh with a clever remark in conversation now and again. But when it comes to coming up with real jokes or funny lines, that's more the province of other writers. In my writing program, I thought of genuinely funny stuff as much more the province of my friend and boss Bill Pendergast, or how Julie Weinberg had such a knack for dark comedy.

Still, I certainly enjoy it for its own sake, but even moreso, I like it as a way to add balance and lightness to a heavier narrative. I've always felt that even really serious drama needs something to keep it from going into the territory of "grimdark." So, even though it's not always easy for me, I am endeavoring to get better at it so that I can effectively include it in my own work.

My favorite comedy of all time is probably Frasier, which I thought managed to be extremely funny while still maintaining a level of intellectualism, narrative and character integrity, and did not resort to tired or offensive stereotyping in jokes. I'm very inspired by the style of comedy therein with its level of wit and cleverness. I've also been watching Cheers, which happens to be the series from which Frasier spun off, and is considered to be a required text for anyone who hopes to write comedy. Honestly I find Cheers to be a bit dated and not nearly as funny as Frasier, nor does it have anywhere near the dramatic integrity, but it has a heart and charm to it that inspired countless humor pieces that came after it. I'm hoping to learn from examples like these.

The funniest thing I ever wrote is probably The Late Mrs. Chadwick, my most performed ten-minute play. The main joke, the resolute refusal to compromise stiff-upper-lip British manners, is one that plays to my strengths. I was pleased to find at the recent staged reading of Vivat Regina that pretty much all the jokes played, and in fact were some of the audience's favorite parts of the piece.

Most recently I've been working on a silly little side project, a fan fiction for Cabin Pressure, a BBC radio comedy that I find extremely funny. I started it just to have a little low-pressure positive feedback on something, and I'm determined not to stress about it, but I have been making an effort to make it not only funny, but as much in the style of the source material as possible. It has a particular kind of dry British humor that is very distinctive. I do find myself struggling to come up with bits and gags. I'm positive it's not as funny as any of the originals, but I do think I've managed to capture the characters' unique voices. Some commenters have even said things to that effect; my favorite so far was the one who said if the creator John Finnemore retired, they'd tune in if I were the replacement! :-) That's encouraging. But I know I still need more practice. Like any aspect of writing, you got to put in the work!

Overwhelmed and not doing so well. Negative, pessimistic thoughts have been pretty intrusive lately. I'm trying to keep working on the projects that are important to me, as productivity usually helps me feel better and the only way to ever get through is to persevere, but I'm feeling a bit discouraged and directionless. Maybe laying them out to make a plan will help focus me.

I have to finish my edits for resubmission to the BlueCat screenwriting contest. I think Adonis is finished, but I'm still working on The Tailor at Loring's End. At least I feel like I have a direction to go in on it, so I should be able to execute something. I just hope I've grasped what the contest feedback is asking for, and can make edits that sufficiently address it.

I have got to work on Puzzle House Blues, but I feel so paralyzed about it. My collaborator has not liked the direction I'd taken it in, and I really don't know how to give him what he wants. I feel like anything I try, either I'll hate it or he will, so what's the point? It's left me feeling very avoidant. But my struggling has kept him waiting for weeks now, so I need to get on it.

I've been noodling a bit on that Cabin Pressure fan fiction I started during 31 Plays in 31 Days. I want to finish it before the last episode of the show is released, though it's certainly not something that should be a high priority. It's hard to write because I want to it be funny and feel like a real episode. But it's just a stupid fan fiction, so I feel like I can't justify the effort when I have more important things to write. It'd be nice to just bang something out and not subject it to a big stressful editing process, though I know it won't be as good that way. It'd just be nice to have something to shoot out to a pre-existing fan community and maybe get positive feedback on.

I'd been hoping to at least start working on Base Instruments before the end of 2014. It would be good to keep up the one-Hawking-story a year thing. I don't know if I will have the time to get to it, though. I suppose pushing it off by a few months isn't too bad, but I do want to keep them up. Also it's becoming clearer and clearer that I may have to address the form in which these stories are told-- they may need to not be theater pieces in order to really progress in the world --and I may want to decide on that before I start writing anymore.

Another big mess of a scene for my Cabin Pressure: San Tropez fan fiction. These are tough to write, I think because I'm aiming for someone else's distinctive style and characters. Also I want it to be funny with a touch of pathos as the original manages, such as you find of a show like Scrubs. That's pretty tough for me. So I just banged this out for the sake of a first draft, with plans to edit later once I complete the whole fic.

( Day #25 - "Old Romantic" )

Another piece of the Cabin Pressure fan fiction! I'm thinking of calling it "San Tropez," as the convention of the series is to name the episodes after a significant destination mentioned therein. For those of you who are familiar with the continuity, it takes place after Veduz but before Yverdon-les-Bains. Maybe just after Wokingham. I'd like to finish it before the final episode comes out.

This piece comes later in the story than both "#5 Meet Trudy and Cliff" and "#8 The Bobsled."

( Day #9 - "Not Speaking to You" )

A while back, polaris_xx introduced me to Cabin Pressure, a hilarious BBC audio series about a tiny charter airline firm. It's incredibly witty and well-written and I enjoy it a lot. A little while ago I had an idea for a fan fiction written in audio drama style, which I have noodled on but not made much progress. Today's entry is for that, introducing the terrible wealthy couple which the team would be flying to a family party in San Tropez.

Whenever I attempt a fan fiction, I want to emulate the style of the property I'm writing for. I am not nearly as funny and witty as Cabin Pressure writer John Finnemore, but I gave a decent attempt. See for yourself if I managed to make you laugh, or sound like the style of the original.

This is dedicated to Gigi for introducing me to it!

( Day #5 - "Meet Trudy and Cliff" )