Writing sneezefics & spelling sneezes
Feb. 21st, 2005 09:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tarotgalA while ago... a long while ago... I was asked a question on my LJ about spelling sneezes (for the life of my I can't find the original post to reference here). I promised a prompt but thorough response and never provided. And I've felt badly about that. So then I read this meme on a friend from one of my other LJs "Ask me one question - any one - about my art, then post this in your LJ so I can satisfy my curiosity about yours" As I've proved my art sucks, I thought I'd do the same regarding my stories. And hopefully this doesn't sound all Prima Donna- ick! LOL
SO: Ask me one question - any one - about my writing (sneezefics or non) then, if you like, post this in your LJ so I can satisfy my curiosity about yours.
AND: Okay, so for the most part the answer to how I go about choosing spellings for sneezes is pretty boring and not at all time-consuming. Whenever I get to that portion in a story, I usually just sense it out. Most times I just hear the sneezes in my head and I type them out best I can. I take into account elements like whether it's an allergy sneeze or a cold sneeze. My allergy sneezes are usually shorter and quicker and more desperate. Cold sneezes, on the other hand, tend to be longer, wetter, and more drawn out. I think about the mindset of the character a bit to figure out how wet/free/short/tired/built a sneeze might be. Once in a while, after I do that, I don't like how it looks so I tweak it a tad. But, generally, I just hear them in my head as I write.
Then I look at previous sneezes in a story and try to stay relatively consistent in their sound. I might vary things a bit, but generally I stick with the same sort of sneeze for a character throughout a story.
Now, sometimes I want to come up with something a little more special and I give it more thought based on the character. For example, a character who might be shy would get one sort of sneeze while a character who's up-tight would get something that sounds much different. Same goes for a character I see as someone who's more free with his emotions or a character who is absolutely exhausted. For the most part, all the elements of a scene and a character's personality (and what sort of sneeze I think might fit them) all work together to form a sound in my head. So that when I imagine them sneezing, I can hear it. This usually takes a few minutes.
But some characters I spend considerably more time and thought on. I write Legolas, for example, with sneezes that are much more drawn out for many reasons tied into the fact that he's an elf and in tune with his emotions and conquered by the sensations; so even though I might change the exact spellings, I always like his to be more drawn out. Harry Potter, on the other hand, I nearly always like to write with a pretty normal "Achoo" sort of sneeze which resembles James' which is more of a "Hahchoo". Of course, I also like sick!Harry sneezing in doubles and I think I established in one fic that James either sneezed once or many times but hardly ever twice. Sirius Black's sound a little harsher to me, especially post-Azkaban when his voice is a little rougher and his attitude's a bit darker.
Once in a while, when starting a story with a character I've written before, I go through a few of my favorites and look at how I spelled those sneezes. Then I'll use that type of sneeze throughout. (ehh versus ahhh versus ihhh versus uhhh for example, as the dominant vowel sound or shoo versus shhhh as the typical ending) Hyphens, capitalizations, ellipses, and length of sneezes are all subject to change a lot during a story, but the dominant sounds usually don't. I only like to use t's and apostrophes in very special cases. And my favorite sneezes to read tend to be ones like "K'shttt" but I hardly ever hear those in my head when I write characters, so I don't usually write them. EhhShuhh types are pretty much my usual, I think. Any significany variations are special or ones I've spent considerable time with.
But, for the most part, I don't usually give much thought to the spellings. Usually I just hear them in my head and if they look right when I sound them out and spell them, I go with it. I like to be sure it fits the character and situation and are similar throughout a story (not Hahchoo at one moment and Ngtshh! at another moment, at least not without reason- all stifling/handkerchief-muffled aside)
Also, I thought I'd post a page from my most recent notebook. It's from the FAKE boykissing fic I wrote last year, I believe. Shows a few sneezes I didn't write. Whenever I'm writing sneezefics anywhere where people could see, I never spell them out for fear of being seen. So I use squiggles or (in this case) dashes. I thought you'd all find it amusing to see that as well as how messy my handwriting is. A Page from my Notebook
So, yeah, ask away. Depending on the length of my answers, I'll post answers as replies or separate posts :-)
SO: Ask me one question - any one - about my writing (sneezefics or non) then, if you like, post this in your LJ so I can satisfy my curiosity about yours.
AND: Okay, so for the most part the answer to how I go about choosing spellings for sneezes is pretty boring and not at all time-consuming. Whenever I get to that portion in a story, I usually just sense it out. Most times I just hear the sneezes in my head and I type them out best I can. I take into account elements like whether it's an allergy sneeze or a cold sneeze. My allergy sneezes are usually shorter and quicker and more desperate. Cold sneezes, on the other hand, tend to be longer, wetter, and more drawn out. I think about the mindset of the character a bit to figure out how wet/free/short/tired/built a sneeze might be. Once in a while, after I do that, I don't like how it looks so I tweak it a tad. But, generally, I just hear them in my head as I write.
Then I look at previous sneezes in a story and try to stay relatively consistent in their sound. I might vary things a bit, but generally I stick with the same sort of sneeze for a character throughout a story.
Now, sometimes I want to come up with something a little more special and I give it more thought based on the character. For example, a character who might be shy would get one sort of sneeze while a character who's up-tight would get something that sounds much different. Same goes for a character I see as someone who's more free with his emotions or a character who is absolutely exhausted. For the most part, all the elements of a scene and a character's personality (and what sort of sneeze I think might fit them) all work together to form a sound in my head. So that when I imagine them sneezing, I can hear it. This usually takes a few minutes.
But some characters I spend considerably more time and thought on. I write Legolas, for example, with sneezes that are much more drawn out for many reasons tied into the fact that he's an elf and in tune with his emotions and conquered by the sensations; so even though I might change the exact spellings, I always like his to be more drawn out. Harry Potter, on the other hand, I nearly always like to write with a pretty normal "Achoo" sort of sneeze which resembles James' which is more of a "Hahchoo". Of course, I also like sick!Harry sneezing in doubles and I think I established in one fic that James either sneezed once or many times but hardly ever twice. Sirius Black's sound a little harsher to me, especially post-Azkaban when his voice is a little rougher and his attitude's a bit darker.
Once in a while, when starting a story with a character I've written before, I go through a few of my favorites and look at how I spelled those sneezes. Then I'll use that type of sneeze throughout. (ehh versus ahhh versus ihhh versus uhhh for example, as the dominant vowel sound or shoo versus shhhh as the typical ending) Hyphens, capitalizations, ellipses, and length of sneezes are all subject to change a lot during a story, but the dominant sounds usually don't. I only like to use t's and apostrophes in very special cases. And my favorite sneezes to read tend to be ones like "K'shttt" but I hardly ever hear those in my head when I write characters, so I don't usually write them. EhhShuhh types are pretty much my usual, I think. Any significany variations are special or ones I've spent considerable time with.
But, for the most part, I don't usually give much thought to the spellings. Usually I just hear them in my head and if they look right when I sound them out and spell them, I go with it. I like to be sure it fits the character and situation and are similar throughout a story (not Hahchoo at one moment and Ngtshh! at another moment, at least not without reason- all stifling/handkerchief-muffled aside)
Also, I thought I'd post a page from my most recent notebook. It's from the FAKE boykissing fic I wrote last year, I believe. Shows a few sneezes I didn't write. Whenever I'm writing sneezefics anywhere where people could see, I never spell them out for fear of being seen. So I use squiggles or (in this case) dashes. I thought you'd all find it amusing to see that as well as how messy my handwriting is. A Page from my Notebook
So, yeah, ask away. Depending on the length of my answers, I'll post answers as replies or separate posts :-)
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Date: 2005-02-22 02:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-22 06:35 am (UTC)heehee And thanks much. Your comment makes me feel all warm and fuzzy with cute :-)
Your picture is probably pretty accurate, really. As though people wouldn't see the word "sneeze" and make me blush if they mention something about it, right? LOL pretty silly, I am. I could sit at a bus stop or in a crowd of strangers anywhere and write detailed sex scenes but when it comes to hearing sneezes in my mind and spelling them out on paper I'm too shy :-)
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Date: 2005-02-22 03:16 am (UTC)Also, I like your handwriting. It's messy, but it just seems to flow together and belong there. I love seeing other people's handwriting! It's like one more piece I can see of someone's personality :)
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Date: 2005-02-22 06:28 am (UTC)As for the instinctiveness... thank you. It's both a gift and a burdon, I always say. But then I don't go into more detail because anything I say after that point to anyone who doesn't hear characters in their head just makes me sound bloody mad. LOL But thanks :-)
As for my handwriting... that's actually one of the better samples. I chose it because I thought people might actually be able to make out words. Some time I MUST dig out some of my class notes from storage and scan in a page that shows how I write when I'm asleep in class. Even I can't make out the words many times! But that's what I get for writing while I'm sleeping, right? LOL It's amusing until exam time when I wish I knew what I wrote.
But, yeah, I know what you mean about the handwriting. Especially online, when I don't know someone in RL, I like to gather every piece of evidence I can to get a clue of someone's personality. And many times with people I talk to online a lot I have a voice of that person in my head based on the color or style of their font or the words they use... so when I see a sample of actual writing or more formal writing, it's fascinating to me.
But my handwriting's really terrible at times. I've had profs who write things like "you had an excellent point going but I can't read half of the next paragraph" on my exams. LOL Also, I like your handwriting. It's messy, but it just seems to flow together and belong there.That's such a nice thing to say. Sounds like how I feel about my life at the moment, too. Thanks :-)
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Date: 2005-02-22 06:09 am (UTC)Thank you for asking such a fun question to answer!
My answer got rather long so it's here: http://www.livejournal.com/users/tarotgal/383153.html
Oh, and I'm glad you found the post interesting! *hugs*
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Date: 2005-02-22 11:16 am (UTC)Thanks again, though!
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Date: 2005-02-23 04:41 am (UTC)Well, that doesn't show! :-) I think you're a very brave and thoughtful writer- and the passion behind your fics is always evident.
But, I am very glad you found this interesting and helpful! I actually enjoyed trying to put it into words. I've written so many sneezefics that my process seems second nature to me, but I've never really tried to explain much of it :-) And, yeah, feel free to drop a question any time if you think of anything you want to know.
Heck, since I'm pulling unanswered things out of nowhere today... I've been meaning to say to you (and I might have, but I didn't think so):
1- I only saw the first part of that Alias episode. But I did catch bits in the middle around walking the dog and doing chores and my father filled me in on the ending. It definitely seems to have much more of an X-Files feel, from the little bits I've seen lately.
and
2- Actually, HBO has a lot of half-hour shows (mostly comedy). Like Sex & the City, and Curb Your Enthusiasm. So it's not so strange that Entourage episodes are only 30 minutes. But you're right, they do have a lot of 1-hour shows as well.
Anyhoo... yeah, that was random, huh?
Oh, handwriting- my sister's left-handed and she nonetheless has much more beautiful handwriting than I. But she's an artist. I totally feel for you, though- Yikes! I get smudges on my hand when I write and I'm right-handed. My handwriting would be a total disaster if I were a lefty. But thanks for making me feel a little better about mine :-)
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Date: 2005-02-23 11:04 am (UTC)Aww! Thank you for the compliment but I really don't know why or where any of my ideas come from or how I even manage to finish anything sometimes! But thanks again, it means a lot to get compliments from you. ;-)
Yes, yes, yes...Your little thought process write out was very helpful and helped me understand what I do as well and how my thoughts work out. Thanks so much for that. I'll have to bookmark it for reference.
Oh, thanks for answering my questions! Totally not random, I know what you're referring to! I almost forgot I asked them.
Re: 1-- I feel really bad about trying to endocrine people into watching my little show. I really think it's great though and want to share what I think about it with people. I think in a lot of ways it's better than what is in the same time-slot, American Idol. LOL. Yeah.
Re: 2--I thought that Sex & the City was an hour-long show! Hmmm...I've never seen an episode so what do I know? I thought that Entourage was a half-hour, though. I know sometimes just by the tile of the show whether it's a comedy or drama and then can guess by that how long the show is (dramas are usually hour-long and comedies half-hour). Had no idea though...Doesn't really matter how long they are, though but thanks for that!
Lefties are supposed to be more creative or musical or something than righties. Uh, I think I lucked out on that. A lot of my favorite actors are left-handed though (Bruce Willis, Ron Rifkin, Matthew Broderick, Victor Garber...). My dad is left-handed as well but he only writes with his left hand. I do everything with my left hand except golf, bat and cut with scissors. Yeah, weird. And I wear my watch on my right wrist, he doesn't. Hmm...Maybe I should just make my own post on this, huh? LOL.
Anyway, thanks again for taking time to type up all the insightful information!
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Date: 2005-02-23 12:48 am (UTC)Feel free to pose any question you like to me in return (fic-related or not, as I have but one story to my name), but if it's fetish-related, I'd be grateful if we did it in your journal and not mine. My younger brother regularly looks for updates to my LJ. I really need to create a separate journal for fetish conversations...
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Date: 2005-02-23 04:28 am (UTC)ANYWAY, I hadn't heard from you in a while on journal or list feedback-wise so it was nice to see you're still around and about. And I'm glad you saw this and enjoyed the response. I tried to explain as best I could; though really sometimes it's nothing more than pulling a sound out of nowhere and other times it's thinking about it for days before I even start a fic. The fic I wrote for the winter challenge last year was pretty much written around the sneezes themselves- once I got a handle on those, the rest just poured right out :-) It probably shows in that fic, though. Even I love reading it over and over again for some of those sneezes *blush*
As for journal conversations- oh, I totally understand. I always feel a bit nervous posting in your LJ at all, though I do read it. I just don't want people there clicking my username and going here with all the fetish stuff and making a connection or anything. There's actually a handful of SF's journals I read frequently but never post in for that reason. But, yeah, conversations here are just fine. Though I can't think of a good question yet... may have to get back to you on that. Maybe by the time I finish writing out replies here something will strike me :-)
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Date: 2005-02-23 04:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-23 06:09 am (UTC)I find notebooks easiest to read from- it's nice to have everything together in one place. But I *love* writing story bits on the very tops of papers or on the back of cash register receipts or napkins. There's something desperate and passionate about writing quickly in tiny letters on scraps of paper that makes my heart pound and words flow in the best sort of way. Though, exactly as you said, it makes it incredibly difficult to read afterwards to type them up! LOL It's great to know someone else knows that feeling. :_)