Fanclub Obi-Wan Kenobi: v4 Fan Club a/k/a Appreciation Society

Deb, I can and HAVE spent days deciding on word order, or between two words in an unimportant sentence!

Besides, story-writing does not make one great. While it may be human, one should seek self-validation in how one treats others, not how one aspect of the self is received. Of course, if one's lack of confidence is in a specific arena - i.e. self-doubt about one's writing - then that's another matter, but I don't call that low self-esteem, just insecurity in one's writing.

You (Deb) are popular with your readers who LIKE YOUR STORIES and probably don't deeply care about the turn of phrases you use. What use is fancy phrases or crocodile-tear-angst if no one likes to read the stories? Maybe Ash and Ruth turn a better phrase than you - so admire them and pay attention to what about them you like and find your own balance - that is how I studied photography, by studying Natl Geo pictures, etc. Expressive language comes with practice.

Ash has a rare quality of humanity and honesty in all her writings - a quality that can't be faked. It's neither overdone nor underdone. It's just exactly how it should be. It's rich and expressive and totally mesmerizing.

And Ruth - my god, there's my role model, a storyteller par excellence and a wordsmith as well, the total package. One can say things in a pretty way (me) but crafting words is not crafting a story.

It's just too bad great plotting does NOT come with studying the great storytellers, like Ruth, Ash, Earlybird, etc. Someday I'll have to have one of you outline a story for me in all its plot glory then let me plug in the words

 

It's hard not to compare yourself to others, especially when there are so many fantastic writers out there. The important thing is to keep writing, no matter what. Even a single sentence is something to be proud of; it's still an accomplishment.

 

How very true - but holding oneself up to those one admires is, if oftentimes disheartening, also an incentive to improve.

 

Reading the Ewan thread and this one, i have the perfect idea of where ur mind's at

BTW i'm waaaay behind on Clone Wars due to laptop issues . Have i missed a lot of Obi-Wan? i hope to catch up on him the show soon

 

The first episode was great Obi-Wan. He was in the Onduran arc, but minimally. He had a brief appearance in the Young Jedi arc and next to nothing in the 1st arc of the droid arc (it's a 4 parter and we've had just 1 part so far). So if you saw the last episode of last season and the 1st of this, you're pretty current on Obi-Wan lusciousness.

Now, I think, it's time to throw in some Obi-Wan POV angst on my latest tf.n story.

 

Darn it! i was hoping for more, cause i did see the first episode . I've missed the last 5 episodes or so only

 

Well, Revival is just 1 part of a 4 part arc as I understand it, but it was moved up to open the season as it was supposed to come after the Onduran arc. Then Young Jedi wasn't even scheduled to be shown this season, but they threw it in between Onduran and the droid arc, so the Maul arc got pushed way back in the season as it seems the next arc will be Anakin/Padme/Clovis.

 

I was going to reply earlier and then I noticed your edit and I didn't know what to say for a moment Honestly, I'm not complaining in the least, I am grateful for the responses I have received even if I still struggle with insecurity in what I'm writing. And it is mostly that... sometimes I let situations where I feel like I failed or things others say to me really get to me and I feel a bout of low self esteem but generally it's not that. Striving to treat people well is what should be focused on, you are so right there, and it's good to hear it again

Deb, like Val, I too can take hours and days to even write a few sentences and then still go back and change it all again later anyway, believe me! I agonize over every little word too, you are certainly not alone there, and often times it takes me a month to write a 3,000 word oneshot. With the boards being down, I have a back log of those little oneshots so maybe it seems like I'm writing quicker, but I'm not

Val, your kind words both here and on Miracle mean so much to me and I appreciate it a ton. I focus on the emotional story because I just can't write out a plot worth a damn, and honestly I'm grateful for fanfiction for letting me have the opportunity to do what I love - write without having to plot And hearing you say that I've accomplished that is just overwhelming in a way. *You* are my role-model since I first clicked on that Siri/Obi story years ago. The way you get into the character's heads, every character you write always astounds me, their thoughts are so clear as if they're actual people and I'm seeing straight into their minds

While I don't think I could write a plot, I could outline one! That would be fun!

 

My mind is always there... can you blame me?

 

Your love for the characters shines through in every word, Deb, and that's what matters to me above all else and makes every sentence a joy to read. Those little things can be improved over time if needed, but when I read it's because I love Obi and really 'seeing' him is all that matters to me. Even still when I write I comb over every word until I'm blue in the face, it's the writer's struggle.

 

well, darn it, Ash, I should have you outline my languishing 3 stories that are partially written but not plotted, if you know what I mean. While one can get by without a LOT of preplotting on my part, the others cannot. I have characters in limbo waiting for me to decide their story arcs...they're such a mess I think even Ruth is lost.

And don't think I don't understand where you're coming from Ash. I do. I occasionally feel incompetent in crafting and telling a compelling story compared to others: I know I write well but I don't story-tell well and the more reading I do, the less interested I am in putting my poor offering out there. This is not a veiled request for validation: I know my strengths and I know my weaknesses, and sure, our insecurities diminish one and inflate the other, but the truth is I am not the writer I wish I was.

And Deb knows well what I usually try tactfully (and once with a blunt hammer!) to get her to focus on - she's so immersed in her stories that she connects the dots in her head rather than the story. That's where a beta is invaluable, one whose strength is your weakness. Even just a second opinion can catch things not apparent to the writer - as great as Ruth is, I have thrown out a few suggestions for her (and corrected all her typos - she can write but she can't type! )

So back to the subject of the thread: minus an actual story yet, do you think realistically there's a role for Obi-Wan in the new Disney movies? You know what'd be nice (and don't expect) - originally GL had thought the Force Ghosts could reanimate in life (don't know if he'd envisioned how) - Obi-Wan (Ewan) could return in the flesh! Make him young, give him a girlfriend and kids!

 

Agree so much with all the writing stuff

I think there absolutely could be a role for Obi-Wan! Even just a cameo, why not? Who's to limit the mysteries of the Force?!

I'd never heard that about reanimation before but... please, please, please, please!!!!! Talk about fanservice

Dear sweet Force... I volunteer to write that. For free. Hell, I know TPM Obi is just, well, perfection... but have you seen Ewan?! You don't even have to make him that young, he's already 3 years past Obi's RoTS age and he's only getting more sexy every day. I can hardly stand it anymore. I love that you said girlfriend and kids, lets not tie the gorgeous man down with a ball and chain

 

And I always love to help with anything to do with Obi stories, so always feel free to call on my anytime I helped taramidala with her recent unexpected Obi plot bunny (and I even convinced her to right more!!) and I had a lot of fun looking at obimom's too

 

Hey all...back from a day's work, and some relaxation. So, how do I answer all this.

I guess first of all, Thank you Val, and yes, You do set me on the right path so to speak on my stories, and it's largely thanks to Val that I'm a better writer. I'm actually pretty proud of the story I'm working on now...it's just that at times when I read a poetically turned phrase written by Ruth or Ash or read one of Val's insights into a character's head, and the way she can put words together just blows me away as well, I just think "I don't think I would have thought to write that like that...how do they come up with this?" and then I get a little...well, self critical.

I have always been like this, my whole life, and in everything.

Ash, thank you. Like Val said, sometimes it's not so much how a word is turned, but the emotion behind it. I couldn't write what I didn't care about, nor can I read what I don't care about. I LOVED the Hunger game series, and devoured them...the author wrote the main characters in such a way and that I (And we the readers) really cared what happened to Katniss, Peeta and Gale (and other characters). Just wonderful books. But then my son tried to get me to read another sci-fi recently, and the author actually wrote a pretty ridiculous and outlandish book, but he didn't write the characters with any real emotion or depth...as a result, I couldn't care about the characters and finally gave up reading the book...my son still likes it though...he likes the silliness, etc. Thus the difference between boys and girls I guess.

My whole reason for saying what I did this morning was to tell you Ash, that you are not alone. I think we all go through a little self doubt in our writing from time to time.

And yes, I do realize real life is more important. How we treat others, how we live our real lives far outshine what we do here. Here is fun, it's educational (I'm a better writer, maybe someday I'll write some of the original story ideas I've had running in my head for years.), the friends here, the kidding around, etc. is so much fun...but we all have real lives, families, jobs, job searching, bills to pay, etc. This is just a temporary diversion. but a fun one...and I'm glad Obi
is here to make if fun. (and Siri...)

BTW, where's that picture? Can we post it at the top permanently or something?

Oh, Ash, did you see that I posted that chapter I showed you? I used some of your and Val's suggestions, and it was short enough that I decided to just go for it and post it on Saturday. (After carefully tweaking and rewriting parts) I don't remember if you saw it or not...would have to go look. That's a chapter I had largely written for months..so all it took was some tweaking and a few changes...

 

I have to add while I do have a 'real' life, this here is a huge part of that real life. Six months out of the year I'm a stay at home mom, and well, that can get a little lonely. I have some great friends, but due to my job the other 6 months they're actually mostly younger than me and/or pretty busy and I do count you guys among my real friends and super important ones as well as my 'real life' friends do get tired of me talking about Ewan and Star Wars, and I actually don't talk to them about my writing at all, so I would be completely lost without y'all.

And it's just important to me to make sure I treat others here really well, as well. Maybe doubly so because you're all important to me for reasons that are really important that other people sometimes just don't understand, and because it's harder to know how you come across on the internet.

 

I can get really self critical, as well, I'm exactly the same way, but you're right it's really the emotion and caring about the characters that can make all the difference in a story and will keep people coming back

 

Hey Ash...I'm getting really tired...will be heading to bed shortly.

Yup, I read (and largely write) with my emotions...thus the reason Val has her hands full making suggestions on how to better phrase certain things and correcting all my little foibles... I'm caught up in the emotions and not paying attention to periods and commas, etc. (And more, just not saying)



This is what I'm sitting here doing.

 

Periods and commas and grammar can be fixed and learned, emotions can't be faked, so we're on the right track I think!

 

OK, Gotta bring this little cutie pie padawan back to the forefront again...

When I read Ruth's update, I really did see this face in the story...although he seems to be a hair bit older in this chapter than this pic indicates..but oh well...

 

All I can say is that photo should inspire a spate of young Obi stories! (Not to mention dreams...Force, what a cutie! Of course in real life I'd take the man over the boy - but, hey, nothing wrong with eye candy.) And we know why Obi-Wan's "paramour" in Lineage is so taken with her Prince Beju...she had to have raised Qui-Gon's (Jinnson's) eyebrows with her gushing admiration.

Edited to add: I did it! I finished a (my most recent) story on here.

 

Duh! of course not

Oooh and is that new story published here, Val? you know i love your stories

 

wow, I thought he's been well used this season so far and had a bigger role already then he did in Season 4! Heck he's already appeared more then Anakin! I'm hoping that the website that says the rest of the Maul arc is up next after the droid arc is true. I'd rather have that sooner rather then later!

 

Veloz: yeah, sort of a 4 character/vignette each set post-Revival. I have to give credit, too, to Ruth for helping me find Hondo's voice.

 

Ooooh *runs off to find it*

 

Hi Obi-Wan fans...
Too much to digest at once... I still love that photo, Ash. Lineage is already past that phase. I might have to go back in time and do a story just for that picture.
CW has indeed been lamentably cheapskate on the Kenobi-front since the first episode - hopefully that gets amended this spring. There /is/ a quota system to be filled, yes?
Veloz - you will love Val's story, and that is not a mind trick!!
And writing - !! It's like so many other things in life - there is always someone far better, which can be discouraging or inspirational, depending on the day.
I'm heading out the door to get inspired (get soundly whupped) in a racquetball tournament. - another example of something where you just have to love what you're doing, and not focus on comparisons.
Besides, what I like in a story, over and above language and characterization and snappy dialogue and action and all the works, is this: the /reflection/ of real human life and struggle in a fantasy setting. If you can evoke the bittersweet agony-and-ecstasy essence of life, then I don't care how finely crafted the work is. It's /good./
!!
And with such a subject matter for inspiration.....