Behind the Scenes of
The Catalyst
Dear Louise,
Thanks so much for your kind review!
Prologue: I’m glad you thought the prologue was cool. I was a little concerned that the similarities to Star Trek might make readers think it was a crossover story. Incidentally, I used the names of my kids and my hubby for these characters. My crazy writer son is the captain. He loved that, because it meant he could give orders to his older brother at navigation! Beene is actually my daughter Nadine. We have called her "Bean" her entire life. And Todd is my hubby’s middle name, which I only use when he’s in trouble.
Ch.1: This was the hardest part to write (because violence is outside my realm of thinking), so I was pleased with the results when I finished it. However, life crept in and kept me from going any further in the story for 2 years. The respite helped though, because I came back to it with a clear mind about what I wanted to accomplish with the story as a whole. I can credit you with being the one to get me going on it once more. So -- thanks!
I love writing dialogue for Straker! He’s so damned sarcastic (which endears him to me constantly) and so his lines are always my favorite to write. I’m so glad you liked that line about his jacket. I grin every time I read it, and I wrote it!
I enjoy doing flashbacks too, as no doubt you’ve noticed if you’ve read some of my other stories. They really allow you to flesh out your characters without adding a lot of description. Excessive description kills a story for me. Which is probably why I write my fanfiction rather like a screenplay. The readers are usually familiar with the series, so all that description of settings and regular characters is unnecessary. I have found that even readers who never watched UFO can follow my stories easily. (In fact, one friend was disappointed when she finally watched an episode, because she liked my Straker better!)
Ch. 2: I also really enjoy doing dialogue between Ed and Alec. Alec makes such a good funny man to Ed’s straight sarcasm. And he’s always so baffled by the twists and turns of his friend’s mind. He obviously admires him greatly, without ever really understanding him. It makes for great dialogue!
I wrote Pam so that she did not use contractions. I wanted that slight stiltedness in her speech patterns, and of course, the clue of talking like Data to give a subtle hint to the reader.
Ch. 3: When I read the unfinished story to my hubby, he said when I got to the end of the 4th chapter, "So, is she real or not?" I was so pleased! I play with reality quite a bit in this story and was really glad to see that I was keeping the reader guessing.
Sorry that the capital letters of her designation gave it away to you. It wasn’t a huge clue, although anyone who’s read "Time For Anny" would know that I like to have fun with names. Most readers wouldn’t know quite what to think about it, so would just file it away for future reference.
I’m glad that you liked the end of the chapter! It was slightly cheesy, but so very Alec! I couldn’t resist. (And neither could Ed, it seems!)
Ch. 4: It was interesting for me to pit Straker against someone so much like him. I got to play with that a little bit in "The Security Risk", but Pam is much more like him than Laura. I also love it that he doesn’t realize that that’s the reason he’s so drawn to her! *grin* Did you catch the question he asks himself at the beginning of that chapter? It echoes the one he asks himself after his capture and is the entire theme of the story. Can one person really make that much of a difference in the grander scheme of things? I hope the reveal in Chapter 6 tells you what my answer to that question is!
About security at his home. He’s such a private person that I have always been certain that he would never allow them to police his movements that closely. And since the series never shows him having security at his house, I don’t even bother addressing it. Tight security at the hospital would have been beyond his control – and probably contributed to his reasons for wanting to leave early!
Ch. 5: Conflict isn’t always necessarily between major baddies and major goodies. The best conflict, I find, is often between our own relationships with people. And Alec would resist any effort to estrange him from his best friend. He’s extremely loyal and rather like a dog with a bone himself, come to think of it! My son (the writer son) laughed out loud at the line where Alec tries to figure out why Jackson is in the know and he’s left out. He loved the series and Jackson in particular.
Fashion is one of my loves, and I put the description of the dress in not just for the flow of the plot, but also for the benefit of my daughter, who is my beta tester. She designs clothing all the time and really liked it.
The film reference was oblique and would only be caught by those who know Asimov’s stories and also know who directed "I, Robot." I wasn’t about to give the tale away by mentioning the title of the movie, but the opportunity to use the reference was there, so I took it.
Sometimes a line really resonates when I write it, and when Straker said, "We’re good," that was one of those times. I can see him saying it too. I can even see his cocky grin when he does.
About Alec muscling in, I’ve never seen him as antagonistic about Ed’s other connections. Like any best friend, he simply refuses to be left out. It’s a different dynamic altogether, and a nonviolent one. I never mention why Ed keeps him in the dark in the story, but that’s because I hope the reader can infer on their own that he’d be highly embarrassed to be found having a dream lover. Especially by his best friend, who might see fit to tease him about it.
Ch. 6: The reveal. I had to tweak a few lines after I’d finished the story, because my beta tester found a few leaps of logic that went unexplained in the original. She’s good to have around for just that reason. I think I’ll keep her. *grin*
I’m so glad you understood the underlying meaning of the title. According to the story, Ed was the catalyst; but in reality, Pam was the true catalyst, changing his life for the better. I like it that you found other meanings. They work well.
That small ache in his heart was the most poignant part of the story for me. And I felt that it would be the way someone might truly feel about a dream lover: they would hurt knowing that she wasn’t really real.
The "trick" needed some tweaking, because I didn’t really give a clue at first why he was so upset. By adding a line to the end of his musings about her programming, I was able to make that jump a little clearer for the reader. But I didn’t want to say too much, because I needed for the reader to be just as surprised as Jackson was when the reason for his anger is revealed. Free will was another of my themes for the story, and I didn’t want his reaction to sound too preachy or self-righteous. I needed for him to have just the right amount of outrage on her behalf. Of course, the fact that giving her free will meant that he would have to let her go added one more level to his reaction.
Epilogue: Actually, for me the story was over at the end of Chapter 6. But I had to finish the framework I had started the story with. And I felt that the reader would be left with a lot of questions if I didn’t say what ended up happening between them. Did you think it was too weird to have him marry her? I thought that it was something he would do in accordance with his strict moral code. It’s what I would do in his place, but then, I’ve long known that I’m weird. What are your thoughts?
To me, the irony at the end cemented this as one of my favorite stories to write. Calling love a programming glitch was simply priceless! Too bad they're working to eliminate that 'problem!'
As to the other questions you had, well . . . if I told you everything, you wouldn’t come back for more, would you? *grin*
Thanks again for giving me such a detailed review of the story. It’s good to know that it resonated with others as it did with me as I wrote. And for you to say you’d read it over and over – well, there’s no higher praise, is there?
Love,
Denise
Thanks so much for your kind review!
Prologue: I’m glad you thought the prologue was cool. I was a little concerned that the similarities to Star Trek might make readers think it was a crossover story. Incidentally, I used the names of my kids and my hubby for these characters. My crazy writer son is the captain. He loved that, because it meant he could give orders to his older brother at navigation! Beene is actually my daughter Nadine. We have called her "Bean" her entire life. And Todd is my hubby’s middle name, which I only use when he’s in trouble.
Ch.1: This was the hardest part to write (because violence is outside my realm of thinking), so I was pleased with the results when I finished it. However, life crept in and kept me from going any further in the story for 2 years. The respite helped though, because I came back to it with a clear mind about what I wanted to accomplish with the story as a whole. I can credit you with being the one to get me going on it once more. So -- thanks!
I love writing dialogue for Straker! He’s so damned sarcastic (which endears him to me constantly) and so his lines are always my favorite to write. I’m so glad you liked that line about his jacket. I grin every time I read it, and I wrote it!
I enjoy doing flashbacks too, as no doubt you’ve noticed if you’ve read some of my other stories. They really allow you to flesh out your characters without adding a lot of description. Excessive description kills a story for me. Which is probably why I write my fanfiction rather like a screenplay. The readers are usually familiar with the series, so all that description of settings and regular characters is unnecessary. I have found that even readers who never watched UFO can follow my stories easily. (In fact, one friend was disappointed when she finally watched an episode, because she liked my Straker better!)
Ch. 2: I also really enjoy doing dialogue between Ed and Alec. Alec makes such a good funny man to Ed’s straight sarcasm. And he’s always so baffled by the twists and turns of his friend’s mind. He obviously admires him greatly, without ever really understanding him. It makes for great dialogue!
I wrote Pam so that she did not use contractions. I wanted that slight stiltedness in her speech patterns, and of course, the clue of talking like Data to give a subtle hint to the reader.
Ch. 3: When I read the unfinished story to my hubby, he said when I got to the end of the 4th chapter, "So, is she real or not?" I was so pleased! I play with reality quite a bit in this story and was really glad to see that I was keeping the reader guessing.
Sorry that the capital letters of her designation gave it away to you. It wasn’t a huge clue, although anyone who’s read "Time For Anny" would know that I like to have fun with names. Most readers wouldn’t know quite what to think about it, so would just file it away for future reference.
I’m glad that you liked the end of the chapter! It was slightly cheesy, but so very Alec! I couldn’t resist. (And neither could Ed, it seems!)
Ch. 4: It was interesting for me to pit Straker against someone so much like him. I got to play with that a little bit in "The Security Risk", but Pam is much more like him than Laura. I also love it that he doesn’t realize that that’s the reason he’s so drawn to her! *grin* Did you catch the question he asks himself at the beginning of that chapter? It echoes the one he asks himself after his capture and is the entire theme of the story. Can one person really make that much of a difference in the grander scheme of things? I hope the reveal in Chapter 6 tells you what my answer to that question is!
About security at his home. He’s such a private person that I have always been certain that he would never allow them to police his movements that closely. And since the series never shows him having security at his house, I don’t even bother addressing it. Tight security at the hospital would have been beyond his control – and probably contributed to his reasons for wanting to leave early!
Ch. 5: Conflict isn’t always necessarily between major baddies and major goodies. The best conflict, I find, is often between our own relationships with people. And Alec would resist any effort to estrange him from his best friend. He’s extremely loyal and rather like a dog with a bone himself, come to think of it! My son (the writer son) laughed out loud at the line where Alec tries to figure out why Jackson is in the know and he’s left out. He loved the series and Jackson in particular.
Fashion is one of my loves, and I put the description of the dress in not just for the flow of the plot, but also for the benefit of my daughter, who is my beta tester. She designs clothing all the time and really liked it.
The film reference was oblique and would only be caught by those who know Asimov’s stories and also know who directed "I, Robot." I wasn’t about to give the tale away by mentioning the title of the movie, but the opportunity to use the reference was there, so I took it.
Sometimes a line really resonates when I write it, and when Straker said, "We’re good," that was one of those times. I can see him saying it too. I can even see his cocky grin when he does.
About Alec muscling in, I’ve never seen him as antagonistic about Ed’s other connections. Like any best friend, he simply refuses to be left out. It’s a different dynamic altogether, and a nonviolent one. I never mention why Ed keeps him in the dark in the story, but that’s because I hope the reader can infer on their own that he’d be highly embarrassed to be found having a dream lover. Especially by his best friend, who might see fit to tease him about it.
Ch. 6: The reveal. I had to tweak a few lines after I’d finished the story, because my beta tester found a few leaps of logic that went unexplained in the original. She’s good to have around for just that reason. I think I’ll keep her. *grin*
I’m so glad you understood the underlying meaning of the title. According to the story, Ed was the catalyst; but in reality, Pam was the true catalyst, changing his life for the better. I like it that you found other meanings. They work well.
That small ache in his heart was the most poignant part of the story for me. And I felt that it would be the way someone might truly feel about a dream lover: they would hurt knowing that she wasn’t really real.
The "trick" needed some tweaking, because I didn’t really give a clue at first why he was so upset. By adding a line to the end of his musings about her programming, I was able to make that jump a little clearer for the reader. But I didn’t want to say too much, because I needed for the reader to be just as surprised as Jackson was when the reason for his anger is revealed. Free will was another of my themes for the story, and I didn’t want his reaction to sound too preachy or self-righteous. I needed for him to have just the right amount of outrage on her behalf. Of course, the fact that giving her free will meant that he would have to let her go added one more level to his reaction.
Epilogue: Actually, for me the story was over at the end of Chapter 6. But I had to finish the framework I had started the story with. And I felt that the reader would be left with a lot of questions if I didn’t say what ended up happening between them. Did you think it was too weird to have him marry her? I thought that it was something he would do in accordance with his strict moral code. It’s what I would do in his place, but then, I’ve long known that I’m weird. What are your thoughts?
To me, the irony at the end cemented this as one of my favorite stories to write. Calling love a programming glitch was simply priceless! Too bad they're working to eliminate that 'problem!'
As to the other questions you had, well . . . if I told you everything, you wouldn’t come back for more, would you? *grin*
Thanks again for giving me such a detailed review of the story. It’s good to know that it resonated with others as it did with me as I wrote. And for you to say you’d read it over and over – well, there’s no higher praise, is there?
Love,
Denise