kayeaton | second draft || [written]

All right, I've got to know: Are there any publishing outfits here? In a town this size, the chances seem slim, but for all I know, there's a paper no one's mentioned to me. I've got a story or two started, and if I could see them in print, I wouldn't mind dropping my asking price to zero cents a word. It won't hurt them to sit in handwritten piles in my apartment, of course, but stories are always better when they're shared.

It's strange to think that it's May here. It was November back in Manhattan, and that meant a lot of gray skies and windy days, and some rainy ones. Thanksgiving was coming up; between Julius and I, a whole turkey is a waste of a bird, but we were going to have something nice for dinner nonetheless. And in the meanwhile, it would have been a whole lot of pounding on typewriters and talking, no doubt.

At least I left near the start of the month. Just in case time here doesn't run faster than every other world's time, he's got a few weeks to plan out a story or two about the drunken scientist or the mutant hillbillies, and from there...well, ideally, he'd show up here one of these days, too. And if not, he's written plenty on his own before; he's not about to starve to death just because I'm not there to do my share.

I do miss him, though.

((OOC: And just in case you're curious, when she says drunken scientist and mutant hillbillies, she is, uh. Completely serious.))

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...that's good. A good alternative.

[His voice is thoughtful, speculative - he's definitely listening closely to what she says.]

...maybe she lost the horse?

That's a good start, right there. You've got the pony and happy ending all wrapped up together.

So she's lost the horse. What's she going to have to do to get it back?

[The delay is slightly less this time.]

...leave her home. When she never has before.

A journey's good. Is she going alone?

Yes. At first.

She doesn't want to draw attention to herself.

But someone notices her eventually?

Someone has to, don't they?

A story with just one person is...terribly boring. And most societies tend to frown on people who talk to themselves.

Stories with only one person are harder to pull off--it can be done, but it takes a lot more work, and the results might be a little lonelier than you're aiming for. here.

So she picks up a friend or two on the way to get her horse. Are they there to help out, or are they comic relief?

[Thinking back to Xander:]

Can't they be both?

Comic relief can be helpful.

[And now she's thinking back to Southeast Jones' sidekick, who was always both those things.]

They can be both. If you have more than one person tagging along with her, it can help to make some more helpful than comic, and vice versa.

And how hard is it to find her pony? Are they going through some bad territory, maybe, or is someone else after the same horse?

Two people. Two is...balanced.

...what if they're trying to save it from being delivered into the hands of...mad, pony eating monsters?

And three's a good number for main characters. Not too many to keep track of, but plenty of things you can do with them.

...Yeah, I think that'd be all right. So it's a race against time. And if someone's doing the delivering, you have a showdown for the climax.

Three people can work very well together. As long as they're friends.

Yes, a race against time. Stopping the thief before he makes the pony irretrievable. At the last moment, of course.

Even if they aren't, if the stakes are high enough...but it's probably better if they're friends, in this case.

Any sooner and you might lose the drama. So then they stop the thief and get the pony back?

Of course. Wouldn't be a happy ending otherwise.

And they ride off into the sunset. Sounds like you've got a story.

Do I really?

...yes, I suppose I do. [He sounds pleased, disbelieving, and...maybe a little excited.] And not a bad one at that, really.

It'll be great. [It's a pretty typical plot, but Kay can't exactly throw stones on that point--and Giles is new to this. He'll put in everything his friend will like, and that's what matters.] Now's the hard part--you have to write it.

Y-Yes, yes of course. [His mind is already racing, stringing together words and phrases.] I-I'd record it over voice first, but at the moment my filters are absolute rubbish.

And of, of course I'll mention how much help you've been. Thank you so much, Kay.

I still haven't gotten the hang of the filters, either. [Kay has yet to try, honestly. The very idea seems fairly complicated, especially since she doesn't have much to keep quiet.] And you're welcome. Let me know if you'd like me to look over it when you have a draft.

Oh, um, yes. That would probably be best, i-if you'd be willing. I certainly will.

I can probably find time for it. [And there's only the barest hint of sarcasm there--she genuinely doesn't mind, is actually a bit curious.] Bring it by when you've got a draft, and we can go over it.

Ah...w-where should I bring it by, then?

Apartment five, of the--first community housing building? [If Kay was in charge, she'd still have the ability to say "on the corner of X Street and Y Avenue."] Stop by any time. If I'm not there, Mildmay might be.

Where're you, by the way?

Community housing seven, room twenty two. If I'm not in, Helios and Frederic might be. But, um, you're free to stop by as well. I'm usually around early evenings. [Later evenings are patrols, although that particular part of his schedule hasn't been too feasible since the Malnosso sent him back.]

[Voice - Filtered from Buffy - 10% unhackable]

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Re: [Voice - Filtered from Buffy - 10% unhackable]

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