Katherine Frances's Blog, page 60
March 21, 2018
"Pure as Artemis, free
as a dolphin flying
through the waves,
(until that Friday)
she saw no..."
Pure as Artemis, free
as a dolphin flying
through the waves,
(until that Friday)
she saw no reason to let love
encircle her mind
like Saturn’s rings,
to let love turn her heart scarlet
like the kiss of an October
breeze on a leaf.
- October (via gracebabcockwrites)
March 20, 2018
Kim Shimmers and the Veil of Death
A Harry Potter fanfic by me (and the 4th instalment in the Kim Shimmers series)
How could we ever hope to flicker on against a
darkness so complete, against an evil so prevailing?
This Harry Potter fan fiction (as long as all goes according to plan) will be posted at the beginning of every week. The pictures above are not mine, though I edited some.
Chapter 9
Poison
Kim sat with Hermione in the library on Saturday morning. They often met up there and sat together, chatting and doing homework, which was nice since Kim didn’t see Hermione as much at mealtimes. If Kim was already sitting with Harry and Ron, Hermione wouldn’t sit with her. Kim was starting to wonder if she had been right about all this blowing over when Ron stopped dating Lavender. She was starting to wonder when Ron would stop dating Lavender, perhaps wondering with a hint of impatient anticipation.
“Well, I tried to reach him again this morning. Nothing,” Kim said, continuing their conversation about Fred and his possible appearance at Hosgmeade that day. “Wouldn’t it just be justice if he showed up, expecting to see me and felt stood up when I wasn’t there? Like he did me? Though I guess he’d figure it out pretty quickly, when no Hogwarts students were there.”
“You know Kim, holding a grudge is no way to better a relationship,” Hermione said, peering up at her from over the brim of a book for only a moment.
“You’re one to talk,” Kim said sharply, and then gave her an eyebrow raised look when she glanced up again. “When are you going to stop avoiding Ron?”
“I’m not avoiding him,” Hermione said defensively. “I just… Look, you can’t blame me for not wanting to be around him and Lavender. They’re disgusting.”
Kim gave a short hum of agreement. “Almost as bad as Fred and I were at the beginning.” She smirked at Hermione’s momentary struggle, caught as she was being a bit hypocritical.
“No, you and Fred were different. Though, sometimes a bit too… open with where you chose to… well-”
“Make out,” Kim said for her when it appeared she was struggling for the right word.
“Yes. But it’s not merely that which bothers me about Won-Won and Lavender.” Kim snorted, smiling maliciously at Ron’s expense. “You understand what I mean, its like- ugh,” she made a sound of disgust, shaking her head as if to rid herself of the memories. “They’re just so disgusting. Honestly, if that’s the sort of thing that Ron likes, I hope they stay together forever. The dimwitted pair, at least with them together they’ve got one brain collectively.”
Kim snickered some more. As much as she disliked the disunity between her friends, Hermione’s sense of humor increased exponentially with the amount of distain she harbored for Ron.
“I heard he was in rushed to the hospital wing, you know,” said a younger Gryffindor girl who was fingering through the shelf of books behind where Hermione and Kim sat snickering. They both looked back at the girl. “You’re talking about the Weasley boy, right?”
“What do you mean, ‘rushed to the hospital wing’?” Hermione asked, the comedy drained from her voice immediately.
The girl shrugged. “I wasn’t there, just heard it from a friend.” Kim’s heart sank as she turned slowly to look at Hermione. She had gone a bit pale and was staring at nothing until she finally dragged her eyes to meet with Kim’s.
“Let’s hurry,” she said at once, and stood, bolting for the library exit in one motion. She even left her potions homework open on the table for anyone to copy without a care, Kim dashing after her.
“Don’t worry too much Hermione, I’m sure he’s all right,” Kim said reassuringly, and she was sure. That was what her vision had told her anyway. She had to admit the news had still surprised her a little because she had grown attached to her theory that it would be at the next apparition practice that Ron would get hurt, being splinched or something like that. It had made the most sense to Kim, so much so that she had almost completely convinced Ron not to do the next practice.
“How could you possibly be sure?” Hermione asked hurriedly. Kim wasn’t about to tell her how she was sure, knowing it would only gain scrutiny from Hermione. She didn’t quite understand the fickle nature of Divination, and that no matter how hard one tried they couldn’t change the future. Most didn’t.
“Harry! Harry, what’s happened?” Hermione demanded breathlessly as she pelted toward where he stood outside the closed doors to the infirmary.
“Hermione, it’s Ron—”
“I know, what’s the matter with him?” she pleaded as Kim caught up to stand by her side.
“I- I dunno… I think he was poisoned.”
“What?” Kim said, surprised by this news, and then again surprised that she could be surprised by anything anymore.
“We were with Slughorn, Ron and I, and he was giving us both a drink to celebrate Ron’s birthday.”
“I forgot it was his birthday,” Kim said lightly. Both of them glanced at her like she was a bit mad for being so calm.
“Anyway, he started… choking, immediately. I just remembered what I read about bezoar curing most poisons, so I dug one out of the professor’s potions box and stuffed it in Ron’s mouth…”
The silence echoed between them for a moment.
“Oh Harry,” Hermione exclaimed, putting her fingers over her lips and clearly holding back tears. “I’m so sorry I gave you a hard time about that book, if it saved Ron’s life, I- I-”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Harry said darkly. “He didn’t wake up when I gave him the bezoar… Madam Pomfrey says it must’ve been a very strong, fast acting potion. She won’t let us in until she’s done whatever she needs to and he’s rested…” They both starred at the shut door, Harry with his brow deeply furrowed and Hermione with her eyes shining.
“I’m really sure he’s going to be all right,” Kim said quietly, leaning forward so her head was hovering between both of theirs. “Like, really really sure.”
“How could you possibly-” Hermione began, but her voice was choked.
“Just trust me,” Kim said, giving them a knowing look and trying to sound soothing.
“Did you poison him?” Hermione said suddenly in a shaken voice, turning on Kim to look at her with wide eyes.
“What? No!” Kim exclaimed, head reeling back as if she’d been punched. “How could you even think that?”
“Well, you’ve been acting odd lately, and you sai—”
“Seriously?” Kim demanded, scowling at them both.
Kim Shimmers and the Veil of Death
A Harry Potter fanfic by me (and the 4th instalment in the Kim Shimmers series)
How could we ever hope to flicker on against a
darkness so complete, against an evil so prevailing?
This Harry Potter fan fiction (as long as all goes according to plan) will be posted at the beginning of every week. The pictures above are not mine, though I edited some.
Chapter 9
Poison
Kim sat with Hermione in the library on Saturday morning. They often met up there and sat together, chatting and doing homework, which was nice since Kim didn’t see Hermione as much at mealtimes. If Kim was already sitting with Harry and Ron, Hermione wouldn’t sit with her. Kim was starting to wonder if she had been right about all this blowing over when Ron stopped dating Lavender. She was starting to wonder when Ron would stop dating Lavender, perhaps wondering with a hint of impatient anticipation.
“Well, I tried to reach him again this morning. Nothing,” Kim said, continuing their conversation about Fred and his possible appearance at Hosgmeade that day. “Wouldn’t it just be justice if he showed up, expecting to see me and felt stood up when I wasn’t there? Like he did me? Though I guess he’d figure it out pretty quickly, when no Hogwarts students were there.”
“You know Kim, holding a grudge is no way to better a relationship,” Hermione said, peering up at her from over the brim of a book for only a moment.
“You’re one to talk,” Kim said sharply, and then gave her an eyebrow raised look when she glanced up again. “When are you going to stop avoiding Ron?”
“I’m not avoiding him,” Hermione said defensively. “I just… Look, you can’t blame me for not wanting to be around him and Lavender. They’re disgusting.”
Kim gave a short hum of agreement. “Almost as bad as Fred and I were at the beginning.” She smirked at Hermione’s momentary struggle, caught as she was being a bit hypocritical.
“No, you and Fred were different. Though, sometimes a bit too… open with where you chose to… well-”
“Make out,” Kim said for her when it appeared she was struggling for the right word.
“Yes. But it’s not merely that which bothers me about Won-Won and Lavender.” Kim snorted, smiling maliciously at Ron’s expense. “You understand what I mean, its like- ugh,” she made a sound of disgust, shaking her head as if to rid herself of the memories. “They’re just so disgusting. Honestly, if that’s the sort of thing that Ron likes, I hope they stay together forever. The dimwitted pair, at least with them together they’ve got one brain collectively.”
Kim snickered some more. As much as she disliked the disunity between her friends, Hermione’s sense of humor increased exponentially with the amount of distain she harbored for Ron.
“I heard he was in rushed to the hospital wing, you know,” said a younger Gryffindor girl who was fingering through the shelf of books behind where Hermione and Kim sat snickering. They both looked back at the girl. “You’re talking about the Weasley boy, right?”
“What do you mean, ‘rushed to the hospital wing’?” Hermione asked, the comedy drained from her voice immediately.
The girl shrugged. “I wasn’t there, just heard it from a friend.” Kim’s heart sank as she turned slowly to look at Hermione. She had gone a bit pale and was staring at nothing until she finally dragged her eyes to meet with Kim’s.
“Let’s hurry,” she said at once, and stood, bolting for the library exit in one motion. She even left her potions homework open on the table for anyone to copy without a care, Kim dashing after her.
“Don’t worry too much Hermione, I’m sure he’s all right,” Kim said reassuringly, and she was sure. That was what her vision had told her anyway. She had to admit the news had still surprised her a little because she had grown attached to her theory that it would be at the next apparition practice that Ron would get hurt, being splinched or something like that. It had made the most sense to Kim, so much so that she had almost completely convinced Ron not to do the next practice.
“How could you possibly be sure?” Hermione asked hurriedly. Kim wasn’t about to tell her how she was sure, knowing it would only gain scrutiny from Hermione. She didn’t quite understand the fickle nature of Divination, and that no matter how hard one tried they couldn’t change the future. Most didn’t.
“Harry! Harry, what’s happened?” Hermione demanded breathlessly as she pelted toward where he stood outside the closed doors to the infirmary.
“Hermione, it’s Ron—”
“I know, what’s the matter with him?” she pleaded as Kim caught up to stand by her side.
“I- I dunno… I think he was poisoned.”
“What?” Kim said, surprised by this news, and then again surprised that she could be surprised by anything anymore.
“We were with Slughorn, Ron and I, and he was giving us both a drink to celebrate Ron’s birthday.”
“I forgot it was his birthday,” Kim said lightly. Both of them glanced at her like she was a bit mad for being so calm.
“Anyway, he started… choking, immediately. I just remembered what I read about bezoar curing most poisons, so I dug one out of the professor’s potions box and stuffed it in Ron’s mouth…”
The silence echoed between them for a moment.
“Oh Harry,” Hermione exclaimed, putting her fingers over her lips and clearly holding back tears. “I’m so sorry I gave you a hard time about that book, if it saved Ron’s life, I- I-”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Harry said darkly. “He didn’t wake up when I gave him the bezoar… Madam Pomfrey says it must’ve been a very strong, fast acting potion. She won’t let us in until she’s done whatever she needs to and he’s rested…” They both starred at the shut door, Harry with his brow deeply furrowed and Hermione with her eyes shining.
“I’m really sure he’s going to be all right,” Kim said quietly, leaning forward so her head was hovering between both of theirs. “Like, really really sure.”
“How could you possibly-” Hermione began, but her voice was choked.
“Just trust me,” Kim said, giving them a knowing look and trying to sound soothing.
“Did you poison him?” Hermione said suddenly in a shaken voice, turning on Kim to look at her with wide eyes.
“What? No!” Kim exclaimed, head reeling back as if she’d been punched. “How could you even think that?”
“Well, you’ve been acting odd lately, and you sai—”
“Seriously?” Kim demanded, scowling at them both.
March 19, 2018
k-frances:
Deus Ex Machina
What is it?
The term and it’s origin come from Greek theater. It means...
Deus Ex Machina
What is it?The term and it’s origin come from Greek theater. It means literally “a God from a machine”, which is believed to refer to the literal crane that would hold an actor (presumably playing a God) over the stage and lower him down. In Greek theater it wasn’t uncommon to solve a conflict with the intervention of a God. Gods don’t need a reason to intervene, especially in Greek mythology, and their motives are as fickle as a brooding teenager’s, so they could be introduced suddenly (the audience was assumed to understand them as characters already) and could solve a seemingly unsolvable plot. Understanding what this term meant in origin is important to understanding what it means today in reference to modern literature.
Today Deus Ex Machina in literature means something very similar. It’s a convenient resolution that usually comes about at the climax, and basically out of no where, with no build up or explanation. For example the “it was all a dream” plot twist in cinema is widely considered a Deus Ex Machina for it’s sudden and unforeseeable resolution to all the the built up conflict of the story. A better example:
The Wizard of Oz: In the film at least, we are never clued in that the Wicked Witch’s one weakness is water (that’s a tongue twister). Water will literally melt her to a puddle, and it is never hinted at prior to it’s use to kill her. Dorthy douses her with water on accident when she is trying to put out the scare crow, which leads to her destruction, and the resolution of the conflict.
What’s wrong with it?The problem with an ending like The Wizard of Oz’s ending, is that it often feels cheap to the reader. Just because this is a fictitious world and anything can happen, doesn’t mean the reader will necessarily believe it. If something feels too perfect or too easy, it breaks the reader’s extension of disbelief. In other words, it takes them out of the story.
It also tends to rob the story of any kind of thematic moral. We generally want our stories to have an ending that feels fair to our main characters. We want them to get what they deserve, whether that’s good or bad. More relevantly, we want them to get what they earned. If a character is given a convenient ending they didn’t work for, it feels like they didn’t earn their resolution, and therefore there doesn’t appear to be any character arch or growth. It turns the characters into plastic toys attached to strings that the writer tugs around, rather than motivated beings. This is arguably the biggest crime of the Deus Ex Machina, because characters feeling interesting and real is probably the most important thing in a story.
Are there exceptions?Of course their are! When is a writing rule ever without exception? The most obvious exception to this rule is a Deus Ex Machina being used purposefully in comedy. An over the top resolution that feels utterly undeserved to the bumbling characters is fine, if not good in a lighthearted comedy where the plot convenience is used almost as a form of satire making fun of stereotypes. This is probably not the only exception to the rule, but it is probably the most popular.
Now, you might be thinking, shit, I definitely ended my WIP with a Deus Ex Machina, but don’t give up yet! All is not lost. There are a few things you can easily do that should enable you to fix most Deus Ex Machinas–that won’t require you to entirely rewrite your plot.
Tune in next week and I will be posting about specific ways to edit your WIP so that your ending doesn’t come across Deus Ex Machina-y.
