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[rivkat]

I have a nearly overwhelming urge to write a SV story structured around "The Prince." The chapter headings are almost perfect ("Of the Secretaries of Princes," for example, is the Martha chapter, not to mention the one about the Fortress), though "An Exhortation to Liberate Italy from the Barbarians" might have to go. See:

1. Of the Various Kinds of Princedom, and of the Ways in Which They Are Acquired
2. Of Hereditary Princedoms
3. Of Mixed Princedoms
4. Why the Kingdom of Darius, Conquered by Alexander, Did Not, on Alexander’s Death, Rebel Against His Successors
5. How Cities or Provinces Which Before Their Acquisition Have Lived Under Their Own Laws Are To Be Governed
6. Of New Princedoms Which a Prince Acquires With His Own Arms and by Merit
7. Of New Princedoms Acquired By the Aid of Others and By Good Fortune
8. Of Those Who By Their Crimes Come to Be Princes
9. Of the Civil Princedom
10. How the Strength of All Princedoms Should Be Measured
11. Of Ecclesiastical Princedoms
12. How Many Different Kinds of Soldiers There Are, and of Mercenaries
13. Of Auxiliary, Mixed, and National Arms
14. Of the Duty of a Prince In Respect of Military Affairs
15. Of the Qualities In Respect of Which Men, and Most of all Princes, Are Praised or Blamed
16. Of Liberality and Miserliness
17. Of Cruelty and Clemency, and Whether It Is Better To Be Loved or Feared
18. How Princes Should Keep Faith
19. That a Prince Should Seek to Escape Contempt and Hatred
20. Whether Fortresses, and Certain Other Expedients to Which Princes Often Have Recourse, are Profitable or Hurtful
21. How a Prince Should Bear Himself So As to Acquire Reputation
22. Of the Secretaries of Princes
23. That Flatterers Should Be Shunned
24. Why the Princes of Italy Have Lost Their States
25. What Fortune Can Effect in Human Affairs, and How She May Be Withstood
26. An Exhortation to Liberate Italy from the Barbarians

From Bartleby.


Some people start with plots, I start with scenes and, apparently, titles. For the Martha story (tentatively "The Virtues"), I'm still waiting for the characters to tell me what happened to drive Martha out of Smallville. Lex doesn't quite know, Clark doesn't quite understand, and Martha doesn't like to talk about it. It's funny, because I know everything else about the story, including the four big budget-busting action scenes, and that's much more than I usually know when I start.

MustangSally makes me outline when we work together, and I should do it on my own. But I'm usually more interested in playing with structure or POV, such as the unreliable narrator. Outlines, and thus good endings, are definitely my weak point. The current Clex story is stalled because I realized that nothing's going on but the rent, and I don't believe "They have sex!" is naturally a plot the way "They fight crime!" is. There are a lot of pure relationship stories that I love -- Thamiris' spring readily to mind, because they have strong narrative arcs -- but I don't feel competent to write them.

Anyway, "The Prince: A Romance": Good idea, bad idea, indifferent?

Comments

[barely-bean.livejournal.com]

The prince is a great idea. I once spent a day with a friend taking selected quotes and applying it to Lex and the Clex relationship.

Btw, what seems to be the problem with the current Clex story? Is there anything I can help with? I know it seems presumptous of me and blame it on the fact that I really want new SV fic from you but I've hammered out some plots with other friends and have enjoyed doing so.

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the offer; I may well take you up on it. Right now I'm in need of some idea (at a minimum, freak of the week) to sustain the story. I started out with the idea of the Inquisitor accusing Lex of molesting farmboys, but that turned out just to start the action, and won't last through the finish. That, and I have to finish some sex scenes, but I'd rather plot than do that.

[barely-bean.livejournal.com]

Okay, give some background perhaps and we can work this out. My email is lexsgirl78@yahoo.com, and if you have AIM, my id is Tstar78

Make? I can't *make* you do anything!

[mustangsally78.livejournal.com]

No, the outline thing is just easier when you have two people, yes?

Well, I shouldn't say that because I am an outliner. I was taught to outline fiction and it suits me because I am a plot monster.

But the idea of me being somehow *organized* seems blasphemous.

Sally

[moonwhip.livejournal.com]

Hi... I've recently added you to my friends list because I loved both "The Presence of Fire" and "Incarnadine," and your reviews are pretty fascinating, too. :)

About "The Prince" -- very good idea. I'm especially interested in 17, "Of Cruelty and Clemency, and Whether It Is Better To Be Loved or Feared"... particularly the bit in that chapter about how it's better to kill a man's father than steal his patrimony, because he'll forget the death of his father more quickly. Hmmm. And I think Lex understands the importance of spectacle and public behavior quite well. I would absolutely love to see you write this.

[rivkat.livejournal.com]

Thanks, and welcome. The question with "The Prince" is not so much what to use, but what to leave out. I think this will be fun.

[hackthis.livejournal.com]

I did my upteeth reading of 'The Prince' a few weeks ago, and that time I actually went through and noted all the bits that I could point to in SV and say 'yes, that's a Luthor-trait.' Quite a view notes as you can imagine. As for this --> Some people start with plots, I start with scenes and, apparently, titles. I can truly appreciate this as my stories only come from titles, hence a great lack of plots ;)