[Final Fantasy VI] Fic: And Thus a Traitor Was Born

[flonnebonne]

And Thus a Traitor Was Born (12,948 words)

Fandom: FF6
Characters: Locke, Celes, Edgar, Cyan, Gau, Sabin
Summary: One day after the Battle of Narshe, Locke and Celes investigate the mineshaft where three Imperial soldiers-one of them wearing a slave crown-tried to capture an Esper. Celes seems strangely preoccupied with the fates of the two soldiers

Comments

[cryforthedream]

Tremendous work. Absolutely tremendous

[cryforthedream]

You always have outstanding premises for your fics., but also the writing chops to execute the idea. In my own writing I've been writing some characters with a "can I or can't I trust you" dynamic, so it's timely to read your work because I've been undergoing those struggles firsthand and I can appreciate how difficult it is to not tip your hand. You balance this tension wonderfully

[flonnebonne]

Wow! Thank you for the long and thoughtful review, as always. It's so great to hear that from you. I am always wondering if I'm regressing as a writer because I seem less able to write succinctly nowadays

[cryforthedream]

The only thing I would say (aside from finally realizing that dead body in your basement isn't your fiance) is that I don't think you should feel succinctness is a sign of a good writer. If anything I think the modern, brainless crusade for succinctness is a major problem in literature. Everyone emphasizes it without really thinking about why they're doing it. I would not regard Charles Dickens as a succinct writer; nevertheless, he is brilliant. Succinctness doesn't necessarily keep readers reading; eloquence and clarity does.

Some sentences are beautiful because of that extraneous detail. Sometimes a scene is there just because it's there, and it felt right to be there. Not everything needs to drive the plot forward or provide insight. Sometimes a thing is described that isn't crucial to anything at all.

Forcing succinctness and brevity, it homogenizes writing. Writing is a trainable skill--but it is art, and people have styles.

You have a wonderful style that is still evolving. I can confidently say that it is beautiful writing