Comments | nj_fic: TWW Fic: Until I Break Into Pieces Without a Trace

normative_jean in nj_fic

TWW Fic: Until I Break Into Pieces Without a Trace

Jul 18, 2010 11:36

Title: Until I Break Into Pieces Without a Trace
Author: Normative Jean
Fandom: The West Wing
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Prompt: 94) “Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all.” Hypatia of Alexandria (370-415), Greek mathematician, scientist, philosopher, teacher and inventor. Credited with creating ( Read more... )

fandom: the west wing, length: one-shot, character: donna moss, challenge: femgenficathon 2010

Comments 28

empressearwig July 18 2010, 16:02:08 UTC

I told you in enough different ways how much I love this, yes? I could quote the whole thing back at you again, but I will settle for this:

Terrible things happen no matter what, so she might as well see them when they come. She didn't see the bomb, but it happened anyway.

MY HEART. (Please to be writing fic as she's getting better. I'll beg if I have to.)

normative_jean July 19 2010, 13:33:03 UTC

Hee, thank you again SO MUCH! I would never have survived this fic without you.

Well, I guess anything is possible if it fits into a schmoop prompt, right? Although that means you'll be stuck listening to me whine about how to write Will Bailey and Bob Russell.

bluflamingo July 18 2010, 16:35:36 UTC

I love this - Donna's such a great character, and I love how you write her strength and how she changes and takes control, even when she's still suffering after the bombing.

normative_jean July 19 2010, 13:34:34 UTC

Thank you! I'd never written Donna before, so I'm really glad the attributes I was aiming for -- her strength and her gaining a sense of control -- came through for you.

buckle_berry July 18 2010, 18:34:40 UTC

oh, wonderful - you really brought out the way her self-awareness and her confidence have built up over time. just lovely.

normative_jean July 19 2010, 13:35:47 UTC

Thank you very much! I'm so glad you liked her journey. :)

sibyllevance July 18 2010, 19:31:47 UTC

My god, that was splendid! Excellent fic, really fits the comm too. We know what happened and yet to give her a voice like that was brilliant. I think that was a missed opportunity for the screenwriters, they could have focused more on Donna for her 'epiphany' but as usual this show truly disappoints me in terms of the writing of the female characters. So much potential (and I'm speaking as a big fan of TWW).

Totally checking out your journal now to see if you've written more, this fic'll stay with me for a while.

normative_jean July 19 2010, 13:47:08 UTC

Oh my gosh, thank you so much! That's EXACTLY what made me want to write this -- when I rewatched season 6 a few months back, it struck me how glaring an omission the lack of a real recovery arc for Donna was. And there actually were hints of her suffering from the aftermath, especially that scene with her and Kate Harper. But yeah, the show missed a great opportunity with one of its female characters, although at least she wound up in a good place. The Donna giving Josh ultimatums and taking control of her personal and professional life like that is not the Donna at the start of this fic.

Hee! Well, this is my first time writing TWW, so all you're going to find is a metric ton of General Hospital fic, a smattering of Stargate Atlantis, and a lonely Harry Potter. But at least they're mostly about awesome female characters?

(The comment has been removed)

normative_jean July 19 2010, 13:49:03 UTC

Thank you! That's a wonderful way of succinctly describing what took me nearly 3000 words to do. :) I love the images this evokes.