Date: September 22, 2008 08:08 pm Title: Shipping Out
Like "Allentown", this too will become a classic in the fic-dom. I can already tell. That's how amazing your writing is. Hope you find time during this exciting premiere week to give us more.
Author's Response: Premiere week did me in, EH!! I had the second chapter written, but I wasn't 100% happy with it, so it pretty much was rewritten from start to finish. I'm thinking this one's going to top out at 5 chapters. Chapter 3 is about halfway done, but I've picked up this terrible rewrite habit from Stablergirl without her speed! I feel too guilty if I don't, so updates will be regular, at or less than a week. Thank you so much for this - you're so good to me!
Date: September 22, 2008 07:43 pm Title: Shipping Out
[b]Sweetpea[/b], you're back! The fanfic world is a better one with you in it. I had to read this chapter twice because I read it distractedly at work this morning and knew I missed about eight million reasons why it was awesome. And the first time I read it I totally thought Sarah had dumped Jim, but now I see that maybe she has died? Anyways, I love it that you didn't totally spell it out. And I hope Mr. Halpert will move to a new town and meet a shy, yet wickedly funny Art teacher at the new school. Who just happens to be named Pam. Or maybe she could be an employee at a bookstore. I'm sure your idea is much, much better than mine.
However, I must say, while I could certainly imagine John Krasinski being an English teacher, I kind of have to suspend disbelief at Jim Halpert being an English teacher. Dude couldn't even read Angela's Ashes! But...I'm willing to take the leap because I know you will deliver a great story in the end.
Can't wait to see where this goes!
Author's Response: Oh, sudzy, it's so good to be back and thank you so much for the great welcome. I got a good chuckle out of Jim not reading AA, but I think it's interesting to imagine who Jim Halpert might be if there'd never been a Dunder Mifflin. So have a seat and let me get you a cocktail. This isn't going to be a super-long flight, but I want you to be comfortable for the trip. Good to see you again!
10 [Report This]Date: September 22, 2008 11:21 am Title: Shipping Out
I'm an AU whore, so when I checked the archive for updates today and saw and AU by you, I felt like Dwight at a Battlestar Gallactica convention. I love how much emotion you put into so little words. This is such a beautiful piece of literature and I think you should get paid to write fanfic all day long. I'll put that on my Christmas list. ;)
Author's Response: elly, I hope you've been very good this year, because how awesome would that be? Paid to write fanfic? Only the best dealio of all time. And Dwight at a BG convention? Shut your mouth! Thank you so much for such a fabulous and fun review. I hope you keep reading!
Date: September 22, 2008 11:00 am Title: Shipping Out
Sometimes you just know when a story is going to blow your mind, and from this very first line: It's August and it's time for you to go but the light is all wrong for leaving...
I knew.
When you first came to me with the idea for this story, you know how excited I was about it, and to be honest it's surpassed (in your very first chapter) what I even hoped it could be. I've already said this to you, but I think the most wonderful thing about it is that even though you're paying homage to DFW, it is still so CLEARLY Sweetpea. And Sweetpea is pretty damn awesome.
Anyone who pens a line about a man pulling a strand of hair from a hairbrush and winding it around his finger until the circulation is cut off.....does NOT need awesome lessons.
Wow. Wow and more wow. You make a beta's job way too easy.
Author's Response:
I don't even know what to say to this. You're such a good friend. Without getting all mushy and stuff, thank you.
10 [Report This]Date: September 22, 2008 10:59 am Title: Shipping Out
Beautiful. Simply beautiful. There's more right?
Author's Response: Wendy Blue!! I was JUST thinking about you! So, so good to see you here and yes, there will be more. In the middle of all the giddy season 5 stuff, I will have more footnotes and death. Humor too! There will be humor! Thank you so much for this!
Date: September 22, 2008 10:01 am Title: Shipping Out
You already know how much I loved the idea for this story, but you blew me away with the execution.You've written Jim, in another time/place/persona - yet, still vividly Jim. And, with just a few well-chosen details, created another - prep school - world (footnote #1, the description of faculty meetings)...a whole sense of place. And then you had to throw in that Neruda poem and him burying his face in her clothes? Oh, my heart!
Here's what I love best: you started with a solid, original idea and then you didn't just tell us about it, you WROTE it. You took care with the words, phrasing and rhythm of the language - you don't just give us paragraphs explaining how he feels, you used language to lushly evoke it. Your last sentence is case in point.
Chapter 2 is now my carrot.
(Btw, did you ever read Faulkner's Light in August? Great book. Not so much related to this, but for the powerful description of that particular late summer light.)
Author's Response:
Good grief, does it get any better than this? NOPE. Yeah, those are the best comments for a writer to hear, ever, at least this writer. Thank you so much for entertaining my ramblings and offering suggestions. When someone like you is in my corner, no way I want to disappoint.
I love Faulkner (file that under 'shit you don't hear too often') but I've not read that one. Will file away for the future! Thanks so much for being an inspiration and a cheerleader.
10 [Report This]Date: September 22, 2008 09:40 am Title: Shipping Out
Shut. up. I have been waiting my fanfiction life for this story and wow did it not disappoint...so far, the phrase which of course just makes everything better because anticipation is very much my friend ;-) You are amazing and this story is fantastic. So carefully written and completely lucious. I love love love it. Well done.
Author's Response:
MWAH! Thank you! You continue to be an inspiration for me. You and your big and sexy mojo fanfic stick. :-*
Date: September 22, 2008 07:04 am Title: Shipping Out
Nice tribute to DFW.
I especially liked this bit:
Here in the house you could stand in her closet and bury your face in her dresses and sweaters. You didn’t have to pretend that you weren’t dead yourself and you could miss her and long for her as much as you almost couldn’t stand and not be ashamed when grief bowed your back.
Author's Response: How I love reading favorite bits, jazzfan and that was one of mine, too. One of the few that tumbled out without having to be coaxed and promised a cookie! I'm so glad you think it's a nice tribute - I definitely had some doubts going into it - whether I could do anything remotely worthy or how it might be perceived. Thank you so much for reading and reviewing and I hope to hear from you again.
Date: September 22, 2008 06:56 am Title: Shipping Out
What a beautiful, heartbreaking beginning. I just love your writing style, so evocative and emotional. I've always seen Jim as a teacher, too; it'll be great to see where you go with this!
Author's Response:
callisto, at some point, I turned into the laziest reviewer in the history of the written word or at least the Internet. I love your style, too, but I'm guilty of not saying so. Thank you so much for your review and I promise to be better about sharing some of my own.
10 [Report This]Date: September 22, 2008 06:44 am Title: Shipping Out
Bless you for this Sweetpea. What better tribute to a man of such deep thought and evocative words than to share your own.
Author's Response: Oh, jinx! This got me a little teary when I read it. I'm still working my way through DFW's stuff and I'm already so sad to know there will be an end to it and that I'll never have a chance to write to him and tell him what reading his words has meant to me. He said his goal as a writer was to reach out to the reader to make him or her feel less lonely and that's really it in the most simple terms. I hope you keep reading and enjoying. Thank you so much.
Date: September 22, 2008 06:31 am Title: Shipping Out
Sweetpea, I feel like I'm already neck deep in this story, and it's just begun. What you've written so far is indescribable. I feel the same excitement that I did when reading Allentown. Looking forward to learning about Mr. Halpert as he embarks on this new adventure. I'm embarrased to admit that I'm not that familiar with Neruda, so it was a pleasure to be introduced to him through Sonnet XLV. So, I'm not just wiling away the hours reading fic; I'm also expanding my mind (that's my story and I'm sticking to it) ; )
Author's Response: Your story works for me, Nan! Don't be embarrassed about Neruda, for heaven's sake! If only his poetry had been taught in high school instead of some of the boring old regulars, more people would not only know about him, more people would probably like poetry. I'm saving some of his best for last, so I hope you'll stick around for the rest. I am really enjoying writing this and I'm so pleased you like it, too. Thank you so much!
Date: September 22, 2008 04:52 am Title: Shipping Out
This was great. My favorite part: Chapter 2 very soon :)
Author's Response: Well, "very soon" turned into a week, but I hope you're still reading katiej and thank you!
10 [Report This]Date: September 22, 2008 02:52 am Title: Shipping Out
See, THIS is why I read fanfiction. Oh dear God it's good! Very nice character touch with the footnotes. :)
Author's Response: Wow! How awesome is this?! Thank you so much, aabchamp! I hope you stick with this, it won't be terribly long, but in the midst of our season premiere glow, I know it's hard to want to read anything that isn't full of sunshine and bunnies. Just think of this as the kick in the griefbone on the Most Recent page!
Date: September 21, 2008 11:43 pm Title: Shipping Out
Guh. Does that tell you anything?
I just love the rhythm of this -- it's like a swoony, sad love song. Peppered with sharp jabs of the SweetPea wit.
The mopey, forlorn English teacher needs the love of a curly-haired art teacher to mend his broken heart.
Author's Response:
Thank you so much for this, but mostly for always being SO encouraging. I know I've promised you some steamy stuff a million times and instead I wrote this, after months and months of dithering over it. This isn't really what I originally had in mind, but I'm so glad you're enjoying it. I hope you keep reading and look out for that girl with curly hair - she's really something!
Date: September 21, 2008 09:52 pm Title: Shipping Out
Oh, SweetPea. I'm already so excited. New stories from you are like a gift, really. Beautiful first chapter and I love the idea of Jim-as-teacher. It suits him so perfectly. I have a particular fondness for writing about writing (and about reading) and you have such a unique handle on words. Can't wait for the rest! :-)
Author's Response: Wow, this is so wonderful to read, TT. I'm not terribly prolific - I always want to have something meaningful to say before I just start blathering into Word - so it's great to read this! I hope you keep reading and in light of our giddiness after the premiere, I give anyone credit for sticking with a story that starts out in a pretty dark place. Thanks so much for the review!