Taking Chances, by E. L. Van Hine and L.H. Nicoll

[louisev]

Here is something that went through my mind while I was writing the first 20 chapters or so of "Taking Chances", and it made me very self-conscious.

During this day, up until the "cock grab" moment in the hotel (which we haven't got to) I had the distinct impression that Ennis was following Ellery around like a puppy - not knowing what to do, aimless, dragged into Ellery's world and the problems of Pete and Bill and Wilson and the Red Stallion all unwittingly.  And something had to change that dynamic.

[belbbmfan]

chapter 16 and Clint Eastwood gets mentioned...

“Say, don’t you guys, you police guys, don’t you usually have a partner or sumpin. All those police shows they always have a partner. Except for Baretta who’s a lone wolf. Well, Dirty Harry too.”

[MaineWriter]

just a little aside: we just passed 73,000 views! Yeah!

L

[belbbmfan]

A littel bit of introspective Ennis, from Chapter 18:

“Well hell, here I am, just one queer in a whole bar full a queers.”

That is some statement Ennis makes, considering the fact that only that morning he had told Ellery that he didn't like queers or being one.

”Did he really mean what he said when he told him he was attractive? Dammit Ennis, do you want him to put his hands on you or leave you alone? he argued with himself. Right now, he felt a pang of regret that he had made that definite statement “Ain’t ready for that.” After that dream of Jack, his mood had shifted. Or maybe it was that unexpected offer in the car, so delicately put. “If that’s what you want. Whatever it is.” Whatever it is. He knew damn well what it was, down to the moaning and groaning. He knew what he got from Jack, and he knew he wanted more, and Jack was dead and wasn’t comin back. So what ain’t I ready for?

L

This chapter is called Interrogation, and Ennis is not only interrogating Pete but more importantly himself.

[louisev]

wow, congratulations everyone  on 73,000 views!

[moia]

Hello! Just wanted to delurk here since I've done so on the Dupree's choice thread and on lj already. I've been following this thread a long time and I'd like to thank everyone for being a fun to read group of posters

I did start the reread, but I just can't stop at five chapters when the others are right there, waiting for me I read up to 36th chapter on first day I started rereading and then stopped. For now. I don't really have anything to add to the discussion at the moment... Except perhaps that it was nice to see that first day of E&E again and be reminded of how it all began when we've already seen how it all ends. Well, almost. I'm hoping Louise just forgets all about wanting to write other things and forgets to stop writing the saga It would make a good Neverending story, no? Well, a girl can hope. Seriously though, as I already said to Louise, she should stop writing when it stops being fun for her. She's given so much already. Let's just keep our fingers crossed it keeps being fun for her

[louisev]

Let me just respond to the thing about finishing the Saga:

There were a number of things involved here.  First of all - no story can be endless, or it will lose its focus.  And I had already expanded the scope of the story to the logical limit of what I felt capable of and qualified to write.  And even in this, I was stretching. I hit some knowledge limits here which in original novel writing I would have felt constrained to stop and research thoroughly before writing, and some of those limits were wearing on me, i.e. with regard to law enforcement procedure, courtroom details, forensic pathology, etc.

Secondly, writing a story of this length and scope is extremely time consuming.  I was fortunate (or unfortunate) to have had a very light duty starting in early April and was extremely bored at work, and writing helped to alleviate some of that.  Once my contract was ended, I knew I would have to move, possibly back to the USA, get a new contract, and possibly much more demanding employment, so it was necessary to free myself up from the daily writing demand I had posed for myself.

And thirdly, I had the need to branch out, and to do other things.  Creatively, as a novelist, writing within the "universe" of BBM, even though I had expanded it greatly into a new territory with dozens of new original characters, still came with a constraint.  That constraint, in the follow-on tales, is not so onerous, and also alleviates some of the demand on time.   But I yearn to do new things, in a venue and with fewer natural knowledge limits - to write once more about history and music, the modern world, and stop stretching my mind back to how things were in that long ago time of the mid 1980's, correcting for the way the world has changed.

It has been a wonderful experience - but not one I can continue indefinitely, no matter how much others desire it.  It is simply not possible to do.

[magicmountain]

Louise found this picture and we both decided it is definitely Officer Reynolds, in his rookie phase:




L

I know Officer Reynolds is a stickler for the rules but he's gone a bit mad with the yellow tape hasn't he?

[louisev]

yes, and you can read it all here:

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/56007

"Rookie Cop Told to Ease Up on Crime Scene Tape"

[moia]

Let me just respond to the thing about finishing the Saga:

There were a number of things involved here.  First of all - no story can be endless, or it will lose its focus.  And I had already expanded the scope of the story to the logical limit of what I felt capable of and qualified to write.  And even in this, I was stretching. I hit some knowledge limits here which in original novel writing I would have felt constrained to stop and research thoroughly before writing, and some of those limits were wearing on me, i.e. with regard to law enforcement procedure, courtroom details, forensic pathology, etc.

Secondly, writing a story of this length and scope is extremely time consuming.  I was fortunate (or unfortunate) to have had a very light duty starting in early April and was extremely bored at work, and writing helped to alleviate some of that.  Once my contract was ended, I knew I would have to move, possibly back to the USA, get a new contract, and possibly much more demanding employment, so it was necessary to free myself up from the daily writing demand I had posed for myself.

And thirdly, I had the need to branch out, and to do other things.  Creatively, as a novelist, writing within the "universe" of BBM, even though I had expanded it greatly into a new territory with dozens of new original characters, still came with a constraint.  That constraint, in the follow-on tales, is not so onerous, and also alleviates some of the demand on time.   But I yearn to do new things, in a venue and with fewer natural knowledge limits - to write once more about history and music, the modern world, and stop stretching my mind back to how things were in that long ago time of the mid 1980's, correcting for the way the world has changed.

It has been a wonderful experience - but not one I can continue indefinitely, no matter how much others desire it.  It is simply not possible to do.

You know, Louise, I wasn't being serious with the neverending story comment! It was pure wishful thinking. Writing and updating as well and as fast as you've been -since May! Is it seven months of daily updates? That's absolutely amazing. I read a lot of fic in another fandom and I've never seen anything like this. The WiP form of fanfic to me is a bit similar to following a television series or something. And I think we all know that even if it's a series we absolutely love, hardly anything is good for 7 seasons straight. It's just... Yes, the story looses focus and characters need to grow to be interesting and so they change too much from what we 'fell in love with' at the start etc. etc. And it's perfectly normal for you to want to do other things. I've just been enjoying this so much and I will be sorry to see it end completely, that's all I wanted to say. I hope I didn't say something wrong. And thank you again for this wonderful story.