Oh HI!

[blamebrampton]

Sound asleep at a reasonable hour last night, woken by a crashing sound avec Irish folk songs. There, at the door, almost upright, was my writing talent.

'Oh HI!' it said.

'You smell like a distillery and you sound like a LOLcat,' I said. 'Get inside.'

'I bought you something!' it slurred. Five minutes of pocket-turning-out, it looked up again. 'But I ate it. Or lost it. Or maybe femme's talent has it. I think hers has my socks.'

'You're wearing tights.'

'Yeah, they're not mine.'

'Get inside!'

I put the coffee on, told it to sleep on the sofa, and went back to bed. This morning, I woke up to a small bunch of roses (picked from my front garden) and some new Fathers. Here, have a snippet for proof! (Alas, this is the third fic to finish on my list. Nothing on the other two. Stupid bloody talent!)

...

Draco watches as Lester looks from him, to Harry leaning rumpled against the doorjamb, then back to him, and swiftly sums up the situation inaccurately.

“Potter was still with Weasley at the hospital when I went to pick up the children,” Draco says, in what he suspects is a doomed bid for clarification. “We have a surfeit of bedrooms, it seemed only polite to offer him one.”

“Of course, sir,” says Lester with a very passable stab at wide-eyed innocence.

Draco comforts himself with the knowledge that Lester won’t share his conclusions with anyone. He’ll just mentally file them in the Useful Things To Know About My Superiors part of his brain, a part Draco suspects takes up several lobes.

Harry ambles in and pours himself a cup of tea from the still-warm pot. “Any news?”

“Backing for the whole op seems to have come from France. Lester tells me that Kingsley’s waiting for you to come in.”

Harry makes a face while he sips his tea. “It was too much to hope for that it would all be wrapped up neatly by the time I got up, I suppose.”

“Yes,” says Draco. “It was. Not to mention that it’s eight and you were going to be up at seven.”

“But you’ve breakfast for me, yes?”

Lester’s eyes are like saucers, Draco realises and, as he replays that conversation in his head, he is forced to admit Lester’s suspicions could seem reasonable to the untutored mind. Probably not helped by the fact that Harry is still wearing his pyjamas. With the DM monogram.

Comments

[old-enough.livejournal.com]

/me does back flips of joy!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It's very annoying. I keep pointing it at things it needs to do, it keeps saying 'FRANCE! THEY NEED TO GO TO FRANCE NOW! AND THERE'S A PLOT TWIST!'

I think someone fed it sugary drinks, maybe even red cordial. Still, nice it's home!

[treacle-tartlet.livejournal.com]

*\o/*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Alas, you KNOW the two fics that need to be finished first, and how much needs to be done!

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

W00t!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Don't get excited, it's come up with a whole new subplot. And nothing on the two fics I need to finish for other people! I think it's doing it to annoy me.

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

Mine has decided that my current priority - whatever that may be - is what Must Not Be Done. Instead, I hear echoes of "Oooh! Shiny!" well into the night, with MOAR and MOAR ideas for new and, yes, shiny plots. *sighs*

And when at the office, I continue to get scene ideas (conversations playing happily in my head) for my current YA novel. Um ... doesn't exactly fit into the policies and procedures I'm writing, nor does it help my research - or my concentration in meetings. Bah!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

OH THANK GOD IT'S NOT JUST ME!!

*Cough* Er, that's awful. You poor thing! I hope everything works out for the best.

(WE'RE NORMAL! WE'RE NORMAL!)

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

Well, "normal" is a matter of interpretation. Ahem. But at least we're not alone. :D

Glad yours has returned, if only fleetingly. *hugs*

[marguerite-26.livejournal.com]

HAHHAHA!!! Your talent is a feisty little bugger with no sense of loyalty or decorum but GOD, it is close to my heart. Hands it more chocolate. It can come visit me when you are done. I have a comfy couch to sleep on and a pair of tights for it to wear. I would do much for such a wit.

That snippet was FABULOUS. ♥

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I think it's my body's fault, we've been on a health kick and recently bought a stack of red tights. Clearly the talent took it as a sign to bunk off and indulge. The bugger.

Thanks, dear!

[anna-wing.livejournal.com]

I find it particularly amusing that (naturally) the French are now involved.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

But are they? Or is it a cunning ruse? Stay tuned!

(And why was I born 70 years too late to write for Saturday film matinees?)

[empress-jae.livejournal.com]

talent needs to have a pint or five every once in a while too, you know. you can't keep ALL the booze for youself.

glad it decided to return home.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

But I am so sober and well behaved!

Me too!

XXX

[snegurochka_lee]

*cheerleads*

No one with absent writing talent could have even pieced together the entertaining snippet about the arrival of the talent, you know, never mind the fic bit. Which made me smile a lot. :)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Oh you are an encouraging soul! Thank you!


Yay smiles! And yay cheers! You hear that, brain! Get to work!

[timeasmymeasure.livejournal.com]

France and monograms.
I've just fallen in love with your talent.
It should run away more often and bring us such wonderful gifts.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It should have brought ME something French and monogrammed!

*Glares at it*
*Shakes head in despair as it waves drunkenly back*
*Wonders where the hell it found drink in the house?*

I'll beat it up over the long weekend and see what we can do about finishing a few things.

[aunt-agatha.livejournal.com]

HaHAH, very good!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[dysonrules.livejournal.com]

HAHAHAHA! YAY FOR THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL MUSE!!!!!

WOOT!

*hands out cookies*

I need more of THAT, BTW. *points to fic snippet*

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Thanks Cheryl! I need more of it done, too! I actually have a big gap after that bit, then full scenes again. *Must think of something to do with Lester!*

[arcanetrivia]

lol. I almost like The Return Of The Talent bit better than the ficsnippet. :)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it gets by on charm and charisma, but you should see the mess it leaves about the house!

[goddessriss.livejournal.com]

SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
*ahem*
Lovely to see your talent is back, even if it does sound like a LOLcat, is what I actually meant to say. It just sort of came out sounding like squee. Sorry. You know 'Fathers' is my favourite *nods*
*mumbles to self* Right, missus, you've embarrassed yourself enough, now go and collect the boys from cookery club...

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I think I may spend too much time on Cheeseburger ;-)

And don't think I have not been thinking of you while writing it. You are a motivating force!

[noeon.livejournal.com]

'You smell like a distillery and you sound like a LOLcat,' I said. 'Get inside.'
AHAHAHAHAHAHA.
And snippets of Fathers????
0//
\\0
\0/
We remember, we who dwell...
uh... "In this sixth ring of LJ hell"?

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

THE GUILT! I FEEL IT!

I have to finish the fic for CF, but have been writing at least 100 words of Fathers a day. Talent has been staple-gunned to a chair!

[raitala.livejournal.com]

Yay Fathers, I love Fathers! I love Lester too! :D

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I know! My talent said to apologise to you specifically. It's allegedly feeling chastened, but I think it's just the hangover from hell.

[brissygirl.livejournal.com]

YAY *\o/* for the talent returning, however briefly!

Thanks for the morning giggles with the fic snippet.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

You are very welcome! It's produced more than that since it's been back, despite its hangover.

[suttonwriter.livejournal.com]

*joins in with celebratory happy dance. stops when realizes people are looking at him in horror.*

I'm glad your talent decided to come back. Maybe once you get Fathers out of the way, it'll decide to be more cooperative. Talent's fussy like that, which is why I usually tell students not to trust it over pure cussedness and hard work.

As far as the excerpt goes, it was neat. I enjoy the way you construct Slytherin characters like Lester and Narcissa. Their cunning side is emphasized, which seems to be forgotten a lot around the whole finishing-school-for-dark-wizards stereotype.

I'm looking forward to seeing more.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Hee! I bet u was a spectacular dance. I really only popped the snipped up for you :-)

Yes, I have had lots of cussedness of late, but sometimes ones need talent, too, or the result is a story that consists of too many scenes with set pieces, followed by explosions in a desperate bid to make things interesting. Actually, that works quite well for Dan Brown ...

I'm looking forward to writing more, just need to get a few things out of the way first!

[suttonwriter.livejournal.com]

I really only popped the snipped up for you
*Feels all kinds of special* As far as the dance goes, remember that I'm a 35 year old fat white guy. About the only dance I can pull off is the Twist. :)

Yes, I have had lots of cussedness of late, but sometimes ones need talent, too, or the result is a story that consists of too many scenes with set pieces, followed by explosions in a desperate bid to make things interesting. Actually, that works quite well for Dan Brown ...
The cussedness actually works better for academic and professional writing, which I teach. They don't usually let me do the creative stuff (and I usually decline anyway).

Hope the other stuff has gotten out of the way.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

*Stares in horror at the results of my touch typing!*
*Reminds self that self never actually learned to type, so is allowed to be rubbish at it*

Alas, the other stuff is hanging on, but I am Taking Steps to slay it. And the Twist is a classic!

[thenotoriousso4.livejournal.com]

Oh, goodness!

I don't care much where it's been or what it's been doing. It makes it all worth it to get an update of Fathers. Even with the French plot twist.

Hurrah!

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Hurrah! And fear not, they will not be in France for long.

[bryoneybrynn.livejournal.com]

First, this:

'Oh HI!' it said.

'You smell like a distillery and you sound like a LOLcat,' I said. 'Get inside.'

made me giggle in a most enjoyable manner.

Second, FATHERS = JOY!!!!

Finally, did I give you something to beta eons ago? I can't remember and cross-posting has dropped to the bottom of my priority list so you never have to do it, I just can't remember what it was I gave you and it's bothering me! lol

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Yes! I was going to proofread a fic for you, and then you said not to worry, so I didn't. But if you would like me to worry again, I will! (Be good if that could be in a few weeks, though, as I need to finish fics before my writing talent can sneak out again.)

[thisgirl-is.livejournal.com]

Clearly it has been having Adventures! With a bit of luck it has found some inspiration in its travels. Well, it must have done - it's sendng them to France.

If you get Fathers done and posted I will be a very happy girl I'm sure it will start focussing on your other stories. :o)

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I think it's found a few good bars, a purveyor of exciting tights and probably hung out with some other errant talents and muses. One of whom, I suspect, was overly keen on spy thrillers, as it keeps babbling about MI6.

I am writing a little bit on it every day while I finish the two more urgent pieces, and as soon as they are done, it will be my next priority.

[thisgirl-is.livejournal.com]

What a sensible idea. :o) Hope the other two are falling into line.

I'll keep an eye on fests for stories involving MI6. :oP

[droolfangrrl.livejournal.com]

BHAHAH

To be honest, the bit at the top is my favorite. :D

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Well, it doesn't need any context ;-)

[emansil-08.livejournal.com]

So what did you do to intice it back, promise it cake and icecream, hour long massages, all the Weather channel it wanted? What? Mine has been gone so long and is so very very very far away, i don't even know how to get in touch with it.

Glad to know someone errant child/muse/talent has returned home. I doubt if I'll even get a Christmas card from mine.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Slept, exercised and ate vitamins, in truth. It did the world of good. Though this weekend was meant to be a time of great writing and instead became a time of great sleeping, so I think there is a balance there I am missing ;-)

[emansil-08.livejournal.com]

I've been trying to treat mine nice, and myself. Well actuall that's not completely true, I have been very irritated at it, and not treating it nice at all. hmm, maybe that is the problem. Maybe I should be nicer to it and to myself.

that's a thought. *g*