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About the Author

by SirenCymbaline


This is a POV narrative written by a character of mine, Forbye, on the subject of me, the author. Hence the title.

Foreword in link below explains why I wrote this, and more specific information on the background/origin of Forbye, the character who wrote this, or POV if you wish.

Suggestions for a better last line appreciated.

About the Author Foreword

...

She was born on a dark and stormy night.

The midwife was driving a long way through the country roads in the bad weather, and she never made it in time, but the baby was safely home delivered.

Now that she's fifteen she tells the story of her birth like it's an old cheesy horror film.

I wonder if I was born on a dark and stormy night.

My origin is very blurry and vague, even she isn't very sure of it.

What I do know is that I was created for fulfillment.

She used me to do things that she didn't have what it took to do in her life.

She couldn't say what she wanted to say to those that hurt her, so she made me to say it to those who hurt me.

Did she ever think that maybe I didn't NEED a tragic backstory to be interesting?

Her writing was unrealistic, it was foolish, it was self-indulgent, and worst of all it was blind.

She was young, I'll give her that, but she didn't understand that her actions really affected us.

I wish I didn't need her. And maybe I don't.

I have every reason to leave her and she knows it.

At least, unlike some stupid writers, she never ever thought of herself as our Goddess, who giveth and taketh away, to whom we oweth our very lives.

I found her old novel drafts for a book that never made it past the first chapter.

The two main characters had cool and barely pronounceable names, and everyone else was just Bob or Fred or Joe. They had exotic appearances too, and everyone else looked normal.

Everybody who was somebody had a tragic past.

Then there was Jess. Poor girl was in an RPG full of two-dimensional, mentally unstable and very dysfunctional characters.

When she finally snapped, she gave the silent treatment to Annie for years until she matured and wrote a very sincere apologetic letter.

If I could ever meet Annie personally, be there face to face, mercy knows what I'd do.

I hate what she's done to my life. She's tried to fix it but she's never been there for me.

But I still remember how she'd come back every few months.

She'd sketch me, she'd colour me in, tenderly fixing the smudges and the mistakes, wishing that someday I may forgive her.

Don't tell her, but....I like her pictures.

I adore this Victorian gown she designed for me. It's sophisticated, and elegant, but also practical.

That's her specialty.

I'll at least admit that Annie has matured, and consequently, things are better for us.

Now Jess has a balanced life, and a sister. I live in a fantastic steampunk library with a kind and witty four-armed lady named Mavis.

I have a best friend to keep me from drifting too far.

I like Mavis and I like the library, and to be honest my life isn't so bad.

But sometimes it's just not enough.

I had parents, I had a sister. We were all we had, and we were all we needed.

Sometimes I want to ask her...

Why did you kill them?

I want to know where I come from. I want a future outside of these walls.

I need a purpose, and we have to find it.

Or I might live this way forever.


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Tue Feb 25, 2014 1:59 am
StupidSoup says...



Yeeaaah. Well i would like to go along with the flow but i really cant give you a good review. I think for one that there is a little typo at the top of the page but that's not a big deal. Here are the main reasons.

1: The story is all over the place. I know it's her growing up and having flashbacks and stuff but it just confuses the reader. I think you should weave in where she is now in the beginning because we don't really find out his\her setting until the very end.

2: You told us about the mom but all your ideas are scattered. Is she a mom? Her names Annie? She had a friend named Jess who never really did anything in the story other than an unrelated ordeal involving Annie\the mom. And why is the character even angry at her mom\Annie. You never really state anything worthy of being a betrayal. I guess you kinda did with the top few sentences but it wasn't that bad.

Sorry. I may be a bit off on a few things but that's because i didn't understand the narrative.




AnnieBauthor says...


At the start, there's a link to the Foreword which should explain most of your questions regarding what this is all about.



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Mon Feb 24, 2014 6:39 am
Deanie says...



Point of view of the characters? Great idea. I really, really liked reading this, and although it was more to show character in a narrative voice, it does tell a story of longing for being real in a way. I wasn't really set out to write a review on this, so I'll leave it as a comment.

But... when you write like this it reminds me that you should be writing again! Only if you like doing it though ;)




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Sun Feb 23, 2014 5:26 pm
TakeThatYouFiend wrote a review...



Wow. This is brilliant, wish mine had been this good. One question; are you a time traveller? Only it isn't 2015. :-)
This is, methinks, a brilliant character, and the prose is flawless. The last line, despite your obvious concern, is perfectly good, and did exactly what a last line shoud do; That is, leave the reader thinking.
The point you make about your draft novel is so true! Personally I try and give my characters normal but interesting names, like Luke. And I get annoyed when I read professional writers who have made that mistake. It's the other way round with Harry Potter.
This is brilliant, and I look forward to reading more of your works.
Take That You Fiend!
P.S. Go Blue!




AnnieBauthor says...


...2014. I went back and edited that error, and I also added the spoiler with a brief as possible summary of Forbye's original backstory to the actual foreword blog instead of making people go to the original post in the event to read it.

By the way, I know Forbye Eldritch is not really a normal name either. They're old English slang that translates to Besides Weird. That was the name I gave her in 2011, and I didn't want to change it.
It's better than the names I used for that draft novel anyway.

Thank you again for commenting on so many of my works, I'll have to go do that on something of yours sometime. :)





Don't mention it, I review bomb people to save me Mobile data.. :-)



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Sun Feb 23, 2014 12:47 am
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WritingWolf wrote a review...



This is beautiful. I'm honestly not all to sure about how good this review will be, just because the work I'm reviewing is so good. I love it, I really do.
I'm really not sure what to say constructive-comments wise. So to prevent myself from merely just gushing about all the things you did right (while that's nice, it won't help your writing, even though there is very little that needs any form of helping), I'm going to attempt a reviewing method I've only ever done on poetry. I'm not sure how it will come across for a story. Basically what I'm going to do is walk through the piece and tell you how it made me feel, what I saw, and generally how it effected me as a reader. I hope that this will help you understand how your words come across to other people. I'm sorry I can't provide a review in the traditional sense.

The beginning lines did almost make me think this might be a cheesy horror story. But then when the POV character said that, it added this air of creativity to the beginning. You pulled that off well. :)
Then you did a wonderful job at setting up this character who's speaking to us (your readers) and the world that she lives in. I world of doubt and longing.
And then comes the anger at the person who put her in this world. It must have been a challenge to write that about yourself. To pretend to be so angry with yourself, now that is a challenge I will have to attempt one day. And to take it the step farther, to talk about how bad the POV character thought your writing was. Now that is something that I don't think I could do. Intentionally write something that makes me sound foolish. This makes you one pretty amazing writer.
"I wish I didn't need her. And maybe I don't" I would like to know more about this. Why is it that she originally thought she needs you, and then began to doubt that? "I have every reason to leave her and she knows it" Has she tried to leave? If not then why didn't she? Could she?
I find it very easy to connect with this piece, more from your viewpoint then from the POV character though. Which is strange. It is hard to get the reader to relate so strongly with someone without speaking from that person's viewpoint.
I found that the reference to the old story was a little out of place. I think it is a useful element to this little story, but could use a little more tying in.
You had some really good character development when the POV character started talking about you sketching her. It makes me think of all the times I've had reasons to both like and dislike someone/something at the same time. Which is good. It has built a relationship between me and this character of your which wouldn't have been possible without something to relate to. And the particular thing that you used is something that most people have experienced.
And then you come and set up what looks like a happy ending. The POV character seems to have found her place. But then you show how much you've matured by turning it around. "But sometimes it's just not enough"
We're back to the world of doubt and longing. But this time it's different. The character has changed. Almost as if she's forgiven you somewhat.

The only thing I see that I disagree with is the last line. I think you could've picked a much stronger word then "underdevelopment." It was kinda like a slap in the face saying "Hey this person talking to you isn't real."
Based off of what I've seen of your writing I know you can find a better ending. I mean it's just the one line that needs changing.


Overall, as I've already stated, this was amazing. It was beautiful. It was wonderful. It was emotional. It was just so... magnificent. I hope you continue to write pieces this powerful

Sincerely
~WW




AnnieBauthor says...


Thank you so much! reading this review made me really happy.

Harshly criticizing my own writing was not very hard, because I don't like what I wrote when I was twelve either.
Also, when I get into a role, I really get into that role.

About that part you asked about.
'I wish I didn't need her, and maybe I don't. I have every reason to leave her and she knows it.'
I theorised that maybe Forbye (that's the name of the narrating POV character) needed the writer (when I say 'the writer' I mean me, but it's easier if I just say 'the writer') because the writer usually has total control of the entire world.
The writer can give her a better life, and maybe even find a way to bring her old family back, or rewrite the story so that they never died in the first place. That's what she meant by 'I wish I didn't need her.'

When she said 'And maybe I don't', I think she was questioning the idea that she needed the writer to come along and make everything all better like some fairy godmother. Forbye is free spirited and independent, and at that point didn't want the writer's help.
It's like when you need somebody on your sports team if you want the team to succeed, but you don't want them back because of their attitude or something they did to you.
You might even tell yourself and others that you don't need them, because that's what you want to believe.
I'm not saying that Forbye really does need me and she's just in denial, I'm just illustrating what this situation could be like.
To be honest I don't know the answer to her questions either.

'I have every right to leave her and she knows it.'
Some authors are lucky. They feel like they know their characters, as real breathing people. It's like that with me.
Here Forbye was making a threat, and stating her right to leave my mind and never inspire me again. When you feel like you know your characters and you love them as real people, it's hard to write about them when thy don't want to work with you.
Like a movie director would find it impossible to direct a film when the actors refuse to work with them. That is the best I can explain it.
However I can tell here that the reason she keeps her writer at arm's length rather than leaving them. I find it hard to explain, but I think I covered some of that reason when I explained the other lines.

I'm really happy to find that I've succeeded in accurately explaining our writer/character relationship. If you can call it a relationship.
The way you described it is exactly what I was aiming for.
Also the partially happy and unhappy ending is, I think, a good one.
I like to make endings realistic and believable.
While in no way are all happy endings unrealistic, I think a bittersweet ending is more relatable, and therefore better.

Sorry about the last line, that was honestly all I could think of.
Do you have any ideas for that last line?



WritingWolf says...


I'm glad I could help. :)
As for the last line maybe you could just change "underdevelopment" to another word that anyone can relate to? Like "depression" or "sadness" or something. :)



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Sun Feb 23, 2014 12:35 am
Temerity wrote a review...



This is really kind of sentimental and endearing, in its own right. It was enjoyable to read and, as a writer, I totally relate to the woebegone past characters and their poorly-fabricated lives. I wasn't particularly fond of the way you began the story, and felt a bit confused by it, but quickly became more interested as the story progressed. Overall, it was fun and captivating to read. Keep writing, and best wishes. xxx




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