a. What initially prompted me to like the character enough to write about him/her.
Well, he *is* the leader of the team, so of course he has to play a prominent part in my teamy fics. And he is a lynchpin of the team (even in season ten), so when it's natural, I feel references to or even dialogue with him is a necessity.
Actually, Jack intimidates me as a character to write (see d below). I ended up having my first real "Jack focused" story more "about" him than "with" him. "Drawing Straws" was all about the team's reaction to his absence.
"Between the Lines" is really the first time Jack's voice really called out to me. Strange, since it was set in season ten, but I really felt his absence strongly in that episode and his character needed to be there.
b. One of his/her best traits.
His loyalty. It takes a lot to impress Jack. He is of the "you can't bullshit a bullshitter" school of thought, but once you've proven yourself (like being a commander willing to listen a la Hammond, or say, stepping in front of a staff blast meant for you a la Daniel), you're in his circle and he will do whatever he can to help you/protect you.
c. One of his/her worst traits.
His tendency to be silly...occasionally at inappropriate times. I like it when it's to good effect or on purpose (snarking at captors, putting down Kinsey, cutting the technobabble), but sometimes he's not reading (or not caring) about the vibe of the room. Hammond luckily curbs that when it goes too far. ;-)
d. How easy/difficult I find it to write the character.
As I mentioned above, Jack intimidates me as a character. There's many layers to Jack O'Neill. He's a goofball, an instigator, a rebel, a serious career officer, a caring man, intelligent, with personal demons of Charlie, and his own dark past in special ops, a father who no longer has a child and a child at heart. RDA balances those various aspects of Jack's character so well onscreen, there's always so much simmering beneath the surface. He's a man of action and movement more than words. I find it difficult to try and portray that nuance well in the written word. When I see good Jack characterization in other stories, I'm always impressed.
That said, the one time I wrote wholly from Jack's point of view in "Between the Lines", his voice was the easiest one to handle. It was the other characters that were being difficult and making me want to tear my hair out in frustration. Others will have to decide if I got the balance "right". ;-)
e. The story/chapter/paragraph/phrase where I feel that I truly captured the character.
Well, "Between the Lines" as a whole is my biggest and best Jack work to date. But I also like my earliest Jack scenes from the end of "Just a Scientist" where he banters with Daniel and Bill Lee (and they're too long to post, :-().
f. My plans (if any) to write the character in the near future.
Jack will be a good part of my sg1teamficathon piece of course. And he is going to appear in half of the "Making the Band" series (I like lynchpin Jack, apparently) as well as having his own short story there).
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branchandroot
no subject
Date: 2007-09-09 05:00 pm (UTC)Well, he *is* the leader of the team, so of course he has to play a prominent part in my teamy fics. And he is a lynchpin of the team (even in season ten), so when it's natural, I feel references to or even dialogue with him is a necessity.
Actually, Jack intimidates me as a character to write (see d below). I ended up having my first real "Jack focused" story more "about" him than "with" him. "Drawing Straws" was all about the team's reaction to his absence.
"Between the Lines" is really the first time Jack's voice really called out to me. Strange, since it was set in season ten, but I really felt his absence strongly in that episode and his character needed to be there.
b. One of his/her best traits.
His loyalty. It takes a lot to impress Jack. He is of the "you can't bullshit a bullshitter" school of thought, but once you've proven yourself (like being a commander willing to listen a la Hammond, or say, stepping in front of a staff blast meant for you a la Daniel), you're in his circle and he will do whatever he can to help you/protect you.
c. One of his/her worst traits.
His tendency to be silly...occasionally at inappropriate times. I like it when it's to good effect or on purpose (snarking at captors, putting down Kinsey, cutting the technobabble), but sometimes he's not reading (or not caring) about the vibe of the room. Hammond luckily curbs that when it goes too far. ;-)
d. How easy/difficult I find it to write the character.
As I mentioned above, Jack intimidates me as a character. There's many layers to Jack O'Neill. He's a goofball, an instigator, a rebel, a serious career officer, a caring man, intelligent, with personal demons of Charlie, and his own dark past in special ops, a father who no longer has a child and a child at heart. RDA balances those various aspects of Jack's character so well onscreen, there's always so much simmering beneath the surface. He's a man of action and movement more than words. I find it difficult to try and portray that nuance well in the written word. When I see good Jack characterization in other stories, I'm always impressed.
That said, the one time I wrote wholly from Jack's point of view in "Between the Lines", his voice was the easiest one to handle. It was the other characters that were being difficult and making me want to tear my hair out in frustration. Others will have to decide if I got the balance "right". ;-)
e. The story/chapter/paragraph/phrase where I feel that I truly captured the character.
Well, "Between the Lines" as a whole is my biggest and best Jack work to date. But I also like my earliest Jack scenes from the end of "Just a Scientist" where he banters with Daniel and Bill Lee (and they're too long to post, :-().
f. My plans (if any) to write the character in the near future.
Jack will be a good part of my