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Rebecca and The Bloody Codes
- Thread starter Praefectus Praetorio
- Start date
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
I love it!
A grim event but justice must prevail!!!
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
Seriously, given the expertise and experience (at least in fiction) of the source of the praise, Mr. Tree, I am highly flattered. I will confess that you were one of the reason I chose to save Rebecca. I have never written a hanging scene (nor to be honest, followed many here; it is simply not a major kink of mine). I was worried that I would fall short in style and detail and earn your disapprobation.A grim event but justice must prevail!!!
Thank You.
old slave
FELIS RESPICIENS
The present incumbent being Michael Gove, an arch-Brexiteer, thorn in the side of Theresa May, and toady-in-chief to Boris Johnson:
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
I hear he and Boris own a private prison within the Duchy where they...
twonines
LIMERICUS
Theresa May, who along with Heath and Brown rates equally as the worst Prime Minister of the last century.
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
I would politely request that pure political comments are best taken elsewhere. Comments about politicians like mine above (tongue-in-cheek and crux oriented) are acceptable.
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
Mmmmmmmmm! Feels good to me girl!Hey!!!!
Get your bloody tongue out of my cheek
twonines
LIMERICUS
Sorry, I agree completely, but after 3 years of abuse from the remainers I finally cracked.
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
You are forgiven. But you are ordered to report to Ramsey Prison House within the fortnight for Mr. Allen Breaker to supervise some badly needed correction.
Now in archive:
and libary too:
and libary too:
Crux-forums E-book Library
No: 282 Michele Patri - Public Executions in the Arena - Part 2-2019 For comments visit the original thread: http://www.cruxforums.com/xf/threads/public-executions-in-the-arena.5032/
www.cruxforums.com
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
Now that Rebecca is in the archives, I would urge the readers here who followed so faithfully and commented so frequently to consider posting a review to the archive. It could be just a repeat of something you've posted here or maybe more of a review or recommendation if you feel so moved. With the wealth of material in the archives, it is difficult for one entry to be noticed or attract attention. Those with reviews and ratings tend to be downloaded more frequently.
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
Given the passage of time, it would be acceptable to comment on the "alternative" end. Though graphic descriptions should be avoided. Just use your best judgement.
Migoz2
Senator
I like the alternative ending - it certainly fits with the times. But I also think the one you published works better in the context of the story.
Migoz2
Senator
Further reflections:
Until the last couple of instalments, it had never crossed my mind that the story would end in any other way than Rebecca being hanged. And the Dickensian feel had been there all along, but was very strong at the end (appropriately for the time of year).
I am going to assume that if Rebecca's death had been the way you were going to end it, that you would have gone into a little detail about the hanging. Otherwise the ending might have felt slightly rushed. It needed something to come after, I think.
I shall be leaving a review in the archives later.
Until the last couple of instalments, it had never crossed my mind that the story would end in any other way than Rebecca being hanged. And the Dickensian feel had been there all along, but was very strong at the end (appropriately for the time of year).
I am going to assume that if Rebecca's death had been the way you were going to end it, that you would have gone into a little detail about the hanging. Otherwise the ending might have felt slightly rushed. It needed something to come after, I think.
I shall be leaving a review in the archives later.
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
I like to provide suspense. To do so, I need to suggest alternative paths to the end. In this case, the march to the scaffold (apologies to Hector Berlioz) was so inevitable after the retrial, that I felt the need to introduce some hope of rescue. Therefore I brought Todd and Dodge back in and introduced Tommy. While rescue by them would have been very unrealistic, I wanted to tease the reader that way. They also could provide a sympathetic witness to her death. And I thought the parallel paths approaching Tyburn (Rebecca's procession, Elliott and Francis, and the three would-be rescuers), would provide action and thrills on the way, while leaving the plot open to either outcome (rescue or death)
Yes. I tend to write the chapters very fast and short to get down the plot and bulk of the job in place. I knowingly scrimp on detail to get the structure in place and continue to the next chapter and the next.
I then go back and revise multiple times and flesh out details. to hopefully allow the reader to be immersed in the action.
The original draft had the death ending. The closer I got to fleshing that out and the closer to Christmas (and the more I sensed the general desire of the readers to find a way to spare Rebecca), the more I thought about changing the ending. I think the deciding factor was the opportunity to surprise the readers (I love surprises) with a rescue that was in line with earlier information, yet totally unexpected. Therefore I wrote the new ending. BTW, the first draft of the Christmas day part was only 1/3 of the final. I enjoyed it so much, I went back and expanded with generous detail and dialect to have fun.
Afterwards, reader comments and my own feelings made me want to show the other ending. But I never expanded it as I would have if I'd done so for the main conclusion. Two reasons. My heart wasn't really in it (Yes, Tree, you were right). Having ended the story in a way I greatly enjoyed, I didn't find it exciting to write the other. The other reason, I've already stated: I was hesitant to write a detailed death scene in light of all the many excellent hanging scenes out there. Knowing it is not my main kink, I feared it would come across artificial.
But, yes, Migo, if that had been the main ending, it would have been about twice the length that I posted.
Thank You, in advance.
Last edited:
Migoz2
Senator
Yes, The race to stop the hanging was very suspenseful, and the point of view of the three of them was a very good way of providing further excitement. Also, it was good to have sympathetic witnesses.
I always find it fascinating to read how other writers work.
The ending certainly surprised this reader, even though the possibilities were there. And your enjoyment of writing the Christmas day part came across in how much fun it was to read.
I thought as much.
Praefectus Praetorio
R.I.P. Brother of the Quill
BTW, for Christmas Day. If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands (or maybe millions) of people attending a performance of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah this holiday season, you may find yourself rising to your feet at the opening sounds of the famed “Hallelujah” chorus. That kind of audience behavior is an outlier in the concert hall.
Remember how Sir Elliott stated as they entered the Ball that the music was by Handel, a favorite of George I and II.
Well, our George in the story is believed to be the originator of this tradition of standing.
King George II stood up during the chorus at the Messiah’s 1743 London premiere. Some believe the king was so moved by the music that he stood up to show his reverence. And, since it was considered required etiquette to stand when the king stood, the audience had to follow suit.
Although that story is not well-documented (unlike Rebecca), it rings true to George's character. Supposedly he later explained his action to a friend (actually a mistress). He said that he was struck by the phrase, "King of Kings." He was used to others standing for him as king and he thought that since Christ was king of kings, he, as a king should stand for him.
Remember how Sir Elliott stated as they entered the Ball that the music was by Handel, a favorite of George I and II.
Well, our George in the story is believed to be the originator of this tradition of standing.
King George II stood up during the chorus at the Messiah’s 1743 London premiere. Some believe the king was so moved by the music that he stood up to show his reverence. And, since it was considered required etiquette to stand when the king stood, the audience had to follow suit.
Although that story is not well-documented (unlike Rebecca), it rings true to George's character. Supposedly he later explained his action to a friend (actually a mistress). He said that he was struck by the phrase, "King of Kings." He was used to others standing for him as king and he thought that since Christ was king of kings, he, as a king should stand for him.