That's right - another update. You guys keep me going with all your wonderful reviews :)
After a long day exchanging stories about Jack (some more inappropriate than others), Rose decided that she'd take some time to watch him in his life, as well as the Doctor. But as time passed, she got so carried up in watching them both that she began to feel guilty that she wasn't doing anything else with her time. So she took Barbara's suggestion, and joined other groups. She worked a bit more on her gymnastics, but it was only fun for so long. She tried taking an appreciation in the arts, but unfortunately Beethoven just wasn't her thing. Eventually she joined a book club, and found the experience surprisingly enjoyable. And with every new book she picked up, she felt the urge to write something herself. Ever since travelling with the Doctor, her mind had been opened up to new, amazing ideas, and she desperately wanted a way to get them down.
"I want to write a book," she announced one day during the group's meeting.
"That's not unusual," said Yi Qing, the middle-aged Chinese woman who sat next to her. "Many people use the time they have here to write. The atmosphere of Heaven gives them a clearer head."
"Furthermore," added Tom, the African boy, "there are plenty of authors up here to help you develop your writing skills. Jane Austen, J.R.R. Tolkien, H.G. Wells…" As Tom continued to list authors, a grin formed on Rose's face. There was one author she particularly wanted to see – especially since she'd already met him once.
Rose was a little annoyed to discover that Mr Dickens was already in the middle of a writing class when she called on him. But as soon as he saw her face, he shooed the other person away like there was no tomorrow.
"Rose Tyler!" he exclaimed.
"You remember me then," said Rose.
"How could I not? You and the Doctor opened my mind up to the possibilities of life, making me realise how little knowledge I had," replied Charles. "I don't suppose the Doctor's here now?"
"Oh, I think it'll be a few years before he makes an appearance," said Rose. "But the reason I came round is because I was wondering if you could help me learn to write."
"Of course, of course!" said Charles. "I thoroughly enjoy passing on what I know, especially to those who are willing to learn."
"Believe me, I'm willing," promised Rose. "My mind is just full of ideas, and I want to find a way to express them. I've read a few of your novels, and the eloquence and brilliance in your writing just blows me away." Charles blushed a little.
"Most people save that kind of praise for Shakespeare," he remarked.
"Oh, I could never understand him," said Rose. "The Doctor says he's brilliant, but he's just not my cup of tea." Charles' face fell a little.
"I thought he was my biggest fan," he said soflty. Rose cleared her throat.
"So, how do we do this?" she asked. "How do I start off?" Charles looked at Rose.
"I suppose you'll be expecting something along the lines of 'Introduction, Complication, Resolution, Conclusion'," he surmised.
"That's what I learned in school," admitted Rose.
"Forget it," commanded Charles. "I find that style of writing so formulaic, so cliché. And while it might work for some people, I prefer to grow with my characters and learn from them. While I might have a rough idea of where a story is headed, I did tend to change ideas along the way. You know how I wrote my novels in weekly or monthly instalments?" Rose nodded. "Well, the advantage of that was that I could wait to hear the opinions of my readers before publishing the next chapter. Then, I may have altered the story based on what they had to say."
"Good idea," admitted Rose.
"Yes – it's a technique often employed by up-and-coming writers on the Internet," said Charles. "There are websites that allow writers to post stories and receive reviews, so the author gets a consistent response to their work all the way through writing it. You know," he brought Rose closer to him, "between you and me, some of the writers on these websites are actually like us." Rose looked at him blankly, causing Charles to roll his eyes. "Some of the writers, are here." Rose's eyes widened.
"They're dead?" she asked. "You mean God actually allows dead people to post stories on the Internet?"
"Stories, fanvids, fanart," said Charles. "As long as they don't give anything away, who's to know?"
"Whoa," said an amazed Rose. "That's kind of … eerie."
"But I'm getting off track," said Charles, getting back on the subject. "So as I said, writing in instalments is good. But you don't have to if you don't want to. The point is that if you realise that something works better another way, just let it happen. If you get completely off track, let the characters slowly make their way back to where they were. Never abandon a project – leave it for a while if you're stuck, but one day you may come back to it and suddenly be inspired. And most importantly, write from your heart, and the words will just flow." Rose nodded, taking everything Charles said in. He had some good points.
"Is it really that easy?" she asked. Charles sighed.
"I'll admit it – some people are just born with the will to be creative and put everything onto paper," he said. "Some people don't really feel that will, but if it's asked of them then they will write. Some people do it for a laugh. And some people just aren't excited by the prospect of words. Which category do you think you fall into?" Rose scratched her head.
"I was never really great academically…" she began.
"That's not important," interrupted Charles. "Did you want to express yourself? Did you have a good imagination? Just because we're in Heaven doesn't mean you get given these things for free, you know. God wants you to use this time to delve into yourself and find your talents – the ones you already had." Rose thought about this. She'd written a bit of stuff in school, but had never thought of doing it as a career or anything. She'd always sort of assumed she'd work at Henrik's for the rest of her life. But after travelling with the Doctor, she'd learnt that anything was possible. And, she had to admit, she had been feeling really inspired to write since joining her book club.
"I've never felt extremely creative before," she admitted, "but now it's all I think about." Charles smiled.
"A late bloomer," he said. "Very well – write. Write whatever you want, whenever you want. Let the story tell itself. And, most importantly, don't write for anyone else except yourself."
"Thank you Mr Dickens, er, Charles," said Rose, turning to leave. "I'll do my best."
"That's all that can be asked of you," said Charles. "And as for those tips on writing – that's just my opinion, don't forget. My friend Agatha has completely opposite views. 'Start from the ending, then work your way backwards', she says. I've tried it but it just doesn't work…" Charles looked up, only to see that Rose had left.
So Rose wrote. For days on end, she just wrote whatever came to mind. She wrote of her adventures, her feelings, the people she'd met, the things she'd learnt … she didn't want to stop. She'd been writing for what seemed like forever when she realised it was time for her meeting with the Doctor's previous companions (and assistants, and associates). Excitedly she brought what she'd written in the hope of getting some feedback. She arrived, and opened the door.
"Hi guys!" she said happily, not really looking at what was happening. "I'm so excited, I've been writing a sort of autobiography for the last few days … well, I don't know how long exactly…"
"Then you haven't been watching," said Jamie.
"You mean the Doctor?" said Rose. "Yeah, I've seen a few snippets. It's a bit boring though, what with him being human and all. At least it'll get interesting again in a month…" Rose finally looked up. The other companions were gathered round the big screen, watching the Doctor, or at least the man inside his body. And he was kissing Joan Redfern.
"Oh."
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Okay, so I have this dream that I'll be able to keep posting fanfics after I've died...
For those of you who were fans of my fic Reunited (and it feels so good), I've created a trailer for it. It's on YouTube, or you can get the link from my profile.