Writings

Carlisle doesn’t hunt humans, and he’s gentle, kind, and humane——pretty much the polar opposite of the brothers in Volterra. So why did it take so long for his time with the brothers to fall apart? Obviously, there had to have been something which drew him.

One of the most interesting challenges for me as I write this piece is striking the right balance between grappling with Carlisle’s decision to leave Volterra, and yet the oddly benevolent feelings he has toward the brothers, at least until the end of Breaking Dawn. Although there’s certainly love lost between them, the Volturi remain men whom Carlisle respects even two centuries later. In Twilight, Edward says that Carlisle found the brothers to be “civilized” and enjoyed that they were committed to the pursuit of the life of the mind. So in this chapter, I had fun imagining what it was that kept Carlisle in Italy for so long, and engendered goodwill toward Aro, Marcus and Caius.

And finally, we meet the intruder. I’ll be curious to hear folks’ reactions, as so far, no one has guessed correctly as to who it is.

This chapter also had an interesting little scene that I liked, but which ultimately didn’t add enough to the chapter to warrant staying in, given that the chapter came in several hundred words over where I wanted it. You’ll find that in the next post.

Happy reading,

g

Wow, okay.

So, behind the scenes on all these chapters is a buffer. I write a little ahead, that way as soon as I finish a chapter, I can have the joy of posting one that I’ve already spent time polishing, had betaed, etc. There is nothing more maddening (for the author and the betas!) than finishing a chapter, being ready to post it, and needing to sit back while your betas do their thing. And frankly, if you want great beta jobs (which I do, and which I get—thank you, Openhome and Julie!) you want the betas to take their time.

In April I fell behind in my schoolwork and in writing SB, so I posted one of my two buffer chapters because I didn’t have chapter 9 ready. That sucker would NOT go down. It’s first the major turn in the Volterra plot, and I couldn’t get it to work. So I put up 7, figuring I’d make 9 happen soon.

It still took another month.

So thank you for your patience. I hope 10 will be a quick write.

As for eight—ah, Edward senior. I actually confess to having taken some canon liberties here. Carlisle is unspecific as to whether or not he ever met Edward’s father; he says only that Edward’s mother caught his attention. Many fics of this period have him meet only Edward and Elizabeth, however some have him meet Senior at least in passing (“This is My Son the Beloved” by minisinoo, one of my favorites, is among these latter). One of the things that keeps sticking out to me as I write Elizabeth and Edward Sr. is how stalwart they are. Really, both Edward and Carlisle are the children of pretty stubborn parents, and they retain a good bit of that recalcitrance themselves as immortals.

Probably one of my favorite scenes in SB so far is the scene at the end of the chapter with Alma. One of the turns that I promised SB would take, but which it largely hasn’t yet, is that of grappling with Carlisle’s faith. He tells Bella of his steadfast faith in New Moon, but that’s some eighty-seven years after this moment, and at a time when he is secure in his profession, happily married, and surrounded by family. Backing up a bit with Carlisle, it’s pretty easy to imagine that he’s the kind of person who, at times, loses heart, wonders, and doubts. So this was an opportunity to write both those sides of him at once.

As always, thank you for reading, and enjoy.