Re: Nick Fic Song Challenge Thread #2- Ch #10- "You Found Me"- Now Up! Secrets at the Workplace: Poor Nicky - kept in the dark about his friends' personal lives... At least he'll get to throw Catherine a party! I love Nick and Catherine's friendship and you did a good job with it here - of course he'd be where ever she needed him most, even if she'd kept something from him. Glad for some happiness for Catherine too - nice! Searching: The minute I read the first word I said "Woo-hoo! Gum Drops!" I'm a sucker for that episode and I'm sure that the writer knows it I liked Sage in the episode and thought that her teeny part gave Nick the nudge he needed to keep looking for Cassie, so I'm glad that you brought her back to give him the shove he needed for himself. I like that she told him he could talk to God, put the power back in his hands, and that he used it. Really great job. Lost and Found: I like the beginning, Nick's slow awakening. Ecklie's "personality transplant" and the judge morphing into Grissom made me chuckle :lol: ! Gave some humor to an otherwise angsty fic. It's clear that Nick still has a lot of healing to do but the end gives comfort that the healing will happen. Nice work! You Found Me: Very emotional Nick in this one, which is logical since it takes place soon after Warrick's death. I did wonder why the gregarious Nick wouldn't have hugged an old friend right away, but at least he didn't hold back in the end. I'm glad Nick has someone he cares about close again and that they can help each other heal. The Natural Order of Things: You KILLED Nick's momma!! :lol: I liked Catherine's caregiver role in the beginning. I'm not much for Nick crying but of course he'd break down once he realized his mom's life was in danger. Very emotional read - nicely done. Never Too Late: What a fresh idea! I liked Betty Lou's narrative and how hers and Nick's complimented each other without being repetitive. I could see the smile on Nick's face as he read his father's note... And I liked Nick's promise to Betty Lou that he'd put her back together. Left a smile on my face. Great job, everyone!
Re: Nick Fic Song Challenge Thread #2- Ch #10- "You Found Me"- Now Up! Just a reminder, I'll reveal the authors tomorrow and then everyone is free to post their story elsewhere if they like and also tell a bit about how they came up with it. So if you want to review before the authors are revealed, now is your chance.
Re: Nick Fic Song Challenge Thread #2- Ch #10- "You Found Me"- Now Up! SECRETS IN THE WORKPLACE: Oh poor Nick! Always the last to know. He must live in a dream world. Great story and I love that it's Catherine and Vartann. I love it. Great jobQ SEARCHING: Squee! Another Gum Drops story. It's always been one of my favourite episodes. I liked Sage and it was nice to see her again. This was a well written story, very tight and well put together. The ending was very sweet!. Lost and Found: Well written, well described and overall a great story. Ecklie did indeed seem to have a personality transplant after Grave Danger. Nice dialogue between Sara and Nick, although I'm not sure he'd be happy that Walter Gordon was dead. That doesn't sound like Nick, but then again..maybe he would be! Great job! You Found Me: It's always a risk to bring a new character in, but you did this well. I like the part about Mountain Dew LOL..I sometimes think people say that about me and Diet Coke. It was a great story. I enjoyed it. The Natural Order of Things: Woe! Ver powerful! Very emotional! Nick losing his mother to a stroke. Just a natural order of things. The writing is very good, very poignant! Never Too Late: Intense and very powerful are two words I describe this story. Very introspective. It's nice when we get into Nick's head and see what's going on up there. Wonderful!
Re: Nick Fic Song Challenge Thread #2- Ch #10- "You Found Me"- Now Up! Before I reveal the authors, just a few things. We are ready to start over doing a random selection for the song inspiration each round. I received a lot of song choices from people, but not everyone has been joining the challenges lately. If your song is going to be up for selection then I hope you're going to be joining us for challenges. Secondly, please remember that you are free to join or skip a round any time life gets in the way or you just don't have any inspiration. But if you do submit a story, please remember to review them all for that round. It's only fair since the other writers reviewed yours. I'll get the next challenge put up sometime this week. In the meantime, here are the authors from the most recent challenge. You can now post a little something about your story if you like, and you are free to publish it elsewhere now too. Secrets at the Workplace - GregNickRyanFan Searching - Smokey Lost and Found - Athersgeo You Found Me - Americanstalker The Natural Order of Things - Jacqui Never to Late - KFKf Great job, everyone! Looking forward to the next challenge!
Re: Nick Fic Song Challenge Thread #2- Ch #10- "You Found Me"- Now Up! Sorry Smokey - been waiting for the reveal as I find it nearly impossible to review my own stuff without either sounding like the world's most heinous...uh...person (I got told off once for nitpicking my own story to death - and that was in a situation where people KNEW I was the writer!) or completely giving away the fact that I've written it. Since that's happened now... Secrets at the Workplace - I'm with everyone else here; poor Nick! Nice story, though, and nice for Catherine to be getting some happiness. Searching - I love Gum Drops and I love Sage and I think this is a fabulous take on the whole thing. I almost wish that this had been a part of the episode. Lovely job. You Found Me - Like everyone else, I giggled like mad over the Mountain Dew line and I think Carrie's definitely an interesting addition to the crew. I wouldn't mind seeing more of her. The Natural Order of Things - Wow. Utterly heartbreaking and really, really well done. Never to Late - Heeee! Great piece of mis-direction at the beginning and a really fun story altogether. And then there's mine, which was an exercise in total frustration. I always knew it was going to be a conversation between Sara and Nick and my original idea was to have it be a conversation post Dead Doll. Then it became a post Family Affair conversation. Then a pre-Family Affair conversation. Then it morphed into a conversation between Nick and his mom which, naturally, romped around in the timeline a little too. Then, finally, back with Sara and Nick and post Grave Danger. Between all the false starts, I think I ended up writing at least twice the word limit before I finally managed an even half-way coherent story! Looking at it again, now, there's two things that I wish I'd been able to get in - namely why it was Sara sitting there and why Nick's throat is so sore - but the fact that you guys liked it means I must have done a pretty good job, so maybe I'll stop beating myself up about those two omissions... Thank you
Re: Nick Fic Song Challenge Thread #2- Ch #10- "You Found Me"- Now Up! "Henious"... :lol: I know everyone has trouble reviewing their own work. I had absolutely no idea what to write. I kept thinking that I didn't want to go the "obvious" way with it...all the bad things that have happened to Nick and him wanting to know why. And yet, that's what kept coming back to me. And I thought that Sage was the only one post Grave Danger that seemed to really take an interest in how he was doing, and she was a complete stranger! I figured that would intrigue him and he would want to ask questions, so there you go. I got the idea at work on the Thursday before they were due.
Re: Nick Fic Song Challenge Thread #2- Ch #10- "You Found Me"- Now Up! My original idea was to have Vartann abducted and the team have to look for him... but I couldn't really think of a way for that to go about. So, I just started it with him already in the hospital and just went from there. I did have an idea for another story from this song, but it would be a sequel to "Silver Lining", so I couldn't use it for the challenge. :lol:
Re: Nick Fic Song Challenge Thread #2- Ch #10- "You Found Me"- Now Up! My story came about in the strangest of ways…there’s a surprise…bear with me, while I explain. My first thoughts for the song fiction led me down a dark path, a Nick angst tale. It wasn’t a good story, and it wasn’t the path I wished to travel. Real life offered enough turmoil, and I was looking for some levity. That being said: “if real life didn’t offer a happy ending, then screw real life…I’ll write my own.” And, thus became my dilemma, and trial. What you want to write and get, are very different. The initial story kept lingering. Writers block became my enemy, and not for the first time. Damn the muse. But, then my brother called later in the week…God bless his call. My writers block disappeared. (Quick back story…My brother and sister-in-law have been married for 25 years. They have 3 children, a 19 year old son, a 16 year old daughter, and a 14 year old son.) A few weeks back, my brother and sister-in-law decided it was time to add a third vehicle to the fleet. They did research and found a 2005 Nissan with low mileage. My 19 year old nephew was happy with the car, but my 16 year old niece was thrilled. She decided the Nissan needed a name…”Nigel the Nissan.” This brought me back to my first car, ”Cutty the 69 Cutlass,” which in turn gave me “Betty Lou” the 65 Buick Wildcat for Nick…which in turn gave me my story. Cutty was twelve when I got her, she was loyal, she gave me freedom, she was a rag-top with a suck AM radio, and extremely bad speakers, but she was mine. I got her the summer between my junior and senior year, and drove her until 1990, when her transmission finally gave out. I wish I still had “Cutty,” she was a 442 rag top (my husband tells me she was rare, worth about 100,000-125,000 fully restored on today’s market.) Damn hindsight. I like to think the character of Nick had hindsight, realized the value of his first car, and chose to preserve it. Thus, through trial, pain, reconciliation becomes the happy ending. Please forgive the long explanation, but remember, you were forewarned…Thank you for the reviews, and taking time out of your busy schedules and lives to do so, it means the world to me. I look forward to the next songfic. :thumbsup: To my fellow writers...Good Luck on your next stories. Thank you Smokey for coordinating our madness. I had a feeling “Searching” was your story, but it was a toss up with “The Natural Order of Things.” You and Jacqui always throw me for a loop. I love both your stories, and wish you wrote longer versions outside our songfics. Kudos to you both, love your style. [ Take care all, Kelli
Re: Nick Fic Song Challenge Thread #2- Ch #10- "You Found Me"- Now Up! Hey you all...I read all the stories and also wanted to review but my Microsoft Word seems to have a problem and I lost all my written reviews The same happened to my written story for this challenge I want to let you know that you all did an awesome job and that I really enjoyed reading all your stories The more I read about your stories and thoughts there more I feel bad because I couldn't publish my story with all yours I want to try to write it again but it is kind of hard for me since my whole story idea came to me at a very difficult time for me and my family and well... I don't know if I'm ready to think about it again yet
Re: Nick Fic Song Challenge Thread #2- Ch #10- "You Found Me"- Now Up! Thanks, Kelli! You know, you're the second person today to say I should write a longer Nick fic. I'm up for it and would love to, but I need a good story idea. NickyFan, sorry you didn't get to get your story finished for this one, but I'm sure you'll do a great job on the next one!
Re: Nick Fic Song Challenge Thread #2- Ch #10- "You Found Me"- Now Up! Ok, here are my reviews and yes, I still plan to read and review the last two challenges. I wanted to write for this one and started a story, but I got stuck. In any case, these reviews are done WITHOUT me knowing who wrote them. I'll look at that after I'm done reading reviewing. Great stories all around! Secrets at the Workplace: Poor Nicky, he is so oblivious to what is happening around him. Guess no one wants him at their wedding. Husband. I wasn't expecting that, nice turn of events there. This was a cute story. Searching: Wow! That's all I got to say! I loved this angle on 'Gum Drops'. It was like the missing scene from it. I could see Nick going to talk with Sage and I loved how she made Nick realize that there was a reason why he lived through it, why it happened to him. Great story!!! Lost and Found: I liked this story. It nice to have stories of what happened to Nick after he was rescued. I could see Nick thinking everything he did. Didn't want his parents to know, protecting Lindsey. Having Sara there when he woke up was different, but nice. I'm glad to see that Grissom came to the hospital to visit him. I would have liked to seen what Nick's father had to say to him, but I know the word limit. Good job!!! You Found Me: Now here's a story I wouldn't have imagined, an old friend. I liked that it didn't turn romantic, but just to friends reconnecting and will now have each other's shoulders to 'cry' on. They have both been through the ringer and even though they were not with each other before, they are now and that is what is important. Very nice! The Natural Order of Things: Oh man, was it necessary to make me cry? What a twist. I thought for sure someone was in an accident because of text messaging. Poor Nicky. I can understand him being angry while in the chapel. I agree with him. Why do the good ones suffer and the bad ones never do? At least he made it home in time, so Jillian could see her baby boy one more time. She died with her family around her and, even though she had a massive stroke, she didn't keep suffering. Powerful story! Never To Late: That was a great story! Wow, talk about writing a story that is so completely different then anything I read. I had know idea at the beginning it was a car talking about Nick, but isn't that they way between a boy and his car? How 'she' helped him after the burial, reminded Nick of who he was, who he still is and who he always will be. Wow, fantastic story.
Re: Nick Fic Song Challenge Thread #2- Ch #10- "You Found Me"- Now Up! Just wanted to add that I wish I'd been able to come up with a different title for my fic. Although the title fits the story (I guess), I know it's not very creative, but I just drew a blank. :lol: I really have a hard time with story/chapter titles most of the time. :lol:
Re: Nick Fic Song Challenge Thread #2- Ch #10- "You Found Me"- Now Up! I had been toying around with my story for a little while, but just needed the right catalyst to push it further. There was also a bit of Mary Sue-ing in there. I am almost always wearing my Cubbies hat, and I certainly like my Diet Mountain Dew
Re: Nick Fic Song Challenge Thread #2- Ch #10- "You Found Me"- Now Up! I struggled with mine until about two weeks after the song was announced. I was listening to the song, wondering what to write about. I think I was folding laundry and the one lyric, "No way to know how long she will be next to me," really hit me, and I knew that I had to write about Jillian. Most of you know that I recently lost my own mother, so this song choice and theme seemed to come at the right time. Writing for me is an outlet. When I was visiting my mom in the hospital, she was terribly confused and there was little that she said that made any sense, near the end. On the last day I saw her alive, she said to me what Jillian said to Nick in the story. Writing it, all I had to do was close my eyes and put myself back in her hospital room... So rest assured that if you cried, you were not the only one
Re: Nick Fic Song Challenge Thread #2- Ch #10- "You Found Me"- Now Up! Thanks to everyone for sharing about your stories! It's amazing how even with one song as inspiration we all have so many other things in our own lives and experience that we bring to our work. Soooo...besides the challenges here, I've been thinking that I really want to start working on a multi-chapter Nick fic. And I'm stuck for an idea. So I'm asking you all if you have any ideas or if there is anything you would like to read a story about. Just keep in mind...I like to write canon stories, so it's got to be something like you might see on the show, that is...he's not going to quit and he's not going to Texas and I'm not going to bring in outside characters, that is no extended family (mom and dad are okay) and no made up love interests. In fact, probably no romance at all. You can just PM me if you have any ideas. Thanks!