db – Ha ha. I love that voice and try to use it as a joke all the time but somehow, no one ever gets it. Oh yes, definitely together again and Willow’s made all the necessary adjustments.
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1) Faith indicated that she thought that the w/t rekindling was a secret. They haven't told her? That seems unfair considering how much Faith put into their reconcilliation. and
Yes. At the time that I wrote that I really questioned leaving it in. Their reconciliation is certainly not a secret and especially not from Faith. I think that in the beginning they were very guarded about how “it’s going…” when asked but I don’t think that they ever intended to keep anything from Faith, their other friends, or the Rosenbergs. I think that partially Faith’s comment is a reference to their first time together when it was a secret (or so they thought) for over a year.
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2) Where is the part where I get to understand what part of this was Tara's responsibility?
Excellent question. Yes, Tara has faults and responsibilities in this but I think that because this update is largely Tara’s pov, she isn’t really concentrating on those. For that matter, she’s not really recapping Willow’s failings; she’s noting how Willow has changed to make her feel important and special. But I totally get that you have a part that wants to see that.
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I wish Faith could have been there too... but it was good to have just those two together after so much time apart.
In my head, next year’s update will have a lot of Faith if that’s any consolation.
Thanks always.
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ET(again)A: Because I forgot to say that I have these lingering, i dunno, niggling worries about the "details" that Tara seems to be keeping to herself. Why is she doing that? Won't it creep in and undermine their relationship? Frank, feelings of jealousy in general, full disclosure about thieir time apart -- Tara seems to hold things to her chest and I am not sure she is doing herself any favors.
I’m not sure I agree with you. I think that there could be things that she feel are totally unimportant but that will hurt Willow and make her totally obsess. So in a way, I do think that she’s doing Willow a favor. And… we don’t know if Willow has asked her to tell her. I mean, I’m a very, “You’d tell me right?” person but not everyone is. Some people don’t want to know.
Dianneswillowtree – Hi. Thanks. I am feeling better although I still need to do PT for the finger and am not sure that it’s just a sprain. Still, it’s usable. Thanks.
witchlove – Hi and welcome. Thanks so much. I’m glad you enjoy it. Thanks.
JujuDeRoussie – Hello again. Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the story and the flashback. There will be much more of this story but it’s low on my priority list for another update. Thanks.
Michelle – Ha ha. Yes, they’re definitely more mature. I sometimes am amazed at people I know who were together in high school or even college and remain together many years later. I look at myself and can’t believe how different I am from the person I was even 10 years ago…
I think that you sum up both girls’ attitudes toward their relationship and their reconciliation very well. Both are moving on. In a way, I think that Tara has more of an appreciation for all the pain in life because of her writing. She sees much more of life as something learn and grow from whereas Willow probably sees it all as lost time. You know?
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Thanks for the St. Patrick's Day flashback.
Good. The date was obvious. Your comments regarding the timing of their reconciliation are precisely why I wanted to pin point the date and make it a few months away from the prior update. And yes, Willow is definitely understandably nervous.
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Interesting that we discover that Willow has been celibate since their break-up, but we don't know about Tara. Is Tara trying to spare Willow the pain of hearing about her activities during their separation? Have they discussed this in the interim between St. Patrick's Day and Hanukah? Still leaving questions for us to answer ourselves, eh Debra?
Very definitely. I’d recommend using your imagination to answer those questions and know that Tara is working within the framework the two women established during their reconciliation.
Thank you. There will definitely be more installments to this series but as I said, Waiting is a higher writing priority now that my finger is better.
tarawhipped –
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when there was no "about a year later..." I was all oooh, it's gonna pick up where the last left off.
And I saw your feedback, remembered that and went back and inserted it. Of course for the next week, anyone else reading your fb was like, “what is Cam talking about? It says ‘about a year later’ right there at the top!” Ha ha.
I love your tornado analogy about these limited information updates. I was just looking at [url=http://thekittenboard.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=3841a thread[/url] that Watty posted last year which I’m going to work on a response to next (you too?). Anyway, I was thinking about what I’ve learned as a writer this year. And I think the biggest thing is about the power and flexibility of what I don’t tell the reader. By not telling the reader the details, we allow the reader to imagine and create an understanding of their own. It’s a little cop-out but more than that, it’s a way to create multiple interpretations of the story. Does that make sense?
I can understand the uneasy feeling you have and I think that some of your observations are well founded. The not-sleeping one I didn’t intend as an indicator of anything more than a person who doesn’t require sleep very much (many geniuses don’t). Hmmm. Tara = flippant? Interesting and I won’t argue with that. I totally get what you are saying about the difference in the attitudes they have as far as total disclosure but I also think that Tara’s operating within the agreement while Willow is operating beyond the agreement. I’m not saying that either is wrong but I think that Tara doesn’t want to say unnecessary things that will only hurt (if there were any such things to discuss which I will leave to the aforementioned readers’ imaginations).
Thank you for the great feedback and deep questions.
watty –
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actually I don't blame Tara for withholding certain information ... or is it simply because she doesn't think it's necessary for the relationship to talk about some things?
Not that I’m acknowledging that she has anything to withhold but I would say that if that is true, then perhaps discretion is the better part of valor. Willow says that they’ve agreed not to obsess over what happened while they were broken up and I would say that just because Willow decided to tell what she got up to (or didn’t) that doesn’t mean that Tara is being dishonest by not doing the same. I totally agree with you that their success in their relationship definitely depends largely on the extent to which they take the time and effort to work through things and take their time.
Yes, the simple things mean so much in a relationship. Just knowing what your lover’s interests or sleep habits are. And that little brush away from her forehead to me, means everything. I agree that it’s not always a great idea to compare but sometimes it is fun. You know? There’s “remember when you used to…” and there’s “Remember the time…” a little different but both say a lot.
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Damn, there's a lot more I want to say, but I have a cold and can hardly breathe.
Ahhh. I’m sorry to hear that. Drink lots of water and vitamin C and rest. I hope you feel better.
Candleshoe – Hey there. Thanks so much.
Darth Pacula – Hey there, Paul. Thanks so much. I’m glad the update has been so well received.
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Raging hormones and uncontrollable lust might be fun
Might be? Tee hee. But yes, it’s not a good foundation for your relationship.
And yes, you’re another vote for the what’s up with Tara camp. I have to suspect that I have written this a little too harshly because very honestly, I don’t intend for her to seem uncommitted or anything. I definitely intend that Tara has adjusted her work and social commitments to be part of a committed relationship rather than a single woman. I think that in a lot of ways you just don’t see them because this is narrated by Tara rather than Willow. You know, people don’t generally think about how rockin they are for making the changes they have made. I don’t know if that makes sense.
Glad you lol the shag bit. That’s hysterical about Coming Back. I frequently get fics mixed up—particularly if they’re a long time between updates. I always start the update trying to remember which one this is. Thanks so much and have a great Holiday.
willohand – Thanks so much. Simply but very nicely said. Thanks.