Happy Sinday everyone! And Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s reading (and I now that’s the vast majority of us…lol). Before I introduce you to this week’s spotlight, we have an announcement to make. Unfortunately, we feel that it is necessary to move TwiFic’s Pick to a monthly posting rather than weekly. Honestly, the three of us are finding it more difficult to find worthy stories to spotlight. We’re not sure why this is, but they seem to be fewer well-written stories to bring to your attention. TwiFics Picks will now post the 1st Sunday of each month effective immediately, so the next post will be Sunday, June 3. We hope that you’ll make it on your calendar and join us the first Sunday of every month to dish about what’s been pwning you all month.
After reading Georgeygirl’s The Weight of Words last year, it found its way onto my list of top favorite fanfics ever. To me, a top favorite is one that is memorable – it stays with me, not getting blurred and forgotten as time passes. In fact, I loved it so much that I read it a second time, finishing it just recently. There are few fanfics that have what it takes to lure me back for another go round. Many of you past RAoR gals have read it, I’m sure, considering that the author was a fairly regular RAoR visitor. However, as it has been over a year since it was completed, there might be a few of you that missed it. For shame! Read ahead for my take on Georgeygirl’s The Weight of Words. — Loving40s
The Weight of Words by Georgeygirl (completed) Reviewed by Loving40s
Isabella Swan is in her final semester at the University of Toronto when she meets Edward Cullen, the Teacher’s Assistant (T.A.) and PhD candidate for her Shakespeare class. She’s immediately smitten but knows that being with him is a ridiculous notion. First, he’s gorgeous. Second, he’s her TA, so he’s taboo. I thoroughly enjoyed being inside Bella’s head as she salivates over Edward during classes and tutoring sessions, but they both remain absolutely professional:
“You know when you have an incredibly hot dream about a guy, and then you see him, and it all comes back to you, and you’re sure he’ll know what’s going through your mind as you look at him? Well, that’s what happened as I walked down the hall towards the tutorial room at eight-fifty and saw Edward standing there in the open doorway. As much as I wanted to see him, I considered turning around and hiding until he’d left. I felt as if my face would betray my memory of every detail of that heavenly dream, but putting a paper bag over my head wasn’t a practical solution, so I sucked it up and continued down the hall.
Edward looked hotter than hell, sloppy as all get out and sporting several days’ scruff, yet somehow even more gorgeous than the day before. He was leaning casually against the doorway, one arm propped against the frame, the other down at his side, his hand in the front pocket of a rather worn and tatty looking leather jacket.
Good God, man. Could you be any more fuckhawt? It took every ounce of restraint I could muster, to refrain from giving him a solid once over, with special attention to his crotch, jaw, lips, hands, fingers…gah the fingers! And I could have snuck in a really good eye grope, because he wasn’t even looking in my direction. But I refrained. For the second time today, I was exhibiting nothing less than spectacular self-control.”
Edward and Bella are very well developed, and even more impressive is that the minor characters are not one dimensional but are well sketched out. This includes Jacob, Bella’s roommates and best friend, Alice, her other close friend, and Rosalie, who is Edward’s best friend and engaged to Edward’s brother, Emmett. Did you get all that straight? TWOW gives us one of my favorite Rosalie’s in all of fan fiction. She’s British, she’s cheeky, and she’s loyal as hell.
One of my favorite elements of the story was the incorporation of Shakespeare’s plays. We get to sit in on some of the group tutoring sessions that Edward is in charge of, listening to him and his students discuss and analyze Shakespeare’s plays. This might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I think Georgeygirl brings it down to everyone’s level. At one point, during a difficult time when the two of them are not speaking, they “communicate” with each other during the group session by quoting Shakespeare, bantering back and forth their point by using the Bard’s words. Stellar writing!
I don’t think it’s too much of a spoiler to say that eventually they begin a romantic relationship on the down low but refrain from sex because if that came to light it would essentially be the end of his budding career as a professor. One complaint that I’ve heard from some readers of TWOW is that the UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension) went on for much too long, and some even go as far as to say that the UST was contrived. I concur that the UST went on and on and on, but it was not at all contrived. To me, a plot point that is contrived is one that just doesn’t make logical sense, so it gives the impression that its only purpose was to create conflict – illogical conflict. The character’s decision to not have sex for so long is completely plausible and, in fact, sensible. Having an affair with a student is more than frowned upon and has already been stated, he could lose his career if discovered. I understand if the reader feels impatient with the UST – you should! Then you can fully identify with the characters and how difficult it was to deny themselves.
Say what you will about the lengthy UST, Georgeygirl is one of the most gifted writers in the fandom. There is more to writing than just conceptualizing a gripping plot. Actually, that’s not writing it all, albeit an integral part of an author’s job description. Great writing is the choice and placement of words, combining them in such a way that it becomes poetry, eliciting deep feelings in the reader. As a writer myself, I know that one of the rules for good writing is to “show, not tell.” In other words, don’t tell the reader that the hallway has wood paneling, but show it to them as if they were there, walking alongside the character:
“As I made my way down the long wood paneled hallway, I double checked the room number at the top of my reading list and confirmed that I needed to head up the wide wooden stairway and into a second floor lecture hall that I was familiar with, having spent a great deal of time in there during my second year at U Of T.”
Here are a few more examples of Georgeygirl’s unique and descriptive prose:
“There he was, rubbing salt in my wounded grade point average.”
This made me snort outloud! Very clever metaphor.
“Yes sir,” I said, biting my lip and smiling. Lord above, he was gorgeous. The wink. It got me every time.”
I love how the author lets me into Bella’s head all time, and she’s thinking all the things that I’m thinking.
Bella referring to Edward:
“It was true. He had the best laugh ever. I want to curl up in it and roll around.”
She could have said “I love his laugh; it makes me feel good inside.” Boring! Or she could have done a basic metaphor, comparing his laugh to something else. This one line made me jealous that I didn’t come up with it! What a beautiful way to describe how his laugh makes her feel.
The Weight of Words story has it all: UST galore, eventually well-written lemons, classic literature skillfully woven into the narrative, grammatically correct writing, and beautiful prose. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did . . . twice!
NOTE: The sequel to The Weight of Words was recently completed. As I haven’t read it yet, I can’t vouch for it. Sometimes sequels can be tricky, but I’m sure Georgeygirl’s prose is as captivating as ever. Read the sequel, The Tongue Set Free.
Have you read The Weight of Words? Rate it HERE.
