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karahalloway · 2 years

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I've been kinda slow in sending this ask but I wanted to respond to your 'Writer ask - personal writing hacks edition' I wanna know #2, 4, 5, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. please. Lol, I know that's a lot, but your ask had a lot of questions too, so consider it payback 😁😈🤣

Thanks for the ask @petiteboheme! And honestly, don’t worry - in comparison to the monster list of OTP asks I’ve gotten previously from @nestledonthaveone and @aussiegurl1234, this was a piece of cake! 😇

2. How do you name your characters?

Off the cuff? 🤣

I kinda just try to find a name that I like and feel suits the character. For example, for Harper’s family, I kind of had an idea of each character’s personality as I started writing them, so I then just went through a mental list of American names, and distributed based on what felt right (for Tyler, I played around with Tyler vs. Taylor, and ended up settling on the former).

For Harper, I mentioned somewhere previously (I think it may have been to you, actually!) that when I started playing TRR, I was setting up my MC and needed to choose the name (as the default canon name didn’t feel right). So, I went with Harper (which kind of indirectly came from the MC’s name in a very old Neverwinter Nights 2 rewrite that I read years ago on FanFiction.net (I was going to post a link, because it’s very good, but sadly, the author has deleted her account... 😔) because (i) I liked the name ever since I read that fic, and (ii) thought it would suit my MC. Then for her surname, I went with Gale because honestly, I just liked how the combination of Harper + Gale sounded (then I think a couple of months later, when I started writing (Un)Common Attraction, I actually looked into whether Gale was a real surname, or not, and turned out it was - French/British origin, if you want to know!)

Finally, for Christian, as I mention in the Author’s Note for UA, I didn’t think that the default canon name of Liam (which is very Anglo-Saxon / Irish) was appropriate for the Prince of Mediterranean country, so I went through a list of European baby names (which, if you are stumped for a name, is probably the fastest and easiest way to trawl through lots of name options very quickly - just find a baby names website!)

4. What do you do with ideas you currently don't have time to write?

I keep them in my head 😅

Probably not the safest place to store them, I admit, but until I actually have time to write them down, I don’t really have anywhere else I can put them (I don’t really do outlines).

5. What do you do with scrapped stories?

I have a very neglected folder on my laptop called ‘Current Projects’ where many-a commenced, but never completed story is still languishing after oh-so many years!

TRR is taking up all my time and brain capacity at the moment, so... 😅 For TRR specifically I have a document titled ‘Unsure’ where I dump stuff that I’ve written, then cut, in case I ever want to reuse somewhere else in the future.

12. Any suggestions for making editing easier and/or more fun?

So, I have kind of a weird process...

I will write something - usually on my laptop - and then I will upload it onto Wattpad as a draft chapter for whatever fic that I am working on. This allows me to do two things: (1) edit/write on the go (I have the Wattpad app on my phone, so if I get a random brainwave, or a spare minute when I’m feeling creative, I can just pull up the app and tap down the idea); and (2) edit.

For whatever reason, I cannot edit / readback stuff in a Word document - I miss typo’s and ‘see’ what I meant to say, instead of what the text actually says. But, putting the text into a different medium (i.e. Wattpad on my phone) allows me to ‘disassociate’ from the text and read it back as a reader, instead of as a writer. Also, when reviewing/editing, I deliberately read as if I was reading the text for the first time (i.e. not anticipating what comes next, even though I wrote it), so I can get a good feel of how the text flows, how the characters sound, have I included all the important info that helps build the scene?

13. If you research for your stories, how do you go about it?

As you probably know, I am a bit of a geek when it comes to realism and accuracy! That said, I don’t ‘research’ my stories - I am 110% a panster (meaning I don’t plan beyond a very general mental outline for each chapter), so I go where the charachters take me.

But, if something comes up in a chapter that I don’t have personal experience / knowledge of (usually to do with cars, guns, security, locations and different languages), I will hop onto Google and do some research on that specific thing, or I will ask my husband (he is quite the walking-talking encyclopedia for cars, guns, self-defence, tactical shit, and the like).

14. Summarize in 3 sentences or less what is important for you when it comes to opening scenes.

Omg... these next three questions are actually making me think... 🤣 Okay, here we go...

For opening scenes, this is not something that I used to pay a lot of attention to, but the more I write, the more I am trying to start chapters with some kind of zingy, attention-grabbing opening. So, I guess it would be a snappy one-liner of some sort to set the tone, and draw the reader into the story (e.g., I start off Drive with an internal thought of disbelief, I start off Burnt and Extraction with Drake swearing, I start off Crazy with some song lyrics, and the more recent Harper POV chapters of Intentions (Chapter 7, onwards) by jumping into the middle of a conversation).

15. Summarize in 3 sentences or less what is important for you when it comes to climax scenes.

Tension...!!! 😆

If we’re at a climax - whether it be an argument, a chase-scene, a private realisation, or a sex scene - we need to feel like we’ve had a crazy climb up the proverbial mountain to get this stage, so I want the reader’s heart to be pounding, their breath feeling short, and their eyes wide with anticipation.

I have a few tricks on how to achieve this:

1. Emotional investment - a climax is only going to feel climactic to a reader if they feel invested in the story (what’s happened up until now, and what is about to happen). Because, if they don’t care, then you can write whatever you want, and they’ll just be like ‘meh...’ So, laying strong foundations for your charachters and the story in general is important. I personally find this easier to do in first-person POV (because you are literally seeing events unfold through your MC’s eyes, get to glimpse their private thoughts as situations play out).

2. Snappy writing - I’ve been teaching some other people how to do this, but basically, one way to build tension is to use short, snappy sentences and paragraphs. If you’ve written something, that doesn’t feel ‘tense’ enough, you can up the ante simply by cutting a sentence into 2-3 parts by replacing commas with full stops.

But, here are some other tricks that I use all the time:

Short, abrupt sentences/paragraphs (extract from Intentions, Bonus Chapter - Drive - pretty much the entirety of this chapter is an exercise in this method of building tension, but here is quite a solid example:)

"Harper!"

Silence.

Fuck.

She'd hung up on me.

Even though I knew it was probably pointless, I hit the redial button.

After an agonising few seconds, I get nothing but dial tone.

Great...

She'd turned off her phone.

I let out a low growl. This girl was going to be the death of me.

Cutting off conversations mid-flow - this messes with the reader’s expectation because mentally they’re like ‘Hey! What happened! Where’s the rest of it?’ (Extract from Intentions, Chapter 5 - Sparks Fly)

"I followed that bullshit order to the letter," replies Drake with equal dispassion.

"You brought her back! You did the exact opposite of wh—"

"You should never have sent her away in the first place!"

"Guys!" I plead desperately. "Can we please just—?"

"I did what I had to for her!" shouts Christian. "If you'd been thinking with your head instead of your dick, you would've real—"

"At least I was thinking!" retorts Drake. "Instead of reacting like a fuckin' image-conscious moron! You cared more about how—"

"Someone threatened her!"

Italicising important words (Extract from Intentions, Bonus Chapter - Extraction)

"Un-fuckin'-believable..." I grit, turning away from the picturesque view of downtown Manhattan before I hurled my phone off the side of the building with Chris still on the line.

"I didn't want you to add to your plate while you were on the other side of the globe. And the press isn't technically part of your remit, so—"

"That was not your call to make," I hit back irately, double-timing it up and down the terrace in an attempt to work off my aggravation.

This was the second fucking time Chris had made an executive decision concerning Gale without giving me so much as a last minute heads up — the person who he'd assigned to look out for her.

Interrupting thoughts with elipses to continue them after a break (Extract from UA, Bonus Chapter - Burnt)

But I'd lost control. I'd crossed the line.

In more ways than one...

I sling the remainder of the whiskey back.

...and now I was royally fucked.

Interspacing action with thoughts/comments that interrupt the flow of what you’ve been writing about up until now - Drake does this quite naturally when I’m writing him; he is leading you down one thought and then suddenly he interrupts it with a reality check, and you’ve like ‘Oh! That wasn’t the important thing, was it?’ and he’s like ‘Nope!’ 😈

This was an in-person face-to-face. A critical milestone in most relationships — sometimes even a make-or-break one.

Because this was when your girlfriend's parents decided whether or not you were good enough for their daughter.

And even if that wasn't enough tacit pressure to deal with under normal circumstances, I was in the doubly unenviable position of not only doing something like this for the very first time — given that I'd never been in a relationship that had progressed to this stage before — but I was also going to be doing it solo.

Not that that was my biggest worry.

☝️ This last sentence being the interruption of the flow, because you’re like ‘Okay, we’re nervous about meeting Harper’s family’ and then suddenly he’s like ‘Actually...’ and you as the reader are like ‘!!! There’s something more?!’ 😦 and you’re dying to find out!

Not revealing who the speaker is until the last possible moment - keeps the reader guessing (Extract from Intentions, Chapter 9 - Less Than Noble Intentions)

I yank the blade from its holster, raising it into the air as I spin around with a growl.

My assailant's eyes widen in surprise.

But just as I'm about to bring the weapon down into the side of their neck, I feel my wrist connect with something hard and, in the next second, I find myself wrenched around, my hand behind my back and the tip of the blade pressing into my spine.

"Not bad..."

The sound of the familiar voice in my ear knocks the air out of my chest.

"...but aim for the gut next time."

I feel myself pale. It can't be...!

"It's harder to defend and you cause more damage."

The knife falls out of my hand to clatter onto the marble. "Drake!"

And... last, but not least... Swearing! 🤗 Swearing is always great at creating tension - especially when you (as the reader) are not expecting it, because not a huge amount of writers use it, so when you see it, it always hits you in the face! (Extract from Intentions, Chapter 10 - A Frosty Reception)

"I'm not suggesting anything. Because I have no proof." I take a meaningful step towards her as I drop my voice. "But if I find out that you were involved in anything in any way — especially in what happened at Applewood... Well, let's just say I wouldn't want to be you."

Madeline's spluttering like a beached mackerel. "Are you threatening me?"

"Oh, it's no threat," I assure her. "It's a warning. I'm back at court to clear my name. So, I have no time for, and even less interest in power games or stupid pissing contests. And if you're not helping me get to the bottom of this mess, then stay the fuck out of my way."

Shoving past her, I stomp out of the bathroom, hands shaking.

Self-entitled bitch...

3. Climactic climax - Okay, I know that this sounds strange, but if you’re doing a climax, it actually needs to be climactic. You can’t build up to something and then just have it fizzle out. A good example of a climactic climax is the end of the fight scene in Chapter 11 - Twilight Zone of Intentions because all this emotional tension has been building up inside Harper, and suddenly she snaps and starts fighting back, and then she realises that it was Drake that she was about to knife 😬... and everyone shit their pants! 🤣

Okay, I guess that was more than 3 sentences, but nevermind...😅 Hopefully this helps!

16. Share one piece of advise for how you create tension in your stories.

I kinda covered this above, but generally speaking, readers expect text to have a flow. If you interrupt that expectation, that creates tension/anticipation. How you do it is up to you, but the best way to create tension is to go against the grain of what the reader is expecting to happen next 👍

#kara halloway #behind the scenes #writing hacks #this is me

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peeppeephellofatface · 6 years

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In an unexpected turn of events, I’m putting the fic about Duke and Henry up.

Nothing kinky. It’s more angst than anything. Like uh, blatant talk of visceral hatred of other engines, scrapping, and lots of self-deprecation. It’s very out of tone for this blog but dammit, it came out well and I wanted to post it somewhere.

While the television show did not come until years after steam had ended in Britain, it was undeniable that most engines knew of the stories of the Railway Series. At some point or another, they all had heard crew or passengers talk of various fictional steam engines amongst each other, and in turn told other engines about the same tales while they stood side-by-side at stations or were gathered in roundhouses. And over time, these stories took on almost folkloric qualities amongst rolling stock. Many smaller or weaker engines were enamored by the absurd fantasy of an E2 actually able to travel faster than walking pace, let alone pull a passenger train without running out of coal, and wondered if they too could someday overcome the restrictions of their design like that. The morals explained to human children through the stories were shared more literally to new engines. Banking engines would mutter the words of Edward or the Little Engine that Could as they went about their jobs. And in the late days of steam, some engines would dream of being bought by such an idyllic railway where nothing would ever permanently harm them and everything seemed to go right. Some even began treating the place as an afterlife, due to the fact that so many of the locomotives there were of classes long or recently extinct.

The one that had particularly stuck with the Duke of Gloucester, unsurprisingly, was the story of Henry. Both had been botched engines with disappointing performance due to poor steaming. The main difference was that Henry's controller and crew had shown some inkling of care for him, and in typical deus ex machina fashion found a miraculous way to turn him around. Well-meaning engines would try to reassure the Duke with this, but after hearing the same thing so many times, he grew to hate that fictional Henry. How others assumed such fundamentally flawed engines always had some easy fix to make them useful again and that everything would be well in the end. How everything eventually went well for that bloke and damn near everyone else on that nonexistent island that must have been off the coast of lalaland rather than England, while everything was going so wrong for himself. He was destined to be an only child by the onset of dieselization, and knew he was little more than a cheaply-made stopgap made to fill in for a vastly superior engine and would soon be disposed of and replaced by another vastly superior engine. He spent life as a widely disliked backup for failed engines that crews hated to deal with and more than wasted the money saved on his construction by the excessive fuel he needed due to his draughting issues. And he knew they'd never care enough to fix him- it wasn't just self-deprecation, but fact, and he refused to lie about such a thing to himself. And the resentment only grew to hatred as his fate was sealed and he was sent off to some scrapyard after a museum took his cylinders and left the rest of him to rot.

That time was one of the worst times in his life not because of what he saw, but how aggravating his powerlessness was. He knew the inevitable was coming and just wanted to hurry up and happen instead of having to sit around in utter boredom surrounded by the other rotting hulks. After a while, he couldn't even be bothered by the sight of them he'd grown so used to it. Sure, other engines were being saved but there was no way anyone would want something as worthless and incomplete as him. It was a matter of waiting, and wait he did, as the scrapyard had chosen to process the old wagons first, and his wait stretched from months to years. Leaving him to stew in his aggravation and regret, knowing how his only chance at life had been so short and squandered and miserable while the old tales of that idyllic island continued to echo inside him. At times he found himself looking at the other engines there and imagined them as those infernal machines from that island, their bright paint overcome with rust and repenting for their past snottiness and blatant lack of care for their duties. They got away with all kind of accidents and laziness and constantly were spared by their controller, why wasn’t it the same for the other objectively better engines dying around him? Why wasn’t it that way for him? Though he always cut off that last thought with the obvious. The others were mostly perfectly serviceable. He was a nothing but a defective back-up. Still, that Henry was defective and he got to live, yet he kept on whining and causing trouble. He'd never do such things if he'd been in a place like this. Jealousy burned within him. It brought him sick pleasure to imagine that engine languishing there, repenting and begging for mercy.

------

But as many know, miraculously, the Duke was recovered and finally rebuilt more or less as actually designed with some improvement, something he'd never considered, let alone dreamed of previously. And it was in the 90s and 2000s that he began to catch up with the world beyond the scrapyard and workshop. Most notably, one day he realized that Sodor was indeed a real place after he was sent on a run there. It wasn't that nobody knew it existed or that it suddenly came to be, it was just something largely kept secret amongst those that had been there for the sake of maintaining some privacy.

Duke felt ill whenever he thought about those old stories because of how inseparable they were from his dark years. He still couldn't believe the things he thought then, but still he remembered and understood that mindset far too clearly for comfort. He'd tried to shove those stories all aside and forget about them and just focus on his own noises or whatever small details he could see within his narrow field of vision whenever people talked about them. On his way to the island, he couldn't stop thinking about it. His driver was getting aggravated with him making the train late, as he wasn't running his best with the mental state he was in.

"Duke, what's gotten into you?"

"Nothing, nothing. I just need to go harder. You know how I can be. I need to be pushed. It's okay, I'd rather people be too harsh on me than too lax. It's really quite difficult to be that way with me, actually.."

"That's understandable."

Duke enjoyed being run hard, and the exertion helped cloud his mind and blur the scenery. But inevitably, he did arrive at his dreaded destination. He knew it had to be the place by the bright green engine standing at the station he was approaching. He knew he'd never see mainline engines that vivid anywhere else. He could only hope it wasn't Henry, as the thought that all these years the object of his aggravation had been real made him feel so... profane. He couldn’t remember what color he had been, though. He was ready and plotting try to find some excuse to just get the job done and get out of the place and never have to meet the engines there and just bury that part of his life again.

As he approached the engine, he caught a brief glimpse of it before his smoke deflectors blocked his vision. He wasn't familiar enough with the finer points of most engine designs to tell them apart but he was certainly one of the classes of unremarkable mixed-traffic ten-wheelers. That was reassuring. Supposedly, Henry had been some sort of Pacific to start with and this clearly wasn't one. He heard a soft voice beside him as he stopped.

"You're the visitor?"

"Yes."

"You're an interesting looking fellow, who are you?"

"A-A Standard."

"I know that, but what's your name?"

"It's irrelevant."

"Well aren't you friendly? I was just wondering who you were. Ages ago I swore I saw an engine around Crewe with odd valve gear like you."

"Pfft. Plenty of Standard 5s with that. Caprotti valve gear's not that unique."

"Oh. I could have sworn it had smoke deflectors like you, but it was awfully long ago. I'll leave you be. I understand. I'm that way myself oftentimes."

Duke was silent for a second while passengers got on and off the trains and photographs were snapped of the two engines. As he realized that he was going to be here a while, he decided he may as well kill some time with that other engine. He really didn't want to, but he couldn't see it and the lack of visible face calmed him a little. He could just pretend it was another regular engine or even a very loud human.

"So this is a the fabled island of Sodor?"

"It's funny how you folks from the Mainland never believe this place is real."

"So how accurate are the stories?"

"The books are fairly close. The show not so much, the creators seem dead-set on showing all my worst traits and it's horribly embarrassing."

"Shame about that. Hope the workers here know to look past reputations. I've dealt with plenty who didn't. But that was the past."

"Usually once people are at that sort of skill level they know well that the show is often just a load of rubbish. It's more the general public that irritates me."

"I'm sure glad there's not too much out there involving my early years. I'd be happy to forget them all entirely and trick myself into thinking I'm a new build."

"If only they could forget about mine. It was ages ago but it's the early stories that most seem to be familiar with, and they'll never shut up about mine and how "inspirational" I was. Oh, please, there's nothing inspirational about going from being a disgrace who can't do anything to just a regular disgrace."

"I was so awful I didn't even have any classmates."

"I'd be impressed by that if I weren’t a one-off myself for that exact reason. Used to be, at least. I'm still not sure what they did to me to make me what I am now, but I'm not complaining."

"I know all the details about what they did to me, but I'll spare you from it all, it was.. certainly a lot. Unless you absolutely insist."

"Not really. This is probably a bit sudden, but I kind of like you, whoever you are. It's rare to find someone who'll take me seriously and understands me. Funny how we're so similar, unless you're full of rubbish."

"Yes... same here..."

Duke trailed off, becoming increasingly concerned about who this was. Plenty of engines had been rebuilt before. This didn't have to be who he feared.

But then he said exactly what Duke had been dreading.

"It's been nice to meet you, I'm Henry."

His eyes went wide in panic and he had to clench to keep the rest of himself from doing anything that could alarm the passengers or... him. He had had never been more thankful for having his smoke deflectors.

The two sat there, silent, while Duke felt too sick and horrified to respond. This was the Henry he wanted to see rot with him so long ago. The one he so despised. He was real and right here and now he couldn't stand the guilt of his conscious for his invisible crimes knowing what he did. And there was no escaping, he couldn't just outright tell him while they were little more than strangers but also couldn't bear with being around him with that cloud hanging over him all the time. Thankfully, the whistle was blown soon and he was off. Henry tried to whistle to him as a farewell, still confused by his silence, but Duke did not respond. He was wordless on his way back as well, even when questioned by his crew.

"What happened between you and that other bloke? One moment you two seemed to get on fine and then that sudden silence? What's gotten into you?"

Duke wouldn't answer.

To this day, Duke has never returned to that island, for fear of seeing him again. There was too much that he knew that Henry didn't and he didn't think he could ever speak to him again without it coming out and souring things further or pressing that kind of guilt on him for something that may have been augmented or entirely fictional even. And a thought lingered in the back of his mind. What if Henry knew of him? What if he quietly had the same resentments about him and was just as paranoid about running into him as he was? That felt like too strange of a coincidence, though. His life had already been a string of miracles and luck, there was no way something like that would happen. Most likely Henry had never known who he was, or only been told about him once or twice because their experiences had been similar. He was overthinking all of this. All he could do was cram it away in the back of his mind. No way could he make up for that sudden departure. Best to forget that island ever existed and fake whatever illness needed to not go back. Thank god he never told him his name.

#pphfffics

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getseriouser · 7 years

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20 THOUGHTS: Referees Upon Request

RIGHT, so how about that? Who would have thought that the Will Schofield report would not only not be the most absurd tribunal case of the year but not even the most absurd case of the week?

We’re off tonight, back to the Tribunal, after the AFL for the first time appealed a ruling, the severity or lack thereof for Bachar Houli’s striking charge.

We’ve had staging claims, fuzzy medical reports, character references from the highest of profiles and we all feel considerably dumber for it. And there’s been some footy in and amongst it too.

Let’s get our heads out of the sand then.

1. Firstly, Clayton Oliver and Will Schofield. We are glad Schofield got off, I think this idea that his clenched hand contacted Oliver’s jaw is ridiculous. You can then make your own rational conclusion about Oliver’s reaction. Sure, teammates may leap to his defence but it’s hard, especially with the Tribunal’s findings to think anything else.

2. As for Houli, the idea that character references from the PM and a Gold Logie winner, people who have nothing to do with football is very dangerous territory. The act is worth four weeks. I admire the person Houli is, his leadership in the community and the work he does with reconciliation around cultural diversity, absolutely, but good people make mistakes, and good records are one thing, maverick character references are another.

3. Lastly, how we can continue with an MRP who sees and does one thing, and a Tribunal doing another is even worse. Either scrap the MRP or get the Tribunal to be dependant of the MRP, an extension of it, so we can get somewhere near the postcode of consistency, right now it’s insane, glaringly preposterously wrong. I expect tonight’s appeal to right the wrong.

4. Onto the footy itself, and what a season we are having! Already the most 1-3 point games in one recorded season and we’re roughly two thirds of the way through. The results last week were phenomenal and you can attribute equalisation, the rule changes, the evolution of the game, whatever, it’s all positive. No-one really knows what to expect anymore, far more teams are competitive than ever before and everyone will watch and continue to watch which keeps bringing in the mega dollars.

5. Let us get the Dees out of the way up front, and deservedely so it’s been a great narrative. In a season, an open season, where sure, the GWS and the Crows look like the yardsticks thus far, even those sides at times show the flag is far from a narrow race. And when you look at how the Demons are playing, you look at the talent at their disposal it’s hard to discredit their chances, now, for top four, and from there, who knows. Great stuff.

6. Further to that, until last week they were doing all this without their best player, Max Gawn, such an integral part to their game in the ruck. And don’t dismiss the impact a tall forward, or two, will have come September. Jesse Hogan will return and offer a substantial target inside 50 and should they look into it Sam Wiedeman is in great nick in the VFL kicking a bag of six last weekend. This is enormously positive.

7. Jack Viney had such a monster game. The sheer contested ball he won in the first quarter and then critically in the final term was inspirational. It’s the likes of he and fellow co-captain Nathan Jones that can take this team deep.

8. We know West Coast can’t travel, but if you’re going to drop even a few games at home as well, the Eagles don’t deserve to make the eight over sides like the Bulldogs, St. Kilda, etc. We looked set to have two WA teams make September, now they’ll be lucky to get one. Things are not right for Adam Simpson’s men.

9. For Richmond, the skeletons of finals past will linger but as it stands, in sixth, their path to greatness is as lenient as they come. If the first week of finals started this week they’d face the Eagles at the MCG in an Elimination Final, the dream result. Once the monkey is off the back, they’d come up against Geelong in an MCG Semi Final, and who’d begrudge the Tigers’ chances in that, followed by a Preliminary Final appearance at Spotless against the Giants. Tough test but the Dogs showed no fear twelve months ago, and the lure of a Grand Final appearance the week after would likely be against the travelling Crows. Look, all hypothetical and by no means predictive, but it shows that this year can/could be the year it finally falls differently for the Yellow and Black.

10. How good are Port Adelaide? If you like the way Nathan Buckley judges footy, as opposed to his coaching abilities, then they’re really good. The Pies have not faced Adelaide yet but according to the Pies’ coach the Power are the best team in it. Percentage doesn’t lie, they have such a nice makeup on paper and who knows in a season like the one we’re having. Money on SA teams to go deep is money well invested at the minute.

11. As for Collingwood, super quick on the next three weeks. After the loss on the weekend, one they would have, well, ‘liked’ to have banked internally, they now face a really critical moment. The Pies have the Hawks this Sunday who will fancy their chances, an emerging Essendon the weekend after too will be tough to beat. Should both games be losses, they’d be mathematically ruled out of the finals should they lose to Gold Coast, up there, the week after. Ask Brett Ratten how losses at Metricon go down. Long story short, from something reasonably optimistic pre-Queen’s Birthday, watch this all become mega hot within three weeks.

12. Dogs and North, what a two game series they’ve had. Three points in the bumper, inaugural Good Friday clash, then a solitary behind on the weekend. Great stuff. The Dogs find themselves in ninth, still hanging around to make the eight, from there who knows, as for the Roos, sadly, second to last. And such is the closeness of the season, had those two results hypothetically reversed, North would be in 12th with a bullet right now, and the reigning premier would be languishing in 14th – staggering.

13. Shout out to the North fans this week, one of the better second to last seasons we’ve seen. We like their kids, they’ve had four losses under a goal, it’s been tough. Now, who’s to say if they can’t get Dustin Martin on board with a tonne of cash that they can’t win 12 games at least next year – not ludicrous. Remember, this team resoundingly defeated Adelaide by ten goals this season, they aren’t too bad the Roos.

14. We also are liking the Swan’s resurgence. From 0-6, they are now hammering down on a September appearance. This column subscribes to the gauge that percentage gives us, and now, as we approach the critical period of July-August, Sydney possesses the seventh best percentage – that is key.

15. Still not sure on Geelong. Great win, inspiring win on the weekend, but how much does that say about Fremantle really? Had the Cats on toast, and on the bench in tracksuits, yet stumbled under the heat. Would the Cats have won injury-free anyway, most probably. But when they finish the season something like 16-6 or 17-5 and the bookies want to offer mega short prices for another Geelong flag, just say no. Two wins by two points, one by one point, and the Demons properly stuffed their Round 3 game up completely. This is a 7-6 team, maybe even a 6-7 team to be frank.

16. Scott Thompson, remember him? Not the North defender, the Crows onballer. He has been stuck in the SANFL all year, yet to play a senior game. Got 33 touches and kicked two on the weekend for the Crows reserves, sure, old, not in Don Pyke’s plans, but in a premiership year, in a side that went super hard after Bryce Gibbs, could the 307-gamer be that extra piece that solidifies the Crows’ chance of a third flag? This column says definitely yes.

17. Quick young player debate – Clayton Oliver or Ryan Burton? Numbers say its the Demons’ midfielder, but gee the impact Burton is having goes a long way in making this close. Oliver is doing supremely well, influencing games, in a good midfield for a good team. But playing in the backline for a third-to-last side on the heavy downward spiral after years of dominance, and to be as good as he has been, must be considered. Averaging 21 touches, six marks, four rebound 50s a game, the South-Australian goes close to matching Oliver at the minute..

18. Onto some footy this weekend and we start with Friday night, Melbourne taking on Sydney. Some key outs for the Dees might hurt but this is set up for them big time. The Swans are a force all of a sudden, the hottest team in the league, but at the MCG there are, nor should be few sides that could concern the up and about Demons. Melbourne wins, on the big Friday night stage, it’s just more puff in their sails. A loss, they might just be another team in the pack, and last year’s runner up is a legitimate threat to do the unthinkable and make amends from last year all of a sudden.

19. Geelong travel north to take on the best side in the comp. Simply put this is a game they should not get close in. But it is a funny season like that. The Giants need to swat them away, do the business and win well, showing that the Cats are not at their level despite their win-loss record. The visitors could use an impressive win on the road to address the sceptics, because we’d need to see it.

20. And lastly the bumper Saturday night game in Adelaide, Richmond taking on Port Adelaide. This column gives the Tigers a chance, weirdly, good form and good momentum will stand for a fair bit on their travels. We aren’t a million percent bought-in to the 2017 Power yet and this is the kind of game a stumble could occur. But, and for those who really rate their body of work thus far, this is set up for a repeat of the last time Richmond went to the shores of the River Torrens in Round Six – ambitious going in but ultimately thumped by the home side. Port aren’t far off Adelaide at their best, so they’d want to flex their muscles against a fellow top-eight side.

(originally published June 29)

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