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I signed up to do a Sam Carter fic thinking that the assignment I get will give me the plot, all I have to do is write it. It’d be fun playing in the SG1 universe. However, the assignment really didn’t give me a plot at all. Instead, it listed a couple of requirements that would happily fit any fic I’d write: Team interaction, Sam as scientist and soldier, a little action, a little humor, no ship, no bad endings. There is no plot in that. Now, I have come up with a dozen different ideas, but none have any teeth. When I start writing them, they don’t even give me a scene!
I know what the problem is, too. I just don’t understand Sam. I love the character, mind, but I don’t understand her. To be honest, I have a really hard time understand most female characters on television, which is why I always write the guys.
Without an understanding of the character, I have no story, no flesh to hang on my skeleton of a plot, no reason for the characters to do anything at all. I need a plot to have a story, but I need character motivations to have a plot.
So, in an attempt to figure out how to write this story, I give you Sam Carter as I see her:Sam is brilliant and she’s brilliant at just about everything. You name a science and Sam has dabbled in it – she’s even helped with the medical side of things. She doesn’t know it all, but she knows enough to be able to do what she has to. She can think outside the box, as demonstrated by the number of times she comes up with a solution when no one else could. She goes after every puzzle with a “make no assumptions” attitude.
Sam is a decorated soldier and is an excellent officer. She is this despite a history of disliking the service, as evidenced by the fact that all her “other selves” clearly are shocked that she is with the military. (Of course, I totally don’t get the “hate the military because your father is in the military and because of that he didn’t pick up your mom on time, she got impatient, took a cab instead, which got in an accident and she was killed”. Wow. That makes no sense to me.) She is a perfect second-in-command. She provides alternatives and follows orders exactly when needed. With all that said, she does have a bit of a problem when in command. Not when she’s by herself, mind (she did great when fighting off the super soldier), but in command she tends to second-guess herself too much.
She is able to express her emotions openly and without being ashamed of them. She accepted the intense feelings for Martouf that she got for Jolienar (once she realized what was happening) as her own, without any resentment or desire to suppress them. When Daniel walked up to find them in a situation that was obviously fairly intimate, Sam had not indication of embarrassment or discomfort. She forms quick and strong attachments people: Cassandra, Narim, Orlin, Pete. She cares deeply and legitimately for all of them. She is loyal and faithful.
She has willingly and consistently put work ahead of personal life, but at the same time she obviously longs for a “family”, so much so that she was willing to ‘settle’ for Pete – someone she cared about, but who obviously wasn’t who she really wanted. In the end, she had enough courage to do the right thing even if she put it off a little too long.
Sam can see the good in every one, often to the extent of turning a blind eye to their faults. She firmly believes that the good in anyone can outweigh the bad – even more so than Daniel, I think. This is especially true with herself, when Replicator!Carter pops up, she doesn’t suspect any evilness at all, as if she can’t see herself doing anything like that.
I see Sam as someone who graduated HS early and attended a couple of years of regular college. She then went to the Air Force Academy because it was the best route to becoming an astronaut. Yet, after that dream blew up with the shuttle, she liked Air Force life enough to stay part of it.
I know all these things, but I don’t know why she is all these things. Why did she want to be an astronaut? To explore, to help humanity, to see Earth from orbit? Why does she stay a soldier when she is so obviously perfect for being a scientist? What is her center, what keeps her going, what stopped her from “settling” for Pete? What are her insecurities? What holds her back? More importantly, what drives her?
I know what drives Jack, Daniel and Teal’c. I even know what drives Jonas and Cameron. But what drives Sam? A thirst for knowledge? A drive to succeed? A quest to explore? A promise to someone or herself?
This is the key to writing Sam (or any character) and I’m completely missing it.
I know what the problem is, too. I just don’t understand Sam. I love the character, mind, but I don’t understand her. To be honest, I have a really hard time understand most female characters on television, which is why I always write the guys.
Without an understanding of the character, I have no story, no flesh to hang on my skeleton of a plot, no reason for the characters to do anything at all. I need a plot to have a story, but I need character motivations to have a plot.
So, in an attempt to figure out how to write this story, I give you Sam Carter as I see her:Sam is brilliant and she’s brilliant at just about everything. You name a science and Sam has dabbled in it – she’s even helped with the medical side of things. She doesn’t know it all, but she knows enough to be able to do what she has to. She can think outside the box, as demonstrated by the number of times she comes up with a solution when no one else could. She goes after every puzzle with a “make no assumptions” attitude.
Sam is a decorated soldier and is an excellent officer. She is this despite a history of disliking the service, as evidenced by the fact that all her “other selves” clearly are shocked that she is with the military. (Of course, I totally don’t get the “hate the military because your father is in the military and because of that he didn’t pick up your mom on time, she got impatient, took a cab instead, which got in an accident and she was killed”. Wow. That makes no sense to me.) She is a perfect second-in-command. She provides alternatives and follows orders exactly when needed. With all that said, she does have a bit of a problem when in command. Not when she’s by herself, mind (she did great when fighting off the super soldier), but in command she tends to second-guess herself too much.
She is able to express her emotions openly and without being ashamed of them. She accepted the intense feelings for Martouf that she got for Jolienar (once she realized what was happening) as her own, without any resentment or desire to suppress them. When Daniel walked up to find them in a situation that was obviously fairly intimate, Sam had not indication of embarrassment or discomfort. She forms quick and strong attachments people: Cassandra, Narim, Orlin, Pete. She cares deeply and legitimately for all of them. She is loyal and faithful.
She has willingly and consistently put work ahead of personal life, but at the same time she obviously longs for a “family”, so much so that she was willing to ‘settle’ for Pete – someone she cared about, but who obviously wasn’t who she really wanted. In the end, she had enough courage to do the right thing even if she put it off a little too long.
Sam can see the good in every one, often to the extent of turning a blind eye to their faults. She firmly believes that the good in anyone can outweigh the bad – even more so than Daniel, I think. This is especially true with herself, when Replicator!Carter pops up, she doesn’t suspect any evilness at all, as if she can’t see herself doing anything like that.
I see Sam as someone who graduated HS early and attended a couple of years of regular college. She then went to the Air Force Academy because it was the best route to becoming an astronaut. Yet, after that dream blew up with the shuttle, she liked Air Force life enough to stay part of it.
I know all these things, but I don’t know why she is all these things. Why did she want to be an astronaut? To explore, to help humanity, to see Earth from orbit? Why does she stay a soldier when she is so obviously perfect for being a scientist? What is her center, what keeps her going, what stopped her from “settling” for Pete? What are her insecurities? What holds her back? More importantly, what drives her?
I know what drives Jack, Daniel and Teal’c. I even know what drives Jonas and Cameron. But what drives Sam? A thirst for knowledge? A drive to succeed? A quest to explore? A promise to someone or herself?
This is the key to writing Sam (or any character) and I’m completely missing it.
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no subject
Date: 2006-07-21 03:24 am (UTC)From:http://rowan-d.livejournal.com/131796.html
http://rowan-d.livejournal.com/130595.html?thread=1192739#t1192739
http://www.stargatehandbook.org/sg1/sammain.html
Ugh...these are hard questions, even though Sam is my PRIMARY focus.
Sam is brilliant < snip> She can think outside the box
Indeed. I think she actually has a little trouble breaking AWAY from that brilliance (see: http://www.stargatehandbook.org/sg1/sammain.html#science) when she's caught up in the Cool Science.
despite a history of disliking the service
Actually, OUR Sam has said she can't imagine not being AF, and she didn't a grudge against the service for her mother's death in our universe; Mark did. I think she feels she missed out on having a dad more of the time due to Jacob's moving around, being away, and, more importantly, his emotional distance after her mother's death, but I don't think our Sam has any grudge against or dislike for the military and, in fact, considers it as the primary defining aspect of her self.
She is a perfect second-in-command. She provides alternatives and follows orders exactly when needed. With all that said, she does have a bit of a problem when in command. --tends to second-guess herself too much.
I totally agree with this. I think that part of what appeals to her about the military is that there is a clear structure. She knows what to do, when to do it, how to do it right. This appeals to her perfectionist nature. The military also provides her with enough adrenaline-junkie highs to satisfy her streak of thrill-seeking and competetiveness.
She is able to express her emotions openly and without being ashamed of them.
I agree with this in general, but I also think she is very tightly controlled much of the time. I think one of the primary things that drives her is a wish for people to be proud of her, especially if they are authority figures--Jack, her dad, Hammond... I think she's actually not very good at relationships; she is, all too often, trying to find an ideal, or trying to help/fix someone (Jonas Hanson, Orlin), and that need to help is, imo, part of what draws in some of the crazies (Jonas Hanson, Orlin).
She forms quick and strong attachments people: Cassandra, Narim, Orlin, Pete. She cares deeply and legitimately for all of them. She is loyal and faithful.
And yet she is still, as
she had enough courage to do the right thing even if she put it off a little too long.
Yep. This sense of honor and integrity are CENTRAL to both her and Jack, and is one of the things they have most in common. I think this is why she felt so personally bad about leaving Fifth; she felt like she had broken her word.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-21 03:24 am (UTC)From:I think she WANTS to believe this, wants to think that everything can work out. Daniel is much more cynical. Jack is a cockeyed optimist who doesn't believe things work out, but rather believes that he WILL MAKE THEM work because he detests the alternative so much. Sam, imo, feels RESPONSIBLE for making things work.
What is her center, what keeps her going? ...More importantly, what drives her?
I think a lot of it is pure curiosity. She wants to know everything, to learn everything, to see everything, and to find ways to use and do things with it that will help people and make her a valued member of her team and branch of service and country and planet. I think she feels a huge duty to the idea of "with great power comes great responsibility"--that with her intellect, opportunities, position, she is responsible to make sure that she does her veryveryvery best--and then more--to make sure that things work out for as many people as she can. Especially since she knows that the PLANET is at stake, I think she sees herself as personally responsible for making sure she finds and understands and puts to good use and to their advantage ANYTHING that's out there to be found.
What are her insecurities? What holds her back?
Fear of failure. Fear of losing those she loves. Fear of being alone. Fear of disappointing anyone. Fear of not being good enough.
Don't know if this helps, but it's part of how I see Sam.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-21 03:28 am (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2006-07-21 03:47 am (UTC)From:I will re-read in the morning and see if there is anything else I can add though.
no subject
Date: 2006-07-21 04:34 am (UTC)From:I think Sam might have some gut feelings about the army from her childhood, but she's got the whole compartmentalization routine down, so she can DO something she has gut level reactions to. And she's got a certain amount of her identity sewn up in her scientific detachment. It doesn't mean she has to supress emotions, but she would be more upset by those emotions getting in the way of her accomplishing something she needed to than by any of the emotions themselves.
She took a certain amount of pleasure (although not obnoxious amounts of it) in being "Samantha" as opposed to "Samuel" in the first ep, as I recall. Some of what drives her would be the need to prove that those who told her she can't be a woman and be successful at science, or the military, are wrong. Even if they never know it, she'll have proven it. Some of what drives her is simple fascination with the things she works with. They are toys, in a sense, but she doesn't take them lightly; she knows how dangerous they can be, and first and foremost, she is a GOOD person.
Her faith is the faith that there will always be something new to discover, but she also tends to put faith in people.
The reason she has such trouble with command is that as a scientist she is trained to remain objective; it's the opposite of trusting your gut. When it's just a fight, she has only to use her abilities to observe her opponent(s), make a theory and test it out. She can make the fight objective, because the opponents are not some of the people she has faith in - they can become test subjects. When she has to command people, it isn't so cut and dried. People's personalities are variables and as such, they mess her up. The possibilities get in her way, and she can't be entirely objective about the people she's commanding, nor can she just trust gut instinct that easily. She is bothered at the idea of letting THEM down.
OK, I should've been in bed ages ago, so I'm gonna stop trying to make that last paragraph make sense and say what I want it to; maybe it'll jog something for you as is. *HUGS*
no subject
Date: 2006-07-21 05:15 am (UTC)From:How to describe Sam Carter?
I tend to see characters as bundles of psychoses holding things together with duct tape and string. I don't always write them that way, but in the overall scheme of things, characters (and people) are like icebergs...or maybe swans. There's a lot more to happening to them than you can see.
From what I can tell, you've got the tip of the iceberg, but are having trouble with the submerged part - possibly even the idea that there is a submerged part?
My take on Sam is that she started out with a severe inferiority complex that manifested itself in defensive behaviours, particularly when relating to her gender in her job. Her opening scene in Children of the Gods, her part and protest in Emancipation, and her attitude in Hathor (particularly when Jack doesn't back her up in the face of Hathor) bear this out.
Over the seasons, the knee jerk response to people implying she can't do her job fades - presumably because she comes to realise that her commanders are going to trust her opinion and not second-guess her without serious reason. A time when it does come back in sharp relief is when she encounters Rodney McKay - someone in her own field of work, who promptly walks in and questions her judgement - and up come the defenses again. The wounds have healed over, but they're still weak spots.
The inferiority complex probably has a little to do with Sam's tendency to overachieve, although I imagine she'd be intelligent and capable even if she wasn't as driven as she was. With a can-do attitude emphasised by the military, her own natural desire to succeed would hit high-gear, presenting a woman who tends to find a solution that's more force than subtlety.
I see the Replicarter situation very differently, too. It's not that Sam thinks herself incapable of evil so much as that she makes the mistake of believing Replicarter lets 'her' feelings and history (inherited from Sam) hold her back the way Sam does. Sam has ties and connections that she allows to restrain her. Replicarter doesn't let those same things touch her. Their history is the same, their background is identical up to the point where Fifth copied her and created Replicarter, but Replicarter takes a very different spin on it to Sam - she sees Sam as weak. I don't recall the exact words, but at the end of Gemini, Replicarter tells Sam something along the lines of: "You could have ruled this galaxy if you'd tried. Since you're not going to, I'm going to do what you're too scared to do."
What drives (or drove) Replicarter was knowledge and ambition. What drives Sam is similar, but throttled back - refracted within the lens of a human woman who struggles with the conflict of wanting to make a difference for others, but who wants a slice of life for herself (Pete, something that approximates normal).
Ultimately, what drives Sam is the quest for knowledge, the need to make a difference, leave her mark on the universe, and most of all to prove herself 'good enough'.
Good enough for what? That varies from interpretation to interpretation. I don't think there is an 'enough' for Sam Carter. It's all rolled up in a melee with her perceptions of herself, her ambition, her personal insecurities and how she deals with them (or doesn't), and the need to know more, do more, be more.
For a look at SG1 (mostly Jack and Sam) as 'psychoses held together with duct tape and string', I recommend
Specifically 'Banshee (http://sgcbearcub.livejournal.com/999.html#cutid1)' for an indication of the kind of simmering rage and fuelled fury that might lie beneath Sam's cool blonde surface. Alternatively 'Monkey Screaming' and 'Mirror Image (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2597840/1/)' for stripping the layers down to raw edge - while the first is more about Jack, the second one (sequel) is more about Sam. Both also carry a strong team angle.
Didn't mean to go on for quite so long. Hope that helps! *g* (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2589461/1/) ()
Part 1
Date: 2006-07-21 12:45 pm (UTC)From:I think in order to understand Sam Carter you have to think about what you do know and what you don't know, which you've definitely done. But then you need to imagine the rest of it because there's a certain amount of freedom that you have with her history because we just were never shown her complete background.
I think people also tend to have slightly different versions of Sam, and that's okay. Each one seems very Sam-like.
I can give you my version of Sam and how I see her. If anything, maybe it will get you thinking. Hopefully?
Why did she want to be an astronaut? To explore, to help humanity, to see Earth from orbit?
I think all kids want to be astronauts at some point in their lives. They give it up when they realize how much work and math is involved. But Sam is GREAT at math. Awesome, in fact. For her the dream could keep building and never be crushed. But I like to imagine a moment or two where someone said, "Women can't be astronauts, dear. How about being a nice secretary?" Because (argh!) there's some prime motivation there, and a reason for all the in-your-face feminism when we first meet her. And the sexism would have gotten both better and worse once she joined the Air Force.
Why does she stay a soldier when she is so obviously perfect for being a scientist?
She likes the field. She loves doing this wonderful thing of stepping through the gate. She's curios like we all are about what's out there. I'm not sure you can really ascribe a particular motivation to this. She's a risk-taker, we've seen this in the way she comes up with all the wacky scientific ideas and then makes them work, time after time. And maybe science comes so easily to her that without the field work it becomes dreary.
What is her center, what keeps her going, what stopped her from “settling” for Pete?
Eesh. This one's a little more difficult as I feel the writing for her during this time period was very uneven and often unfair. She's a theoretical astrophysicist. She's working in theory and is eager to prove everything she puts together in her mind. The gate offers her this chance regularly. It allows her to grow as a scientist. But, er, her personal life? Not so much. I tend to give her a bit of an "outsider looking in" angle to her center/personality. She's basically giving up that normal life with a husband and kids for gate travel. At least for right now, and she's not getting any younger. The guys have all had that for a time, but not her.
With Pete, I just feel she saw the opportunity to have that life, and she loved the guy, so why not? But... she'd never really dealt with the Jack thing in any meaningful way, and so of course as things got closer to actually becoming permanent, she got more and more nervous. She needed to deal with Jack first.
With the others, she was free to express her emotions because, well, 1) they were more open than Jack ever has been. And 2) there wasn't the regs thing to worry about.
*sigh* I guess I will have to do a part 2. Drat! I was trying to keep it short and simple for you.
Re: Part 2
Date: 2006-07-21 12:45 pm (UTC)From:This will be some random sentences: I tend to write her as a bit socially inept. Not really stunted, but she has a hard time identifying with other women outside of the SGC (and men for that matter). She can't tell them what she does. She's most likely smarter than they are. She isn't into the soccer mom and mini-vans thing. She's always thinking about science in some way. She's not the best at conveying her feelings when it's someone who really matters. A little afraid of losing perhaps? She does have some ego to contend with. She knows she's smart, accepts it, gets on with it. Do the other scientists think of her as Super Sam? Rodney McKay irritates her when he says she's wrong. She's beautiful, so surely she's had male attention before, but she tends to pick fairly strong personalities, just like her father. No surprise there. She seems mostly unwilling to disobey orders, even when she doesn't believe they're right. She will question authority, but ehhh... not really so much.
I think the writing in general for the show tends to cloak all the shippiness in order to make all the fans as happy as possible, and then it's hard to really see some important points about Sam and her non-soldierey self.
I've read meta about Sam from someone else who writes her as much less of a dork than I do. They approach her entire life and center and motivation from a scientific POV. That Sam looks at everything logically. It works for them. I come from more of a POV where Sam felt alone most of her life because her gifts set her apart. She found a family at the SGC. When she's outside of that family, she feels like a bit of a misfit.
And, maybe I should stop for now... I hope this gives you *something* to think about. ;)