Green Room - Week 15 - Day 4

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Happy National Pancake Day!

That's right. Those of you forced to be damn foreigners don't get free pancakes. But 'Mericans do! :)

http://www.ihoppancakeday.com/

Pancakes.

***

A reminder:
Topic: http://community.livejournal.com/therealljidol/305683.html
Home Game: http://community.livejournal.com/therealljidol/306686.html

***

I've had people ask me about having specific genre or "types of" weeks. One of the ones that keeps coming up is "entries under 100 words". To me, it really fits into the same category as "write fiction" or "do a meta post". "video", etc.

I'm not a fan of purposefully limiting your work.

Some people do it as a test to themselves, and if they get something out of it, that's fantastic.

Ultimately, I think the format should serve the Work, not have the Work be determined by a preset format. Sometimes that can lead to interesting results, but I think those tend to work better when it is individually driven, when it's something you have set out to do because you want to do it rather than someone else telling you.

Which is why I don't plan on doing it any time soon. (That said, I did have an idea of how to potentially make it work if I decide to do a Season 7.)

***

The most important thing to remember is "Be Yourself" and let your work be *your* work. . . well, that and PANCAKES. Pancakes are pretty darn important too.

Comments

[supremegoddess1.livejournal.com]

mmmm....pancakes....

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

Here, have some!

[lawchicky.livejournal.com]

Mmmm pancakes are the best breakfast food ever!

[drjeff.livejournal.com]

No way, man.. cold pizza!

[comedychick.livejournal.com]

I think it's more interesting when we have different "types" of posts every week anyway. It would get boring by the 10th post if we all had to do the same sort of challenge with a "type" of entry, and with 75 people still around... yeah, it'd get old pretty quick!

[teaberryblue.livejournal.com]

I agree with Dom. I like the idea of challenging people to step out of their comfort zone (for example, by maybe offering more byes or a special game power to people who take on an extra challenge to work in x number of specific formats), but setting the format for a specific week would not only be boring to read, but would limit the people who are taking on a personal challenge-- I wouldn't be able to fit all the formats into a comic, for example, and jack_batelin might have trouble continuing his serial.

[stormkitty.livejournal.com]

I would love to go get pancakes, but our closest IHOP is like 30 minutes away. :( I have a sad. Oh, and I have too much to do today to go deal with crowds and get pancakes. :)

Hoping the dog will be less needy today and I can actually work in the studio for the whole day. Yesterday he sat out here in the living room wooing for me because he didn't want to be alone. Once I grabbed another project and came out here, he put his head down and went to sleep. Danged spoiled dog.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

I'm maybe 10 minutes from an IHOP, but I doubt I'll have time to go during lunch hour today since it would indubitably turn into a 2-hour affair, LOL.

[worldofcharlie.livejournal.com]

As much as we love pancakes...unfortunately the last time we were at a IHOP was when we were confronted by a now former friend (who's crazy), so it's not my favorite place right now..

Oh yeah... this week's entry's about that crazy guy...*smirks*...

As for doing specific fun things like limiting writing to 100 words...that's bloody hard to do....I'd never tell someone to write in a style or a way that they're uncomfortable doing...

For instance...we can't write Haiku's not even to save my own life. In fact we're horrible in poetry...to have to count syllables is hard for us (well being that we're hearing impaired makes it more difficult to do)

Although we've enjoyed going to Open Mikes/poetry readings...but it's not a style we're comfortable in writing in general (that goes for Carrie as well)

[karmasoup.livejournal.com]

Haikus are all right.

But sometimes they don't make sense.

Refrigerator.

[marjory.livejournal.com]

IHOP are definitely a week late for Shrove Tuesday.

*shakes head*

Then again, a free pancake is a free pancake. Go to it!

As for the writing stuff, I'm always myself. I also can not possibly be the only person here who when someone says something like,"I hate reading poems/fiction/stories about gay, blue kittens." perversely starts draughting a selection of narrative verse concerning the adventures of gay, blue kittens in my head... I likes me some minor, armchair rebellion!

[drjeff.livejournal.com]

Gay Blue Kittens would be an awesome band name. :)

[mstrobel.livejournal.com]

I want pancakes with strawberries and ice-cream!

[drjeff.livejournal.com]

Gah.

[geniusinmaine.livejournal.com]

The closest IHOP is two and a half hours from here, so unfortunately no free pancakes for me.

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

Pancake icon - everyone gets some Zen pancakes today!

[drjeff.livejournal.com]

Ummmmm... what do you mean IF you decide to do a season 7? Do NOT get me all wrapped up in this and then STOP.

Otherwise I will CONTINUE to use UPPER CASE. :)

6:08 here. Coffee, anyone?

This was in my journal yesterday. I'll post it here so you'll know why I'm tired today. And to extend my record of insanely-long green room comments.

LOVE!
--
- client hospitalized, then ensuing conversation with said client, freaked out and lonely in the hospital.
- client has grand mal seizure during first five minutes of job we've been struggling to get him to be able to take.
- client told ridiculous stuff by school from which I graduated.
- interview with not-particularly awesome supervisee candidate.
- phone wrangling with system re: hospitalized client.
- client who drove to campus so panic-stricken that she nearly had to just pull over her car and not come in.
- client talking about husband having to be attended to by paramedics on airplane due to post-drinking seizure activity to dismay of surrounding passengers.
- saying goodbye to awesome client who is leaving school and thus no longer able to see me. Tears involved.
- up at 5:30 AM.
- out of house at 6.
- home at 7. Nearly four hours total commute.
--
Ironically, I'm taking tomorrow off as a "mental health day." :)

Coffee time!

[drjeff.livejournal.com]

Holy shit... that was long. :)

[cacophonesque.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... Pancakes. There actually is an IHOP in downtown Brooklyn now, but I don't think I'll end up going there (promotional things in the city are pretty much HELL to me). I'd make some pancakes, but I'd have to go grocery shopping, so we'll see how that goes.

The specific genres/forms thing seems like a fun individual challenge, but on a large group scale, I think it would get tedious. And, I totally agree with you--the form *should* serve the work. Once I had a professor who would not give us length requirements for papers. My classmates would get so frustrated with him, but I rather liked it. He just told us that our papers should be exactly long enough to present our argument and not any longer than that. Personally, I loved it! Finally, I didn't have to fill my paper with BS to meet arbitrary length guidelines.

Speaking of writing... I'm working on my post for the week. And it may or may not take on an unusual form. We'll see.

Today it is raining. Today I am wearing my legwarmers. Today I am feeling sleepy. Today I am going to do more work at work.

[drjeff.livejournal.com]

Haha.. I was that professor. Drove 'em crazy.

Mmm... legwarmers. Sounds like a good idea. That and another 4 hours of sleep!

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

MMMMMMMmmmmm pancakes.

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

Here, have some! :)

[poppetawoppet.livejournal.com]

panakes? Now I want cracker barrel...

hmmm I tend to work better under constrictions, so the whole demanding me to wrote a certain way would probably work for me.

Although the last free topic was a great surprise to me how many people liked it. Who knew sestinas were so popular?

I really wanted to stay away from zombies this week and do something radical, and then, bam! the story came. Maybe next week I'll do a musical post, complete with video. hmmmmm

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

I could walk from home to the closest Cracker Barrel if I wanted to (although alas, I'm at work right now). It would take me about 20-30 minutes, as it is about 1.5 miles away, but I could do it!

[callistahogan.livejournal.com]

Mmm. Pancakes. I love it when my dad makes pancakes with strawberry syrup and a huge pile of bacon on the side. *sighs happily* SO good.

I'm not sure if I like the idea of a specific format we all have to write in, because it would get tedious if fifty, sixty, seventy, eighty people did the same thing. I like having a specific topic we have to write on, because there are so many ways different people can take it and it really makes the competition unique. Having a specific topic really showcases people's individual talents.

But what is this IF I decide to do a season 7? This is the first year I've competed, and I don't want it to be the last! You can't just suck me into this game and then take it away!

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

I love pancakes with a side of crispy bacon... nom nom nom!

Don't worry, I'm sure Gary will do a season 7. He's just crazy dedicated that way!

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

It probably comes as no surprise to anyone that I HAZ A PANCAKE ICON, LOL.

If you can't be yourself, at least impersonate someone cool!

My entry is posted as of last night, so that's a load off, whee!

[drjeff.livejournal.com]

Yay for loads off!

:)

[kittenboo.livejournal.com]

Oh I was off by a day! I made gingerbread pancakes yesterday, and Honey Bunches of Oats cereal today!

In other news, without going into details, I am having a medical issue and made a doctors appointment, but it will be 2 weeks! So now i am left reading online medical sites which say my symptoms could range from meaning absolutely nothing, to you know, stuff i hopefully do not have. These are the moments when i wish there was no internet to be scaring me!

[poppetawoppet.livejournal.com]

web MD is the worst invention ever.

shudders

*crosses fingers*

[beautyofgrey.livejournal.com]

It's one of those days.

One of those days where you wake up, and all you can look forward to is a hot, steamy shower, with the water drumming into your shoulder blades, easing the morning tension out of your muscles, or cascading down over your breasts and belly, rousing you to wakefulness...

...but in reality, you strip down in the frigid air, step into an icy cold mist b/c the pipes aren't hot yet, and start your day with eleventy-billion chill bumps, chattering teeth, and working out the morning tension by reaching for the hot/cold water knobs while attempting to avoid that icy water.

I think I should go back to bed now.

[crimsonplum.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't know...the first paragraph certainly warmed *me* up... ;)

[poppetawoppet.livejournal.com]

REALLY? My mum is English and I have never heard of this. Now I must go ask her.

[crimsonplum.livejournal.com]

*sashays into the Green Room looking AWESOME*

So it would seem that the Annoying Relative Meet-Up has been moved to today. Fortunately, I look really nice. I *would* like to thump my mom on the back of the head, though, because she's making a lot of drama about where to go to lunch in an area where the options are really, really limited.

Meh, it's only an hour. I can suck it up. Because I feel sassy and am not going to let anything get in my way. :)

[gratefuladdict.livejournal.com]

Lookin' good, girl! Those cupcakes give you a certain sticky glow.

Good luck with Annoying Relative Meet-Up!

[beautyofgrey.livejournal.com]

Also, thank you, Gary, because I now have supper tonight all figured out. :D

[gratefuladdict.livejournal.com]

YAY pancakes!!

This makes me nostalgic for baxaphobia's obscure holiday series in her journal.

I was up till 3:00am drafting my Idol entry. I decided to go with truth rather than fiction, so now in addition to being exhausted, I'm depressed.

Someone bring me pancakes, stat.

[cacophonesque.livejournal.com]

Only about a month and a half to go until Dyngus Day!

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

To quote the late, great and immortal George Carlin... "This message just in from the National Institute of Waffles... F**K PANCAKES."

I agree with everything that's been said about limiting your writing to fit inside a predetermined structure. One of the things I love about Idol is the total diversity of writing styles... you just never know what you're going to get. And that's awesome.

And Gary, what do you mean "IF" you decided to do a Season 7??? IF? I think displacing hundreds of Idolers and unleashing them upon the world without a weekly prompt and vote would be catastrophic!!! There would be dire global consequences! Think about the children, man!

Speaking of children... I just have to say... sometimes, other people's children make me SO thankful for my cat. Seriously... other people's kids can often be the BEST form of birth control on the market. That is all.

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

It's *always* an "If".

You pour yourself into something and you want to know that someone else isn't going to come along cashing in on the effort you put in. You want to think that people actually would let you do what you do without trying to undermine it. Unfortunately not only do those things happen, far too many people who "appreciate" what you do, are perfectly fine with that happening.

(Sorry, it's one of the those days.)

[cheshire23.livejournal.com]

I was working on an entry, but now an entirely different entry is begging to be written. Funny how that happens...

[lawchicky.livejournal.com]

The same thing happened to me. I wrotevtge entry that was begging at me, but now I'd love the time to go back and write my first idea.

[theafaye.livejournal.com]

It was pancake day yesterday? For real? Why did no one tell me! That would have made dinner so much easier! As it is, it's swimming this afternoon so there's no way I'll make pancakes after that. Maybe tomorrow.

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

I'm shocked - SHOCKED, I tell you - that we're only on Page 1 of comments!

*shakes head*

[lawchicky.livejournal.com]

I know! We're slow today!

[plastrickland23.livejournal.com]

I sure do hope there's a Season Seven! I am sure it's a lot o work and committments to get LJ Idol going each year and then lots to maintain, but you provide a lot o good for a lot of folks. It's our "Happy Place"!
P.