Green Room - Week 10 - Day 7

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

What makes your wiggle waggle and your snap go crackle and pop?

What brings you to your feet to stand up and cheer or dive down into the depths of you to not come out for awhile?

What makes you love what you love and hate what you hate and percolate and what you are percolating?

What jibs your jab?

What gets your vote? http://community.livejournal.com/therealljidol/417782.html


Everyone is different. Except clones, and no one likes clones.

Not even other clones.

They all have their own viewpoints and all of those viewpoints, according to them are completely and utterly the truth that the rest of the world has yet to acknowledge. But will one day, when they come to their senses.

All of those people are of course wrong!

It doesn't stop them from thinking something you love is overrated or not knowing why you don't like something they like and sure that means there is something wrong with you! ;)

The fun is finding things that you *can* agree on.

Like Second Chance Idol's deadline being later today (Tuesday): http://community.livejournal.com/therealljidol/417860.html
To be honest there isn't much room to "disagree" with that, other than to go after the whole concept of linear time.

Comments

[tigrkittn.livejournal.com]

Another super-early GR!! Hello Idolers! I'm still fighting off some flu-ish thing, so I'm up late because I slept half the day...

And poll-watching... F5, F5, F5...

[creature-girl08.livejournal.com]

Ewww, the flu sucks. Hope you are getting better.

Oh, give me a clone of my own flesh and bone...

[ellakite.livejournal.com]

... with its Y-chromosome changed to X,
And when it is grown, oh, my own very clone,
Will be of the opposite sex!

-- The Love Song of Lazarus Long

Re: Oh, give me a clone of my own flesh and bone...

[beldar.livejournal.com]

*Searches for "Like" button*

Me and My Clone

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Clones eh?

Reminds me of a story.

A true story.

So, one day I wanted to check my voicemail. So I called my own number. That should get my voicemail right?

What I wasn't prepared for, however, was for someone to answer. Someone ANSWERED when I called my own number.

Caught totally offguad ... I asked if Kris was there.

Fortunately I was not. Otherwise I don't know what I would have done.

True story.

Re: Me and My Clone

[comedychick.livejournal.com]

Are you sure you dialed your own number correctly? :P

[michikatinski.livejournal.com]

Honesty, enthusiasm, vividness, polyphany, bravery--all those make me stand up and cheer. I'll vote for anyone whose writing is so brilliant I'd like to emulate it, or is so moving I can't stop thinking about it.

I probably won't vote for the half-hearted, the merely whiny, or the monotonous. Every writer here is good enough to do better than that.

I am curious about why so many of us experience such terror at submitting entries for this contest. What are we afraid of? Is our worth as writers really reflected by the votes we do or don't receive, or the comments that praise or criticize us?

Community and feedback sure are important, but doesn't self-confidence need to be the primary driving force behind what a writer does, and why?

Those are my $0.02. :) Looking forward to everyone else chiming in.

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

I wish I could answer your questions...

But I face the same fears, the same doubts when I haven't had much feedback, as everyone else.

I forgot to write what gets my vote. I am half asleep. Maybe tomorrow?

You do bring up a good point. I used to talk to java_fiend all the time about writing stuff you feel proud of over what gets votes....and I am guilty of just the same times.

[comedychick.livejournal.com]

Now I'm being like pixie117 and commenting from my phone. My kids are reaching milestones today and it's making me proud. My eldest started his first half day "school" and really enjoyed it, and my youngest has improved with his rolling and is trying to crawl!

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

And I'm being like comedychick and commenting from my computer. So there :P

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

I should be in bed....

Sheesh.

I haven't read many more entries, but have read some in tribe 4. I have to say there is so many awesome pieces....I haven't gotten to everyone just yet, but will try to sneak more reading in at work from my phone.

applespicy and tigrkittn were two that I read and loved, and noticed earlier that they weren't getting as much love as others. That may have changed. I have been a good girl and haven't refreshed the polls nonstop in hours.

I'm not like java_fiend and have the ability to mentally check them in my sleep. Boy, would that be useful :P

[nyxocity.livejournal.com]

He can do that?

I haven't read as much as I've wanted to, alas. But everything I have read has been pretty amazing. The talent here just... well, I'm constantly surprised by it.

[isis-lives.livejournal.com]

My snap crackle and pop right now is a bowl full of wintergreen lifesavers that I am munching on while watching the John Adams miniseries on DVD.

Boy! Do I wish I could write like David McCoullough. Admittedly, I like historical fiction and envy the ability to bring it alive in such form that it builds a bridge to the past that it makes me feel as though I was there. That wiggled my waggle. So do many of the entries this week....in ALL the tribes.

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

McCullough is brilliant. I'm a huge history buff and read historical non-fiction often. 1776 is one of my absolute favorites. Though Howard Zinn will always be #1 to me. :-)

[barrelofrain.livejournal.com]

I kind of expected my comic to go over better than it has, but I do realize that I have a pretty weird sense of humor sometimes, soooooo, it's hard to say.

It's hard for me to explain what makes me vote for something. Good, clear, engaging writing, but a topic that really touches me that's slightly less well written could get my vote, too. (Though I will vote for a genre I don't usually enjoy if it's very well written, but it really has to hook me.)

In other news, I'm sorry I haven't been around the Green Rooms and leaving as many comments last round. I've had a pretty miserable sinus infection (let me tell you how much fun that is when you have multiple drug allergies...) coupled with an awful flare of my fibromyalgia, so sometimes just being awake is a victory. I still adore you all. <3

[creature-girl08.livejournal.com]

Yuck, drug allergies and sinus problems to boot. Yeah, what fun indeed. Hope the sinuses are getting better.

[sweeny-todd.livejournal.com]

I like humour. I know, I know I haven't written humourous things these last few weeks, but I still like it in other entries!

I like.. I like imagery. I like a happy ending (it doesn't have to have a happy ending. many pieces I have loved have been quite melancholy. But I still like a happy ending!)

there is lots that I like, but I haven't really thought about it enough to put it into words.

m_malcontent has written a great poetry piece. he is also one of my favourites do far! Partly beacuse he is very versatile (I never know what I will read each week ;-).

[michikatinski.livejournal.com]

Versatility (is that the nominal form?) is very much to be desired. That's going to be my biggest challenge to myself in this game.

[nyxocity.livejournal.com]

Good morning, I-should-SO-NOT-BE-AWAKE-Green-Room!

If something makes me laugh, it gets my vote. If something touches me, it gets my vote. If something enthralls me with the use of words, be it poetry, fiction or a personal post, it gets my vote.

Occasionally, subject matter will push me out, just because it's alien to me, or it's written in a way that feels preachy when I have the opposite view. But that's rare. I try not to let the person themselves influence my voting, but if someone seems backbiting and mean about other contestants, I can't lie. It definitely affects my ability to keep voting for them, no matter if their writing is decent to amazing. It's not in the spirit of things. Yes, this is a competition, and I know most people watch reality TV (which this competition is based on) because of the nastiness that comes out in such a situation, but it's something I sincerely dislike (and probably why I watch ZERO reality TV). I don't like mean people--as childish as that sounds--even if they're not being mean to me.

The truth is? I vote for just about damned near everybody, every week. Yes, some are more skilled to my mind than others, but if they can reach me and connect with me, engage me and make me part of their world/story even for an instant, that's all it takes.

[michikatinski.livejournal.com]

Nastiness is a definite dislike!! And, "Yes, some are more skilled to my mind than others, but if they can reach me and connect with me, engage me and make me part of their world/story even for an instant, that's all it takes." Definitely. :)

[vaguelyclear.livejournal.com]

I love to laugh more than anything, so if I think an entry is funny, then more often than not, it will get my vote. Other entry types? Well, I really feel like my mood at the time of reading/voting affects what I vote for, which means what I vote for differs every week.

[creature-girl08.livejournal.com]

Hi grams. I need to be asleep but such is life. Gunna finish reading you all and finish voting tonight. Have a long day tomorrow. Sigh!

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

I find myself becoming a bit more picky as for my reading likes/dislikes. For instance, I like it when:

-- it's obvious the writer spent time writing/mulling over/editing the entry. This tells me that the writer cares about his/her work and doesn't believe in "phoning it in" hoping to cruise by votes alone. There are times when RL throws a curve ball where you cannot help but phoning it in, but if you continually do it, you may want to ask yourself what's the point of playing if you don't put forth the effort?

-- a writer stretches him/herself. Maybe it's fiction one week, personal essay the next, maybe poetry or artwork a few weeks later. Mix it up! It's too easy to be Johnny/Joanna One Note.

-- teaches me something. There are a few entries this week which contain quite a few nuggets of stuff I never knew about before.

-- entertains me in some way. Humor can be difficult to write, but if it's there and done well, so much the better. Maybe your piece takes me on a wild ride or illustrates a truth without hitting me over the head...the possibilities are endless!

I could go on, but I'll stop there.

[comedychick.livejournal.com]

I'm sad that I haven't been using as much variety in my entries as I did last season... mind you, that didn't really start until after week 10, I think, and I've at least already written a screenplay this season. Maybe I should try out a children's story in the main poll this week like I've been wanting to do.

and because I'm on a ROLL (heheh) now...

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

My dislikes?

-- Stating the obvious. I cannot tell you how many entries I've read this week where either the name "Icarus" or the the myth itself popped up when there was really no need to mention it because the subtext was already there¹. I've seen it other weeks, too. Maybe the writer is afraid the reader won't get it? Maybe the writer thinks on some level this is Expository Writing 101? I don't know, but it drives me nuts. Let the reader decide if your piece illustrates the prompt.

-- Not give a *^@$^@#. This goes hand in hand with the phoning-it-in I mentioned previously. Look, I know sometimes we get tired or we're having difficulty with a prompt, but at least TRY to write something halfway decent.

There's more, but those are my primary two dislikes.

And I'm cutting this short because I need to get dressed! EEEEK, the time!


¹ _{I'm not talking about the entries which retold the myth, btw -- in those cases, well, yeah, of course you're going to mention the players!}

Re: and because I'm on a ROLL (heheh) now...

[comedychick.livejournal.com]

I had someone comment on my entry this week that they didn't know how it related to the prompt, so I explained in my reply to her how I personally made the connection. Would you say that is better or worse than what you described in your first point?

[agirlnamedluna.livejournal.com]

Just popping in, to say I'm still alive, albeit barely. I feel bad, about being so uninvolved this year, but then I didn't count on getting a mono flare up either >.<


so yeah, hi.

What I like - okay, there's certain subject matters I have a harder time with than with others. Especially when someone presents that subject in an overly preachy, or "I am right because X or Y (often Deity) said so, and that is that". I try to keep an open mind, for example when it comes to someone detailing something about their own religious, political, social experiences which differ vastly from mine, but that requires the original poster being open to discussion or other points of view, which is something I sometimes miss.

There are rarely entries I almost completely skip, but it happens - when it goes on and on and a) I am not interested in the subject matter, b) it takes on an accusatory tone (often with "let me tell you how it really is thrown in for good measure) and c) it is boring ... I just give up. Sorry, you might be a good writer, but I don't like to read boring things.

There's writers everyone raves about, and I think it's quite mediocre ... and people I think write gorgeous pieces who seem to be skipped over.

But, as to this season, because I'm more or less obliged to keep low profile (and it shows), I'm not so convinced in my "judgments" (if you can call them that) as in previous seasons.

[cacophonesque.livejournal.com]

Hello folks! Long time... Hope all is well around these parts.

I'm back to the school grind and it's already swamping me. Also starting a gym routine. Maybe soon I will be able to jib a jab.

And most of all, I'm still blissfully in love. In fact, moreso by the week. Which accounts for me not being around much. But one of these days I'll get back to reading and voting. In the meantime, I do miss you guys.

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

Yay! Love tends to distract from other things. Trust me, it's why I'm behind in the reading!

But glad you checked in :)

Where are the clones? Don't bother, they're here

[beldar.livejournal.com]

I like microbrew root beer and football and dark chocolate and kittens and...

Oh, you mean in Idol entries?

What gets my vote isn't so much a hard-and-fast rule as just what impresses me at the time. (Of course, I gave it a LOT more thought when I was gatekeeper) I usually make sure I get at least f-listers when pinched for time, and have also gone back to see which stragglers could use a boost. With over 100 entries, it's hard to keep up a system at all.

Re: Where are the clones? Don't bother, they're here

[sweeny-todd.livejournal.com]

microbrew root beer sounds nice (uh.. is that ginger beer?)

[dizzy-writing.livejournal.com]

Wheeeee! *thud*

Hockey last night until 11:30ish, check email and chat until past midnight, back up at 4am to start getting ready and head to work for an early meeting. I want a mandatory nap time for days like today :D

It's hard to put a finger on what makes me really like a piece. Finding a unique take on the topic, throwing in some humor to make a tough topic more fun, showing passion for what you're writing about all probably helps.

Seeing someone take a running leap out of the box they're comfortable in, and writing from a different point of view or changing up how they tackle the topic catches my eye. I know poetry always seems to struggle in LJI, but I always have a huge amount of respect for those that decide to give it a try.

If you're changing fonts as part of how you're telling the story or highlighting things, I'm ok with that. If you change the font size for the whole entry (especially making it larger), it draws attention away from the actual entry and makes me resize the window I'm using, which puts you at a negative. Also remember that there are many different browsers. The way it looks in Internet Explorer may differ from Firefox, which may differ from Chrome, which may differ from Opera, and it's completely lost in Lynx, or a text-only phone browser, or a screen reader.

[tigrkittn.livejournal.com]

I don't think the oversized font thing is something they do on purpose- it's just a weird glitchy thing. I don't even remember seeing an option in the journal styles where we get to choose font size. There are some styles I like that I wish we could size up because they're tiny.

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

* I love originality when it comes to Idol entries. However, if you're going to do a retelling of a traditional myth, change it in some fashion - throw in something unexpected, twist it around, shake it up - and as long as it is well written you'll still get my vote.

* I enjoy poetry, but it MUST be well done to get a vote from me.

* I love humour from the bottom of my heart, as long as it isn't crass. I especially love good wordplay and double entendres.

* Please refrain from too much "meta" before getting in to the meat of the post. Warnings about subject matter are one thing, but the whole "I didn't know what to write about, so..." sort of thing gets a negative feeling from me right off the bat, although I try to always give the entry a chance to redeem itself.

That's my basics when it comes to jibbing my jab and snapping my crackle.

[amazingwriter23.livejournal.com]

Just got my entry in! Whew! Off to work and to do odd jobs for The Mothership today. No tutoring this evening, so maybe I'll get some TV time or book time.
Just finished a book last night called THREE LITTLE WORDS...It's a memoir about a girl growing up in the Tampa, FL area in the foster care system.

What sort of writing do I like?
Yes, memoir...fun and funny puns and other word plays...a nifty punch line, funny, funny, funny...
I am terribly short attention spanned these days...I have even been known to read an entry backwards, reversing the order of the paragraphs, in order to keep myself engaged. Nutty, but it works for me.
AW

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

What gets my vote? Writing that connects with me, that resonates with me, that stays with me. If a piece doesn't grab me or hold my attention, it won't get my vote. It's a pretty simple formula and I like simple. :-)

And my wiggle don't waggle. At least not in public. :-)

I am almost done with the reading and there is some fantastic work out there. Really amazing stuff. In Tribe 4 though, I would like to give a special shout-out to both tigrkittn and pixie117 both wrote pieces that I really enjoyed and both really could use some more love in the polls. Check 'em out and see for yourself and then throw a vote their way!

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

I have the same formula of whether I vote or not. If it impresses me, I vote. If it bores me or I think it's poorly written or thought out, it doesn't. I'm fairly easy to please. I'm not overly picky....but it has to catch my interest.

Aww thank you, sweetie :) I'm thinking it wasn't my best work. Hopefully I'll stick around though, I know I can do better!

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I started something new on my blog that I have declared Tuesday Crafty Tuesday where I am going to talk about the crafty stuff in my life.

[black-aspect.livejournal.com]

I rather like my clones. It's interesting to see what you look like to other people.

I am a sucker for humor. More importantly, humor is memorable. An entry is much more likely to stick in my head if it cracked me up.

I've noticed a trend for people to be very, very deathly serious, as if seriousness equated with "good" writing. Don't be afraid to be completely silly. Everything has its funny side. Not everything has to have a point or a moral or a message.

On the same note, please don't feel the need to underline the point, moral, or message, if any. Please don't go out of your way to make a point, or to stretch a topic to the snapping point just because you feel there has to be some kind of moral. If it feels like you're reaching, you probably are.

Don't feel you're required to use the subject prompt as an epigram.

Don't get wigged out and change your best idea just because someone else did something similar. Ezra Pound (or someone) said that all the good ideas have already been used anyway. Anything you write is going to be unique enough simply because it comes from you and no one else. You are the only one who can tell this story.

[hammaboo.livejournal.com]

Don't get wigged out and change your best idea just because someone else did something similar

I think that's why I try really hard not to read any of the posts until I have written something down. It's too easy to tell yourself you are copying or unimaginative or... whatever and completely take away from your original thought.

edit for spelling.

[michikatinski.livejournal.com]

I forgot to say what makes me wiggle waggle!

In addition to liking what I like and disliking what I dislike in terms of what I read, I really love it when other players in this game take the time to read and comment well on other entries. I like seeing it not only in my entries but in everyone else's--it's fun to see how my comments compare to those of others, and I always learn something from the concrit given. It's also amazing to see the humility and gratitude shown by people receiving the comments. Comments are half the game for me. :)

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

I agree! I try to leave real comments. More than just a "nice job!". When I can comment, I try to show a connection I've had with the piece or at least what I thought. I want people to know I did read it and I like conversations that form since part of the fun here is the connection with others. It's not all about writing!

[beeker121.livejournal.com]

I've had two different people in the past few days ask me questions that started with some form of "since you're a redhead" which is awesome because I'm not. I'm going to have to tell my stylist that she rocks!

As for voting I don't have any particular hard and fast rules. I vote for the stuff I like, and I know it when I see it. I do read all of the entries and vote in all the tribes, at least for the past several weeks. (The weeks I took byes I did nothing.)

I will say that I voted for more entries this week than I think I ever have, something about this prompt caused people to pull out all the stops.