Work Room - Week 17

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

It's another "Open Topic" week.


Which means that you can literally write anything you have your heart set on writing.


I think that's the key right there - that your heart is actually in it.


Experimentation is always cool. But also keep in mind that, at this point, a lot of the stuff you are going to come up with - someone has done it before. Which means if you are going to go "out there", make sure that the quality of the work, and presentation, is up to snuff.


If it's not - well, you are probably going to hear about it from the voters. Whoever they might be any given week.


The quality, in general, has tended to be really high this season, and I have the feeling that it is going to continue to increase as the numbers dwindle.


But Open Topic tends to get under people's skin and throws them.

When you step back though, these should be your *very best* entries, because they are the most you. You aren't coming at an abstract idea or phrase and trying to make it yours - every single aspect is yours to explore and create.

Which, yes, that means that there is more pressure. Because it IS yours. It's you that you are putting out there.

The thing is - it always is.

Open Topic just means that the gloves are off, and let's see what you are going to do!

This is your Work Room, and space. I hope to use it, and each other, as the resources that you truly are.

Comments

[comedychick.livejournal.com]

If it's not - well, you are probably going to hear about it from the voters. Whoever they might be any given week.

If that's not a clue to make us think gatekeepers again this week, I don't know what is :P (Make us think and an actual clue, of course, are not the same thing!)

[ravenshrinkery.livejournal.com]

So how much trouble do you think I'd get in if I made a video of me telling the Aristocrats? :P

[ecosopher.livejournal.com]

Good point, so now I'm as worried as ever!

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

But now we are left to wonder if he's going to be Lucy to our Charlie Brown and pull the football out from under us again... making us think it's a Gatekeeper week again only to laugh at how worked up we get!

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

I was all "Yay" about missing the Open Topic last week, and now here's *another* one... ah well... I'll think of something... but help is always appreciated! I'm just glad to be here.

[mstrobel.livejournal.com]

You're never safe!!

[ecosopher.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to decide whether to go for fiction... I feel as if I'm milking dry the sorts of autobiographical topics which might be interesting for others. Trouble is, I'm so rusty...

do you think essay-style is too risky?

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

I don't think so. As long as whatever you're writing about is interesting and you write it in a way that grabs the reader, you're OK. I was thinking that route myself, but I haven't fully decided on it/

[theafaye.livejournal.com]

I've done essay style this week. Well, essay style ramblings anyway.

If it's something you're passionate about, that communicates well and people always like learning new stuff or entries that make them think. They seem to do rather well in the polls in fact.

[similiesslip.livejournal.com]

Man...another open topic?!?!? I don't have another idea..

::tearing her hair out::

[serpentpixie.livejournal.com]

Don't tear your hair out. Then you'll have to write an entry about how you tore your own hair out, and that won't be much fun ^^
Have you tried looking elsewhere for prompts? Like, my entry last week was almost 100% because I watched "Up" and started reading "Oliver Twist" on the same day.

Otherwise I'll give you a prompt, and it will be...

Cats with Thumbs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6CcxJQq1x8

[applespicy.livejournal.com]

LOL, I think my dumb ass made a comment on the topic post. Lo siento, Gary, lo siento.

[locknkey.livejournal.com]

I did the same thing. :(

[nyxocity.livejournal.com]

Although I've put my heart into almost every single entry (save that one where I ran out of time up against a wall and had to hurry), I feel like this week perhaps I should abandon the fiction I've been writing and write something about myself. Or write something that straddles the two at the very least. But I'm just not sure yet.

So... *toes at the ground* Anyone want to see me write about anything specific? Ideas are most welcomed.

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

How about a story from your childhood?

I'm drawing a blank...

[ellakite.livejournal.com]

I'm spent. I'm tired, I'm harried, and I'm not sure which way to go.


But I'd rather "go out fighting" than "bow out meekly".


So... any requests from The Peanut Gallery?

Re: I'm drawing a blank...

[tijuanagringo.livejournal.com]

don't stop now it's only beginning to come close to the end

[beeker121.livejournal.com]

So as I was brainstorming ideas for last week I realized I had a series of awesome stories from college I could tell, and picked one that happened freshman year. I then had a plan that for the next open topic I could tell another fun college story so my open topics would all link together. But I didn't think it would be the very next week. So now I'm less sure...

Opinions? It's set in college and funny but not a theatre story so it's not the exact same thing as last week. Are people tired of me being funny? Should I go for something 'completely different'?

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

My 2 cents... Personally I like funny. And I like getting to know more about people I like. Combine the two and it's a great entry. I say go for it!

Cole's Story

[douchejuice.livejournal.com]

so i've never done the work room thing before, but being as it's a second open topic, i'd be interested to hear if anyone has anything they'd like cleared up in the story i've been writing so far.

i have a couple ideas for where i could take it next, but i'm also open to hearing other thoughts.

[liret.livejournal.com]

So yesterday I was thinking about something and realized it would have made a really great open topic post, and I should have written about it.

Of course, now I have no idea what it was. Just that it would have been perfect.

[alephz.livejournal.com]

Oh, man.

Again?

This is gonna be interesting.

[lilycobalt.livejournal.com]

I think I'm going to tell another Lady Winter story, since lots of the people who commented wanted me to continue. Right now, it's a matter of deciding exactly how to continue the story. I can either go forward in time from where I began or do a "how we got here" flashback.

Beginnings are so wonderful. The middle part, when I actually have to figure out what the heck I'm doing, is the hardest. I would say that endings are the hardest, but usually I don't finish anything of any particular length, so I couldn't say. :)

[joeymichaels.livejournal.com]

This really isn't a workroom comment, but there's no Green Room up right now, so just wanted to let you all know that the wife and I are fairly far inland on Oahu and out of the evacuation zone. They're predicting a six foot tsunami, which will do a lot of damage, but won't be nearly the disaster we're seeing in Honshu right now. Will keep you all updated.

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

I was wondering about you. SO's business partner lives on one of the higher elevations, so she didn't have to evacuate. She was telling us how everyone on the coast was, though.

Right now SO's looking at footage from Japan -- there are boats literally being swept into buildings :shudder:

Please be safe.

[mstrobel.livejournal.com]

Huh. There *is* a story I had my heart set on writing, I just didn't expect to write it so soon on top of last week! Also, it's pure fiction, which does worry me. *ponders*

[serpentpixie.livejournal.com]

"pure fiction" should always have its basis in human truth. The events can be "made up" but there is still truth to a good story <3

[imafarmgirl.livejournal.com]

Another open topic! ahhhhhh! Help! What else can I say.

[serpentpixie.livejournal.com]

If you say "help" one more time, I'll make you watch "Cats with Thumbs" and write your entry on that ;)

[beldar.livejournal.com]

This time around I've taken on a sort of "swan song" approach. The last two polls I barely avoided elimination, so I'm thinking that this next one has to be one I'd feel good about it being the entry I "go out" on. This way the "worst" that can happen is that it resonates with the voters (or gatekeepers) and I stay in another week. Sort of a win-win, pardon the cliche.

Still, this hasn't stopped my brain from going in several different directions on what this potential finale would be.

[similiesslip.livejournal.com]

I consider all of my Idol entries "potential finales"

Good luck!

OK... My suggestion for everybody else...

[ellakite.livejournal.com]

I'll admit that I'm still drawing a blank/wracking my brains... but here's what I did last week:

I picked a topic that I felt very, *VERY* strongly about... and I put my heart into the piece I wrote.


Now, I wrote non-fiction... deeply personal non-fiction. And I know that's not to everybody's taste. But you can work a real-world interest/event into a fiction piece if need be.

Everybody has *SOMETHING* they want to tell the world about.

What's yours?

Re: OK... My suggestion for everybody else...

[tigrkittn.livejournal.com]

That's kind of what I did last week, and if I didn't have an immunity in my pocket I'd have been out of the game. As it turns out, I wish I hadn't used it. Bleh.

[barrelofrain.livejournal.com]

Good god. My piece this week is so long and I've never submitted something this long and I AM TERRIFIED.