Green Room - Week 5 - Day 5

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

During the course of human events, we come to a time when where we are going, there are no roads. When this happens, we need to look on the bright side of life and find a way to tap into those thousand points of light and build a road. Even if that road is to nowhere.

Over the past couple of days, I’ve had two very interesting (to me anyway) conversations that dovetail nicely into what we are doing here in Idol.

No, not “where are my cookies?” Although, that is a very good question.

- What do you look for in a book? (I’d expand this, for our purposes to “in an entry”)
- What makes you write a particular entry? (What is the reasoning behind it? Does there need to be one, other than “it’s what was on my mind”?

***
Reminder - tonight is the deadline to get your entries in for this week! http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/498756.html

Comments

[barrelofrain.livejournal.com]

Wheeee!

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

Yay for first!

[mstrobel.livejournal.com]

I'm off to Den Haag tomorrow, and not back until Saturday night. Really sad that I won't be able to do much reading this week :(

I like to read things which foster some kind of emotion in me. Some of my favourite books make me absolutely sob buckets!

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

Same here. I like passion in an entry. I like emotion. But that being said, I don't like when it's emotionally manipulative... I think a post can be emotional without begging for pity. Lots of people write really good emotional pieces here though.

I hope that makes sense :P

[amenquohi.livejournal.com]

You need to have a good "grabber". Something in the first sentence or few sentences that draws me in. If you're using dialoge, it needs to be good dialogue (and I am a sucker for good dialogue). It also needs to be just long enough to tell what you need it to tell. I will confess that early on when there were many, many entries to read, I tended to skim the very long ones more than read them. Maybe not entirely fair, but I only have so much time for reading.

[snack-size.livejournal.com]

I agree completely, and I did the same thing with earlier entries. I think when you are writing something (relatively) short, there is less time to build and pull the reader in with subtle things. I usually don't write shorter pieces, so this is something that I have been working on.

I'm a sucker for good dialogue to - I like to use dialogue a lot in my own writing.

[bakerlooline.livejournal.com]

Question... Can I make an amendment to my entry? Not something that would change the story, but a footnote-type thing at the end? Is that allowed, or are we not allowed to do anything to our entries once they're posted?

[malruniel11.livejournal.com]

I was under the impression that we can change whatever we need to up until the deadline.

[malruniel11.livejournal.com]

In a book or an entry, I look for something that relates to me or to something I'm interested in or in learning about. Something has to hook me.

I write an entry because there's some random inspirational bug bite or plot bunny attack that fits the prompt.

Speaking of, I need to write my entry still. This one has been hard because each time I get a plot bunny, I trip across someone on my flist who has written the exact same thing.

[n-decisive.livejournal.com]

I can't read entries until I've written my own for exactly that reason. It does cut down on how much reading time I get, however.

[majesticarky.livejournal.com]

Oh darn. I wanted to be first today!

My ex/boyfriend got Skyward Sword to work on my wii yesterday, so I may be incommunicado for the next several months. lol. Still, somehow I managed to read a bunch of entries when the locksmith came early this morning.

[n-decisive.livejournal.com]

I'm seeking voices in what I read. I like writers who are confident enough to let the story's voices come through, but who avoid using their writing to preach at people.

[jacq22.livejournal.com]

Agree, and no whining voice!

[banyangirl1832.livejournal.com]

Ah, what a day! Woke up with the boyfriend, went to a job interview and completely rocked it. I start next week at a new cafe a few towns over (and I can get to it really easily on the train). So excited! Yay for coffee, chocolates and pastries.

[mac-arthur-park.livejournal.com]

Yay! Congrats!

I had an interview today, too. Send some of that job-getting mojo this way, too, please. :)

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

What do I look for in an entry? Meaning what I vote for and/or rec?

I'm pretty lenient with my voting. If I like it, I vote for it. If I don't, I don't. I don't set strict guidelines for that sort of thing. Sometimes I know why I like, other times I don't. Though I will say I prefer a good story, either fiction or non-fiction. I love the unique interpretations of the prompt and I like to walk away feeling like the writer had a purpose to the entry. I love beautiful metaphors just as much as anyone else... But if I walk away and can't tell you what the entry meant besides "it was filled with pretty words" then chances are it didn't work for me. Does thar make sense to anyone besides me?

Why do I write about what I do?

For fiction, I usually have a message or idea that just hit me and it sounds like fun to write about. For non-fiction, I'm trying to branch out away from always writing deeply emotional pieces. I won't rule them out all together, but I'm trying to expand into sharing different stories that make me who I am, stuff that not just anyone could write. Its more of a challenge to make myself think in different ways. It's been fun so far :)

[noodledays.livejournal.com]

it makes sense to me. :)

[sdaisyk.livejournal.com]

In which I bow out. (http://sdaisyk.livejournal.com/567088.html) Unfortunately, participating in LJ Idol is inconceivable for me at this time. :-(

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

How sad :(

[cemetaria.livejournal.com]

Evening Green Room!
How are you all today?

I am, once again, wondering if anyone out there would be willing to read my entry through and offer feedback. My first draft should be finished in the next hour or so. I'd really appreciate it, if anyone could!

[mac-arthur-park.livejournal.com]

I'm going to be around all day. PM on LJ or email me at aliciamsnavely @ gmail.com if you still need someone.

[snack-size.livejournal.com]

When reading entries, I look for something that grabs me in - then I want the content and writing to make me stay there. I tend to like more unusual interpretations of the prompt, and I am a sucker for the fictional essays. I'm open to all different writing styles, but I want to see it executed well.

As for what I write - I tend to keep the plot in mind as I wander about my day, and, at some point, something will bite or a connection will be made. I see myself as primarily a fiction writer yet I find myself writing more non-fiction essays, as that's where the idea leads. I know I have a tendency to always put a certain kind of humor in my writings, no matter how serious the topic is - I just can't help myself.

[wookiewife.livejournal.com]

What I look for in a book is different than what I look for in an LJ Idol entry. Books I need to take me away and make me forget that I need to pay mortgage and do laundry. Idol entries are different. I like to see glimpses into other lives, real lives, and find a tidbit that makes me say "oooh, me, too!" That's not saying that I'm not keen on the fiction submissions, because some of you nail fiction right on the head.

Also, fart jokes are good.

[brilligspoons.livejournal.com]

I have a short attention span, so I need to be hooked right away. Usually an interesting opening sentence, or a quirky turn of phrase in the first paragraph, or even just a fantastic entry title - those are the things that pull me in.

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

Same here! Let's hear it for short atten... *Oh, shiny!*

[yachiru]

In a book or an entry it's the same for me. A strong voice. Something that makes me believe. Whether it's fiction or non fiction.

>_> I sometimes save things I read or hear for later entries/stories/poetry. Or I have this weird eureka moment while I try and go to sleep. If nothing else it's always ZOMBIES. ZOMBIE HISTORICAL ROMANCE NOVEL. ZOMBIE KILTS. ZOMBIE SHEEP. ZOMBIE PIRATE OH TAKE MEH NOW.

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

A couple of seasons ago we did some sort of Romance featuring Zombies one week, it was teh awesome!

[noodledays.livejournal.com]

in a book, I look for a good story, characters I like, find interesting, or can relate to, and/or a setting that I can either picture or feel part of - the more of these elements a book has, the better the chances seem to be I'll like it.
if the author has interesting turns of phrase or ways of putting things, that can be a really nice bonus.

there doesn't always need to be a clear-cut reason for me to make an entry, but there usually ends up being one, even if I don't say outright what it is. a lot of times it's to help work through something on my mind.

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

Yes, you're very right. I need characters that feel real, a setting I can get into. I like when I can relate to the people or characters in some way too.

[phoenixejc.livejournal.com]

This has turned into a ridiculously busy day. I'm hoping I get done with work in enough time to finish my entry.

When reading books, I want to be totally immersed in the experience, a want the whole story. I see a book as an investment in which I am a willing participant.

When reading LJ entries, I want to be immediately hooked (that's the MOST important thing) and held in some relatable and/or fascinating tale, for a short while. It has to stay interesting or I'm out. I don't like pieces that have meta and an entry. Do what you're gonna do; don't tell em what you're gonna do in how many words and why BEFORE you even get to it. I also don't like to be dropped into a story with a frame of reference. I'm all for continuing story lines, but each entry needs to be able to stand on its own completely.

[myrna-bird.livejournal.com]

I set that high standard of 'not reading any other entries until my own was done' last year, but this season I have found that reading ahead does not really influence what I end up writing at all. If I read a few as they are posted and keep track of who I want to vote for, I get more covered and I am less stressed about getting my own entry posted.

I write based solely on the challenge of the prompt.
I have so many stories that I will never get them all written out so the prompt really helps me to focus.

Even though I have seen similar themes comes from several entries, there is always a slant or the style that is unique. I don't think people should be afraid to tackle a subject because they think that "someone else already did that" because only YOU can write like YOU.

[vaudy.livejournal.com]

I tried not reading until I posted my own with the first topic, and ended up just overwhelmed with reading. Since then, I just read whenever. I select entries at random from the entry thread, or people who are already on my favorites list. Sometimes reading other entries can spark an idea for me.

And I agree, each person's take on the same basic subject is unique. If these prompts were much more specific than what we get, like "write a story about a child losing a pet for the first time," for example, each story generated from that prompt would still be different.

[diagenou.livejournal.com]

I approach Idol entries the same way I approach new books in the store or library. Since a book is often longer, I tend to give them a couple of pages to draw me in - sometimes a novel can get off to a bit of an awkward start, but by the end of the first chapter, I'm dying to know what happens next. Since Idol essays are (usually) not novel-length, it's the first paragraph.

I've often tried to use a hook in my own that I like in other people's when it's handled well - just start off with a single, high-impact sentence, then back up into the central point of the piece. In the world of fiction, John Le Carre was a real master of that sort of thing. Gene Wolfe is also great at it, but Wolfe demands many more brain cells than I sometimes have to devote to him.

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

Pie Hell descended into Roll Hell this morning and it will no doubt descend into Bread Hell tomorrow. That's not to say Pie Hell won't reappear, however -- there were MORE cases of 'em on our load this morning!

:ahem:

What do I look for when I read? I want the author to make me care about what's being written -- a metaphorical "grab me by the balls", if you will, even though I personally don't possess those ;) Whether it's through dialogue, description, style, voice, the subject -- whatever -- it doesn't matter to me, but all of them together have got to pack a pretty big punch. It's very difficult to pretend to have passion for what you're writing about: Either you have it or you don't. And your readers will know either way.

I try to do these same things when I write. If it's something I'm passionate about, you're going to know it. I've also discovered that everyday life is a goldmine of opportunity, which is no doubt the reason why I've never been quite into fiction, either as a reader or writer.

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

Also, I like to see effort put into entries. I know that with so many to read, people opt for short... But very rarely can someone hook me with two paragraphs. I'd rather be sucked into a slightly longer piece that holds my attention than to read it and go "that's it?"

If the entry took you 5 minutes to write it, chances are it doesn't work for me. I don't care how fast you get your entry in... If it appears you posted without really putting in the effort (and that means editing and maybe getting a beta reader if grammar isn't your thing. I do it. I'm not ashamed to say I suck sometimes.)

When it shows that someone put a lot of thought and effort, generally I can't help but give it a chance.

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

+1

[lawchicky.livejournal.com]

I finally make it into the early part of the GR and Gary goes asking the difficult questions!! For me, I enjoy reading a piece that makes me FEEL, whether it's to laugh, cry, or just relate to it heartily.

I agree that longer pieces can be cumbersome in the early weeks. So they have to be BETTER in order to keep me interested. The same goes for poetry and illustrations. As pixie just wrote, I usually do not vote for a piece that seems thrown together at the last minute without any effort.

No time for further commentary here, except that I want to hug everyone in the GR today since I miss hanging out here! Perhaps I shall return later, but probably not. If I do find a few minutes, I want to work on my trip report from the summer.

[alien-infinity.livejournal.com]

I want to hug everyone in the GR today since I miss hanging out here!

I'm an Idol newbie, so I haven't been hanging out around here long, but the Green Rooms are a lot of fun.

*hugs* (since you said you wanted to hug everyone, I'll e-hug you back!)

[ceiphiedknight.livejournal.com]

In a book, I just look to be entertained. It can be written just slightly better than most fanfic for all I care, as long as I like it. (This coming from the girl who likes, Twilight, lol.)

I choose to write an entry based on the first thought that comes to my mind when I see the prompt. It's not always something that had previously been on my mind.

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

Same here. If I'm entertained, I like it. I don't put hardcore guidelines on things... if I like it, I vote for it. It has to hold my interest, which usually means a fun story and likable characters or something I can relate to or laugh at. I'm not overly picky and don't think too hard about why I should or shouldn't like something.

[notodette.livejournal.com]

In a book I look for purity, lyricism and original thought. Pretty hard to come by.

When I write an entry (for Idol) I'm usually drawing upon something that happened in my own life, making it as succinct and interesting as I can.

[isis-lives.livejournal.com]

I'm having such a hard time finding inspiration. Someone kick me.

[alien-infinity.livejournal.com]

*pours a bucket of ice water over your slacker muse who's still in bed*

If your lack of inspiration is from an over-sleeping muse, maybe that will help? My muse likes to hit her snooze button repeatedly despite telling me "I'll inspire you now, I swear!" I think she takes after me with her fondness for sleeping and snooze buttons.