ext_35784 ([identity profile] clauderainsrm.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] therealljidol2011-12-12 10:17 pm
Entry tags:

Work Room - Week 8

This week's topic http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/507748.html could end up going in any number of directions - and knowing Idolers, it will. But before you run off, let me direct you to a definition of "travesty" that doesn't go into a dark place.

"a literary or artistic burlesque of a serious work or subject,characterized by grotesque or ludicrous incongruity of style,treatment, or subject matter." (from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/travesty )

I try not to steer people toward things. Even when I do, no one tends to listen. ;) But I think there is a ton of things that can be done with just this part of the definition alone - and then take it on the road!! :)


I've brought in an old hand at creating works of wonder on the fly. Someone who knows the ins and outs, of pretty much everything.

Our Season 7 Winner, and reigning LJ Idol - and this week's Mentor - [livejournal.com profile] amenquohi!!

***

Hello everyone! I can't believe I'm back in the Idol Pool again - though to be fair, I'm not treading water (or drowning) with the rest of you.

Instead, I now get to lounge in indolent splendor here on the sidelines,with a fruity drink in my hand. It's a nice place to be.

So here I am, four-time veteran and one time winner, professional(paid!) blogger, with a book deal in the works (fingers crossed) and one hell of a lot of luck. If you don't believe me, check out the entries from the final three last season. Or five. Or ten. This contest can come
down to one vote, and I am living proof. That, above all means that you just can't phone it in. You need to bring your A-game more often than not, and in the later weeks, you need to erase every other letter but "A" from your game alphabet. No pressure, though.

I'm happy to answer any questions (entirely from my own viewpoint, ofcourse, YMMV), cheerlead, and offer whatever limited resources my braincan manage. I'll start by imparting this piece of wisdom that saved meon many an Idol week when I was staring blankly into space and saying "Uhhhhhhhhhhhh".

The first rule of Thesaurus Club is that you do not talk, articulate, babble, broach, chant, chat, chatter, comment on, communicate, confess,converse, describe, divulge, drawl, drone, express, flap one's tongue,gab, gabble, give voice to, gossip, influence, intone, notify, palavar,parley, patter, persuade, prattle, prounounce, reveal, rhapsodize, run on, say, soliloquize, speak, spill the beans, spout, squeak, squeal,tell, tell all, use, utter, ventriloquize, verbalize, voice or yak about Thesaurus Club.

In other words, use your Thesaurus.

Seriously. When the prompt comes up,pick a keyword (or the word itself, if it's a one-word prompt) and pull out the Thesaurus. I had many times when the prompt itself didn't
immediately ring bells for me, but a synonym suddenly triggered acreative landslide. It's a good trick, and it saved my ass more than a few times.

Re: Feedback Thread for Alley

[identity profile] poppetawoppet.livejournal.com 2011-12-15 07:56 pm (UTC)(link)
I like your entries a lot, but sometimes they come across like you are trying to write a great entry rather than, well, writing a great entry.

I guess it's like the fine line between awesome melodrama and terrible overacting? Idk if any of this makes sense

Re: Feedback Thread for Alley

[identity profile] alleyalligator.livejournal.com 2011-12-15 10:48 pm (UTC)(link)
In all honesty, I'm not entirely sure what you're trying to say :/

Re: Feedback Thread for Alley

[identity profile] poppetawoppet.livejournal.com 2011-12-16 02:12 am (UTC)(link)
hmmm.

(and keep in mind, this is a personal reaction)

I'm trying to word it differently, but it feels almost showy? All glitter and now substance? Not terribly so, but enough for it to bother me?

Re: Feedback Thread for Alley

[identity profile] alleyalligator.livejournal.com 2011-12-16 10:20 am (UTC)(link)
That has a lot to do with the timing issues I have at the moment. Most weeks I know I've had really strong concepts but I haven't always had the time to flesh it out as much as I'd have liked (for example, this week, it took me so long to develop my piece beyond the opening lines, which I came up with early on, that all I could do is throw together the story as best I could and hope it'll be OK. If I were to do it proper justice, it would be a lot longer, but at this stage of the contest, I think it's long enough). So I see where you're coming from and I know why it is and it's something that hopefully should change in the new year when I have a bit more time free.

So what do you see as the strengths?