Work Room - Week 18

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

The new topic is up: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/541963.html

and I can already hear that noise of wheels turning and brake pads smoking.

I'm sure you have questions, such as "What do you mean by 'use as the inspiration'?"
Take it anyway you want to take it. It's your inspiration after all.

"Do I have to mention who it is?"
They should probably be mentioned somewhere. Maybe in a footnote or when you link the entry to the Topic thread.

"Can I write about more than one person?"
I'd rather you didn't take that route. I'm not saying you can't. Because I rarely say you can't do anything. But the "OMG everyone is so inspiring" always feels like a bit of a cheat to me on a personal level. Make a choice and stick by it.

I'm sure you have other questions, so go ahead and ask them!

Comments

[tigrkittn.livejournal.com]

"They should probably be mentioned somewhere."

"should probably" or Yes, have to be?

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

There are no "you will be disqualified if you don't do X" elements. It's open to what you want to do with it.

I'm saying though that I prefer you mentioning it. If you want to go in a different direction, the voters will be the judge on if it worked or not.

[beldarzfixon.livejournal.com]

Going to be interesting if more than one person picks a particular contestant. Or maybe we should all conspire to pick the same one...

[myrna-bird.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm. A conspiracy, eh? ;)

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Nope. You can of course.

But you don't have to ask them.

[applespicy.livejournal.com]

Damn, I'm sad to miss this one! I'm already thinking about who I would pick!

[similiesslip.livejournal.com]

I assume you could home game and use the same idea? I love to read your writing!

[porn-this-way.livejournal.com]

OMG it's "LJ Idol: Special Stalker Edition"

*dons a black trench coat, grabs a nannycam, and gets ready to paw through people's trash*

[lilycobalt.livejournal.com]

*dons a red trench coat, a red fedora, and starts sneaking away*

[comedychick.livejournal.com]

Can I just say, as someone whose writing has been inspired by some of the writing of other contestants, that I love this prompt? I hope I'll have some time this week to do a bit of reading.

On a similar note, my Goodreads profile lists 3 Idolers as my "influences" XD

[noodledays.livejournal.com]

I feel similarly - it's one of the prompts that has me excited and looking forward to it right out of the gate. :D

[basric.livejournal.com]

Well you finally found a way to get me out of trauma. How sneaky.

[similiesslip.livejournal.com]

I don't know. I guess you could pick someone with health problems somehow and write something about that?

(probably not, just arguing) :)

I look forward to seeing how you write this..and how everyone does:)

[alien-infinity.livejournal.com]

I think I'm one of the few people who is NOT excited for this week's topic. It feels awkward and overly personal. I'm not sure who to pick, and I prefer writing fiction, which this topic makes a lot harder. Unless I steal an incident from someone's life and use it for one of my characters?

Also, I wonder if people will be upset if they're not seen as sufficiently inspiring for an Idol entry. Or if they ARE picked.

So...help, please?

[similiesslip.livejournal.com]

I'm feeling kind of the same. Like, will someone be hurt if I pick someone else? Decisions...

[vaudy.livejournal.com]

Holy crap, guys, the topic's been up for a half hour and I know exactly what I'm going to write about. This is definitely a first for me. (I guess that means I really have to use my time well and really make it good, instead of procrastinating.)

[similiesslip.livejournal.com]

Good for you!:)

[lawchicky.livejournal.com]

Really going to have to sleep on this one. I'm not sure if I'm more afraid of 1) writing about a contestant and he/she is unhappy with what I write, 2) not writing about someone who thinks I should write about him/her, 3) having an entry written about me, or 4) not having an entry written about me!

[similiesslip.livejournal.com]

You expressed my thoughts too. So many worries!

::hugs:: You will make good choices.

[joyfulfeather.livejournal.com]

I have a question: do we still have use of our byes?

Not that I'd definitely take that easy out if we do, but I want to know. Because I'm not the best at connecting with people, and this topic is entirely about having connected with people and making use of that. Which hits me in my social anxiety and self-esteem places in negative ways.

[similiesslip.livejournal.com]

As I understand it, the byes are gone. Sorry:(

[nyxocity.livejournal.com]

Here's my question (yay, I have some time to participate tonight!). It is perfectly okay to contact the person about details, right? Like, let's say for instance, someone was inspired by whipchick, and decided to write about high-wire artists, would it be okay to contact her to see if she would guide them with the details of the story they may get wrong? I mean, if she were so inclined to do so in the first place, and had time.

Because you can study up on a subject/profession for ages and STILL you won't get all the nuances, the details, the lifestyle, the really insider stuff (says the person who researched for a story about firemen for a month before breaking down and realizing she needed an insider for information, because it's a whole separate world).

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

I'm assuming Gary is going to say contact away and do whatever you want with the topic :p

[mac-arthur-park.livejournal.com]

Why do I have a bad feeling I'll be picking a name out of a hat 45 minutes before deadline? Not that I'll admit it if I do, of course. ;)

[impoetry.livejournal.com]

Think you just did. From the future. ;)

[impoetry.livejournal.com]

Well hello good people. I am here to inspire!

Or something.

I um...like monkeys. And Pizza. Monkeys eating Pizza.

Inspired yet? lol



So this whole thing should be interesting.
Can I borrow someone's thinking cap? You might inspire me if you lend me yours.

[similiesslip.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking I actually need a sorting hat instead of a thinking cap. A sorting cap like from Harry Potter...

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

Ok, I am really struggling with this concept.

Except for a few people on my f-list, I don't remember from week to week what anyone writes. I'm seriously bad with names, and I have to look at my spreadsheet most weeks to see whether the people who are leaving are folks I voted for. That might be something I shouldn't admit, but there it is.

There are people in the GR who I talk to enough to feel friendly but I feel like I have to write based on a person's style and not them as a person, because we see so little of each other and not everyone would want their life used as a prompt.

And I'm not a fiction Idoler normally, and then there are some people who intentionally mix it up from week to week.

I wish I had experience in trauma. :)

[similiesslip.livejournal.com]

Well...I think we are all muddling about as much as you are.

Ultimately, I think people will be understanding about not getting picked, etc since we are all in teh same boat of having to pick one and not others.

You'll be fine! I think most contestants are pretty approachable..

I'm gonna be honest here...

[ellakite.livejournal.com]

... this week's prompt is *WAY* outside my comfort zone.

So, in all seriousness, if anybody out there is willing to drop me suggestions for a story idea, don't be shy in letting me know. If you don't want to post the info publicly, you can always send me a private LJ message. If you don't know how to do that, we can exchange e-mail addresses.

Thanks in advance.

Re: I'm gonna be honest here...

[whirlgig.livejournal.com]

And they could act as your inspiration! I love that idea.

[whirlgig.livejournal.com]

My mind grapes are confuuuuused.

I've never stalked anyone before.

Any tips on how to approach someone without sounding like a teenage fan girl?

[similiesslip.livejournal.com]

Most writers like fans?:)

(Love your icon BTW)

Just..something simple like, "I'd really like to write about you this week. Are you ok with that? Would you like to read the entry before I post it?"

Something simple..just an idea.

[duckspeakeasy.livejournal.com]

Since my silver lining appears to be the fact that I will not be writing this topic, I figured I could do what I can to help you guys out :DD And if anyone wants to, they're more than willing to take the idea I would have used if I were to write an entry this week.

The first thing I thought of was the concept of the 'alt' account and how that's been approached during the competition. I find the idea of an 'alternate' (as in, making that my prompt by proxy) very creatively inspiring--alternate realities, copies of things, understudies (and my mind went to Black Swan for some reason xD), and it would make for some great fiction/memoir. I believe there are plenty of people left who are either writing under alts or have had one at one point, so that's what I would have done. And it uses the person as inspiration while not directly referencing/making any possible judgment calls on their life or whatever, so there's a lot of pressure off there. :)

Also, I wouldn't really worry about being afraid people are going to judge your choice or writing or anything, because it seems that everyone will be worrying about that exact thing. Themselves, and not you. (does that make sense? Everyone is in the same boat, so... everyone is in the same boat. xDD;)

Last but not least, when you think about it, the prompt is still the prompt, and I've read a lot of talk in previous green rooms about everyone having none of that 'waxing philosophical about what the prompt is and how you interpreted it blah blah blah' thing. I'd still try and think of it like another prompt. Try to find another prompt out of another Idol contestant, using them as your inspiration to a compelling, interesting story.

I hope that helps! :) I might go to bed soon, or stay and chat if someone wants to. :DDD

[muchtooarrogant.livejournal.com]

All very good ideas.

I guess I was the ONLY one who read the prompt, and instantly knew what I was going to write about. LOL

Dan

[wolfden.livejournal.com]

I sort of have two ideas. I'll have to see if I can flesh out either of them. I'm not sure if my first idea will work but I hope it will. There are so many interesting people here but this topic strikes me as tricky tricky.

[jacq22.livejournal.com]

Very tricky.....Hmmm., so many we like in different ways, or inspire us to write in different ways. Totally bamboozled. There are strong characters; 'in your face' types'; gentle rosy sunshiny types. Oh boy stuff it think I shall get mildly drunk and come back to it, its wine night tonight after all.

[similiesslip.livejournal.com]

You could write about someone who inspires you to drink? :) (just teasing)

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

I suggested this above in a comment thread, but i see a lot of people freaking out. So here's a suggestion.

Pick a name randomly (out of a hat maybe). Go back and read all the entries by that person. See if it inspires a story somehow. It doesn't have to be about mimicking a style or writing a tribute to that person...

Have you ever read an entry and thought, "I could relate to that!"

Well now is perhaps the time to turn that moment into an entry. I know I say it often and will sometimes engage in conversation about my instance like that or what their fictional story reminds me of. Now I could write about any of those instances. It doesn't have to be too personal... It could be that someone wrote an entry about their grandma. Maybe that made you remember your own grandma. Write about it.


I bet you can take any writer here, read through their entries this season and find some inkling of a thought you could relate to. The hard part is picking who. Just randomize it. Let the random choice inspire your entry this week. It could pull something out of your brain that you never knew you had. The toughest topics tend to lead to my most favorite pieces, ideas I wouldn't have thought about otherwise.

For someone who only writes fiction, you could fictionalizing a story similar to someone else's (I'd respect overly personal stories obviously). Or find another fiction writer and ask if you could write an extension of one of their entries. Or maybe write in their style.

There's so many ways to take this really.

[halfshellvenus.livejournal.com]

This is a nice approach, especially for those of us who are feeling leery of offending anyone.

Aw, shucks!

[ellakite.livejournal.com]

I was going to ask Gary if I could write about more than one person. I just saw that he already answered that question.

The thing is this: I had a great idea for a post, but it's about a trait which many of my fellow competitors share. I suppose I could just concentrate on one competitor, but I feel like I'd be "demeaning" the other folks who share the trait if I don't mention them as being part of my inspiration.

Well, if I've got to focus on one, I think I've already come up with a good approach... but the restriction isn't thrilling me. Let me mull this over...

Re: Aw, shucks!

[tigrkittn.livejournal.com]

One of my ideas was like that too - more than one player qualifies, but I guess I'll just pick one to say "inspired" it?

[snarkerdoodle.livejournal.com]

I'm not freaking about this topic because I don't necessarily read it as "post an ode to how much you love Person X" -- it doesn't have to be that personal, to my way of thinking. There just needs to be something about that person or their writing or whatever you've seen in the GR from them that inspires what you write.

So, I could be inspired to write a hospital drama by basric's writing. Or if they were still in the contest (sadness that they are not), I could write a story about Storm Trooper Ponies, inspired by scorbolt's great userpic.

At least, that's the way I'm looking at it. ;)

Exactly my take on the topic.

[ellakite.livejournal.com]

But even so, I initially had difficulty with the concept, because I'm best at writing about stuff I know well... and at first I didn't think there was any serious "convergence of interest" between my fellow competitors and my own knowledge base.

However, after a little thought I realized there's at least one competitor who shares an interest that I have at least some familiarity with. I'll look over a few more of my competitors to see if I can come up with other ideas I can use....

[ecosopher.livejournal.com]

I don't suppose there's anything to stop us just taking the name of the contestant as inspiration? Like word association - considering that people often will choose something that resonates with them as a lj handle, so it's still part of who they are, you know?

[jem0000000.livejournal.com]

Ooo, that's a good idea!

[halfshellvenus.livejournal.com]

Count me among those who find this one daunting.

There are a lot of other Idolers I find inspiring, whether it's their writing, their lives, or their attitudes. But I do worry that anywhere I went with that might seem like parodying rather than being inspired.

You'd think my first response would be, "Ooh, fanfiction! My home turf!"

But it's not really the same when the "characters" are real people (except for you sneaky sock-puppet writers out there). :0