Work Room - Week 24

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

What can you bring to a story that no one else can?

Because that's the question, isn't it? Sure, you can say "It's entertaining" - but if you are telling the exact same story that anyone could walk pass and write, why are you bothering? It's not just with fiction either - "story" here is any narrative form. What is it that you are bringing to the table?

I've seen more "I don't know"s over the years than I personally feel comfortable with. It's your writing. Kick the tires. Look under the hood. See where the magic pixies go in and out of the tubes that keeps that engine running.

Looking back, one of the saddest moments in my life was realizing that I could no longer answer the fundamental questions of - why am I writining? What can I do that isn't a reflection of someone better, but actually morphs the work into something uniquely me? Why am I passionate about writing?

Those things are important, fundamentally important to your existence as a writer. You lose them, you lose your sense of self. Or, maybe that was just me...

I know there are plenty of people who "just write for fun" or have only vaguely entertained the idea of calling themselves a writer. Maybe they don't even talk much about it in their real lives, because they have gotten the impression that it's a hobby or just something to kill the time.

I have a secret for you though. If you didn't take it at least somewhat seriously, if you weren't a little bit in love with the words that come out from your fingertips as they slide across the keyboard, you wouldn't be here right now. You most definitely wouldn't be in Week 24 and prepared to go as long as you can in this crazy thing we call Idol. intr

For all of the worry and concern that you might not be good enough - you are here. For all of the needing encouragement, you believe enough in yourself to hope that others see it as well.

Hopefully, at some point, you'll realize that and figure out what about all of this invigorates you and makes you so passionate about sharing your work with others, and what you are hoping they take away from that experience.

(and yes, a lot of this has to do with my own thought process following a conversation with an old friend, and thinking about how passionate I used to be about writing and about how to get that back... but never you mind that, we're talking about you here! ;P )

Comments

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

My opinion only, but if someone who likes writing fiction wrote about clouds and butterflies, IMO they would not have met the topic unless somehow they also talked about how fiction is their best thing.

Now, if they wrote a story about a thirsty plant and the cloud being just the one who could help out, that's using the prompt.

[theafaye.livejournal.com]

But surely if they've done nothing but fiction and established that they are good at fiction, then by doing fiction, they are automatically fulfilling the prompt? I mean, it's a massively egotistical thing to do, to assume that your fiction is so great that in itself it meets the criteria, but there are people out there who think that about themselves. Or alternatively, if fiction is the only thing they think they do well, then presenting a piece of fiction by default carries that connotion. It would be a gamble, but I don't think it would be wrong.

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

IMO, someone who is new to Idol should be able to read the entry and get the connection to the prompt. They shouldnt have to know what the contestant is good at to get the connection.

If your character is demonstrating being in his wheelhouse, and we don't have to have a previous relationship with him to know that, then I think the prompt is met.

[theafaye.livejournal.com]

The gamble, for me, would be whether someone had established themselves enough as being known for something in particular and, moreover, as being GOOD at that something. Which relies on the voting audience being familiar enough with someone's writing to do that and I know that I wouldn't have the guts to do that, assuming that I had established myself as a good writer of x, which I don't feel that I have particularly. That's not to say that I don't think I'm good (I think there's an argument to be made for everyone left falling into that category, as well as an awful lot of people who aren't with us for whatever reason), just that I don't think I've established a strong genre with this particular account, beyond writing real life stuff the majority of the time, to be able to take that risk.

But if I *did* feel that I could do that, I'd do what you're doing and make sure there was another link within the tale as well, just in case. I always like multiple ties to the prompt anyway - I often try to get more than one connection in just because I can.

[kathrynrose.livejournal.com]

But surely if they've done nothing but fiction and established that they are good at fiction, then by doing fiction, they are automatically fulfilling the prompt?

My opinion is really only worth my one vote, but I disagree.