Green Room - Week 39 - Day 1

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

I can hear the sounds of them working on the Banquet Hall. Putting all the tables in place... Making sure the ceiling perfectly reflects the night sky… Keeping the House Elves in line…cueing up the dogs to take care of your meddlesome kids once and for all… oh wait, that was my outside voice! Nevermind about that last bit.

The actual thing is that the time of the Green Room is about to pass. So if you have left any personal belongings behind, make sure that you pick them up/try to get them off the ceiling fan. The staff will be coming in soon to clean this place. Although I have no idea how they are going to get some of those stains out!! We may just have to set fire to the whole thing and hope the wind is favorable!

But for now – you are still here! There is still time left to gather together in the Green Room, read the entries as they are posted: http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/603168.html and enjoy what you have, before the door closes and the eternal darkness consumes all of you!!

3

Comments

[theun4givables.livejournal.com]

It's hard to believe that there really is only one more poll, one more green room, and one more results post left of the season.

Gary, you must be so ready for a break. ;)

[drjeff.livejournal.com]

I miss all y'all! Hope everyone is well! Love!

[cacophonesque.livejournal.com]

It's always sad to see a season come to a close--particularly right now for me, because I've just started pulling myself together enough to participate and read and get excited. Such is life. On the positive side, I guess this means we're closer to starting next season, which means a chance to write more and meet new people and have new fun. The end of this season will still be a "see you later" rather than a final goodbye, and that keeps the sadness at bay.

After reading whipchick's manifesto, I'm really thinking about how I can work to write more and better on a daily basis--not just when Idol rolls around, but as a practice and discipline. I used to be a prolific writer and somewhere along the line I lost it. It's time to get it back.

My mom was visiting for the last two days, which was just lovely. She got to spend a lot of quality time with baby Idol.

Not sure what the rest of the week holds... just hope it's good. :)

[n3m3sis42.livejournal.com]

I can't believe it's almost over. Part of me can't believe I backed out so close to the end, either. But at the same time, both of the ladies in the finals SO deserve to be here and it feels right. They are amazing, awesome finalists and it's an honor to have "lost" to them. :)

[ecosopher.livejournal.com]

I'm sad to see the end of the season, but I'm definitely more than pumped about next season :D I'm doing all I can to prepare my household so that I can try to stay in the game as long as possible!

New Location, Same Friendly Personality

[occasionally.livejournal.com]

What's this?

Don't let the alternate name fool you. After using the same icon for several seasons, I hoped you'd know I was still the same Destiny. :)

Decided to give myself a bit of a blank page to refocus on my writing--and to reach out to more people in my life. So, if you see me around in this new guise, don't be alarmed.

Also, mostly a question for Gary--will there be some sort of Idol Friending Frenzy here like there has been in the past?

[pixiebelle.livejournal.com]

It's hard to believe it's almost over! It's been a great season for me writing wise, I've got several short stories I'm going to tweak and start submitting to different things. I'm starting a WordPress site to share some of my stuff. And yesterday, an editor friend of mine approached me to join her at a Writer's conference next year. She wants to pitch her novel and wants me to come along to pitch mine. She's also going to help edit for me. I better get writing on that Narciccism piece once again since that's the plan for my novel. Thanks to Idol, I'll have a fun universe to play in. Who knows what will happen, I may go the self-publishing route just because of the benefits there, but I was so excited that she thought to invite me along. Nothing is set yet, we both have novels to finish, but still a nice thing to look forward to!

Well I have lots of work to do at work these days. That's one reason I'm not around as much. Since I have that vacation coming up that they really didn't want to grant me, I have several big things to finish before I leave. It's hectic and tedious work, but it must get done!

I'm still sad we didn't make it to my birthday ;)

[ashgaelsonaria.livejournal.com]

Like I ever left the eternal darkness as it resides deep in the recesses of my demented mind and blackened soul.
wait that was my outside voice also.
Ha bring on the puppies. I am not affraid for I have petted Lions.

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

*Gets out the pink feather duster and prepares to destroy the cobwebs in the corners and the dust bunnies under the beds*

[halfshellvenus.livejournal.com]

I'll sure miss all of this madness. What an incredible effort this all is, Gary. I don't know how you've kept this fresh all this time-- heck, even all this season!

I've finally posted my Home Game entry for last week, though I'm probably the only one that cares: Adrift (http://halfshellvenus.livejournal.com/559665.html).

And this was after starting something else and then abandoning it, which is frighteningly like the competitive rounds of this started to go near the end. :0

[n-maranda-coy.livejournal.com]

Following occasionally's lead to remind people of the name you may remember entries under, versus my workaday journal of p_m_cryan.

It's been a season where every superlative, positive and negative, can be applied equally. I haven't been able to read every comment in every Green Room, but I've seen a lot of history being made.

I've read both finalists' entries. Now there's just the waiting.

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

I'm still here! Here! Up here hanging on the chandelier!

:attempts to wave:

Guess I should just pony up the $ and get my own laptop, eh? I'm currently working around SO's schedule as to when I can use his...right now he's working on a project that's partly on this one, so I have to time myself to jump on here when he doesn't need it.

OTOH I'm starting to rediscover Life Without Internet ;)

I've been thinking about doing an alternate journal too for next season. As others have mentioned, I'm also not comfortable linking to my own journal...not that the general public can find all the dirt (because they can't), but it's like an invasion of privacy, y'know?

Meanwhile I've got a Final GR Of The Season cake to bake. I'd better get cracking!

[caile.livejournal.com]

My livejournal was an echoing canyon of loneliness for a long time, as most of friendslist has moved on to other platforms... until now! Reading and interacting with a lot of excellent writers has been so wonderful. Also thanks to my ljidol posts I got asked to submit a story to a rap zine (which will someday be available here: http://dangerously.bandcamp.com/releases) so that was pretty awesome!

[beldarzfixon.livejournal.com]

If I hadn't been so busy lately -- darn day-job! -- I was going to write a final Home Game entry with my take on the Final Topic, why each of the finalists should win.

pixie117 should have won because she is so awesome as a person and writer and has grown so much both as a person and a writer. Third place was well-earned.

notodette should win because she is the Most Excellent Stay at Home Mom -- even to mermaids -- and has written some of the most entertaining entries.

whipchick I noticed early on would be a MAJOR contender. She has two major factors (aside from being a "she") that ensure success here. First, she came in with a solid following and cult, I mean friendslist. Second, she is flat-out an awesome writer, with feeling and life-experience and great "voice." That third factor, the social game, she had as well, coming around the Green Room as much as anyone. So... yeah... as for why she should win...

Though I did give one paragraph more weight than others, I saw these three as equally worthy of the Grand Prize. Best wishes to all. I could cop out (again) and vote-for-all in the final poll, but if I don't, I know it's gonna be tough.

This has run long, so I'll save "Why Beldar Should Win Season 9" for later. (It includes a 5,000-word essay on his incredible humility) =)

Question for the Community

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

I feel weird about posting this – BUT I’ve now had four different people in the last couple weeks ask me “Why don’t you do this???” and I realized that my only answer has been “Because I don’t feel right about it”.

As most of you know, I selected the name “LJ Idol” because that’s not just one thing that I didn’t own, it’s two – two big companies that if I was ever tempted to make any money/market this thing could very well come after me. So any temptation is gone.

I resisted the constantly early demands for merchandise for that reason, and I set up the deal with the books as such that really they are covering costs.

But lately, and this is getting to the actual point, people who know my financial situation, and know that I put as much, if not more, hours into Idol than I do my actual job, have asked “Why don’t you do a Kickstarter/Indiegogo/just pass the hat”? There are definitely ways around making it “Idol raising money”, along the lines of people who have started campaigns to keep their blogs provided with free content (and ad free), using it for things like “paying my internet bill” and “catching up on my rent”. ;)

The problem of course is multi-fold, and also involves the idea that it would put any efforts even *more* under the microscope in some people’s eyes, plus creating a false impression (among some) that it would impact how well they would do, even if it was in-between seasons instead of during one (with them being even more upset when they didn’t…) and many other things involved in the phrase “multi-fold”. I just don’t know if I want to create more problems for myself.. or even if I did, if it would be greeted with a yawn or an outrage! (I’ve definitely seen both reactions from people on other projects that I’ve watched from a distance)

So, I’m throwing it out there for the actual community – what do you think? Am I right not to feel a little queasy about the idea? Am I being silly and missing out on something?

[alycewilson.livejournal.com]

I've shared a few thoughts about LJ Idol and the lessons I've learned, having been inspired by whipchick's piece.

http://alycewilson.livejournal.com/482895.html

[shimmerdream.livejournal.com]

I'm still around! I'm just... not very vocal and, I think, in a different time zone to most of the other participants.

I have a question: Gary's posts often have numbers at the end of them. Seemingly random numbers. Does anyone know what they mean? Or is it something that's already been explained and I've missed? (ETA: OK, I've looked at them again, and they're a countdown. Silly me.)

[millysdaughter.livejournal.com]

I am not opposed to money. As the Chief-hippie-kicker in residence, you put in massive quantities of labor on Idol, year in and year out. And the laborer is worthy of his hire, which means you deserve to be compensated for this job!