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hmpfI've said earlier that I know from experience that nobody can really help me when I get stuck, and I think that's the truth, if 'help' means 'take a look at the fic fragments and tell me what's wrong with them/tell me what to do next'. However, I've never really tried talking the fic - its problems and my 'mental blocks' - through with someone. I wonder if that would help? I've noticed that sometimes it's ridiculously easy to develop an idea in conversation, but I've never actually tried to use this as a method to tear down/scale/get around the frequent brick walls in my head.
There's a twofold problem with that approach, though: 1.) you'd need a volunteer who's fairly deeply into the fandom you're writing (and, ideally, probably also into the kind of story you want to write - this may in fact be the more important condition), and 2.) that volunteer will be hopelessly spoiled for the final result, i.e. the actual story, in the process. (Optimistically assuming that the process will actually result in a story.)
Anybody have any experience with this kind of thing? Does it help? (Though of course what may help one writer may be useless for the next, anyway, so I'm not sure asking anybody else about their experiences with any kind of technique actually means anything.)
There's a twofold problem with that approach, though: 1.) you'd need a volunteer who's fairly deeply into the fandom you're writing (and, ideally, probably also into the kind of story you want to write - this may in fact be the more important condition), and 2.) that volunteer will be hopelessly spoiled for the final result, i.e. the actual story, in the process. (Optimistically assuming that the process will actually result in a story.)
Anybody have any experience with this kind of thing? Does it help? (Though of course what may help one writer may be useless for the next, anyway, so I'm not sure asking anybody else about their experiences with any kind of technique actually means anything.)
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Re: Well, I'm screwed then. ;-)
Date: 2007-06-28 09:04 pm (UTC)I figure, the more people you have to choose from to chat the better? ;)
With regards to LoM - I do actually REALLY like it (except the ending; but there we agree). I know we watched all of season one, but I actually watched all of season two as well - it was appointment television for me and that's EXTREMELY rare. You're right that it's not one of my fannish passions in terms of joining comms and such, but I have seen it all and (while it might still be an idea to get someone more invested in the show and fandom to beta too) I don't want you to go thinking I'm a casual fan of LoM. If it weren't for the annoying last five minutes I'd probably be saving up for the DVD Box Sets.
Either way, I'm confident I know LoM well enough to be a sounding board and that I'd enjoy such discussions.
...again I really owe you a phone call.
But instead I bought Dharma & Greg!
Sorry for the late replies...
Date: 2007-06-29 04:55 pm (UTC)>Well, as you know from the post below, I'm totally willing to chat this through and try to separate my roles as friend and beta.
I thought as much. It's just... I feel strange, I dunno why exactly (though all the reasons given in various posts in this thread here are part of why), about trying to do this with you. I think... another part of the reason may be that I'm so deep in personal kink territory with a lot of my current WiPs that I kind of wish for someone who 'gets' at least some of that, in the sense of 'shares it'... but then, I'm not sure such a person exists within my sphere of aquaintances at all, my 'kinks' being so strange and specific, so that's probably wishful thinking. ('Kink' is used loosely here. It's not all about sex.)
I think that in talking about my unfinished stories with you I would - involuntarily - tend to focus on the question of 'how do I make this a good story', which, at this point in the process, would be premature and even possibly harmful. I'm still very much in the 'subconscious' phase of writing here, and that's as it should be.
So, it's not really *your* ability to separate the functions of 'friend' and 'beta' but my own that's the issue here.
>I figure, the more people you have to choose from to chat the better? ;)
That is probably true. And in fact there are at least *some* of my stories that I feel could benefit from a chat with you. (Speaking of which... I forget: do you use some IM client? Yes, we should definitely chat on the phone again sometime, too, but IM might be nice as well. Although I keep forgetting to switch mine on.)
>With regards to LoM - I do actually REALLY like it (except the ending; but there we agree). I know we watched all of season one, but I actually watched all of season two as well - it was appointment television for me and that's EXTREMELY rare. You're right that it's not one of my fannish passions in terms of joining comms and such, but I have seen it all and (while it might still be an idea to get someone more invested in the show and fandom to beta too) I don't want you to go thinking I'm a casual fan of LoM. If it weren't for the annoying last five minutes I'd probably be saving up for the DVD Box Sets.
Heh. You could still buy the first season; that one's still pretty good! ;-)
Yes, I know you like it a lot. It's just... well, I guess part of it comes down to the fact that my fics are nearly all about my Mad, Bitter Yet Also Tender Love of Sam *g* and that is *so* central to the fics that I'd like to talk to someone who shares that at least to some degree. I may also want to talk to you about them, but I feel that there are some things I'd need to talk about to someone who's closer to sharing that emotion or amalgamation of emotions.
(I do have some Farscape fics I still haven't given up on that may require talking about with you sometime in the future, though... for those, you'll be my first choice!)
>...again I really owe you a phone call.
Or I you. Uhm... how about sometime next week? You got any preferences?
>But instead I bought Dharma & Greg!
I just bought Shaun of the Dead. :-)
Re: Sorry for the late replies...
Date: 2007-06-29 05:30 pm (UTC)I do understand what you're saying, and I also understand that what you're looking for is something very different from a beta. And you don't need to worry, I'm not offended at all by that.
And like you say, I think I'm well-placed to understand your mad, bitter yet tender love for Sam from...from an intellectual perspective; after talking it through with you and watching it with you, I really do think I get that and it's a beautiful, complex sentiment that I look forward to reading about in your fics. But that's something different to pre-story ramblings; to being a...kindred spirit with regards to the character, perhaps?
There's a difference between feeling something on my own, or learning to feel it via empathy with you; and perhaps what you need isn't someone who you have to teach about the way you feel?
But, like I said, if there's ever anything you do want to chat about, I'm happy to oblige. :)
I think I have IM instant messenger, but I'm not certain because I don't really like IM services. I mean, I'm not against them for specific instances to chat at certain times - they're useful; but they're just not a method of communication I feel totally comfortable with, I guess?
Re: Next week - yeah, that sounds fine. Kev's working late so I probably won't be going out or doing anything, so, uh, whichever day's best for you, really! :)