prillalar | Fiction, meta, LJ, and beer

A few people's comments on Sides made me start thinking -- or rather start thinking again -- about Harry's various nemeses. And I began planning out an essay about that to post in LJ.

But then I started wondering: would it be better to think it out and post it and maybe engage in convo about it OR to just let it simmer and maybe talk with a friend or two and eventually have it turn itself into fic?

I suppose I could do both, but I like to husband my ideas and keep them close until they're written out. And I fear both loss of impact on others and loss of interest for myself.

So then it got all meta in my brain. I'd been concerned that LJ would make me write less fic because of timesuck. But maybe it will make me write less because of ideasuck.

Does this at all match up with your own experience? Do you work out your ideas about shows/books/characters in essays now where you would have dealt with it in fiction? Or does it make it richer for you, more likely to become fic than it would have otherwise?

Certainly, other people's discussions have sparked ideas in my head. But I struggle with sharing my own thoughts because I fear that once they're out, they'll be gone and I won't be able to use them any more.

This had nothing whatsoever to do with beer, except that I am now going to go drink some.

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I think I'm having the opposite experience as you are -- having a place to work out ideas about characters and themes and such makes me realize I actually *have* these ideas, and can therefore put them into my fic, whereas before there wasn't much intellectual structure to my stories (not like they're rife with it now *g*). I'm not sure it would have occurred to me to think in such an in-depth manner about characters (requiring foot-noted essays, etc) without blogs.

But then, that's me -- not so much with the original thought, I guess. *g*

.m

Maybe I'm just being, well, I'm not sure paranoid is quite the right word, but something close to it. :)

I saw in your userinfo you live in the tundra, since I stalking you and also live in canada, I am curious about where you are. Probably Vancouver like everyone else (hates you all).

I have recently started floating my ideas that are more general on my LJ. Last month I had a whole discussion on the concept of Slytherinness as it relates to Tom Riddle and the hatred of mudbloods on my LJ to see what other people had to say on that. Similarly, I have discussed my dislike for H/D fic and why. I think for general, amorphous ideas, this works well. You can see where your friends (in the loose sense of people who read you LJ) intersect with your thought process, and often their ideas can spark or hone an idea you had.

However, when it comes to plot ideas, I tend to keep the ones I want to use for myself close to my chest. I don't want to tell everyone the point of a fic I am writing and spoil the whole damned thing. But I also tend to discuss longer stories with friends so I can bounce my ideas off them. Usually that leads me to realizing flaws or coming up with parallel points I hadn't considered before.

Ok, I don't know if I am answering your query here at all. It's late.

Live on the mainland? Never! Hmm, stalker, eh? Best keep an eye on you, then.

I'll have to look for your Slytherinness discussion. *looks over at Slytherin House LEGO set*

I don't know why I worry so much about losing ideas by talking about them. It really is quite stupid -- talking about ideas makes them grow. But I guess talking about ideas also gives them common ownership. And I always have to have my own bag of chips. (I'm working on that. *g*)

And, yes, that answers my question just fine. This world called LJ fascinates me and I want to figure out how people use it. (In a sociological sense, not a technical one.)

If you ever want to bounce an idea offa me, you are welcome. I won't steal your ideas since I give away heaps of them on a constant basis myself (oh, and now I have a huge project started and couldn't possibly glom off you).

I really sat up and took notice of this post and I really wanted to reply. I'm not sure that I'll make any sense though, since it's all a bit vague and nebulous.

I really identified with the idea that sharing thoughts and ideas leads to the loss of same. I'll discuss fic ideas with a few trusted friends/beta-types, but otherwise I try not to get too specific about stories until they're finished and posted. I guess it's rather like that business about athletes not having sex prior to a game - talking too much/openly about an idea tends to weaken it, water it down, causes it to lose it's 'oomph'. Or, maybe it's just that talking openly about an idea serves the same psychological purpose as writing it out in a story, and once it's been discussed I am, for all intents and purposes, finished with it. I'm really not sure. I just know that my instinct is to play it close to the vest, and on the occasions that I haven't, the story idea kind of got away from me and disappeared.

As for LJ itself, I find it to be a huge timesuck - it's so much easier to (pseudo)chat, catch up with friends, click links to see/meet new and interesting people, blather about fandom and characterization, etc. than to get down to the dirty, painful business of turning my own ideas into a viable story. LJ is endlessly entertaining, as well as being (at least to me) a real connection to other people/fans in a way that mailing lists aren't.

Or does it make it richer for you, more likely to become fic than it would have otherwise?

I have to say that the various LJ posts in my current fandom probably do enrich my own thoughts. In LJ I've run across things that never would have occurred to me on my own, and I believe that every interesting new idea amounts to a planted seed - some just sit there, others sprout into boring little weeds, but some blossom in to deliciously fragrant, exotic, tasty little fruits. And once they're mine, growing in my soil, who knows what might come of it?

Good lord, I am blathering on! I think that big glass of wine might have been a bit much - please do forgive me my melodrama!

Or, maybe it's just that talking openly about an idea serves the same psychological purpose as writing it out in a story, and once it's been discussed I am, for all intents and purposes, finished with it. I'm really not sure.

I think that sums up my fear. Not that I'm losing my ideas, but that I'm using them up.

I started pondering all this after reading that William Gibson was giving up his blog whilst he works on his next novel. (NOT that I'm comparing myself to him! *g*) "Writing novels is pretty solitary, and blogging is very social."

But then, fanfic is a *very* social kind of writing. So I'm no more clear now than before. *g*

Fiction, meta, LJ, and beer

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