Word on the following discussions stuff etc. I have more thoughts, but no brain power to marshal them right now.
But I did want to respond to this:
I think it does in some ways, due to the simple factor of time. Writers write! And when they're writing, they aren't posting. Writers also beta and send feedback, much of which takes place via email. All of those activities mean they're not LJ-posting.
I look at this in exactly the opposite way.
I post to LJ when I "should" be be writing. I write big rambles on characterization or whatever topic, and some of 'em are longer than stories I'm working on. And then I have to answer the comments - I *want* to answer all the comments, I *want* to have that discussion, or I wouldn't have started it and left the comment feature on.
But then I feel like I'm not getting my fic writing done.
So I think LJ sucks time from writing in a huge way that MLs never did (I didn't write fic when I was highly active on Usenet. LJ reminds me a lot of Usenet - it has many of newsgroups' best features, to my mind - mainly the untrammelled nature of it and the ability to bring lurkers out of hiding for really interesting discussions, which rarely happens on MLs, ime).
I mean, I can spend an evening with one of my WsIP open and never type a word because I'm hitting refresh on my flist, responding to comments, making comments, etc. (and getting really fucking irritated when LJ doesn't work).
I also think about how reading a writer's LJ impacts on one's reading of her fiction. I like to think I have the ability to separate out the writer from the fiction, but it does have influence, and sometimes I wonder if that's not a good thing.
But again, that's for when my head isn't quite so muzzy.
no subject
But I did want to respond to this:
I think it does in some ways, due to the simple factor of time. Writers write! And when they're writing, they aren't posting. Writers also beta and send feedback, much of which takes place via email. All of those activities mean they're not LJ-posting.
I look at this in exactly the opposite way.
I post to LJ when I "should" be be writing. I write big rambles on characterization or whatever topic, and some of 'em are longer than stories I'm working on. And then I have to answer the comments - I *want* to answer all the comments, I *want* to have that discussion, or I wouldn't have started it and left the comment feature on.
But then I feel like I'm not getting my fic writing done.
So I think LJ sucks time from writing in a huge way that MLs never did (I didn't write fic when I was highly active on Usenet. LJ reminds me a lot of Usenet - it has many of newsgroups' best features, to my mind - mainly the untrammelled nature of it and the ability to bring lurkers out of hiding for really interesting discussions, which rarely happens on MLs, ime).
I mean, I can spend an evening with one of my WsIP open and never type a word because I'm hitting refresh on my flist, responding to comments, making comments, etc. (and getting really fucking irritated when LJ doesn't work).
I also think about how reading a writer's LJ impacts on one's reading of her fiction. I like to think I have the ability to separate out the writer from the fiction, but it does have influence, and sometimes I wonder if that's not a good thing.
But again, that's for when my head isn't quite so muzzy.