Deep Thoughts

[cornerofmadness]

The meeting of the authors today caused a delayed and unexpected reaction. I suddenly realized that outside of a few lines of script and two measly chapters I've written NO original fic since Nanomo almost a year ago. Even though someone's helping me to write the synopsis I havent' done it. Even though I might have someone to look at the script all I do is look and think 'yuck, I suck.'

I think a LOT of it is a lack of feedback. The two writers groups I'm in have seriously changed. One's not worth the money (I want desparately to move away from mailing paper zines). The other...well, lately the moderator has been recruiting from her blindness groups and/or religious ones. That leaves me reading mainstream and or religious fic with only ONE other person in the gruop who reads genre. It's no longer helpful. And the one person who has editted my stuff for over a decade has suddenly become...well no longer constructive and jsut hypercritical, telling me it all sucks and it's boring and I don't think it's THAT bad (and neither does the writers group) and I'm not sure if that's just her way of trying to get me to stop infringing on her time or what. Well it worked.

So now...I have no feedback and I'm finding it VERY hard to write in a vacuum. This has never happened to me before. Usually there's been at least one person to read for me or to bounce things off of. Evil Little Dog did it for three years that were productive but lately neither of us have been getting far on anything.

I'm not sure what answer there is to this? Starting my own online genre writers group? Trying to find volunteers to actually read and feedback from my flist? The one person who I'm reading her romance for hasn't been as good at reading my stuff (then again she's so close to getting published and has like 4 kids so I know she has no time) Sigh...I need to give this some consideration.

Comments

[rivin142.livejournal.com]

I'd be happy to read your stuff.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

thanks. I'd appreciate it. How would you like me to send it?

[rivin142.livejournal.com]

Completely up to you. I'll be printing to take it with me, though, if that makes a difference to you.

[druinsanity.livejournal.com]

Starting your own group might work. I have time to read but I'm always worried I'll miss something cause I get really into stories I read and tend to go more on emotion than anything else.

What do you do in a writers group? Just beta and offer suggestions and help? *looks at BA fic that's stuck*

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Most writers groups if they function well act like betas, let you know what works in your chapter or story and what doesn't. Some will just look at flow and content. Others will go nuts on grammar and typing errors.

Others will get off on belittling others...you always have to watch out for that in writers groups.

In the past they've always been for original fic because well, if they didn't meet in your town it was by mail and it wouldn't be worth the cost for fan fic.

If you're lucky you get a good mix of people (and I really think having a genre only group would help since you don't get critiques that say well vampires don't really exist...) ones looking at emotional content as well as others looking at the mechanics.

and this goes with the other post but, if you know the name of your friend's book I'd like to look it up

[druinsanity.livejournal.com]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1556229402/qid=1127074745/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/103-3315084-5212612?v=glance&s=books

Its called ghosts of north texas. very good book

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

thanks. I'll have to look it up. I have a whole collection of books like that

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

I'm finding it VERY hard to write in a vacuum

Mmm, yes. I think that might be part of my problem, too. Aside from looking at things and saying, "Yuck, sucky!"

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

yeah I had a revelation in the car on the way to Athens today (or maybe a stroke) I think we need to REALLY decide what happens in the first two hour pilot. It's all over the damn place. I think the lack of cohesion is adding to the suckfest

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

That might help, yes.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

we have no clue whatsoever

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

I did suggest that we should plan out what we want to happen for the first six episodes at one point. But outlaying everything that should happen in the first episode would probably be a very good idea.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

Yes I know we've talked about this before...but I don't think we acted.

[rahirah]

I've been feeling the effects of beta decay. I belonged to a private list where we all beta'd each other's stuff, and it was a great group--good writers all, able to give and take concrit, sympatico to each other's interests, etc.

And one by one people have dropped out--one had a baby, some had health problems, some lost interest in fandom, the usual. Now there are only three of us still posting regularly, and I rarely get the kind of vicious betaing I really need. I'd like to get more people on the list, but it's hard--do I issue an open invitation, in which case I'll probably get a bunch of people who really aren't what I'm looking for? Or do I sneak around asking people in private? Unless you've worked with someone, it's hard to tell how good they are at betaing. Lots of good betas are average writers and vice versa.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

I agree. It's hard. And you also find the ones who just get off on cutting people down without being helpful. And I know over the years I've lost some of my betaing skills trying to spare the feelings of writers who in fandom, okay I don't feel quite as guilty about but in original fic where the goal is publication that's a problem.