FRIST!

Edited at 2013-02-21 02:20 pm (UTC)

I actually wrote serious and not-snarky nonfiction. Nonfiction as a whole is SUPER rare for me, and I had NEVER written a non-humorous bit of it before last week. That came as a surprise to me, since it was so very much not my usual.

Happy Thursday! I think this is the earliest I've ever posted an entry...?

Two things that stand out for me:

1. I'm really, really enjoying the intimacy of this "Exhibit A".
2. I don't feel the same kind of pressure right now that I ordinarily feel within a regular Idol season, and that, in turn, is reflected in my writing. In other words, I don't feel the need to prove I can write in XYZ genres that I've felt in other seasons. I feel comfortable concentrating on what I like to write, and that's very liberating.

I'm going to the dentist this afternoon. Ember somehow hurt her leg yesterday and she can't walk very well right now. Neither can SO. It's lonely being the only able-bodied person in the house :sigh:





Edited at 2013-02-21 02:29 pm (UTC)

Just dropping in to say hi. I can't stay to chat. Staying in a hotel near the airport tonight as I'm off to India early tomorrow morning. I'm hoping, if I survive this week and I can figure out Internet there, the next prompt will let me write about some aspect of the trip. Now I'd best get some sleep!

I got my SCI entry done and posted last night, w00t!

I think my biggest surprise has been in stretching my boundaries just a little bit, taking a topic and turning it on its ear where necessary. Other folks really impress me with what they put out, but I can still impress myself! Also, I like when people bring their own interpretations to what I write - it says a lot about them, as well as about my own writing, even when what they read into it isn't what I intended, you know?

After what I felt (and still do) was one of my best pieces of writing in 3 seasons I've participated saw me in SCI, I relaxed about it, and stopped trying too hard. It is a nice feeling :).

I really found some amazing authors here, and some powerful writing that really helped me personally. :)
I am also proud of myself. There is a time when I would have jumped off a cliff before being involved in an actual competition, a time when a simple review would send me into the fetal postition in tears. I have been surprisingly relaxed here and ENJOYED playing around with different things. It is so nice to just enjoy writing without so much pressure.

I set my original entry aside last night after realizing I likely wouldn't manage to make it shape up by the deadline. The words didn't go in the dustbin, but they need to grow and develop over several chapters of a novel, which isn't exactly conducive to an Idol entry.

Now I'm working on a nonfiction entry that's coming together more easily. It might not fit the prompt as well, but I believe that it's undeniably mine.</p>

This season's been full of surprises for me, including:
+ I'm surprised that my first response to most of the prompts has been to write fiction. As late as last season, I still thought of fiction as the riskier choice.
+ I'm surprised that I've overcome the internal editor to the extent I have.
+ I'm surprised that I've been so calm about the voting. I think that's because Exhibit A is a gift. If we had gone right into Season 9, I would have been terrified of making the same mistakes I made in prior seasons and never getting another chance. But Exhibit A is a chance to write that I didn't think I'd get. I want to make the most of this extra time without fretting over mistakes.
+ I'm surprised that I just said a story is undeniably mine. For the longest time, when you asked questions like, "What separates you from the pack?" in a Green Room or Work Room, I couldn't answer. But I'm getting a sense of who I am as a writer: deliberate, concise, using no detail whose purpose hasn't been closely examined--yet still with room for beauty.

I think the biggest surprise for me is discovering that I can write quasi-YA (obviously not THIS week). I have completely fallen in love with Charlotte and Elizabeth.

I also screwed up my courage and sent a copy of the first Charlotte/Elizabeth story to my inspiration for Elizabeth. She was flattered. :)

I am surprised at how easy it was to fall back into the fun of idol. The fun of writing and reading.

I have done idol three other times and by that last season I wasn't feeling that fun. I was letting myself get to stressed out by it.

I'm surprised that I'm actually able to write again. Thanks, LJI.

Biggest surprise for me is just how well this group seems to gel with one another. I like how I don't have to fret about reading all of the entries from week to week. Also, this season I find myself struggling a lot less with my words. I've found a good balance of fiction and nonfiction so far, I think. I remember during season 8 I was afraid to do nonfiction.

Perhaps the biggest surprise though is probably noticing where my style has changed yet again when compared to season 8. And how well I can manage to shove 3 books of backstory into one scene and still make it feel natural and not confuse readers who aren't familiar with the characters involved. Still a risky as hell move on my part, but I do like how that piece came out -- now. lol.

I'm really arguing with myself right now about this topic. I've had ideas, but I'm not loving the words that I'm wrangling for them.

Back to it...

I've started a couple of entries for this topic. I might have one right now that's coming together.

This season I surprised myself by writing fiction.

I just wanted to come in and say that I feel so thrilled to be a part of this experience. I've never done anything Idol related before and it's honestly just so wonderful to see people still active on this website, let alone the amazing writers that I've seen week after week here. You are all such an inspiring group of people I am so grateful to have been introduced to you through the entries you submit each week. I love you all!

In other news, I still have yet to write my entry for this week because yesterday I realized that I have, in fact, sprained a large portion of my back. My mobility is very limited and so boyfriend is taking me to the doctor's today to hopefully get some helpful information about what's going on back there (hehe.) Seriously though, I can't move unless someone helps me.

Edited at 2013-02-21 07:23 pm (UTC)

I got a post in! It's not my most subtle entry to anything ever, but it's finished and posted. I'm considering that enough of a coup for the day.

I'm enjoying focusing on one genre only and becoming strong within it. I discovered I had the strength for historical fiction last season and I've really loved researching, listening for the voices of my characters, and turning out stories that people have told me are really amazing. I also love that there are more people willing to leave thoughts this season - we're not so huge that we can't get to all the entries. I've been enjoying watching what people I met in my first season are doing now, and how they've changed and improved. It's been a really cool interlude, and I've been really having fun! That's all thanks to pixiebelle, who sponsored me to come in, too :)

Echoing the thoughts about the smaller group, there is a lot that I really like about it as well.

I've already confirmed that there will be an Exhibit B. But the idea of mini-seasons in the future is definitely on the table beyond that.

http://ashgaelsonaria.livejournal.com/258856.html

My nonfiction home game entry for the main topic.
I do not expect to do a hge for sci. I feel icky.

Edited at 2013-02-21 09:30 pm (UTC)

I finally finished my Second Chance entry. I feel like I've given birth. Without drugs.

I've enjoyed being able to read every entry every week. I'm loving that a lot. I'm getting a sense of each writer individually. Of course, that has effected how I vote. I find I'm much more considerate of each writer's collection of entries, and I vote more holistically, I think.

I also like the pace we're moving at. Sure it seems daunting to hear we're losing 10 or more writers a week, but that's actually helped me not worry so much. Whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen. I'm just trying to write true to my reaction to the prompt each week. I'm happy to feel I've done that so far.

My biggest surprise? That I've managed to get something in every week with a schedule that feels relentless.

I just wanted everyone to know that I am not participating in second chance. My husband and I came home from our weekend away to discover our garden had been burgled and I can't concentrate on anything right now. Sorry.

Ok, that was too close to even be funny.

::collapses::

I'm completely and totally loving the mini-season. I think there's a lot to be said for having a situation where there's still competition afoot, and therefore motive to go all-out and meet the deadlines, but the stakes aren't quite as high as a regular season, so it's safer to try new stuff and experiment a little. A regular season, if you fuck up and get booted, you're either out for the rest of the year, or you have a year's worth of work blow up in your face, or some combination thereof. Get booted in a mini season? Okay, it sucks, but just wait a month or so and hop right back in.

I'm still using my normal style of sticking to actual stuff about myself and life for the most part but I think I took a chance this week with both entries. To say I'm nervous is an understatement.