Vague writerly musings, mostly for my own benefit only

[ciroccoj]

I've got an idea for a fic, and lots of it is written, but it's disorganized and going to be long, so I'm nowhere near posting it anywhere. And I keep seeing stuff that I'm planning to write about, or have written about, all over the damn place. Mostly on ff.n ::shudder:: And I can't decide whether I prefer to read it done badly, or done well.

When it's done badly, I'm torn between "Augh, nobody could possibly think I would have copied from this author, and wow am I ever going to do a better job than they did!" versus "OHMYGOD I no longer want to write about that!! I am SCARRED!! And OHMYGOD what if people think I stole from this?!!!"

When it's done well, I'm torn between "Oooh, that's just what I wanted to write about - and there it is, and ooh, what a great job this author did!" ::happy sigh:: versus "Crap, maybe I shouldn't bother trying, it's already been done far better than I could ever write it - and besides, what if people think I plagiarized from here?"

The one thing I was comforting myself with was that at least the big plot thing I wanted to write hadn't been done yet. The details and subplots, sure, but whatever. At least the Point of the Story hadn't been done yet.

And now, as of this afternoon, it has. Not totally; the story is only at the Prologue stage. But it looks like the author will be taking things exactly in the direction I wanted to take them, and that she's going to do it... adequately. Not terrible, not terrific, but somewhere in between.

::sigh::


ETA: Yes, I know I'm being annoyingly vague on the details. Sorry :(

Comments

I say

[culturevulture7.livejournal.com]

write the story.

I found out after I'd written the first draft big L&O epic I wrote with Mike & Lennie that someone else had written a pretty similar story. I finished mine anyway.

You're going to bring a style and persepective they don't have so write! :-)

Re: I say

[ciroccoj.livejournal.com]

I found out after I'd written the first draft big L&O epic I wrote with Mike & Lennie that someone else had written a pretty similar story. I finished mine anyway.
Did you think about not finishing it? Because I'm not done the first draft; I've got the outline, and have written scenelets from here there and everywhere in the timeline, as well as most of the first chapter. Can't say how close I am to being done, but it's definitely less than 1/3 done.

You're going to bring a style and persepective they don't have so write! :-)
I hope so. Thanks :) :)

Re: I say

[culturevulture7.livejournal.com]

No, I didn't think of not finishing it, although I hoped that that author, seeing my story (and I know she did, she was in the same zine!) didn't think I stole her idea, since I got there on my own. I also thought my story was better, to be snotty about it ;-)

And since it got woffproff writing L&O, I'm glad I did! So you never know.

One of these days, I need to post it on thursday100plus since the zine is way out of print.

[daf9.livejournal.com]

Points up. What culturevulture said. Because if you write it, they will read.

[ciroccoj.livejournal.com]

Thanks :) :)

[shiningmoon.livejournal.com]

I say write it, too, and don't read what the other peoples have written. Do your own thing unsullied. :)

[ciroccoj.livejournal.com]

I say write it, too, and don't read what the other peoples have written. Do your own thing unsullied. :)
Hee - unfortunately, I am highly sullied at this point. Like, filthy sullied, especially by some of the more unfortunate stories I have not been wise enough to drop at the first mispelled mangled dangling participle. My poor, poor eyes :(

[ladystarstruck.livejournal.com]

I've heard that's the dilemma a lot of professional writers face, when their stuff is often fanficced. It's also the number one reason some writers don't allow fan writing in their creation; they don't want to put out the next novel in the series and get accused of plagiarizing from someone's fan fiction.

On the topic of fanfic, I'm assuming you've heard of an HP ficcer named Maya? I read the other day she got a huge advance to get her original trilogy published.

[ciroccoj.livejournal.com]

I've heard that's the dilemma a lot of professional writers face, when their stuff is often fanficced. It's also the number one reason some writers don't allow fan writing in their creation; they don't want to put out the next novel in the series and get accused of plagiarizing from someone's fan fiction.
Yeah, actually the way I heard it that's exactly why Marion Zimmer Bradley decided nobody could fanfic her stuff. She had been very much pro-fanfic, considering it a high compliment that other people wanted to "play in her garden," and she published anthologies of other people's fanfics of her stuff. Then a writer sent her a story for an anthology and she turned down the story, but found one part of it quite charming and asked the writer if she could include it in her next book - with proper acknowledgement of course. Not a big thing; just a side-note. The writer wrote back that yes, of course she could - but she wanted to split the royalties.

Um, no, said MZB, seeing as how the bit was tiny and MZB had written an entire book. Never mind, I won't include your bit. Thanks, but no thanks.

OK, then, said the writer, prepare to be sued if you publish this book.

Damn, said MZB's publisher's lawyers, she just may have a leg to stand on. You better not publish your book.

??!! said MZB. I worked on the thing for a year! I'm not going to use her idea! Why can't I publish it?

Too risky, said the lawyers. And in fact, just to be on the safe side, from now on don't write any stories set in this particular era of your world, or you might get sued by your fanficcer.

Damn, time to close the garden, said MZB. And really, who could blame her.

[ciroccoj.livejournal.com]

On the topic of fanfic, I'm assuming you've heard of an HP ficcer named Maya? I read the other day she got a huge advance to get her original trilogy published.
Ooh, I know Maya (http://mistful.livejournal.com). I worship Maya. Maya writes things like A review of Deathly Hallows (http://mistful.livejournal.com/102591.html), which includes gems such as: "I totally and absolutely surrender," Draco Malfoy said promptly. " - to Potter, that is. Oh, come on. He saves my life, you kill my teacher and make me torture people. Evil minionhood is no good for my nerves. This is not actually a hard decision."

She also writes parodies of the movies, eg Goblet of Fire (http://mistful.livejournal.com/77613.html)

DRACO: Daddy, when can I have a pimp cane of my very own?
LUCIUS: When you can use it like a man. Shacka lacka swish!

DUMBLEDORE: And the contestants are Viktor 'Too Sexy For His Broom' Krum, Fleur 'Voulez Vous Coucher Avec Moi' Delacour, Cedric 'Handsome As the Devil, But Perfectly Divine' Diggory, and... Harry 'What the Fuck Is Going On Here?' Potter!

and Prisoner of Azkaban (http://mistful.livejournal.com/59607.html):
HERMIONE: Men. Can't live without them. Am too smart for anyone to believe I killed them by accident.

HERMIONE: Buckbeak's being executed! *clings passionately to Ron*
HARRY: I need love too! *clings passionately to Hermione*
RON: *clings passionately to rat*
AUDIENCE: *gets kind of worried about Ron*

and she even branches out into other fandoms, like Star Wars and Troy (http://mistful.livejournal.com/59385.html):
PARIS: Let's go live in a forest! I can hunt animals.
HELEN: But baby, they're smarter than you.

HECTOR: Oh no, it was Achilles' fake cousin!
BOTH ARMIES: The HORROR!
HECTOR: *tears up* I knew war was evil, but who could predict it would end in the death of someone's fake cousin?
ODYSSEUS: It is a senseless, senseless tragedy!


Hm. I just realized two of my icons have quotes from Maya; the one above, and


So yeah, I'm thrilled that she sold her trilogy, and will happily shell out $ to read it :)