Intermission - Stuff: writing, Spider-Man 3, characters

[kriadydragon]

For the record, what I am about to say is not a sympathy plea or self-pity. It's just something I noticed.

It always seems to me that out of my stories, the ones I like the most get the least responses than the ones I'm kind of "eh" or uncertain about. To prove my point that this is not a sympathy plea, I am not telling you which stories I deem as my favorites and which I'm "eh" about. This isn't conrete as I like my "Hound of Hell" story and that did quite well. It just makes me nervous for my original stories as there are certain ones I like more than others.

I think it's because the stories of mine that I like the most are the ones I try a little "too" hard on, if that makes sense. I force the story to be a certain way or go a certain direction without letting it go where it will, and lately I've been having a hard time keeping myself from doing this. Usually the stories that do best are the ones I let write themselves, based on some simple or amusing idea, or a need to whump, not caring if it's successful or not. Then it ends up being successful and I become obsessed with duplicating that success. I try to ignore the obsession but it's always sitting there at the back of my mind, getting me to look too deeply at a story and going overboard with trying to make the story "deep" or "meaningful" instead of letting it be what it wants to be.

It's very irritating, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the onlye one who suffers this. You have a story that you want everyone to see awesome or unique, but it doesn't do quite as well as the story you wrote for fun but didn't care much about. It's kind of wierd in a way. Sort of like watching a pot boil. You watch it and it takes forever to start boiling. You leave it alone and it boils in what feels like a manner of seconds.

I also feel pride plays a part. You have several stories that do well and people love, so you expect all your stories to be equally loved. I try not to give into that (I get a little sad when certain stories don't do well, but I don't get angry and start bad-mouthing people. I mostly start wondering what I could have done to make the story better, which is always the wise way to go.) There will be great stories, mediocre stories, and not so great stories. That's just a fact of life.

Now that I confessed this, maybe my brain will shut up and let me write what I want rather than write something that's supposed to be meangiful and thought-provoking. Bad brain, bad! Back off you overly intelluctual muses! Let the crazy muses have their way.

On a completely unrealted note: Spider Man three is awesome! Go see it. Venom is my favorite bad-guy of the comic book world. *sighs contentedly* With the movie came previews for the third Pirates of the Caribbean. The previews alone ot my heart pounding. Man, I can't wait for that movie to come out.

On an only slightly relatable note to the above rant, I honestly believe there are more McKay fans than Sheppard (I think I've said this already). I'm not complaining, I'm just saying. It's gotten me to wonder (and don't ask how) if liking a certain character on a certain show says something about your personality.

For example, I like:

John Sheppard - SGA
Dean - Supernatural
Danny Messer - CSI:NY
I actually like both Charlie and Don - Numbers
Charlie - Lost (more because I like Dominic, who I was a fan of even before LOTR.)
Spencer Reid - Criminal Minds
Harper - Andromeda
Tony - NCIS (he's such a dork!)
Peter and Hiro  - Heros

Apparently, I like smart-alec, mouthy tough guys with a smattering of soft-hearted geeks. But what does that say about me? That I'm a smart-alec lover of action with a side-order of geekiness? *shrugs* Maaaaybe! *grins*

Comments

[nebbyjen.livejournal.com]

Although I write a lot of McKay, I like all the characters and Shep and Beckett round out the perfect trio. Without one, the other two are missing something. It's just easier for some reason to write McKay.

But Messer, Charlie and Don, Charlie, and Tony are all favorites of mine also. I've never watched the other shows.

See, you do have good tastes! LOL :)

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

I do agree that McKay is easy to write. His character is the type chalked full of potential character change, which I like. I think it's his chatty nature that makes him kind of annoying to me, as I'm the opposite. (I'm more content sitting in silence than trying to talk to people). I also tend to focus on a character with every show I watch, that character being the reason why I watch (Numbers being the only exception). Though I do like other characters on that show, if that one faved-character was taken off, I'd probably end up no longer watching that show (yeah, I'm kind of shallow that way).

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

Well, we like the same characters in the shows we have in common IE: Dean, Tony, Shep and Danny when I watch CSI NY. I've been a huge Vegas fan for years up until this season and then it was mainly Nick, who's a dork with a sensitive side.

I think it's the whole tough guys with a troubled past/dark secret/ or empathy that most don't understand or notice.

As far as your response vs which stuff you like the most I tend to agree with you. I mostly experiment with one shots and the fics where I have a more complicated idea, or where tone or undercurrent is heavy, tends to be
the stuff people don't get.

It's not like I'm trying to be this look at me and how clever I'm being. It's just the ones that are toughest to put into words are the fics I put more not really 'more' effort, but care I guess.

*shrugs* I liked them, but we wouldn't be human if it we didn't react to other's opinions.

Just keep on wring what the muse whispers and you'll keep putting out very emotionally touching and thought provoking fic.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

Exactly! Thought-provoking fics become personal since we put so much thought and time into them, so it gets a little depressing when the responses aren't as numerous as the simple whump fic that only took a few minutes to whip out.

I've never gotten a bad review for them, just not as many as I expected, which is my own fault. I know with some of my fics (after having looked back over them) I either went overboard or scared the reader off with too much wierdness. Plus a lot of thought-provokers tend to be dull, especially for those hoping to read an action fic from me since that's primarily my genre.

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

Exactly! Thought-provoking fics become personal since we put so much thought and time into them

Exactly, which is why I tend to do that in one shots and leave the action stuff for the long epics. One day I'll learn to write a medium sized story...its other 2,000-8,000 word shots or 60,000-90,000 monsters.

I think I tend to do the single shots in the middle of the monsters so that helps.

[kriadydragon.livejournal.com]

You know, when it comes to writing the big stories, I never pay attention to word count. More chapter count or page number.

I've actually found the the ones-shots I do between the big fics (to take a break) always do better than the one-shots I do after the big fics. I find that even wierder.

I forgot to mention in my entry about coming upon those deep, thought-provoking, clever stories that generate a lot of response. Another motivator for me to try the same just to see if I can. Drives me crazy.Must - not - be- influenced!

[kristen999.livejournal.com]

I've actually found the the ones-shots I do between the big fics (to take a break) always do better than the one-shots I do after the big fics. I find that even wierder.

It's because those one shots are little ideas of thoughts that for me, are nearly opposite of what I'm working on for such long periods of time. Its like a tangent that needed so much to break out that it caught your attention when you brain was focused on the 'giant' fic."

I don't think in terms of word count, that just happens to be the result when I hit the button to see how long something is. heh

Speaking of writing chapters...

Have a good one!