(no subject)
Sunday, February 4th, 2007 03:55 pmI was trying to write a moving story for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nojojojo- I mean, a story to cheer her move, not one that warms her heart. Early on I realized that it could be, and certainly should be, a lapidary vignette of no more than 300 words and possibly less. However the precise 300 words came to me as I was walking from Somewhere to Somewhere Else and never returned, and what emerged from the keyboard is currently 5500 words long with at least two more scenes to go and maybe a coda. It's like one of those old houses where you turn a corner only to find another archway or corridor or set of stairs that you have to go through to get to where you want to be.
At the moment I'm not sure if getting to where I want to be (the essence of those 300 words) is worth the readerly trip, but for the first time in a long time it's a pleasant one for me the writer. Even the chronic fiddly edits and rewrites are fun: for once it's 'this improves the story' not a desperate 'maybe this will make the story work?' And this is why fanwriting (in principle) is the antithesis of pro writing (in principle.) In fanwriting more is always more. Well, except when it's not.
nojojojo- I may have a housewarming story for you in the fulness of time.
(Still using my New Year's foxes because it's not old calendar new Year's yet.)
nojojojo- I mean, a story to cheer her move, not one that warms her heart. Early on I realized that it could be, and certainly should be, a lapidary vignette of no more than 300 words and possibly less. However the precise 300 words came to me as I was walking from Somewhere to Somewhere Else and never returned, and what emerged from the keyboard is currently 5500 words long with at least two more scenes to go and maybe a coda. It's like one of those old houses where you turn a corner only to find another archway or corridor or set of stairs that you have to go through to get to where you want to be. At the moment I'm not sure if getting to where I want to be (the essence of those 300 words) is worth the readerly trip, but for the first time in a long time it's a pleasant one for me the writer. Even the chronic fiddly edits and rewrites are fun: for once it's 'this improves the story' not a desperate 'maybe this will make the story work?' And this is why fanwriting (in principle) is the antithesis of pro writing (in principle.) In fanwriting more is always more. Well, except when it's not.
nojojojo- I may have a housewarming story for you in the fulness of time.(Still using my New Year's foxes because it's not old calendar new Year's yet.)
