Tuesday, February 14, 2017

How Much do you Tell?

I'm working on something and it doesn't suck!  *waves tiny flag*

But seriously, this is the first time in weeks I've felt like I actually have a story worth working on (that isn't STARWIND's sequel, but anyway), and I'm ridiculously pleased to be able to say that.  And yes, it's something I started working on early last year and set aside for a good long while.  Hell, the notes currently guiding me are from mid-November, and they were the first thing I'd added to it for a long time.  So I've learned yet again how important it is to let something sit for a while before I start working on it.

That, however, is not what I'm here to talk about.

When I realized I actually had something to work on again, I wanted to tell everyone about it.  This didn't seem like a good idea for a few reasons.  First, the story's still in the early planning stages, and a lot could change; my November notes were the missing piece I needed but there's a lot I don't know.  Second, I might end up not writing this, and even if I do, I might decide nobody gets to read it, and even if I don't, history shows that you can count how many people read my books without taking off your shoes.  Third, a lot of what I'd like to share doesn't make much sense to anyone but me:
 I've seen different writers say a lot of different things about talking about your work before it's done.  A lot of them say to not say a thing, and some say not to say a thing to other writers.  I don't really understand either of those.  Sure, it's hard not to talk about what you're working on, but while I can get resisting the urge, I don't get why it should be an absolute.  Especially when you're excited about it and it's going well.

And not talking about it to other writers?  How does that even make sense?  Who else is going to understand?  O_o

There's also asking for advice about something you're working on.  Much as I hate to say it, I've killed ideas by doing that.  In the past, asking for someone else's thoughts on a would-be project got their idea rooted too firmly into my mind, and I ended up abandoning it, because I felt like it wasn't mine anymore and I couldn't get it back to how it used to be, because I couldn't get someone else's idea out of my head.

So, what do the rest of you think?  Do you tell people what you're working on, or do you keep it to yourself?  Do you ask for advice on what you're working on while you're working on it?  And can you guess how much of the above tweet is a metaphor?


Hint: NONE OF IT

9 comments:

  1. I have 1-2 people (the chosen ;) ) who I run things by just because explaining something brings it to a whole different light and I can make out some major problems I didn't notice before. BUT nobody else hears about it because when I have blurted ideas around, they always die on me. Jinxed?

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    1. Hmm... idea-blurting leading to ideas dying may be related to the shiny new idea being just shiny and not actually having any substance. I know I've had that issue. But hey, if you are jinxed, at least it's an easy one to thwart. :P

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  2. I'll mention here online something I'm working on, but no details. In the real world, only my wife knows.
    I do run my outlines by one or two critique partners. They'll always make suggestions that take it in a new direction and even if I don't go in that direction, it sparks new ideas anyway.

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    1. I mention things here online too, but I've learned not to say too much, because too many things die on me. >_< I've never run a full outline by someone, though, because too much of my plotting is written in a way that would make it hard for others to understand - I know what it means, but I'd have to explain it to anyone else.

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  3. I'll freely talk about my writing, but usually the people I tell get a glazed look in their eyes. That's likely due to the sheer amount of information I have a habit of dumping on them. So to avoid sending people into a wild frenzy, I won't typically bring it up unless asked. I will, however, talk about my stories with my sis-in-law. She's had enough exposure that I don't need to give all the information in one big schpeal, and thus I can just hit her up with my most recent problem.

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    1. I too have seen the glazed look. And the "are you on drugs?" look. >_< That is very cool that you have someone who knows your stuff well enough to discuss it with you like that, though.

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  4. If someone shows interest or asks what I'm working on, I try to give a super short pitch style answer but just with the setting or something that makes it different, i.e. I'm currently working on a fantasy where a culture similar to the US expansionism clashes with a cultural derivative of Imperial China, only with magic, dragons and deadly politics.

    I don't say anymore than that because most people are only asking to be polite. It's a social issue. When writers ask, I'm open to talking about it more, but only if they ask and seem genuinely interested. Other than that, I feel like it's rude to ramble on about it because you are the only one who can experience it. You can't get someone excited about it and then send them off to go buy the book, there isn't a book yet!

    Because it's very one sided, it seems like a pretty one sided conversation, so for me, it's all about social dynamics.

    And then, once you're published, you really shouldn't talk about what you're working on because your contract might include a gag order. Just something to think about. Also, your adoring fans might be scouring the internet looking for clues on the sequel, which you might inadvertently give, then, change when it goes to editing, and you end up really disappointing your reader.

    In short, it's always best to practice politeness.

    When I do have someone genuinely interested in writing, I usually steer the conversation away from what I'm working on to talk about either the process that I'm using on my current project, or past writing anecdotes. The nice thing about talking about the writing process is that you can have a really indepth conversation with other writers, one that's two sided, and if they're civilians, they might not know how much work goes into a book, and they might find that interesting and informative.

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    1. also, why do I always write so much? Chin up, there's no one right way.

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    2. Yeah, I definitely talk about things differently depending on if the other person's a writer or not. And it's easy to tell if they were just being polite - mistaking that and going into details is when the weird looks start. ^_^

      And I like that you write so much, since we don't get to talk as much anymore. :P I wasn't really looking for a right way here, just seeing what other people think on the topic.

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