What I learned from PT, rule #284: There is no greater tragedy than a story without an ending.

[timepiececlock]

There was no new Avatar tonight. Although disappointing (and I had the tv all to myself tonight, too), it's good in a way because it gives me a chance to write that fanfic I've thought about writing for two weeks. I thought I was screwed last week because they were going to resolved the Appa thing, but to my surprise Appa's episode just set up everything nicely for the fic. Then I was busy all this week and didn't write anything... and I found out there's no new episode to joss my fic ideas, and in fact might not be an episode next week either.

It's like the universe is putting off airing the new episode until I write my fic. Which is neat. It'd be great, in fact, if it wasn't for this damn writer's block.

I'm totally frelling blocked right now. I want to write... but I got nothin'. I tried with some entries for irrel's AU challenge, but even those were pretty bland, and not my best work. One was too obvious and the other suffered because I didn't know where to end it.


I think I need to read more Ivanhoe. The book is strangely paced, and full of odd details in the descriptions, but damn if I'm not getting into it. Saxons! Normans! Crusaders and loyal goatherds! ...I have my suspicions only 60 pages in about the identity of a certain character being not quite what he says, and we'll have to see where it goes. Maybe some quality reading time will help me over my writer's block.

Comments

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Oh babe, I mean the ones I posted already. Sorry to get your hopes up.

I had the vague idea for one where Zuko breaks the news to Katara that there's no such thing as Santa Clause, but I couldn't think of a way to make it work in my head, so I never wrote it down.

[irrel.livejournal.com]

Awww, you are evil.

BTW, pretty bland? tf? I don't get writers XD

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Like all artists, we're a self-critical, indulgent, nitpicky, oft-neurotic lot, who obssess over our own works and vascillate between "Wow, am I hot shit or what" to "OH MY GOD I SUCK LIKE THE SUCKIEST THIRD GRADE WRITER ALIVE."

Though it gives me a happy jolt to have someone on the internet besides myself refer to me offhandedly as just plain a writer. I can't explain exactly why, but it makes me happy. Some beyond-fanfic strange validation thing, I can only assume.

[irrel.livejournal.com]

Rashaka, you are a writer.

Also, I totally get the "Wow, am I hot shit or what" to "OH MY GOD I SUCK LIKE THE SUCKIEST THIRD GRADE WRITER ALIVE" thing (only, you know, drawer) *sigh*

yay for validation!

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

Thank you, artist.

I think as people who produce creative works we get certain ideas of ourselves, and the general overwhelmingly positive nature of fandom feedback means we sometimes overcompensate on self-criticism in order to rebalance our ideas of our own works to match both our vanities and our insecurities.

Re: yay for validation!

[irrel.livejournal.com]

Ha! Are you saying we don't get enough bad reviews? I guess you are right. Someone has to tells us we suck, it might as well be ourselves.

And then, leave emo rants so we can get even MORE extremelly nice reviews...

Re: yay for validation!

[rashaka.livejournal.com]

In the case of Avatar fandom you and I both tend to get way more positive than negative feedback. But in general, fandom always encourages more than discourages. Even crap stuff will get more "that's so cute, do more!" than flames or "just quit now" comments. People usually don't comment at all if they don't like it... unless you do somethign that really offends someone and calls their attention. In this way fandom feedback is like a pair of rose-colored glasses. Sometimes you can get good crit feedback that clears up your vision, but mostly you get positive reinforcement.

Which is a good thing, because we all need encouragement as we learn.

Re: yay for validation!

[irrel.livejournal.com]

God, I love it when people leave me useful comments, but it almost never happens. In the other hand, if people would have told me my first zutara drawing weren't good I wouldn't have kept drawing for the fandom (ah, artists... our egos are easily bruised.)

Even crap stuff will get more "that's so cute, do more!" than flames or "just quit now" comments. AMEN to that.