They say that there are no original ideas anymore. Everything is reused...over and over again. It's the spin you put on it and your characters that make something that's been used before new/different. I have a confession to make: this is one of my worse fears. You see, one thing that held me back in the past was this fact. I would think my idea is my own... until I read something or watch a show that is similar. What do I do then? Rewrite. It was my answer to it everytime, as though that would change things and this new idea would be different... only to find more similarities.
I still worry about this. But at the same time, I know that it can't be changed much. There will always be something that rings like your idea. For instance, I'm writing a Halloween Full Free Read for Excerpt Monday (due to be posted on Monday) and although I knew my idea wasn't original (I mean it's a time travel idea), there are always similarities like Quantum Leap (which I had never watched or heard of really), and Sliders.
But this is an idea I'm excited about and really want to write. Sure, I could scrap it like my 3 other attempts at a short, but you know what?, I like this idea and it'll be the particular storyline/characters that will make the idea of going back in time and not being able to go back to their own time different. Now, I just have to finish it. Time is running out! Eeks.
Guess I must get to it! How do you handle ideas that are similar to yours? Do you abandon at will or try to twist it in some way?
Showing posts with label Excerpt Monday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Excerpt Monday. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Autumn muses
There's something about this time of year when the leaves are just starting to turn colour that inspires my muse. Ok granted, I could do without the cold. Seriously, I'm not a cold person. I like heat. I'm like a lizard in that way. This year has been a bit of a disappointing autumn just because there hasn't been much of one to begin with. It feels as though it has jumped right into winter without the usual fall benefits.
For instance, I'm already wearing my winter jacket and a sweater underneath. If that's going to be an indication that I'll need another warmer jacket, then... um ikes.
But I digress. I do love autumn. Not as much as spring but autumn will do in a pinch as well. There's something about the crisp air that stirs the ideas in my head. If you haven't visited Excerpt Monday, for instance, we're doing a Halloween Full Read. I cannot write shorts. In fact, I get hives just thinking of it. I get writer's block almost. Why? It requires the one thing that makes my muses tremble in fear: plotting. I don't plot. I'm a pantser all the way and I'm sure I've done a post about it before but I just can't sit and write out those little points in detail before writing.
Characters come first. Plot second.
This is what happened with this Full Read. I knew the characters but do you think I could come up with a story? No of course not. Thing I'm debating now is... YA or adult. I haven't quite put this together yet. I'm thinking YA because it fits the chars, but honestly, I have no experience in it. I suppose we'll see what happens. ;) The idea just came to me this morning so we'll see where it goes. I can't wait to write it. You can read it on the 26th when it'll be posted here and for more, visit the Excerpt Monday site. :)
For instance, I'm already wearing my winter jacket and a sweater underneath. If that's going to be an indication that I'll need another warmer jacket, then... um ikes.
But I digress. I do love autumn. Not as much as spring but autumn will do in a pinch as well. There's something about the crisp air that stirs the ideas in my head. If you haven't visited Excerpt Monday, for instance, we're doing a Halloween Full Read. I cannot write shorts. In fact, I get hives just thinking of it. I get writer's block almost. Why? It requires the one thing that makes my muses tremble in fear: plotting. I don't plot. I'm a pantser all the way and I'm sure I've done a post about it before but I just can't sit and write out those little points in detail before writing.
Characters come first. Plot second.
This is what happened with this Full Read. I knew the characters but do you think I could come up with a story? No of course not. Thing I'm debating now is... YA or adult. I haven't quite put this together yet. I'm thinking YA because it fits the chars, but honestly, I have no experience in it. I suppose we'll see what happens. ;) The idea just came to me this morning so we'll see where it goes. I can't wait to write it. You can read it on the 26th when it'll be posted here and for more, visit the Excerpt Monday site. :)
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Thursday Thirteen
Monday the 14th is Excerpt Monday so I hope you don't mind a bit of pimping. This thursday 13 I want to talk a bit about EM.
1. Showcase your writing. EM is a great opportunity to:
2. Share with other writers.
3. Get new readership. Last month alone we had 40 participants. This doesn't include those who don't participate but are simply readers.
4. Network and get traffic to your blog/site.
5. Have a burning question about whether something works? Ask! I'm sure readers would be more than willing to tell you what they think.
6. Who can do EM? Anyone. Are you pubbed? Unpubbed? Aspiring? Do you have a new release coming out? Want to try out something new to get a feel of how your readers will take this change? Seriously, anyone can do this. We accept all ratings. We simply ask that you give us the rating of your entire site since we do have some PG writers out there and we wouldn't want their readership going to a NC17 by mistake. This is mostly why we rate the whole site, and not just the excerpt. Excerpts may be PG but if you have other posts or even images that aren't... it safest to rate the whole site for everyone.
7. What can you post? Anything. Fiction. Poetry. Be creative but the main thing is that you have fun. Seriously.
8. How long do you need to post? Really it doesn't matter. We've had people post a paragraph whereas others have put up pages. It all depends on how much you want to share with readers.
9. We've streamlined it to make it more user friendly. Like anything, things take time to learn and buld and figure out. There are learning curves to everything and this is no exception. We've stumbled a bit along the way but we're determined because Bria and I love this concept.
10. Soon to come we plan on showcasing our regular authors, hosting themed weeks, and a page for serial reads etc.
11. What do we need to set you up? Your penname, genre, site rating and the specific link where your excerpt will be posted. Excerpts should be posted 8:30am EST. Bria and I will then be going through links to make sure they are working and fix those that aren't. At 9:00 am EST Excerpt Monday goes live to readers.
12. Want to read a success story? Check out Jeannie Lin's story about her first participation in EM in which she received a particularly exciting comment from a stranger about her excerpt.
13. If you're interested and want to join us this month, please visit our site by clicking on the banner and checking out our guidelines.
1. Showcase your writing. EM is a great opportunity to:
2. Share with other writers.
3. Get new readership. Last month alone we had 40 participants. This doesn't include those who don't participate but are simply readers.
4. Network and get traffic to your blog/site.
5. Have a burning question about whether something works? Ask! I'm sure readers would be more than willing to tell you what they think.
6. Who can do EM? Anyone. Are you pubbed? Unpubbed? Aspiring? Do you have a new release coming out? Want to try out something new to get a feel of how your readers will take this change? Seriously, anyone can do this. We accept all ratings. We simply ask that you give us the rating of your entire site since we do have some PG writers out there and we wouldn't want their readership going to a NC17 by mistake. This is mostly why we rate the whole site, and not just the excerpt. Excerpts may be PG but if you have other posts or even images that aren't... it safest to rate the whole site for everyone.
7. What can you post? Anything. Fiction. Poetry. Be creative but the main thing is that you have fun. Seriously.
8. How long do you need to post? Really it doesn't matter. We've had people post a paragraph whereas others have put up pages. It all depends on how much you want to share with readers.
9. We've streamlined it to make it more user friendly. Like anything, things take time to learn and buld and figure out. There are learning curves to everything and this is no exception. We've stumbled a bit along the way but we're determined because Bria and I love this concept.
10. Soon to come we plan on showcasing our regular authors, hosting themed weeks, and a page for serial reads etc.
11. What do we need to set you up? Your penname, genre, site rating and the specific link where your excerpt will be posted. Excerpts should be posted 8:30am EST. Bria and I will then be going through links to make sure they are working and fix those that aren't. At 9:00 am EST Excerpt Monday goes live to readers.
12. Want to read a success story? Check out Jeannie Lin's story about her first participation in EM in which she received a particularly exciting comment from a stranger about her excerpt.
13. If you're interested and want to join us this month, please visit our site by clicking on the banner and checking out our guidelines.
Housekeeping
I realized the other day that I never did update about how I did on the Secret Agent contest. Not only did I get in, but I got some fabulous advice. Some, like anything, I'll take with a grain of salt, others, were more helpful. Although mine wasn't one that was chosen by the Secret Agent, I learned a lot (which is the main thing) and had a great time reading the entries of others. Will I do it again? You betcha. Why? Because there's no better way to get the thoughts of so many people all at once. Everyone has their likes and dislikes. There's another contest going on right now so if you're curious, please, check out the site.
Also in other news, Excerpt Monday is kicking off once again Monday the 14th so if you are wanting a chance to showcase your writing with friends, please do send us an email at excerptmonday@aol.com by Sunday the 13th. Bria Quinlan and I are always excited to come across new writers. Who can join? Anyone! Doesn't matter if you're published or non-published. Doesn't even matter if you write poetry or whatever. Guidelines have changed a bit so please check out the guidelines. The main point: have fun!
Also in other news, Excerpt Monday is kicking off once again Monday the 14th so if you are wanting a chance to showcase your writing with friends, please do send us an email at excerptmonday@aol.com by Sunday the 13th. Bria Quinlan and I are always excited to come across new writers. Who can join? Anyone! Doesn't matter if you're published or non-published. Doesn't even matter if you write poetry or whatever. Guidelines have changed a bit so please check out the guidelines. The main point: have fun!
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