Sorry Folks
Feb. 8th, 2003 07:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
melwilUnfortunately, until I get around to getting a paid journal (should be soon, the money situation is beginning to look a little better), I think you're going to suffer more than me. See, I'll probably make my posts quite long, and I won't be able to journal cut it all, and three posts is kinda ridiculous.
Anyway, onto the stuff . . .
With the improved money situation I was able to purchase two CDs today - the Chicago soundtrack and a Texas CD (Alan . . . !) I think I'm driving the housemates mad.
Why the improved money? Well I started back at dancing yesterday and had a sudden influx of students - very nice. Actually, only about three students were new to the school - the others were old ones who had gone and then came back. And I don't seem to have lost any students.
Dancing was good. I bought a new (but demo model, so cheap) CD player on Thursday night. Recorded the music onto tape about an hour before classes started and ad libbed my way through six hours of lessons. But it was fun - my students are really beginning to grow up, and I love seeing them again after a two month break. I realised, too, that this is my fifth year of teaching at my own school, my eighth year of teaching and my sixteenth year of being involved with dance.
Whilst at dancing, I channelled![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
missmartin for a moment, shaking my fist at the dodgy Peachester phone reception.
Now I'm at home, waiting for funky Matt to ring, and deciding whether pigging out and writing, or pigging out and watching bad TV will be better. I can't stay up too late though - early morning tomorrow.
Just getting political for a second:
I noted that the USA has put their country on the top level of alert. If only they had a fridge magnet to protect themselves with.
By the way, the US Ambassador has NO right to tell the Australian Parliment, or any of its parties, what they can or cannot say in question time.
This is (still) a democratic country with a proud tradition of one of the bawdiest, funniest Parliments in the world. If the Labour Party wants to call Dubya dangerous and stupid, they can. It's their democratic right.
The American people, if they believe in the free speech of their allies, should be asking for their ambassador to Australia to be removed. He's really not doing a very good job of representing his country, or its democratic beliefs at the moment.
Now with that over.
And onto less controversial matters . . .
There's various conversations in various journals going around at the moment about those people who are happy to keep writing as a hobby, without ever striving to improve.
I don't understand this.
All I've done since beginning to writing in May 2001, is try to improve. And I have to wonder what it is that seperates people like me - those who want to improve - from the 'hobby-ists'
Some of it, of course, is personality. I like to achieve things. I like to get better. I memorised the Six Steps of Service at my work to be better at it (I can also make a Double Chocolate Donut in about 30 seconds flat - I've always been an over acheiver in the worng things) Writing is something in my life, so like work and dancing and reading and teaching, I want to get better at it.
But it all can't be personality. In my opinion there's got to be other things that makes people like me want to get better at their writing.
Feedback and the system of competitions and reccing must play a part. I've never won a competition, so I'm not sure how much that plays a part, but I always enjoy it when a well written piece of writing gets a lot of feedback. Same with recs - if someone thought it was good enough to stake their reputation on it by reccing it, then I can't help but feel flattered. And feeling flattered is a good feeling and reason enough to write better.
Another reason for getting better at fan fiction is the pure love of the show/book/movie. If you really enjoy something so much that you spent a considerable amount of time writing about it, then there's got to be some sort of motivation to do it justice. Especially if the show or book you write about is well written.
Alternately, the standard of other writers could inspire people to write better - especially if you are in contact with them. I have both in RL and online a group of writers who I have contact with, who are considerably better than I am. They inspire me (or nag me) to write better, and offer to help me as well.
So personality, feedback etc, good medium to work with and other inspiring fan fic authors are motivations to write better. Can any one think of any others?
I took the test which told me which LJ users had interest most like mine. Topping the list wasmissmartin followed by therissole, singingweaver and tangochocky. wierdgurl30 came in a seventh with lizbee rounding out a ninth.
I'm going to go rearrange my interest soon, though, so change is iminent
Also, new icons coming.
Off to googlise my fic, should be fun.
edited to add
Just found out that I should have voted in the Jeds and kept a closer eye on West Wing awards in general. While Googlising I found out that I was nominated for 26 Ways to Find Loneliness the CJ story I wrote that was booted from FF.net. It was also nominated in the Choice Awards.
I really should have stayed in the loop . . .
Anyway, onto the stuff . . .
With the improved money situation I was able to purchase two CDs today - the Chicago soundtrack and a Texas CD (Alan . . . !) I think I'm driving the housemates mad.
Why the improved money? Well I started back at dancing yesterday and had a sudden influx of students - very nice. Actually, only about three students were new to the school - the others were old ones who had gone and then came back. And I don't seem to have lost any students.
Dancing was good. I bought a new (but demo model, so cheap) CD player on Thursday night. Recorded the music onto tape about an hour before classes started and ad libbed my way through six hours of lessons. But it was fun - my students are really beginning to grow up, and I love seeing them again after a two month break. I realised, too, that this is my fifth year of teaching at my own school, my eighth year of teaching and my sixteenth year of being involved with dance.
Whilst at dancing, I channelled
missmartin for a moment, shaking my fist at the dodgy Peachester phone reception.Now I'm at home, waiting for funky Matt to ring, and deciding whether pigging out and writing, or pigging out and watching bad TV will be better. I can't stay up too late though - early morning tomorrow.
Just getting political for a second:
I noted that the USA has put their country on the top level of alert. If only they had a fridge magnet to protect themselves with.
By the way, the US Ambassador has NO right to tell the Australian Parliment, or any of its parties, what they can or cannot say in question time.
This is (still) a democratic country with a proud tradition of one of the bawdiest, funniest Parliments in the world. If the Labour Party wants to call Dubya dangerous and stupid, they can. It's their democratic right.
The American people, if they believe in the free speech of their allies, should be asking for their ambassador to Australia to be removed. He's really not doing a very good job of representing his country, or its democratic beliefs at the moment.
Now with that over.
And onto less controversial matters . . .
There's various conversations in various journals going around at the moment about those people who are happy to keep writing as a hobby, without ever striving to improve.
I don't understand this.
All I've done since beginning to writing in May 2001, is try to improve. And I have to wonder what it is that seperates people like me - those who want to improve - from the 'hobby-ists'
Some of it, of course, is personality. I like to achieve things. I like to get better. I memorised the Six Steps of Service at my work to be better at it (I can also make a Double Chocolate Donut in about 30 seconds flat - I've always been an over acheiver in the worng things) Writing is something in my life, so like work and dancing and reading and teaching, I want to get better at it.
But it all can't be personality. In my opinion there's got to be other things that makes people like me want to get better at their writing.
Feedback and the system of competitions and reccing must play a part. I've never won a competition, so I'm not sure how much that plays a part, but I always enjoy it when a well written piece of writing gets a lot of feedback. Same with recs - if someone thought it was good enough to stake their reputation on it by reccing it, then I can't help but feel flattered. And feeling flattered is a good feeling and reason enough to write better.
Another reason for getting better at fan fiction is the pure love of the show/book/movie. If you really enjoy something so much that you spent a considerable amount of time writing about it, then there's got to be some sort of motivation to do it justice. Especially if the show or book you write about is well written.
Alternately, the standard of other writers could inspire people to write better - especially if you are in contact with them. I have both in RL and online a group of writers who I have contact with, who are considerably better than I am. They inspire me (or nag me) to write better, and offer to help me as well.
So personality, feedback etc, good medium to work with and other inspiring fan fic authors are motivations to write better. Can any one think of any others?
I took the test which told me which LJ users had interest most like mine. Topping the list was
missmartin followed by therissole, singingweaver and tangochocky. wierdgurl30 came in a seventh with lizbee rounding out a ninth.I'm going to go rearrange my interest soon, though, so change is iminent
Also, new icons coming.
Off to googlise my fic, should be fun.
edited to add
Just found out that I should have voted in the Jeds and kept a closer eye on West Wing awards in general. While Googlising I found out that I was nominated for 26 Ways to Find Loneliness the CJ story I wrote that was booted from FF.net. It was also nominated in the Choice Awards.
I really should have stayed in the loop . . .
