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I post on Monday with an occasional random blog thrown in for good measure. I do my best to answer all comments via email and visit around on the days I post.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Random Thought Thursday

Today's quote is from Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

This is one I can identify with. I rarely tell anyone anything about what I'm working on. I don't even tell my husband what I'm working on. I discovered early in my life that if I started talking about a story before it was finished that was sure death for the story. Well meaning people would start giving me input; what to write about, what to say, which way to go etc. Suddenly I'd find I'd lost my story. It was gone, PUFF, just like that, vanished. I'd lost interest, lost inspiration. It was like it was no longer mine. It had somehow become someone elses. In other words it had gotten pneumonia and died.

I don't show anyone my work until I think it's fairly clean and finished. That's just the way I am. What about you? Are you like me, keeping the windows shut against the cold? Or do you hang your underwear outside on the line?

9 comments:

  1. I talk to my husband because he always helps me sort out my plot in my head before I begin (he's a plotter extraordinaire!). But no-one else, usually. I need to get things sraight in my own head first!

    (WHERE IS THE LAND CRAAAAABBBB?)

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  2. My underwear will never hang outside. :) I agree with Kurt. I do tell the hubs, if I'm stuck, but that's it. Because he helps me sort through the stuck on stuff.

    Great quote though. How are you? :)

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  3. Stephen King would agree with you. In his novel On Writing he spoke about not sharing your story, writing it just for you the first round, allowing yourself to believe all the in's and out's work out all the kinks and details. He felt that it would take away from the story if he shared it with someone.

    Mine just depends on the story. Some I don't like to share, I give just a tidbit and then leave the rest until I'm done. My husband is the only one who reads all my works. I don't even use the same crit partners for my stories. I think I can get inspiration from change, change is good.

    I love learning all about writing styles and the do's and don'ts of others, so fascinating!

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  4. I'm like you. With my new book, I didn't even tell my critique group what it was about for six months. Especially with this type of book, I just didn't want to go around with my bare premise hanging out. In general, we need to write it, not talk it. Of course people don't get that, but what else is new?

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  5. Wow, that is a great quote! I let a few select people see my early drafts. A few select. It's like the marines! Almost.

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  6. Great quote. I tend to work on things as best I can by myself, then share with one or two people.

    But with my latest novel, I've been sharing it with two people and althrough it's been scary, it's also been very, very helpful to talk and write about it simultaneously. It has to be the right person, though.

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  7. I love the quote! I only let one person read my very first draft and that is my professor.

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  8. With my first book, no one read it until after I started querying. I didn't have beta's then. For this book, I've let a few beta's have it and I've hit a few snags. I really should have not let anyone have it until I was completely finished with it.

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  9. Ha ha! Love that Kurt Vonnegut quote! When I first started writing, I hung out every comma change, every word, to dry a dozen times. Now that I'm nmore confident I tend to keep it too myself until I'm happy with it.
    Judy

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Your Random Thoughts are most welcome!