Oh. Yeah, the comm I was talking about would definitely address stuff like that. But it would also be about . . . about stuff I don't know how to address, because it's so impossible to talk about! Like, for instance, I was just thinking about doing a dvd commentary someone just requested, and to describe some of the things I did, it's not only about word choice, about flow and the technical aspects, but how I got from this inspiration, to this idea, to this story, to this paragraph, to this particular word, you know? And that's such a journey that can't really be talked about in a general sense, because it's different for every person, and every single word each person writes.
But I am definitely interested in the STORY and not in the AUTHOR. Does that make sense?
Well, I think so. But so much of the author gets put into a story. What I mean is, in some of the commentaries I've read, I'll be *aching* to know why someone did something the way they did, or how they came up with that, or whatever, and the reason turns out to be something personal (they did that part because of a big long story about their cat, you know?) And often enough the author did add it "just 'cause", but how they used that rl experience, how they incorporated it, how they made it fit the story--even if they just talk about the rl experience without talking about how it fit with the themes of the story--I can look at it and say huh, you're doing that had this effect.
That's not nearly so interesting if the part of the fic they're talking about *isn't* something that's important or integral to the story, isn't something that adds so much it makes me wonder how they got the idea, you know? Sometimes people throw things into stories because they feel like it, and those things don't *fit*. But a good writer will put things in without quite knowing *why*, and when they write the commentary they *still* might not know why, but from the outside I can see how it works for the story, and from their commentary I get how they used what they knew/felt to create something for their fiction, even if that use wasn't intentional.
Does that make sense? I guess that's what I'm trying to say about process. You can't describe it, and with some people, they don't even *consciously* know why what they do works. But when you watch them, or help them, or hear about it afterwards, you're that much closer to knowing where they were when they came up with what they did, and how they knew what to include.
I'm sorry. I'm rambling. It's late and I need fluffy pillows.
no subject
But I am definitely interested in the STORY and not in the AUTHOR. Does that make sense?
Well, I think so. But so much of the author gets put into a story. What I mean is, in some of the commentaries I've read, I'll be *aching* to know why someone did something the way they did, or how they came up with that, or whatever, and the reason turns out to be something personal (they did that part because of a big long story about their cat, you know?) And often enough the author did add it "just 'cause", but how they used that rl experience, how they incorporated it, how they made it fit the story--even if they just talk about the rl experience without talking about how it fit with the themes of the story--I can look at it and say huh, you're doing that had this effect.
That's not nearly so interesting if the part of the fic they're talking about *isn't* something that's important or integral to the story, isn't something that adds so much it makes me wonder how they got the idea, you know? Sometimes people throw things into stories because they feel like it, and those things don't *fit*. But a good writer will put things in without quite knowing *why*, and when they write the commentary they *still* might not know why, but from the outside I can see how it works for the story, and from their commentary I get how they used what they knew/felt to create something for their fiction, even if that use wasn't intentional.
Does that make sense? I guess that's what I'm trying to say about process. You can't describe it, and with some people, they don't even *consciously* know why what they do works. But when you watch them, or help them, or hear about it afterwards, you're that much closer to knowing where they were when they came up with what they did, and how they knew what to include.
I'm sorry. I'm rambling. It's late and I need fluffy pillows.