Tuesday 21 April 2009

Triple Digits

Hot damn.

I've been trying to think up what to do for my hundredth blog post here. It's not the first time I've hit a big number; I still have a LiveJournal I keep for RL stuff which is edging on the 2000 mark. As far as I can recall, I didn't even notice number 1000 going by, there.

If that says one thing about me, it's that I write a lot. A lot of those LJ posts are the usual angst and babble, but amongst those, there are stories of varying lengths, even transcripts of dreams which inspired story concepts, and a lot of old artwork. It's both fun and cringe-worthy to look back at all that old stuff.

One of the biggest problems any writer -- or artist, for that matter -- faces is the simple situation of being too close to their own work. By this, I mean that while we know what's going on and how it should be interpreted, our readers(/viewers) might not; unfortunately, without telling at least one outsider all the secrets, the creator won't know this. This is why professional copyeditors exist, and I'm lucky to know a few personally, but at the end of the day I'm more likely to email my mum asking, 'Does this make sense?'

Blogging is a unique way of writing, in that most bloggers don't send their work to editors before publishing. Blogs are personal, potentially inflammatory, and largely seem to work best when given thought, written in a stream-of-consciousness rush, and only run through a spell-checker before the Publish button gets pushed. When bloggers get messages enthusing about our work, the standard reactions are a combination of pride, surprised pleasure and bemusement, because while we enjoy what we do, we don't necessarily expect people to read it or enjoy it.

If there is one question every writer wants to ask their audience in hopes of recieving a wholly truthful and thought-out answer, it is: 'What did you think of it?' What struck the reader as being good and bad about the work? What did they like; what was confusing; what didn't seem to work? And most importantly: why? The writer can't answer these questions; not unless they are prepared to let a piece sit wholly untouched for months until the memory of writing dims enough to let them create afresh. I have done this a few times, out of necessity, and it's not the most productive way to work. But it's often difficult to obtain honest and concise answers; too many people are afraid to criticise someone else's work, even constructively.

This is my hundredth post on this blog, and as the creator I would like to know what you think. Which posts were your favourites? Which did you like the least? Why? Moreover, why do you read this stuff, this random Eve-fangirl chatter of mine? How did you stumble across it? (I do tend to forget I'm on the Eve Blog Pack, now, but some people got here from other places.) Are there any questions or requests you have for me?

I'm not expecting an essay, mind; just a few thoughts that might help me make my work even a little bit better. Blogs rarely live long without an audience, after all, and while the content is entirely the writer's choice, the audience has the right to respond.

Thank you all for reading; here's a funny cat ^_^

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

:)
I think I started reading your blog after Mynxee joined the blog pack.

What have I liked the best, your ability to weave a story through your actions in game.

I also like your tag line about lesbian sex, I always laugh when I read it.

What I like least? hmm...there is nothing I would change...it's your thing do what you want...oh why doesn't my little favicon ( in the left hand side of the browser show up in your blog list? There one lil nit picky thing.

The whole reason I started this blog was to learn to write better overall (something I do not do that much of)so feedback to me is good.

:)


~The Mule

Anonymous said...

Hey Shae. Stealing my ask-your-readers-on-your-100th-post idea :P

I like the flow of fiction and piracy that you write. We all live in an intertwined world and its good to see people filling it up and enriching it. To be honest I do prefer the tales of fights and adventures to the more fictional stuff but you write well so it all sucks me in.

InterDict said...

Honestly what I like is the fact that you breath life into our little pixel experiences, Eve has a way of worming into your consciousness, it's what makes you hit "scan" that last time before you log off, makes you wake up at 5am to check your market orders and the reason why I spend too much work time mucking about in EFT and reading your blogs.

You keep it interesting, just enough fiction thrown into the facts to keep the brew spicy and smooth on our jaded palettes ...

Mandrill said...

I'm a relative newcomer to your blog and so far that cat has to take the cake. I could watch it all day. XD
/me goes off to trawl through the archives

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on hitting 100 posts!!!!

Leumas said...

Unlike others, I am mainly a fan of the fiction. I have really enjoyed your fiction pieces and get excited every time a new one is posted. The occasional pieces that go back and forth between two bloggers are fun additions to the mix. I am also very appreciative of stories that expand on the EVE universe, making our little internet space pixels even more realistic.

Keep up the excellent work.

Carole Pivarnik said...

Gratz on your 100th post here, Shae. Your blog has a lovely flair all its own, and while I may not comment much, I'm always eager to read your stuff...you bring a fresh perspective to any number of topics and your fiction work is outstanding. Keep it up!

cain jacobi said...

first off shae congrats on your 100th post. what i liked the most was the dark omen stories you did with jorge. i really enjoyed reading those. i hope the two of you work on creating some more fiction together sometime in the future. i also like your ability to create stories out of your actions in game.

Anonymous said...

The best writing for me seems to have clarity, it shows the brains, ideas and ideals of the writer without leading the reader around by the nose.

Subtlety, variation and the exploration of the sometimes ragged edges of life and (post) humanity also keep the interest levels right up there.

When all is said and done, what you and Mynxee write is downright entertaining - stuff the pop analysis. Wish I could write half as well.

Keep it up. Please!

H

Flashfresh said...

Great stuff Shae. You have a flair and clarity all of your own. I read your blog and Mynxee's and others because I enjoy it.

The lesbian strapline is also one to keep bringing me back too. Always wondering if there's going to be a change in the wording or a cheeky little linky in it. While I don't comment much, I do read all blogs, starting with you and Mynxee.

Love and Hugs.

F

Anonymous said...

Weeell I started reading this blog like 20 days ago, so it was around your 100 post. Obviously I haven't read all your blog. Mainly the stories, and around here and there.

- Don't like : (mostly the past posts)The first chapters, your writing is good, sometimes you actually overdo that. But that's not the problem. The problem is that you have nice movements, but you only hit the air. There was no solid story behind the writing, just improvisation, or more like if you were avoiding to hit with full determination. However the latter ones aare better.

I not a fan of EVE on-line, so sometimes the terminology of the game is too distant. (Just pointing the effect that produces. I perfectly understand what type of blog I'm reading.)

- Do like : (mostly the newest post) It's a weird thing. Your writing have some unpredictable twist style. I like it because, you actually need to read the next line to know what's gonna happen next and you can't over-read.

The relations between characters are childish, but smart. That creates a constant uncertainty of what's what, that forces you to see them without limits. The ending sensation is that you are reading something fresh, instead watching the same dog over and over with a different collar. I have to admit that the characters are solid nevertheless unexpected.

And that's all, I can't say that is completely honest, but it's suffice. You have to be gay to not to find appealing the “Sweet Little Bad Girl” theme and stop fantasizing the “Rough Big Forgiver Daddy”. It's not possible to be honest...



Like the last picture,Victoria Frances theme with Alex Alice ink style. Quite european.

Best Wishes.

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