Comments on: What is this novel about? http://becomingafictionwriter.com/2007/02/what-is-this-novel-about/ One girl, one dream ... and a whole lot of procrastination Mon, 30 Jan 2012 02:24:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Testing story ideas: The dinner table method http://becomingafictionwriter.com/2007/02/what-is-this-novel-about/comment-page-1/#comment-38 Testing story ideas: The dinner table method Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:22:56 +0000 http://becomingafictionwriter.com/?p=13#comment-38 [...] want to remember the idea. It harks back a bit to my musings on whether or not I should tell people what my novel is about before it becomes a serious, readable affair. Food for thought, at least. Fiction Writing [...] [...] want to remember the idea. It harks back a bit to my musings on whether or not I should tell people what my novel is about before it becomes a serious, readable affair. Food for thought, at least. Fiction Writing [...]

]]> By: Peter http://becomingafictionwriter.com/2007/02/what-is-this-novel-about/comment-page-1/#comment-21 Peter Fri, 14 Mar 2008 05:07:00 +0000 http://becomingafictionwriter.com/?p=13#comment-21 A point of view I heard from one writer was that if he told others about the story he was writing before he'd finished, he would lose the urge to finish it -- as if he had to get the story out somehow, but if he spoke about it first he would no longer need to write it down.<br/><br/>Another point against telling:<br/><br/>Once you've told someone what you're going to write about, it may (perhaps subconciously) dissuade you from changing your story, even though a change might improve it.<br/><br/>And, annoyingly, a possible point in favour of telling:<br/><br/>Telling someone about it is like promising it to them. You may then feel more obliged to produce the finished story, which may inspire you to keep writing through the more difficult times.<br/><br/>i guess it all depends on how your mind works... A point of view I heard from one writer was that if he told others about the story he was writing before he’d finished, he would lose the urge to finish it — as if he had to get the story out somehow, but if he spoke about it first he would no longer need to write it down.

Another point against telling:

Once you’ve told someone what you’re going to write about, it may (perhaps subconciously) dissuade you from changing your story, even though a change might improve it.

And, annoyingly, a possible point in favour of telling:

Telling someone about it is like promising it to them. You may then feel more obliged to produce the finished story, which may inspire you to keep writing through the more difficult times.

i guess it all depends on how your mind works…

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