Why I’m not writing Everything Is Miscellaneous online
Posted on:: October 11th, 2005
I wrote Small Pieces on line, posting the day’s draft every afternoon. That was a good experience, although to encourage comments I should have posted completed drafts instead of daily drafts. Nevertheless, I’m writing Everything Is Miscellaneous off line, occasionally posting ideas and snippets. I have trouble articulating why, but in email with Bill Koslosky, it became clearer to me by analogy: It’s like rehearsing in front of an audience or on a closed set. There are advantages to each, but this I feel a need to write primarily without an audience…even though the “audience” would in fact be participators and contributors.
Beyond the analogy, I don’t know why. [Tags: EverythingIsMiscellaneous]
Categories: Uncategorized dw
It might be that you are experiencing first hand (psychologically) the problem of identifying fully with a production mode – the “author-audience” vs. conversational. Some years ago, I lived through a distinctive moment of “impossibility” to continue “authoring”… I just stopped believing in the validity of monological modes… whatever… Is it possible at all to have an “audience” of participators and contributors? Or… will it be an audience of “participators” and “contributors”…
Plus, it’s your book! If you post every chapter and ask for comments, it’s like saying is this okay – am I correct? Help me write my book.
Peer review is always good, but you want to get your thoughts down first. Maybe you can post it when you’re done – for review – – ha ha just kidding – trying to get a free book.
Do you want to write a book online and have the finished result be a collaborative effort? Sort of like a Wiki-book. Then, we all get to share in the credits and proceeds. Hey, that sounds like fun. I’m serious.
I recall stories being started online, and each person would add to the story; the next person would have to pick up from there, and add their own scene. Sort of like that, but a book!