Prattling

[rowyn]

Mmm, writing. The time clock tells me I have sixteen minutes left to my lunch hour, which is enough time to write something, or start to write something, if only I could decide what to write. Or think of a topic. Or something. Instead I am prattling. This is textual prattling.

I have some topics, but I don't know that I want to write about them.

I'm going to Florida on Friday, whee! Well, not that Florida is especially exciting, actually. I know it's a popular vacation spot, but my parents have lived there for fifteen years now, I lived there for a few months, I've been bunches of times, and the novelty is long gone. However, I am excited about meeting in person all the people I've known for years long-distance who live there.

I bought a used laptop to take with me. It'll be interesting to see how the laptop works out. I've never been able to decide whether I really want a laptop (and hence a real keyboard) or a wireless PDA (without a real keyboard, or at least a convenient real keyboard, but smaller and more portable and able to web-surf remotely relatively painlessly.) Or some third option. Mostly, I just want to be able to write in an electronic format so that I don't have to transcribe paper notes later. You know, I still have (somewhere) paper notes from my trip to St. Louis two? three? years ago that I never transcribed to my electronic journal. I hate losing stuff I write. Or knowing I have it but can't find it.

The laptop has another potential advantage: I can use it at work, instead of typing on my work desktop. The company policy doesn't prohibit me using my desktop for personal purposes while I'm on break or at lunch. But it does state that I'm not entitled to privacy for anything I do with it, which rather makes me not want to use it for personal purposes anyway. Even when those personal purposes are going to be later posted to the web for the whole world to see. Although I've been rethinking that lately, too, and wondering it I want to make my journal, or more of my journal, friends-only.

One of my characters was talking to me in my head earlier today, and I was thinking about transcribing the conversation. But I'm not really entertained when other authors transcribe conversations with their fictional characters, so ....

I remember a time when I didn't worry about whether or not other people would be entertained by what I write. Maybe that's why I'm thinking about going friends-only. I wonder if that would make a difference?

Comments

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

I would not be able to write today if it were not for my laptop. I have too little time as it is - writing something twice would slow me down even more.

And I'd be interested in hearing the conversation. Sometimes mine like to sing at me. It wouldn't be so bad, but Alkit can't hold a note to save his muzzle.

[koogrr.livejournal.com]

I feel kinda embarrassed when my characters talk to me and I write it down... but a few people seem to like other people doing it, so I'm sort of at a loss exactly.

[rowyn]

My decision on this subject is that it generally works if the people reading the author-character dialogue are familiar with the character. And by "familiar with" I mean "have read a significant number of stories/logs/etc. in which the character has appeared".

For example, I'd enjoy a John-Kinshasa or a John-Yotee dialogue much more than a John-Sunset dialogue. I know who Sunset is, but I don't know enough about her to empathise with why she'd be talking to you.

The end result is that I'm willing to post my out-of-continuity conversations with characters to unfinishedtales, but I wouldn't post them ro rowyn. Anything to do with one of my RP characters, or a character from one of my stories that isn't on UT, I don't think I'd bother transcribing. Not enough people would get it.

[octantis.livejournal.com]

Just a note on the PDAs, I don't know if these are available for all PDAs or the one you'd be interested in, but when I had a Visor I had a keyboard that folded up to almost as small as the PDA itself, but could expand into a full-sized keyboard. It was comfortable, durable, and overall really cool, so the options are out there.

Strike!

[barbx.livejournal.com]

<widenetNet connection established>
origin: Azrael command entity
destin: Terran unit
ref: meeting
stamp: reconciliatory command core

Meeting with representative units is scheduled for SATURDAY, APRIL 16.

Location is set as KOOGRR DOMITORY PLANETARY FACILITY.

Purpose of mission is BEVAHIORAL / DOGMATIC / CULTURAL / RECONCILIATORY.

Armed response unit IS / IS NOT authorized.

Behavioral inhibiter implants are AUTHORIZED / NOT AUTHORIZED / OPTIONAL.

Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions or concerns, please report them to the nearest command entity or report to your designated indoctrination station.

END OF FILE.
<wideNet connection closed>

[tuftears.livejournal.com]

As far as character talks go, I guess it'd make a good yardstick for determining if your characters are interesting in and of themselves, or only because of the setting and plot with which they are involved!