That's the way of it, Deb. Trying to explain to someone who has never used the web to communicate with total strangers means I have to do a lot more defining of terms, a lot more boring explanation. The furthest I'm writing down to is the people within this fandom who don't know who I am, but chat with other chatterers at least once a week.

If people want to know what an internet community is, they can read Clay Shirky. And should. He's good at explaining it.

Yep. That's why I suspect following Annie Lamott's particular path might really bog you down. Because it is, it really is, an area of the modern world in which the technical terms alone could swamp people. And what's more, when they start annoying the person doing the writing? The writing gets dull. Trust me, that's how I know when I have a pacing problem - I go back to read it and I kind of have to flog my mind to stay on it. Uh-oh: slooooooow. Not good.

All my nonfiction has been either review work, speechwriting, op-ed essays and the occasional long-ago historical review piece, but I remember knowing, all the way down in the bones, that if I was putting down my take on something that happened, say, during the Albigensian Crusade, the people who were gonna read the sucker probably already knew the basics of the damned crusade, and I didn't need to explain every nut, bolt and siege. In fact, that would have come off as damned insulting. No, it was the events, the people, the headspace, the journey, that I wanted to write. And knowing the likely audience was going to have some degree of sophistication about the field freed me up to just say what I wanted to say, without having to boil the ocean to make a cup of tea.

You'll let me beta more of this as it comes along, I hope?

And me out the door, for homeless catfoodings and me-foodings.

Thanks so much for your generosity on this, everyone.

Allyson, if you want someone to read this that has an arm's length perspective on the fandom stuff, feel free to ping me at my profile addy. I have no idea what happened with ita, and I came late to the online fandom, thereby missing most of what you're probably writing about.

My writing style is just like yours, and revisions are the bane of my existence, but I can critique/edit other people's work without a problem. I'd be happy to help. This is a worthwhile project.

"If ignorance is bliss, you must be organic?" Nah... I'm not sure...mostly I think I have to write the crappy first draft...and write my way into things. Although I tried writing an ending first to my latest project, and well, it's not that kind of story after all, so I'm gonna throw it out. Allyson, I'll be excited to see what you come up with.

massively skipping to the end

Hey GWWriters...sorry I've been absent for the last couple of months. I've missed drabbling a lot.

I should be more present from this point on.

Also, book update--I'm making progress again! Slow, but sure.

Research. How much is too much? Because I've done some, and some things I know, and I'm going to do some more because I'm aiming for that "millions of stories in the naked city" thing that makes my heart beat faster.But I know myself, and I know how much I like people's stories so I could see myself never finishing, looking for one more bit of "color" or something. Telling myself I'll get back to the writing, but never doing it.

I'm so glad you're writing Allyson. Your words should be making their way into the world more often.

And, I'm glad to beta if you aren't overwhelmed with volunteers already.

erika, the reporter in me says: When you've already heard everything improtant that you find out, you've done enough research. But it sounds like you might benefit from settiing a deadline for yourself and sticking to it.

And I, too, have a question: Is it possible to only be capable of writing when you're unhappy?

I wrote all of my short stories, some of which are not-bad, when I was aged 15 to 20 and either single and miserable or living on a different continent from my boyfriend and miserable. Similarly, I wrote almost all of my fic this winter and spring, when I had a job I hated. It seems like when I'm relatively happy, I can't get into a frame of mind where I want to write. Am I just making excuses, or does this jive with anyone else's experience?

Hey, it could happen, but maybe if you make time you can get past it. And hey, your life could turn to crap again...but it's probably not worth it... No, I've got a lot of questions...not sure where to get the answers, either, exactly.(Flashes back to journalism school. ACADEMIC: But I'm not an expert in the field or anything.
ME(pleading): But you're an intelligent person. Of course you have an *opinion*, right?
) Argh.