Dr. Holiday Wednesday (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} doctorwednesday) wrote,@ 2006-10-15 20:28:00 |
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I feel there are several points regarding this journal which should be clarified.
--There is no roleplay taking place in the background. Rarely, extremely rarely, something in the story is based upon an RP scene. The vast majority of it, however, comes from the author's imagination, with little input from anyone else. A vignette may be inspired by another person's comment, or a real-life situation, or an idle thought... but it is almost never reflective of a roleplaying scene. I don't particularly care for roleplay, because I feel it generates a lot of noise with very little structure or cohesion. There is no secret Wednesday roleplaying cabal you are excluded from. On the same note, there is no roleplay group you must be a member of before you may comment here.
--This is not a shared world project. I receive suggestions for plot developments, which I sometimes follow, and if Dr. Wednesday is referenced in another place, I may accommodate the mention in her continuity, if I feel it offers an opportunity for promising writing. But I am not obligated to respond to or accommodate such prompting. Her journal is always the final authority on her continuity.
--Wednesday is not a high-powered character. The setting for her story is essentially our world in the present, with slight modifications. She does not have godlike powers, nor the ability to transform others into any shape she or they desire. She is the most advanced practitioner of a very new field of study. Consequently, it makes no sense for her to encounter characters who can render all her work obsolete with the flip of a switch. You wouldn't put a 10th level character in with a group of 30th level characters and expect anything like meaningful development on the part of the former. The only way such high-powered characters can be made to fit is by downplaying or omitting this aspect of their background. Pertinent to this:
--This is not written as a science-fiction story. Wednesday's story is primarily driven by character interaction and self-reflection. She is a 'mad scientist' and she does perform experiments on others using esoteric technology, but it should be evident that this is secondary to the interpersonal relationships of the characters featured. Call it a science soap opera if you like. The point of it is not to trot out big words and concepts; if she speaks this way, it is because it's characteristic of her. (Or it is in order to poke fun at such conceits. For example, the purpose of mentioning, at one point, that she may be immortal is to create humor, by digressing into technical specifics in the midst of an emotional, metaphorical statement, only to dismiss the extraordinary revelation as irrelevant and never return to it. But readers mention it again and again, as though it's central to the story. It may not even be true.)
--This is not a porn blog. Wednesday has sex. She has much more sex than you or I, and she's often quite candid about it. And much of what else she has to say is erotically charged and suggestive. And one might find her gender to be tittilating, as much as it is an opportunity to examine gender issues. But you will notice little that is explicitly described. I hope you're here for more than to discover who she'll screw next.
--This is not written as a 'furry' story. At heart, the reason Wednesday and her colleagues are talking animals is that it pleases me to imagine them as such. But there are underlying reasons I write them this way. If you wish to understand why anthropomorphic or 'funny-animal' characters are easier for readers to associate with, I suggest reading Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics. Or consider Chris Onstad's Achewood; one would scarcely be able to countenance all the unlikely and disturbing events of that story if the characters were human. You will also notice there is no emphasis on Wednesday's species (or any character's); one can go through several entries without any indication that she is anything other than human. For virtually all intents and purposes, the characters depicted in this work are human beings.
--I will not entertain debate regarding these points. This journal is not a democracy, nor is it a public resource. I write that which I enjoy writing. I appreciate the positive reaction this journal has seen, but I will not compromise it (any more than I already do) in order to maintain popularity or to please fans. I would hope you'd respect me enough to appreciate what I enjoy writing, rather than expect me to change to satisfy your interests. (I also reserve the right to be inconsistent.)
That's all for now.
--There is no roleplay taking place in the background. Rarely, extremely rarely, something in the story is based upon an RP scene. The vast majority of it, however, comes from the author's imagination, with little input from anyone else. A vignette may be inspired by another person's comment, or a real-life situation, or an idle thought... but it is almost never reflective of a roleplaying scene. I don't particularly care for roleplay, because I feel it generates a lot of noise with very little structure or cohesion. There is no secret Wednesday roleplaying cabal you are excluded from. On the same note, there is no roleplay group you must be a member of before you may comment here.
--This is not a shared world project. I receive suggestions for plot developments, which I sometimes follow, and if Dr. Wednesday is referenced in another place, I may accommodate the mention in her continuity, if I feel it offers an opportunity for promising writing. But I am not obligated to respond to or accommodate such prompting. Her journal is always the final authority on her continuity.
--Wednesday is not a high-powered character. The setting for her story is essentially our world in the present, with slight modifications. She does not have godlike powers, nor the ability to transform others into any shape she or they desire. She is the most advanced practitioner of a very new field of study. Consequently, it makes no sense for her to encounter characters who can render all her work obsolete with the flip of a switch. You wouldn't put a 10th level character in with a group of 30th level characters and expect anything like meaningful development on the part of the former. The only way such high-powered characters can be made to fit is by downplaying or omitting this aspect of their background. Pertinent to this:
--This is not written as a science-fiction story. Wednesday's story is primarily driven by character interaction and self-reflection. She is a 'mad scientist' and she does perform experiments on others using esoteric technology, but it should be evident that this is secondary to the interpersonal relationships of the characters featured. Call it a science soap opera if you like. The point of it is not to trot out big words and concepts; if she speaks this way, it is because it's characteristic of her. (Or it is in order to poke fun at such conceits. For example, the purpose of mentioning, at one point, that she may be immortal is to create humor, by digressing into technical specifics in the midst of an emotional, metaphorical statement, only to dismiss the extraordinary revelation as irrelevant and never return to it. But readers mention it again and again, as though it's central to the story. It may not even be true.)
--This is not a porn blog. Wednesday has sex. She has much more sex than you or I, and she's often quite candid about it. And much of what else she has to say is erotically charged and suggestive. And one might find her gender to be tittilating, as much as it is an opportunity to examine gender issues. But you will notice little that is explicitly described. I hope you're here for more than to discover who she'll screw next.
--This is not written as a 'furry' story. At heart, the reason Wednesday and her colleagues are talking animals is that it pleases me to imagine them as such. But there are underlying reasons I write them this way. If you wish to understand why anthropomorphic or 'funny-animal' characters are easier for readers to associate with, I suggest reading Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics. Or consider Chris Onstad's Achewood; one would scarcely be able to countenance all the unlikely and disturbing events of that story if the characters were human. You will also notice there is no emphasis on Wednesday's species (or any character's); one can go through several entries without any indication that she is anything other than human. For virtually all intents and purposes, the characters depicted in this work are human beings.
--I will not entertain debate regarding these points. This journal is not a democracy, nor is it a public resource. I write that which I enjoy writing. I appreciate the positive reaction this journal has seen, but I will not compromise it (any more than I already do) in order to maintain popularity or to please fans. I would hope you'd respect me enough to appreciate what I enjoy writing, rather than expect me to change to satisfy your interests. (I also reserve the right to be inconsistent.)
That's all for now.
