Do you talk about your story before it's written?

David I · Nov 18, 2007

I'm one of those who keeps everything under wraps until I've finished a first draft. I won't even tell folks in a critique group anything that goes beyond what's on the page.

This somehow keeps more urgency in the writing--because writing it is the only way I'm allowed to tell it.

But I've met any number of folks who talk nonstop about their stories and where they're headed before they've even written the first page.

Where do you folks stand on this issue? Am I just a superstitious nutcase?

veinglory · Nov 18, 2007

So long as it isn't talking *instead* of writing I think it is just a personality thing. I do sometimes, with some people. But on the whole if I talk too much I lose interest in writing it down

scarletpeaches · Nov 18, 2007

People always ask, "What's it about?" when they find out I'm writer and I always reply, "I'm superstitious about discussing a story before it's written. If I tell you, it won't seem as fresh when I write it."

Some folks understand. Some folks think I'm a pretentious knobber. I don't much care either way.

Bubastes · Nov 18, 2007

No no no no no, I will not talk about a story until it's finished, polished, and submitted, and maybe not even then. Talking about the story takes all the juice out of it. Plus, I'm surrounded by non-creative types and have had more than one story die a premature death from insensitive remarks.

J. R. Tomlin · Nov 18, 2007

No. Absolutely not.

ChaosTitan · Nov 18, 2007

Before anything is written? No.

After I've started? Sometimes, and then only with my best friend. Sometimes I just need someone to bounce ideas off, and she's always a willing target.

BarbaraNC · Nov 18, 2007

I hate to do that - it's not finished, and I feel like I'm letting it fly away when I talk about it. I also get a lot of strange looks from people when I tell them about it (non-writers).

I kind of dread Thanksgiving for this reason. My entire extended family is going to want me to talk about my novel. I'd like to give them just enough so they don't think I'm delusional and roll their eyes at me...but I don't really want to tell them anything

DeadlyAccurate · Nov 18, 2007

No, but that's because my books change so much during the process that I couldn't really tell you what it's about until it's done.

blacbird · Nov 18, 2007

No, but I often swear at it while it's being written.

caw

WriterGirl2007 · Nov 18, 2007

Depends on the story.

Zelenka · Nov 18, 2007

I talk about ideas and things here sometimes but outside of AW I don't really have anyone else to talk to about writing, so the issue doesn't really come up.

HopelessDreamer · Nov 18, 2007

No, I don't even show people when it's near the final draft because I always think it's "not good enough".

Honestly I'd be embarrassed to show my first draft to my dog.

Rhea L · Nov 18, 2007

Not before anything is written, no. But every once in a while I do talk about it when I run into a problem, particularly with plot related things. Only to certain people who I know don't mind my ramblings, and only because I've learned that sometimes, when I talk about it, things will occur to me that I've missed before and that just happen to solve the problems at hand.

jedimaster107 · Nov 18, 2007

I talk about my writing to my hubby. I will bounce ideas off him. He doesn't give much of an opition sometimes. but it does help to talk about the ideas out loud. I sometimes talk to a couple of people at work. It's mostly the horror stuff because my hubby doesn't like horror anything.

WendyNYC · Nov 18, 2007

Only my husband. He's a fantastic fact-checker.

The_Grand_Duchess · Nov 18, 2007

I do but just so that other people will hold me to it. I mean not maliciously or anything but it's so easy to quit when no one knows what's going on.

maestrowork · Nov 18, 2007

I don't see any problem with talking about my work -- it's a work in progress, just as I would talk about a project I was working on, etc. I wouldn't necessarily talk about the details, unless the other person is also a writer. There's really nothing secretive about my work. Now showing rough drafts is a different matter.

BenPanced · Nov 18, 2007

I've shown people WIPs and I can't finish them. I have several manuscripts that I've let others read while I'm working on them and somewhere along the way...*pfft!* My WIP goes DOA.

I've learned. I'm now incredibly superstitious and I'll give people an idea what a work is about, but they can't read it until it's finished.

arodriguez · Nov 18, 2007

i let anyone who's interested read whatever i'm writing. i am always curious how other people interpret what i've written. it gives me a good sense of what i need to do and how my work is progressing. My wife will even read a book chapter by chapter, raw.

the thing i don't do, ever, is let anyone read what im writing WHILE im writing it. I dont want anyone in the room with me looking over my shoulder or second guessing what im doing.

Judg · Nov 18, 2007

I will happily talk about it to anyone who might be interested. Showing them a first draft is another kettle of fish.

kristie911 · Nov 18, 2007

It's my story until I decide to share it. When someone asks me what I'm working on, I keep it very general. Usually just the genre, but never anything detailed in the plot.

I shared recently and the work completely stalled on me...to the point that I've walked away from it. Hopefully I'll get back to it but I'm superstitious about sharing now.

WildBill · Nov 18, 2007

I do talk about my story with family and a few friends. I find that if I talk about it, my brain works on it all the more.

Theognome

Sean D. Schaffer · Nov 18, 2007

Generally not, because of a psychological issue I have where I think a work is 'stupid' after going over the story out loud to another person.

This does not mean I won't post stuff from the novel itself, but rather it means I won't actually say, "This is the plot of my book", or "This is what my book is about", at least not often. Doing that usually gets me thinking second thoughts about the piece, and I don't need that.

Shady Lane · Nov 18, 2007

I have some friends I really trust, and I talk to them about it while I'm writing. They help me work on plot points and endings and such.

Teige Benson · Nov 18, 2007

I don't tend to do much sharing once I have the idea in my head and begin writing. I usually follow the adage that if I'm talking about it, I'm not writing it.

Do you talk about your story before it's written?

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