LJ Idol - Time to Leave

[aggienaut]

   It's one, and the polls close in two hours. I have 68 votes, I need 71 to stay in. I'm nestled on the couch with gratefuladdict, while it rains outside.

   "I should go" I say. I have a long drive ahead of me.


   It's one thirty. I still need three votes. I could post a link to the polls a second time, or post to emosnail for the first time, but I don't. "I should go" I say

   It's two. I still need three votes. I could surely call three people I know with LJs who probably haven't voted yet, but I don't. "I should go"


   It's three. The polls should be closed, but I haven't looked at them in an hour or so. "I should go" I say, and finally manage to make it out to my car.

   I find my car a box full of rain. Apparently I forgot to close the skylight. Even after closing it, it is still raining in my car. The ceiling continues to drip. The seats, everything is soaked. I didn't really want to leave today anyway. So I rejoin my favourite person I've met in LJ Idol on the couch.
   But of course, in another sense, I am indeed to leave today.


   LJ Idol began with "saying goodbye," but it doesn't end with it. In the end, for me, its about "getting involved."

---

   But yeah, so, in conclusion, I very very easily could have stayed in had I acted on various options I had to drum up an additional three votes, but I realized it was becoming a bit of a treadmill of just how shamelessly can one get the votes they need. Not that there aren't good writers who are getting the votes they need -- there certainly are. But I realized there was a lot of very shameless votemongering, and I didn't want to be part of that.
   As I've mentioned before, writing doesn't exist in a vacuum, you'll always be writing for an audience. It's been pretty clear for awhile now that MY demographic is different from the LJ Idol demographic. This week 72% of idolists-other-than-myself wrote about personal experiences, and thats been pretty typical of the whole season. I'm not sure I've written a single entry this season about personal experiences. For me, its not about me, I've never seen the point of writing unless its "bigger than myself." But tales of personal reflection and introspection are the bread and butter of idol. And that was the audience and so I enjoyed the challenge of trying to make history and science appeal to an audience that would rather read about what I learned from my last messy breakup. But I still have my own friends list to take into consideration, and that consists of 444 livejournalists who DO like my writing and whom I respect enough that I absolutely refuse to spam them repeatedly over this LJ Idol thing. So in the end, it was just another choice about fitting the audience.

Comments

[theafaye.livejournal.com]

It's been pretty clear for awhile now that MY demographic is different from the LJ Idol demographic

Gotta call you out on that one. Quite simply, you've done phenomenally well in the competition. All this talk from SHT about "you can't win if you have a penis" might be true in terms of WINNING, but not when it comes to doing well and I honestly don't think people were voting for gender (except insofar as people prefer a style of writing which some might categorise as male or female). Likewise, unless you have been riding on friends list all along (in which case, that makes you no different to many other contestants), it's a simple reality that people liked your writing. Even though you got knocked out this week, a LOT of people liked you enough to put a tick by your name (me included). That says something.

I enjoy your writing, whether it's Idol aimed or not.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Hmm I guess "demographic" may have been a slightly incorrect word choice on my part. I meant, specifically, the style of writing an audience prefers (though I think demographic probably does mean the objective data of age / gender / income status or what have you of an audience).

And it is true that I got very decently far. Far enough that I don't think anyone that gets this far should feel like they were "cut short" or anything.

What I meant by my remark was just that the prevailing style of writing in idol is very different from my own, and its been a factor that played a major role in my idol experience. I frequently found myself torn between "should I come up with a personal story for this?" "from what perspective can I write this that will make it resemble the kinds of things that everyone else is writing" and my natural instincts to just write about something. And I do think I've gained from the experience, I think even my intended audience will appreciate the greater attention I now play to making it feel personal. (=

[spydielives.livejournal.com]

Ditto.

[agirlnamedluna.livejournal.com]

I think you've done pretty well for such a wanker :P


No really, I enjoyed reading (and still do), no matter what it is. In this Idol round I most appreciate the fiction along the really heartwrought posts, and I think the votes show that that goes for a lot of other people as well. But yeah, really enjoyed meeting you and gratefuladdict :)

[glowy-lovers.livejournal.com]

You did well :)

[superhappytime.livejournal.com]

444? Friend whore!

[millysdaughter.livejournal.com]

From what I have seen, many of the high-vote-scoring entries do contain sexual references.
This is not any scientific observation--I did not make a spreadsheet or any other form of bar graph/pie chart/dart board to come up with this theory. It just **appears** that way to my eyes.

[kittenboo.livejournal.com]

interesting that you say that. this was the first time (this season) I talked sex in an entry and it is the highest I have placed this season as well.

[boxsofrain.livejournal.com]

I agree. My posts that have done better do contain subtle if not stronger sexual references.

[millysdaughter.livejournal.com]

It seems to work that way, from my un-scientific observation.

Sex

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Clearly we need more scientific study of sex! err O_o

[millysdaughter.livejournal.com]

That fits with what **I** have been seeing.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Yeah that appears to be true as well

[boxsofrain.livejournal.com]

Uh oh. :)

[monkeysugarmama.livejournal.com]

Beautiful goodbye post.

You have had a terrific run - especially for one who has written what he wanted to and didn't hit up his friend's list for extra votes. So far, I haven't had to ask mine either - but I know the day is rapidly coming. I don't think I'm strong enough to resist the competitive urge when it gets here.

That's the thing - in the end, this is a game. You are writing for yourself, but you are writing to win too, and, when playing a game, there's no shame in that!

I'd say the best thing about this little game though is that you meet some amazing people along the way - and you've even been able to take your internet relationship into the "real world." How fabulously lucky.

[kittenboo.livejournal.com]

I write what comes to me. This is part a journal writing contest and I write about things I would write in my journal about. I write about me.

Yes a lot of people in the contest write about themselves, that is only natural in livejournal as a whole.

On the other hand if you had asked me if people not writing about themselves, if someone writing fiction or science or anything else would be able to make it this far, I would have said you were wrong.

You and others have proven it is possible to get very far even if you are male, even if you don't write the typical entry. It can be a trap to think about what you should write or what would appeal to other appeal to others. First and foremost you have to be true to yourself, otherwise I think the audience knows that.

This is also a game, and there is nothing wrong with asking the fl for votes, in my opinion anyway. Maybe some people take it a bit farther than necessary, maybe some people take it too seriously. But i do understand when the competitive drive kicks in and the desire to not get kicked out kicks in.

You should be happy with how you did, top 25 out of 190-something. That's pretty damn good.

[darkprism.livejournal.com]

You've done fabulously, and I've definitely enjoyed all your writing. You were true to yourself, personal experiences or no.

Do you care if I LJ stalk you to your other journal? I take it this one is for Idol and the other one is the "real" journal. :)

~*~

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Yeah definitely go ahead. Yeah that one's my "real" lj, but I've been seriously neglecting it of late do to the fact that I don't get nearly as many comments over there! /=

It was great meeting you this season (=

[tsarina.livejournal.com]

But the bees! If the bees could vote, I'm sure they would vote for you. I've enjoyed your entries, because they were so varied and fascinating. I always felt like I learned some random, delicious fact from each one.

[abbismom.livejournal.com]

ditto.

[boxsofrain.livejournal.com]

Box full of rain? :)

I don't know what I am going to do without my Kris dose of writing each week. You along with Stacey deserved to go much farther.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Oh she and I went pretty far ;D

[supremegoddess1.livejournal.com]

*groan*

I may or may not have an incriminating picture related to that. ;P

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

O= I know of no such pictures! What is this picture of which you speak??

[supremegoddess1.livejournal.com]

Heh. Certain parties might not want me relaying that.

[alycewilson.livejournal.com]

I have found your entries entertaining and interesting, and I've noticed that you have made an effort to be more personal. I really liked the first part of this good-bye post, too. I'm glad that you and gratefuladdict found a connection.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Yeah I think the first part of this entry is a pretty good example of the melding of styles idol has led me towards. I'm pretty sure I never would have thought to write it that way if it weren't for idol.

[gaeln.livejournal.com]

I voted for you, just so you know. I look forward to reading more from you on whatever you want to write about.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yeah now I need to readjust to writing for purposes other than idol! I was looking back through my lj back to where I started LJ Idol to recap my progress in the season and noticed how sharply my non-idol posts have dropped off d=

[gaeln.livejournal.com]

Since I'm new to you, and really only know you through your idol posts, it'll be nice to get to get to know you outside that. For what it's worth, as you explained it in your post, to me, you did what was right. see ya around.

wise fool

[memeworrywort.livejournal.com]

I always voted for you, when I could.

Your entries always reminded me of the 30-in-30 because they were all so peculiar and interesting at the same time.

And like you said, you have now 444 friends that will put up with your crap or at least skim over what you say. That's more than I can say about my LJ in its 6 years of being alive.

Re: wise fool

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yeah 30 in 30 is more my style. Looking forward to Season VI this June! :D

As I note in my entry, most of the other idolists are more into the personal stories, whereas, and I hadn't really thought about it before, but 30 in 30 really is kind of a festival of the humorous essay. I hope I can recruit some idolists into 30 in 30 though!

Also, doing LJ Idol really really increased the size of my friends list. With so many other people and other people's friends going through reading the entries, one is exposed to a lot of new people.

Re: wise fool

[memeworrywort.livejournal.com]

I've just got word that I might be able to go to art school for the month of June. I'm kinda excited, but I'm not the best in art. Well, I could draw proportionally, but my attention to detail isn't best.

It's either Pratt or Vassar. The major difference being that Vassar is a scholarship program and I most likely will be paying 0 dollars and 0 cents. But I don't know if it's still being offered.

Hell, I haven't even applied to my four-year colleges. What's going on in my head?