Oh, some thinky thoughts

[jelazakazone]

lewisian_gneiss asked me to talk about storytelling and quilts.  Yesterday I went to two quilt guild meetings. The first one had a speaker who gave a talk called "If Quilts Could Talk".  I honestly have no idea what the second lecture was called because I busy with a volunteer duty at the beginning of the talk, so I was distracted, but this woman had written a

Comments

[archaeologist_d]

I've seen some quilts that tell a complete story. They usually have several panels just like a comic book but not always. It can be fun. I'm more of the setting a mood kind of quilt person but it's done quite frequently in the ones I've seen.

Quilt show this weekend!

I'm not writing. I'm working on costumes. Almost done.

[jelazakazone]

I just said:

When I am struck with an idea for a story, there is usually a sort of vague nebulous image in my head that I try to tackle into cohesion and by writing it, it forms. My process for quilts is kind of similar usually, actually. Maybe my quilts do tell stories and I just haven't been thinking about it in that way.

I've not seen quilts that depict stories in that way. I mean, there are the AIDS Quilts, but those are different in some ways.

Oooh, have fun with all of it!

[millionstar]

The concept of quilts that can tell a story is so interesting, I certainly feel like the one you so kindly made for me does just that. <3

I should join in on the writing pact.

I've always wanted to write a PWP centered around that hat. Yet another Thing Not Done on my mountain of Things That D Might Do Someday If She Gets Her Ass In Gear.

[jelazakazone]

Well, that little quilt now has deep history which is one of the things I love about making quilts -- the story changes, evolves, over time.

I'm not taking names. Join us if you like.

*bats eyelashes at you prettily* :D

[reverie_indigo]

I'm not sure what you mean by "write in tropes." Do you mean cliches of fantasy literature? Or do you mean literary tropes? If it's bad, I need to know because I might be doing it AT THIS VERY MINUTE.

[avon]

What they said! What is a trope in this sense? I looked at the wikipedia page and they seem pretty much completely and totally unavoidable.

[jelazakazone]

Tropes are themes like hurt/comfort. Do you know about the fanlore wiki? You might find many answers to your fannish questions there.

http://fanlore.org/wiki/Trope says:

(n.) A common theme, seen repeatedly in various works.

Here is a definition from TV Tropes:

Tropes are devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations. On the whole, tropes are not clichés. The word clichéd means "stereotyped and trite." In other words, dull and uninteresting. We are not looking for dull and uninteresting entries. We are here to recognize tropes and play with them, not to make fun of them.

In fandom, the word trope is often used to describe common plot devices, such as Aliens Made Them Do It, Fuck or Die, sex pollen, etc.

[reverie_indigo]

OK, but which of those two definitions did you mean? Unless you're delibetely unending everything "King doesn't know it but he's actually a farm boy", everything is a trope, because virtually everything you can write would reasonably be in the audience's mind.

If you write a 100,000 word love story, and in the last paragraph Arthur reveals that he just did it to trick Merlin then stabs him, sure, that would not be someting that would reasonably have been in anyone's mind (other than the serial killers amongst us), but it would also make no sense and prompt you to hunt down the author and kill him/her for wasting your time.

[47eleven]

"I'm not in it because I'm a slasher; I'm in it because I saw so many story possibilities that were just irresistible for me......but I find tropes to be kind of boring sometimes. Certainly not all and not all the time, but I like variety."

You so have my mum's attitude toward writing. Open-minded and endlessly curious and with the best sense of fun and exploration. That's about the biggest compliment I can give you.

[jelazakazone]

*blushes like mad* Thank you. I'm glad you understand that I do mean it in an adventurous sort of way. I really appreciate your enthusiasm for my writing and experience in fandom. <3

[dunderklumpen]

- That's what different fandoms are for: Each and every fandom I love offers me some specific things I love. It can just be an OTP (simple as that) but it can also be so much more because of the setting or the area or specific themes which are important in the series. I guess that's why I do love so many different fandoms

[jelazakazone]

*is a little late to the party* I've told you I'm a slow bloomer, right?

Right, what I'm interested in doing with quilts is more evocative, but I don't know how that translates. I mean, all quilts have stories to tell and personalities, right?

I hadn't wanted to post this yet, but there was interest. It's such a vague idea for me at the moment.

When you look at a patchwork quilt, you often have a sense of movement from it. I find quilts that don't have movement in them boring to look at.

When I am struck with an idea for a story, there is usually a sort of vague nebulous image in my head that I try to tackle into cohesion and by writing it, it forms. My process for quilts is kind of similar usually, actually. Maybe my quilts do tell stories and I just haven't been thinking about it in that way.

Oh no! That's awful. Does rewatching old eps of something help at all?