It's a Concept, Not a Book

So one of my managers found me working on writing a story during my break.
Of course they asked about it. "What are you writing?"
"A story?"
"Oh?"
"yah."
"What's it about?"

Now, I know by now that if I tell someone about the current project I'm working are, odds are that I won't be working on it for much longer.
Such a weird trend that.
As I tend to get distracted with a different idea soon after.
Plus, the current idea I had been working on...was still in the 'huh I have this scene can I take it further?' beginnings of 'just thought of this, I have time to write, let's try it.'

And since it wasn't more than an idea yet, I tried to brush it off,
but the manager was insistent.

So, took my usual route. Tell the interested party about a different story I'd worked on in the past, but wasn't currently working on. About a boy and his discovery of a dragon.

Oh, such a mistake. Suddenly I was fending off a million questions a second.
"What's the plot? What's your books title? How far along are you? What's so and so's name? Is it a romance? What type of story is it? How old is the boy? Where is it set? Is it on Earth? When is it going to be published? "what size is the dragon?" "Do they travel in communal groups?" I so look forward to reading it.

Talk about sudden build up of pressure! GAH! O.O
Can I tell you I hate this sort of questioning? Geez! I don't know I don't know I don't know! I'm not that sort of writer. It's enough to make me want to curl up in a ball and rock back and forth. Seriously. The ideas are fragile spider webs, not sheets of metal. They don't hold up well when weight is put on them.

I did my best. "Plot's about a boy who discovers a dragon." "Haven't named it." "Three pages." (made up that number) -his look of surprise at that. Yah. 'Brand New Idea' Means I didn't just blink and suddenly have a whole book in my hands. *shakes head* "No it's not." "He's 17" (made up the age)
"Its not set on earth" (no idea really. why do books need to be set in a specific place?) "Haven't written it yet."

Annoying things questions. I mean, useful. So you can tell what a person is interested in. But annoying when the idea is in the 'budding' version. I mean, the dragon story plot has waaaay more of a plot then what I told my manager. But really, I was trying to put them off so I could focus on working on writing what I actually was writing.

Anyway back on annoying. 'Budding idea." It always seems like when I tell a person about it, they expect me to already have everything worked out. The Whole Plot, Background Story, Relationships, Twists, Setting, Character Bios. Everything. Even pieces for you to read....
Gah!

Seriously, not the way I work. I know I need that stuff. But it's a 'comes as it comes' sort of process. I often decide things while I'm writing. I don't know everything. That's half the fun of writing. Discovering the world and characters.

In any case.
The Two things that bugged me...no three things that bugged me from this conversation was.
1. The kid is '17' and my manager was like "He's 17? Oh that means it needs to be a romance story!" I was like "No it doesn't." And they're like "Yah, yah it does!" Seriously? I've read plenty of books where Romance isn't the key element to someone that age. And it's not a key element in this one. There is a concept of one in this plot admittedly, but until it's written out. Who knows if it would actually happen.
-Quit telling me how my book needs to be.

Not so annoying but annoying.

This one though is annoying.
2. One of my character's names is Flick.
The manager was like "Flick? Like the ant from A Bugs Life? You can't use that name! You need to change it. It's already been used. Pick a different name."
Uhmmm who died and made you my agent/editor? Seriously. Names can be used more then once. Just because a name is used in a movie or book doesn't mean that it can't ever be used again. I mean, I get it. There are some names that you'll want to tread carefully in using. "Harry, Hermione, Ron, Edward, Bella, Jacob." Those are names where you'll want to think twice about it before naming a character that just because they are popular names at the moment. But Flick? A bug's name?
Honestly I hadn't even made the connection. And I watched a bug's life like two days before this conversation. No connection. Names are names. They end up going with the character.
But yah, I can understand the need to change names. It happens on occasion, doesn't mean I won't fight long and hard to keep the name as it is. But I get it. Seriously I do. But really? I won't change a character's name just because 'you' think I should. I just told you a very brief very sketchy version of a story. You don't know all of the details, don't go making suggestions.

And finally number 3.
Later on in my work shift. "I've been thinking of ideas to help you with your story."

O.o Huh? I don't recall me asking you for suggestions.  Or for help. Or for anything in relation to my story idea.

So I politely smiled and told the manager something along the lines of:  "I already have an outline, but if you want to write your own story with those ideas, I'd love to read it."

Hopefully they didn't take offense to that. Hopefully I didn't come off as rude.
But really. My story means MINE! I'm very possessive. Until I want to show you the finished draft, or work out a problem, or ask for suggestions. Let me have my story be Mine!

But really, I fear I've unleashed a monster at work. I can just picture every time I see this manager they're going to ask me "How's Flick's story going?"

Uhh...it's not. Currently working on a different story idea. And I will most likely be working on a different story idea every time you ask me. It's just how I roll.

:) Okay Rant over. Back to writing whichever story I'm currently working on! ;)

-Sarnic Dirchi