Featured Story of the Week: We're Not Listening

We're Not Listening is a wonderful original fiction written by hawker!. In this week's Featured Story, we take a look at this work.

Give us a brief summary of We're Not Listening.

Basically, We're Not Listening is a six-part story about a fictional record label, Not Listening Records, that gains ground with every band that is signed to it. Each part details one band's story that includes how they came to be, and each part is five short chapters.

What inspired you to write We're Not Listening?

I've always loved reading music-centric stories, and two stories of mine in particular center around bands that I've created. In both of them, there are a ton of background bands that are always mentioned, but I'd never gotten the chance to elaborate on their stories. Eventually I just decided to go for it and give them the backstories they deserve, since in the scheme of things, they're an important part of the label too.

How long have you been working on this story?

I had outlined each band's story in mid-2013, laying down their discographies and abridged origin stories. I started writing it in November 2013, but I didn't really get cracking on it until this past January. I finished it about a month ago.

What is your favorite thing about writing We're Not Listening?

I love the fact that it's a story that centers around music. All of the bands in it are so different; I have such a concrete idea of what they sound like in my head, and I love trying to get that across in writing. The friendships are also very enjoyable to write.

What is the most challenging thing about writing it?

From the getgo I knew I didn't want to write a full-on novel about this subject, so I challenged myself by deciding that the chapters were going to be really short. I'm used to writing chapters that are at least 2,000 words, so having to limit myself to maybe a page and a half is difficult. It has made me more focused, which I've always had trouble with, but I've had to resist the urge to drone on in certain parts.

Have you ever experienced writer's block with this story? If so, how did you overcome it?

Early on I had horrible writer's block. I had just finished writing Hooligans!'s part, the first band in the story, and I couldn't find the inspiration to start writing Fire Motion's saga (the second band). I got it again about halfway through Fire Motion's story, and yet again during The Max's part (the third band). I got over the block by going out of order - I skipped ahead to the last band's part, Put'emup, Put'emup (who is also the main band in another story of mine, ha) and cranked out their story in no time. Then, finishing it was comparatively easy. I'm not sure why.

Do you write with an outline, or just wing it?

I used to write without an outline, but I found that my writing ended up horribly lost and confusing. I started with an outline with this story because there are so many details that have to line up just right, since there's a strict timeline with plenty of overlap between each part. Also, after outlining a story, I usually find myself more motivated to write it.

Do you have any pre/post writing rituals?

I make sure I have enough time to immerse myself in writing, but other than that, I don't have a strict routine while doing so. I have to let myself relax after writing a chapter before going back to edit it, though, or else I'll end up skipping over typos; it also lets me put the writing at a distance, and I can really tell if something is out of whack if I forget what I had written.

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

Thanks for reading, and rock on!

Special thanks to aubs and Maddi; for editing!