D A M N!  D A M N!  D A M N!  >:(

Does anyone else struggle with finding the discipline to let a parody sit for a few days after it's 'done' so you can go back later with fresh eyes to do final tweaking and refinement?

I think practically every parody I've posted has some clumsy phrase, forced rhyme, or other transgression whose easy fix eluded me at the time, but which surfaced soon after I had already submitted the damn thing.  :-[

Sometimes, I pull the trigger too quickly because I'm excited about the piece and am over-eager for feedback.  :-\\

In other instances, I've gotten so steeped in the process of working on the piece that by the time I get it into half-decent shape, I'm just SICK of it already and can't bear the thought of working on it for even ONE MINUTE MORE (if the rhythm of 'Supercalifragilistic...' doesn't stop reverberating in my head very, VERY soon, I'm going to do physical harm to someone...)  ;)

Anyone have any thoughts or insignts to share about this?  ::)

D A M N!  D A M N!  D A M N!  >:(

Does anyone else struggle with finding the discipline to let a parody sit for a few days after it's 'done' so you can go back later with fresh eyes to do final tweaking and refinement?



Johnny D? you should be weighing in on this one >grin<

I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't come up with some sort of "versioning" scheme, so people can update their parodies.  I know I can write it, but I also know my time in the next few months is spoken for as well

I think you speak for all of us when you say that, Jay-Z.  At least the D A M N  D A M N 
D A M N part.  ;)

Being one who basically obtains life force from positive feedback and comments, I usually submit the parody as soon as I finish with it, then do the final tweakings when I'm looking over the preview.  Naturally, as soon as I've submitted it, I look over the final draft and feel like sticking chopsticks up my nose for missing so many obvious lyrical errors. I'm a very impatient person, but also a bit of a perfectionist.  Not a good combination.

I, too, have recently found myself immersed so deeply into writing a parody that I begin to drown and choke for air.  And then I don't want to go back down there anymore, because it's too deep, Mommy, and it's scary down there!  For instance, I was in the process of finishing "Medical History Guru" to "Magical Mystery Tour", and trying to find the most "effective" rhymes and such.  I got so bogged down in all the possibilities that I started spending way too much time on it, and it eventually got so overbearing that I abandoned the effort altogether. 

It's a relief to find out I'm not alone in my strife, though.  This, my dears, would be the reason why I haven't submitted anything in several days. 

Johnny D? you should be weighing in on this one >grin<

I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't come up with some sort of "versioning" scheme, so people can update their parodies.  I know I can write it, but I also know my time in the next few months is spoken for as well


I'm personally torn on this subject.  As a writer of prose...my ever present desire to constantly "fix" things is almost crippling when it comes to actually ever submitting things for publication.  Were it not for deadlines and due dates, I don't think I'd ever turn anything in and actually call it "done."  

I have a lot of parodies that I'd probably change if I could...but then again...I don't know that I should...as it's interesting to go back and look at the way my style has changed over the years...(wrote my first parody when I was 12...I can still remember the LAME lyrics, although I never wrote them down)...or even since I've started submitting here...

But that's just MY take...still...I know that if you do it, Chucky, I won't be able to stop myself from using it...even if I tell myelf now that I don't want to...

Making sense?  Probably not...I'll leave it at that...  

I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't come up with some sort of "versioning" scheme, so people can update their parodies...


You.  Would.  Be.  My.  God.

Or... I could just learn to be more disciplined about my process, dammit.   ::) 

THANKS FOR WEIGHING IN, MY PEEPS! 
Ah, what a relief to know I'm not the only neurotic with conflicting anal retentive/impatience issues....

(See? I can't even post a stupid message without changing it 537 times....)

I generally write my parodies in about 10 minutes when inspiration strikes.  I know if I left one alone and came back later, it could probably be about 10 times better.  But I don't want to.  Once I finish something, I'm completely over it.  I have several that I've started, and said I would go back and finish, and never did.  And I think about finishing them, but I'm out of that particular moment.  Does that make sense?  For me, I think it's probably better to just do them, submit them, and hope for the best... 

Johnny D? you should be weighing in on this one >grin<


All I have to say on this particular topic is that Charles Grosvenor is one of the most patient human beings on this planet.  ;)

Johnny D? you should be weighing in on this one >grin<

I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't come up with some sort of "versioning" scheme, so people can update their parodies.  I know I can write it, but I also know my time in the next few months is spoken for as well


I was thinking about this some more, and I just don't know about it.  Really, how would it work?  I mean, once you vote on a parody, you generally don't go back to it unless it's awesome.  So how would anyone know you changed it?  Would there be several different versions of each parody?  And if you do go back and change a parody, do people cancel out their original votes, and re-vote?  Or do they just vote twice?  It's not my intention to rain on everyone's parade, but it kind of seems like it could turn into a big mess...

I'm not sure what Johnny D meant when he said that you are the most patient person in the world, Chucky, but I would just like to take this opportunity to thank you for sharing AmIRight with us.  It's my favorite site in the world, and I think you're a friggin genius for putting it together.  :-*

I'm not sure what Johnny D meant when he said that you are the most patient person in the world, Chucky, but I would just like to take this opportunity to thank you for sharing AmIRight with us.  It's my favorite site in the world, and I think you're a friggin genius for putting it together.   :-*



Ashkicksass...stop lying to make friends.  ;)

No...I couldn't agree with you more.  Number one, on the writing things and submitting them right away thing...that's what I do.  I sometimes play with ideas in my head for a while...before I put them down in writing...but...generally, I have to finish them in one sitting and then just submit them.  The End.  I do, as Emi said...a final proofread in the "preview" section.  But then...that's it.  I mean...what's the point, really...of changing it?  Is it only for your own peace of mind?  Because...I have all my songs on file anyway...and I HAVE gone back and changed things in them...but not the song itself...just like...when I wrote "She Love's You" on my "She's Turned Blue" parody...and Phil pointed it out...I went into MY files and fixed it. 

But I say...what's on the site...is done.  Love me, love me rushed grammar mistakes!  And you all know that you love me.

I mean, once you vote on a parody, you generally don't go back to it unless it's awesome.  So how would anyone know you changed it?  Would there be several different versions of each parody?

Well, at least for me, the changes aren't significant enough to change someone's rating or comments, but significant enough that I hate the idea of leaving the flawed version 'out there' in cyberspace...

But I say...what's on the site...is done.  Love me, love me rushed grammar mistakes!  And you all know that you love me.


Aye matey!

Well, at least for me, the changes aren't significant enough to change someone's rating or comments, but significant enough that I hate the idea of leaving the flawed version 'out there' in cyberspace...


Trust me, I TOTALLY understand where you're coming from...like I said...I'd most likely do it if I could...but...it's those little imperfections that make me all the more adorable, isn't it?  Or...well, I'm adorable either way...but if I make a mistake, then at least you all know that I'm not totally perfect and you don't have to be intimidated by me... ;)

But I say...what's on the site...is done.  Love me, love me rushed grammar mistakes!  And you all know that you love me.


Aye matey!


Ashkicksass...are you a pirate?  Because I never knew...this adds heaps to my pile of respect for you.  Especially if you have a peg leg.

Trust me, I TOTALLY understand where you're coming from...like I said...I'd most likely do it if I could...but...it's those little imperfections that make me all the more adorable, isn't it?  Or...well, I'm adorable either way...but if I make a mistake, then at least you all know that I'm not totally perfect and you don't have to be intimidated by me... ;)



I hear you, though anal as I can be, it's not so much the typos and flawed grammar that gets me as much as the missed opportunities to tweak a phrase here or there to 'bring the funny' where it wasn't there before. Or, in a fact-based parody, to correct an out-and-out error... 

But like I said, ultimately, it's a matter of discipline -- I just gotta get in the practice of putting it away for a few days and going back to it later with fresh eyes and a commitment to ruthless editing. You live, you learn.  Hopefully.  ;)

And yes, you are adorable either way.

And yes, you are adorable either way.


Woohoo!  Chalk up another devoted hottie admirer for the Elven Princess!!  ;)

Ashkicksass...are you a pirate?  Because I never knew...this adds heaps to my pile of respect for you.  Especially if you have a peg leg.


Well, I do have a peg leg...but that's neither here nor there.  I was making fun of your grammar mistake in the thread where you are talking about rushed grammar mistakes. ;D

Well, I do have a peg leg...but that's neither here nor there.  I was making fun of your grammar mistake in the thread where you are talking about rushed grammar mistakes. ;D


I thought that is what you were doing...but I still couldn't find the mistake until just now.  16 read-throughs later.  I'm such an idiot...

Well, I do have a peg leg...


Oh, and btw, I'm still crying about this.  Everyone in the office thinks I'm insane. 

Oh, and btw, I'm still crying about this.  Everyone in the office thinks I'm insane. 


I don't think it's very nice to make fun of people with peg legs.

I was thinking about this some more, and I just don't know about it.  Really, how would it work?  I mean, once you vote on a parody, you generally don't go back to it unless it's awesome.  So how would anyone know you changed it?  Would there be several different versions of each parody?  And if you do go back and change a parody, do people cancel out their original votes, and re-vote?  Or do they just vote twice?  It's not my intention to rain on everyone's parade, but it kind of seems like it could turn into a big mess...

These are all reasons I've never done it in the past, too open for abuse if you think about it.  If I gave people the power to overwrite an existing parody (with some sort of password thingy), you could easily have someone write a parody mocking Bush to get a lot of votes, and then a day later, replace it with one mocking Kerry, which then would make the comments/votes look really bad. 

Right now, when I delete an "approved" parody, only the comments and votes are erased, the original still sits in the database file, it just doesn't get built into an HTML file, or show up in indexes, etc. If I delete a parody without "approving it" it doesn't get saved anywhere.

I could conceivably create something, where only the most recent version of the parody is displayed, with links to the older revisions. Add a comment in the user comments section everytime a new revision is added, which also marks the vote breakdown at the time.  You could then tell which comments belong with which revision, and what impact it had on the voting.  The votes would continue moving forward, I wouldn't add revisions to the front page/what's new sections, and the URL would stay the same. 

So yes, I've thought about all of this in the past.  I believe sites like fanfiction.net allow authors to revise their work, and I've long wondered about what impact the ability to edit an existing work would have on an author's willingness to submit more work.  It certainly would cut down on my workload if people could handle all of that stuff on their own, though I don't do anywhere near as much editing as I used to (since I basically refuse to >grin<).

My original design philisophy, was that people shouldn't need to continue to rework a piece, it's better to just cut loose and focus on another work.  The Graphic Design classes I took recently helped reinforce that for me. I noticed you could rework something for almost ever (ooh, that should be 3 pixels wider, this should be slightly less blue, etc), but it gets to a point where the average person never noticed the "improvements".  I think that's the case with a lot of the parodies on the site, people are starting to write to higher standards than the average viewer really needs, because there's a lot of other authors now reviewing each other's work. 


I'm not sure what Johnny D meant when he said that you are the most patient person in the world, Chucky, but I would just like to take this opportunity to thank you for sharing AmIRight with us.  It's my favorite site in the world, and I think you're a friggin genius for putting it together.  :-*


let's just say, Johnny D likes to write "please post the second version of my parody" often

I don't think it's very nice to make fun of people with peg legs.


And I don't think it's very nice to make fun of people who make grammar mistakes.  Oh...I almost made it through that entire comment without busting up.  Who am I kidding?  In the online world, anyway, there is nothing funnier...

These are all reasons I've never done it in the past, too open for abuse if you think about it.  If I gave people the power to overwrite an existing parody (with some sort of password thingy), you could easily have someone write a parody mocking Bush to get a lot of votes, and then a day later, replace it with one mocking Kerry, which then would make the comments/votes look really bad. 

Right now, when I delete an "approved" parody, only the comments and votes are erased, the original still sits in the database file, it just doesn't get built into an HTML file, or show up in indexes, etc. If I delete a parody without "approving it" it doesn't get saved anywhere.

I could conceivably create something, where only the most recent version of the parody is displayed, with links to the older revisions. Add a comment in the user comments section everytime a new revision is added, which also marks the vote breakdown at the time.  You could then tell which comments belong with which revision, and what impact it had on the voting.  The votes would continue moving forward, I wouldn't add revisions to the front page/what's new sections, and the URL would stay the same. 

So yes, I've thought about all of this in the past.  I believe sites like fanfiction.net allow authors to revise their work, and I've long wondered about what impact the ability to edit an existing work would have on an author's willingness to submit more work.  It certainly would cut down on my workload if people could handle all of that stuff on their own, though I don't do anywhere near as much editing as I used to (since I basically refuse to >grin<).

My original design philisophy, was that people shouldn't need to continue to rework a piece, it's better to just cut loose and focus on another work.  The Graphic Design classes I took recently helped reinforce that for me. I noticed you could rework something for almost ever (ooh, that should be 3 pixels wider, this should be slightly less blue, etc), but it gets to a point where the average person never noticed the "improvements".  I think that's the case with a lot of the parodies on the site, people are starting to write to higher standards than the average viewer really needs, because there's a lot of other authors now reviewing each other's work. 



let's just say, Johnny D likes to write "please post the second version of my parody" often


Wow...you really are a friggin genius.  I never would have thought of any of that.  And I'm not just pandering to you either.  But I agree with your final statements. 

And I don't think it's very nice to make fun of people who make grammar mistakes.  Oh...I almost made it through that entire comment without busting up.  Who am I kidding?  In the online world, anyway, there is nothing funnier...


Man, you SO got me on that one.  Dammit!

I have mixed feelings about the desireability of ChuckyG giving us the capability of editing parodies after they have been submitted.  On the one hand, if he gave us that capability now, I would probably "tweek" about half of the parodies that I have already submitted.  I know that we all have little changes that we would like to make and usually we refrain from asking ChuckyG because of how busy he is, but it would be different if we could do them ourselves.

On the other hand, if we knew that we had that capability, I suspect some of us would be more inclined to submit parodies while they were "works in progress" and then "fine tune" them after submitting them, and that is probably not fair to readers.

So I think I would recommend not giving us that capability and letting us show more of Leo Jay's discipline before we submit them.

I have mixed feelings about the desireability of ChuckyG giving us the capability of editing parodies after they have been submitted.  On the one hand, if he gave us that capability now, I would probably "tweek" about half of the parodies that I have already submitted.  I know that we all have little changes that we would like to make and usually we refrain from asking ChuckyG because of how busy he is, but it would be different if we could do them ourselves.

On the other hand, if we knew that we had that capability, I suspect some of us would be more inclined to submit parodies while they were "works in progress" and then "fine tune" them after submitting them, and that is probably not fair to readers.

So I think I would recommend not giving us that capability and letting us show more of Leo Jay's discipline before we submit them.


Well said, John...I'm with you!!

I USED to make a lot of "last-second" changes after I had pasted the parody over to the "Submission" screen.  Boy, is that a fantastic way to GUARANTEE you will screw a lot of stuff up.  Now, I try very hard not to do too much once I get it over to that stage.  If I DO start to tinker with the wording what I generally do now is do a "cut" from the "submit" screen and repaste it back into a word doc and review the whole thing again - just as if I had never reviewed the piece at all to that point.  "Taking it from the top".  It's really cut down on my posting screw-ups.  Now - having just said that I can expect to completely Screw up my next several parodies with last minute changes that either don't make any sense or are just plain wrong. 

I never do that...  once I finish a parody I get all excited about it, so the first thing I do is listen to it about 10 times in a row. I generally find a few glitches at that point, and fix them. But any glitches that don't get found then, too bad for me, it's getting posted anyway ;-).

I never do that...  once I finish a parody I get all excited about it, so the first thing I do is listen to it about 10 times in a row. I generally find a few glitches at that point, and fix them. But any glitches that don't get found then, too bad for me, it's getting posted anyway ;-).


Where have you been, Nem?