Save it for the stage!

If you rehearse too much, you run the risk of having your best performance be one that nobody actually sees.  That's the justification behind the old saying "Save it for the stage" - it's also something that applies to writing.  When you are a writer, there is the temptation to run through scenes in your mind that you have yet to write.  The trouble with doing this is that the first time you think of it, the dialogue you imagine is natural and how you believe it would be said.  When it comes to writing that down later however, the focus shifts from being in the mindset of the characters and imagining the scene, to the task of recalling what you imagined earlier when you ran through it in your mind.

To that end, it is best as a writer to write all the time when inspiration hits, or to have a means of recording any thoughts you are considering.  A seasoned writer will tell you of notepads, and scraps of paper, or even a Dictaphone either as an app or a physical device, all of which are used to record thoughts in the moment of ideas they will later write about. 

For me personally, one of the most used apps on my phone after social media and messaging, is a memo app which I use to record ideas whenever they come to mind.  One thing I don't like to do is to stifle creativity however I have learned not to explore ideas too deeply when I don't have an adequate means at hand to record that exploration, instead I find a point of entry into that path of thought, record that, and then immediately attempt to distract myself so I do not give it much conscious thought.

All of this however can be considered as secondary content, that is to say that any novel or literary work you read is in itself the primary content, and everything else that the author created during the writing process is the secondary content.  There was a time when you would never see any of that content and it would never see the light of day, but times change.  The fourth wall which stood for so long is now broken with routine, to the point where it is something the reader actively pursues.  Some of the greatest TV shows, Movies, Games, and Books of our time use fourth wall breaks to reach the reader in a way that traditional media never did.

The concept has been around for centuries, though its application was limited.  For example Diego Velázquez in 1656 painted 'Las Meninas' - a painting which contains another within it along the back of the scene.  The 'Droste Effect' is the act of placing a painting within itself recursively, however in this instance it is referred to as a 'Mise en abyme' as the painting placed within is altered in some way.  In Las Meninas the painting along the back of the scene is debated as to what it depicts, some argue it is a reflection of the canvass in the foreground which the viewer cannot see upon which an artist is painting, but others argue that the painting is in fact intended to depict a mirror, and those standing in it are intended to be the viewers of the painting - breaking the fourth wall.

The concept of being "let in" on the secret that the events playing out are not real and that you the reader are aware of this but none of the characters appear to be, is something which connects the reader with the content in a more intimate way.  That is one of the reasons that secondary content has become so prolific.  For all the enjoyment of the primary content that people attain, there is a desire to see behind the curtain and look behind the stage and see how everything is done.  There is as much marvel to be found for some in the intricacies of the pulley systems that allow a performer to fly like an angel than the marvel of seeing the illusion of someone defying gravity.

This secondary content can really be divided into two parts, the first is that which breaks the fourth wall and make no attempt to hide the fact none of it is real and shows you the method of creation.  The second is that which does not break the fourth wall but rather adds depth to the primary content in order to deepen the sense of reality that is portrayed.

Diego Velázquez's painting can be considered to fall into either of these depending on your interpretation.  It either breaks the fourth wall and shows you the viewer within the painting looking back at yourself acknowledging the scene is not real, or it can be adding depth to the scene by portraying part of the room that is not directly visible to you through a reflection.  In either case, that painting within the painting demonstrates the idea of secondary content.

There are a few franchises from various industries that are examples of the depth that is shared with the consumer.  The Halo series of games for example includes secondary content such as companion novels, an animated series, a proposed film, and a published encyclopedia detailing the in-game universe with a level of detail the primary content alone could not include.  By contrast the Harry Potter franchise which began as a literary work did the reverse, adding companion games and movies, and then adding more content through Pottermore.  Both of these franchises demonstrate the same concept, starting from different positions within their collected works.

Both of these franchises also go further and provide their consumers with content which breaks the fourth wall.  Documentaries, and publications detailing the development process allow you to see behind the scenes and see how the content grew over time, how designs and ideas influenced development, and to an extent, where ideas were considered, and then abandoned.  The pursuit of deleted scenes, abandoned concepts, level designs that were never created, and much more all demonstrates the desire for the consumer to experience much more than the primary content on offer.

As a writer, everything you do, the thought process, the ideas you compose etc, should all be documented.  If not for posterity and further exploration by your readers but for the very least for your own exploration.  Revisiting old ideas and exploring the limits that were reached can allow you to open up new paths, create new content, and add new energy to things you once concluded weren't worth pursuing.  There is renewed freedom in taking an idea that you know was abandoned and having the ability to rewrite, recreate, and reimagine to your heart's content.  Broken dreams, bits and pieces, and forgotten ideas can become the building blocks for something beautiful, something much more than you ever could have imagined.