sorry to get so emphatic, but I wanted to make sure that you knew that this is the fun, light, 'getting aquainted' thread as opposed the the more serious, 'take a side and fight for your right to express a moral opinion' thread entitled A bit of me.
Anyhooo!
Hi, I'm Richard Chiu, and I have a picture of myself at my webpage. I'll put that in my profile sometime, and you can look at me and tremble in fear that such as I exist.
I want to become a writer, not that I've never written anything, in fact, I've written quite a bit more than you probably want to read, but I want to become the sort of writer that can't write enough to satisfy my many fans. I've written a lot of stuff in the Hatrack River Forums, but I've decided to devote myself to this place, because I don't want to comment on society or OSC's writing, I want to learn to write myself.
What about you?
[This message has been edited by Survivor (edited July 30, 2000).]
One time I heard this advice to writers: to think of the thing you'd like to read more than anything else in the whole world, and then to just sit down and write it.
What are the things that you've liked reading most in the world so far? What is it that you want to write?
Well, I would be willing to die for a lot of things. It's more what I'm willing to live for. I'm willing to live for the sake of honor. If it is not to be had, then I must depart.
As for what I want to write, that is a sort of tricky question. I suppose that the real question is what do I intend to write. And the answer, as unsatisfying as it may be, is that I want to write speculative fiction. Not science fiction, or fantasy, but a sort of literature of myself.
As for my questions, I am interested in everything, I think of myself as a survivor, I hate wickedness and stupidity, and I would kill a human for any good cause. But I also meant personal stuff, like liking strawberries and chocolate, or the writing of Tolstoy, or being immune to poison ivy.
Or, an explaination of why you are here, what you aspire to do, how you are doing.
Then I think of Joshu's mu, and want to scream MU! MU! That oak tree in the garden!
But then I think, well, why not answer the mundane part of the question. I'd like to go into space. Specifically, I think the human species should send a mission in 2027 to obliterate or deflect asteroid 1999AN10 which was discovered this January and has a small possibility of impacting the earth (in 2044 or later), causing the whole K-T nuclear winter scenario, and incidentally rendering most species extinct. (Including, of course, us.)
Never mind that the probability is small. I can accept large risks for myself, smaller risks for my family, but the whole world I want to try to eliminate even tiny risks for. I don't mind dying at all, but I hate the thought that there won't be any more novels again ever. Or symphonies. Or WWF, or saturday morning cartoons, whatever. Just bound to the wheel, I guess!
What I'm doing in the meantime is designing and building machines of all kinds. I think it's good experience for lots of possible future scenarios, plus it's a lot of fun and I seem to be pretty good at it.
But the truth about what I'm really doing is hard to say ... ... ... ... I'm seeking something ... ... and just worshipping in awe... ...and keeping my eyes open, trying to learn, enjoying the show ... ... oh this is so lame! ... ... ... yesterday a great blue heron flew down by my creek right at sunset ... ... ... this place hatrack is pretty nice ... ... ... ... I like to talk and think about all these things that interest me... ... .... ... just mu ... 
[This message has been edited by Nomda Plume (edited September 20, 1999).]
Okay, number one, you would have to remain stationary relative to the point of transmission, since otherwise you'll cause some kind of weird doppler effect, which would cause some interesting effects on an AM transmission but would totally freak out an FM transmission. Not to mention what would happen to a digital signal. You would need so much computer analysis that it would be easier to synthesize the broadcast from scratch.
Then there is the matter of wasting an incredible amount of energy chasing an old, weak, degraded signal instead of just having a copy in storage. Nuff said.
Besides, any realistic type of FTL travel would have to avoid actual FTL propagation through spacetime. Either you would be outside of spacetime, or you would be non FTL, or both. The dang signal will outrun you anyway.
The point? If you're chasing a radio signal, and you're going as fast as it is, wouldn't that leave you recieving the same tone (say, note of the song) indefinitely? Hmmm.... Something to think about.....
As for the subject of what one is willing to die for....Not too much, if you must know. I'm unmistakeably my father's daughter, I inherited quite an 'ornery' streak. I may not be willing to just lay down and die, but I'd be very willing to fight like hell itself for whatever cause inspired me to that level. I guess my basic philosophy on that point would have to be 'if I go, I'm taking a few with me on the way out!'.
As for the WWF, let them go fend off the asteroid!!!
If you were going the speed of light and wanted to turn on your headlights, then it would forever for you to finish that thought, cause the electrons in your brain cannot exceed lightspeed, and then forever to get that message to your hand, and an even longer forever for your hand to reach the switch and turn it on, and then another forever for the electrons in the battery to begin running around, and forever for the filament in the light bulbs to heat up, and forever for the light to get outside of the bulb...
I could go on, but I think I may have already gone too far.
Oh, by the way, just thought that I would crow about my getting into a writer's group at last. Hah! And I sort of loosely am aquainted with one of the people in my group.
-The Archangel-
-The Archangel-
Until you get assigned your very on secret group, you can hang out with us here in the open discussions forum. We just hang around and knaw over things that puzzle us, issues that we face as writers, like; How to delineate a workable fantasy environment, How to integrate characters with different belief systems into our narrative, How to present elements of risk or danger without alienating the reader, and so on and so forth. We also have fun topics like; Favorite quotes for the day, Where do ideas come from?, Getting to know you , and such.
Anyway, go ahead and feel free to jump in here, it's the open area, after all.
I get out of the loop and things just take off around here. An hour on line is just not enough. The government should do something useful like provide every household with a computer.aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!
On the other hand, they wouldn't be top of the line...
You may not get one for free, but you can certainly get one for cheap.
I don't give computers away because they always have some use, even if it's spare parts or nostalgic games once in a blue moon. For example, I have a computer that nobody wants to use (too slow) that I use as a renderfarm. It takes a lot longer than my preferred workstation, but what does that matter when nobody's using it anyway?
Oh, BTW, since this is the check-in thread...I've been frequenting this place for about a month. Being 17 I'm not supposed to post here, but I don't mind, because that's the way I am. I'd tell you more personal details, but you're doubtless fine without them, and being a lazy person (in things that don't matter), I won't.
-Ryan
Anyway, what kind of artwork do you do?
I do mostly landscapes, because I am obsessed with them, and having seen a rich variety (I live on the front range of the Colorado Rockies, with mountains on one hand and rolling plains on the other), they are easy for me to visualize. I'm starting to branch out, but in honesty I haven't done much in the way of 3D art in a long time, because I don't have enough memory anymore to do what I'd really like. (I have a lot of unfinished scenes sitting around, because they got too big and bogged down in interminal paging intervals.)
Well, you did ask.
-R.
But, about me, I think I want to be a writer, at least some of the time. I have many ideas, and I am here mostly to get more ideas on how to write and assist anyone if I know something they dont. I also wish to express my opinions, and I find that alot easier online than in person, because online people take you at face value, and not because you are too tall or something like that.
Anyways, good luck to us all I assume.
Oh, by the way, just thought that I would cry about my writer's group slowly dwindling in unbelief (or at least failure to post, I think that we only have just the three of us left, and no one has a story ready to go). !!! And I sort of hoped that we would be an unstoppable intellectual quorum that would change the face of literature (okay, not a realistic hope, but if you demand that hopes and dreams be realistic, what's the point?)
!!!
If I knew how to spot the people who want to talk about writing and being writers more than they want to actually write, I'd put them in their own group (or tell them to post in these open discussions and let those who really write and are willing to exchange feedback get to work in the groups).
Of course, Life does happen to people--and if it didn't what would some of us have to write about, after all?
But I hope when Life calms down, those who really want to write will give the Hatrack Groups another chance.
hah.
I write words and put music to words, though never do I write the words that I put music to.
I play the fiddle, both Old Time and Irish... my fiddle is lovely and it's from the 1890's, France.
I have a dog, named Gweneviere... who's a vicious, slobbering, lovable, huge dog. With big ears. And a really powerful tail...
I write anything that my characters want to do today, and my friends often ask me who I am.
.... maybe we can just skip that last part.
So, tell us Survivor, why you choose your Nick and... be honest.
Or to be more precise, I have an affinity for meaningful callsigns that start with S. There are other names that I might have picked, all of them were words, common or not, in English. Several of them started with S. Maybe I was thinking of that picture in the National Gallery The Survivor. It's a word that conjures an ideal of beauty that has little to do with image and much to do with substance.
Some other callsigns I might have chosen include "Wraith", "Serpent", "Shadow", "Armageddon", "Inquisitor", and "Imperator". Just off the top of my head. Survivor happened to be a little closer to the top (partly because I had already used Serpent a little before that).
Shawn here. I have been gone awhile! Life got in the way. I was just reading the posts about fizzling writers groups. I am on my second one and this one just sorta trickles along. Problem we are having now is one person didn't feel the need to do my critique but sent their next round. NO explination.
Oh well.
Shawn
Which can be good or bad... on the other hand, maybe they forgot or maybe they really had something come up and haven't gotten around to it yet.
Or...maybe they really had nothing to say.
There's a person in our group who sent a chapter and I really had nothing to say about it. Critiques are really served best for a finished piece, not something in the planning stages. So, rather than offer useless advice I said nothing.
Okay, maybe that's not the best approach; but I read the rules coming in... nag nag nag... I know I know. <sigh>
The point is, there is probably a reason why the person didn't critique your work. Ask them. They'll let you know the reason(s).
I read tons, play the piano (and have begun the violin, but clap you hands over your ears when you hear me play that), and want to be a published writer (like one people ahve actually heard of). Of course, writing might just interfere with my parents pet plans to send me off to med school once I finish school, but since I probably won't get high enough marks to become a doctor anyway....
I feel very lucky to have landed here so soon after the muse wacked me on the head with her magic wand (or was that a just dead mackerel?...)
Hack On!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Pero yo no la conozco."
"No necesitas conecerla, necesitas saber quie'n ella es."
My name is Laurie and I used to spend a lot of time here on hatrack. Then came computer depridation. I got an MSN Companion for Christmas. Not exactly a computer, but it gets me back in touch. it is just an internet appliance so it's not much help with my writing. I have been offered the use of a computer to work on my story with so between the two maybe I'll get going again.
Oh, and I am currently waiting to be assigned a Writer's Group of my very own. I'm crossing my fingers that it will be an active group, with some great writing and critiques, but if not I'll just keep bugging y'all.
**Clarification: I don't get sucked into theoretical or lofty arguments that deal with *non-writing* topics. I'll gladly wrangle in the mud when it comes to POV or editing or charaterization or...
[This message has been edited by Jessi D (edited January 09, 2001).]
I've already sold both nonfiction and fiction -- I find the former much easier -- but, while I'm serious about writing well, I'm not pursuing professional publication because I dislike marketing the stuff.
My work in progress is a fantasy in narrative verse. I've been working on it for two years. Since it's in verse, I'm writing at a crawl, and critiques before the work is finished are counterproductive for me. While I'm still writing, I need a cheering section/sounding boards/brainstormers rather than critiquers. I haven't signed up for a writing group because I don't know if that would fit anyone else's desires: I'd be out of place in a group where one has to produce completed chapters or stories for critique often.
1) The work is extremely lengthy compared to most modern poetry;
2) My versifying is technically competent, so
it isn't a subject I need to discuss, particularly;
3) Formal meter is out of poetic fashion, and I don't usually appreciate free verse, which means I'm not much help to anybody writing typically modern poetry;
4) The stuff I tear my hair out over is plot holes, characterization, narrative flow -- the same issues that concern prose fiction writers.
I would think that such a group could help with narrative poetry.
Will.
[This message has been edited by Shy Ghost (edited January 22, 2001).]
"If this is the best of possible worlds, what then are the others?"--Voltaire
Jessi
PS everybody: That reply by OSC kinda blew me away too!
[This message has been edited by Jessi D (edited January 22, 2001).]
JK wrote:
quote:
Shy that's npt what I really want to hear right now. I would like to hear any tips you might have on writing short stories (I couldn't do it to save a life).
Well, I didn't mean to bring you down, JK. I was just providing an explanation--a lame excuse, really--for why I was largely inactive as a writer during the last several years (with one small exception, as I will mention).
During a four-year period between 1989 and 1993 I wrote about thirty short stories. Only two were published, both in small-time literary magazines produced by the schools I was attending, and neither paid a thing. I didn't really spend much energy trying to get most of them published anyway. I can scarcely consider myself an expert on writing and the creative process, and so I would invite you to take anything I say in this reply with a grain of salt. I can only report what has worked for me.
I started writing because I felt like it. No one suggested it to me, and no one encouraged me to start doing it. I have been a voracious bookworm since early childhood, and had always wanted to create such works of my own, and share the stories that I invented with others. I never took a creative writing class until I was in college, and the last few short stories I completed before "the Quiet Time" (as I think of it) were for that class. Therefore the tips I'll report to you are largely the product of trial and error, and the occasional happy accident.
First, you should be big on reading. While I can't prove that every successful writer is also a bookworm, I simply cannot imagine someone being a successful writer without having some exposure to the products of other successful writers. And I don't think it is enough to just read a handful of excellent writers in just one genre. Diversify! Science fiction, fantasy, horror, western, mystery, and "general" fiction each have their own prime examples of outstanding writers. The only genre I've never sampled is romance. Also try out some non-fiction. Most of my non-fiction reading relates to science and history, and not only might you learn something fascinating, you may discover a story idea or two. Ten years ago I didn't read much non-fiction. Today that category accounts for about half of my reading.
Second, have a way to record ideas as they occur to you during the course of the day. I keep a small notepad handy, and when one hits me, I jot it down before my addled brain lets it slip away into neurotransmitter oblivion. I type it all into a Microsoft Word file that is solely dedicated to notes. This file is a motley assemblage of titles, character names, ideas, fragments of stories, and whatever else that I find interesting enough to put in there. It doesn't even have to sound like a story idea to belong in there. It could just be an interesting comment that I heard somewhere, and perhaps it might make its way into a story it inspires.
Third, when you write, try to resist doing any major editing until you've done the first draft. Just get that initial draft out and then worry about improving it. I had to learn this the hard way, as relatively short stories took forever to finish because I was constantly revising before ever reaching the last page. There have been a couple of occasions where I decided that I had nothing but a mess and started over from scratch, though. The key is, when you start writing something, just keep writing it until you're done.
Fourth, make a habit out of writing something every day. Even if it is not something you would ever get published, just write something. During the last several years when I wasn't writing fiction, I kept up my writing habit by maintaining a journal, and working on essays which were largely autobiographical. Although I didn't write in the journal on a daily basis, I did try to keep up working on something. I enjoyed writing those essays so much, particularly the one where I write about the connection between my growing up severely-to-profoundly deaf and my love for the movies, that I still plan on writing them on the side as I return to writing fiction, even though I strongly doubt they would ever be published.
Fifth, your family and best friends may not be the best sources for critiquing your work. I know that OSC's wife is apparently an integral part of his process, and it's great that he has someone so close to him who can provide objective analysis of his work, but my experience has been that my family and good friends are often too biased to say anything that could be construed as sounding negative. If you know someone that you can trust to be honest and objective, great.
Sixth, try writing during a time when you are unlikely to be interrupted. Unplug the phone if you must. When I was younger, I typically wrote when the rest of the family was off to bed, or when I was the only one home.
Seventh, there are a few good books out there about writing. All of these books I encountered after my fiction output quieted in 1993. OSC has written a couple of excellent ones, which I'm sure you already have heard about. Others I have found insightful were The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Browne & King, and the delightfully titled Telling Lies for Fun and Profit by Lawrence Block. These books are gold mines of information, and have helped me to get back in the saddle.
That's all I can think of for now. Again, I emphasize that despite the number of short stories I've written, I cannot be considered an "expert" on writing, and you are free to disregard anything I've written here.
[This message has been edited by Shy Ghost (edited January 23, 2001).]
quote:
Shy, as someone who is gearing up towards university, I didn't really want to hear that comment. But actually, now that I've heard it, I plan to be the opposite of it
I wouldn't say that you would have the same experience with writing that I did while in university. What happened with me wouldn't necessarily apply to someone else. Going to college does not have to be synonymous with not writing. If I'm not mistaken, Michael Crichton wrote a book or two while still in medical school.
quote:
If you do what you say, then no doubt I'll be seeing your name (whatever that may be) on a book or in a mag real soon.
I hope so. I try to follow the advice I wrote earlier, but I'm not perfect.
quote:
First, you say, read. Okay, but diversifying into mainstream, romance, western, etc. is difficult for me cos I don't like any of them! So far, the only books I've been able to enjoy are SF and F. I'll work on it, though.
I wouldn't recommend reading a book just for the sake of reading. It has to be something that interests you. That's why I've never read romances. None of it interests me. I've only read one western novel, and that was Lonesome Dove. Most of my fiction reading is science fiction and fantasy, since that's the genre I'm most interested in. But it never hurts to get a taste of other genres.
quote:
I do write a diary, almost every day, but I do it cos I like it. I never thought of it as 'keeping up the writing habit'.
If I was only to use the journal to keep up the writing habit, I would have discontinued writing in it once I resumed writing fiction. However, I find it still useful to make notes in it regarding what's going on in my life. Reading entries from 6 years ago gets occasionally interesting. The passage of time can change perceptions quite a bit.
Will.
Jessi
quote:
And seeing as I'm kinda new to the whole uni/college thing, I didn't know whether going to uni meant no writing. Guess I know now...
College can take up time you would have spent on writing, but there is a way to approach it that will keep you from going insane.
Think of college as your research time.
Every class you take, every paper you write, every fact you learn, and every process you study can be something you will use in a story when you do have time to write.
All those general education (or liberal education--whatever they call them) classes you have to take will give you stuff you can use in your stories.
It's all grist for the mill, and college has got to be one of the greatest places in the world for collecting it.
Take advantage!
And who knows, you may actually find time to write after all.
(What else do you think they mean when they say, "Write what you know?" <grin> )