Posted on 03/23/2007 11:44:31 AM PDT by Eleutheria5
Squarebarb:
There were some of us including GOPpoet who were thinking of starting a writer's thread here on FR. There's a horse thread, a football thread, a Hobbit Hole thread, so why not a thread for us writers?
And mainly sticking to fiction otherwise the discussion tends toward politicsa iinstead of the craft of writing.
Okay Eleutheria5, YOU start the thread."
Eleutheria5:
On it. Could use some help from someone who knows how to do HTTP and other techy stuff, though. Tried to learn, but drat that right hemisphere dominance we creative folks have. I've actually been running a board on the aol writers' club since 1996 called Conservative Writers' Club. Mostly it simply fights flame wars with liberal writers, though, and all the conservative contributors, including me, burn out. It'd be great to get away from that and just swap ideas with people who DON'T wish every one of us a flaming death.
(Excerpt) Read more at freerepublic.com ...
You gave it to me... but no worries.
"Hemingway's writing has a particular style, a particular flavor. If I deliberately tried to write something like it, it would be derivative from the very start. Who wants to go there?
Write like yourself. If you want to write differently, be different."
I find I learn more from reading terrible writers, because I can avoid their mistakes, especially when they repeat them over and over because they think they're doing something clever. Try Harry Turtledove or Piers Anthony for some really bad prose and story structure/execution. Especially Turtledove for bad structure and prose; Anthony for inept dialogue and execution. The masters, I just enjoy for their own sakes. Wouldn't dream of imitating them.
Please add me to your ping list. Thanks for doing that and for doing this. ; )
NEW THREAD SATURDAY MORNING
I guess that's a way to start a new thread...? New day?
Whatever. I willl be here mostly on Wednesdays and Saturday mornings.
E5 is right about Piers Anthony. Terrible writing. I suppose he gets published because he fills a niche --has the right plot and content. I don't know who publishes him. I could look on Amazon.
But as far imitating your favorite writers, I will say again, you can certainly learn from them. Take note of what they do and how they do it.
For instance I learned a lot from Dickens as far as description goes.
He nevetrs describes anything but what it is in movement. It makes description lively.
If he describes someone entering an inn, for instance. There is an old woman and a cat in front of the fire, and a kettle on the fire.
The old woman is always mumbling, the cat is lashing its tail, the kettle is boiling over.
You are right about Dickens. Movement in the description. I never noticed it before.
Jenb, I would like to invite you as well.
Rosie Cotton, I know that you would have some great things to add.
If I have forgotten anyone else, please extend them an invitation on my behalf.
I have been reading Tom Clancy lately. He's a guy who is in desperate need of an editor. If I am told that Pat Foley is a cowgirl one more time I am going to scream. Not just once in each novel (that I can see) but everytime she is introduced (practically).
I am now going to check out my manuscrip and see how much movement I can put in my descriptions without going overboard.
Thanks. I'll read along for a while.
I'm not sure I can keep up with another thread/group.
Totally understand. I know you are extremely busy but just wanted to let you know that this thread was here. Have a great day!
You too.
If there's a ping list developed, put me on it.
Please add Corin Stormhands to the ping list. Thanks.
Please add me to any writing ping list you may put together.
Thank you.
I checked out your page, good quotes.
The upside down flag reminds me that when I was a kid in a little town of 100, the guy who worked at the feed/general store came in very hungover one morning and mistakenly ran the flag up upside down.
Before 8:30 about four truckers had stopped and run into the store to see what was the matter.
So they ran it back down and got it right.
Thanks...I'll read through, in any case.
Very true, and very edifying!
I tend to get frustrated because everything I attempt is so imperfect, so I just stop. JenB got a group of us into doing NaNoWriMo every year, which is a help. Teaches you to bind your internal editor in a dark corner with duct tape and just *write*. But it can be hard to continue throughout the year with that same attitude.
I'm also one of those irritating folks who obsess about the material side of writing: I like nice pens and nice paper, old typewriters, writing gadgetry and all that. I can spend hours surfing the net reading about the tools instead of actually using 'em. It's a fun way to procrastinate, admittedly, but...
*shudder*
(With apologies to Hemingway's Ghost...)
I also love Tale Of Two Cities.
I have it on audio tape, the reader is excellent and there are even a few sound effects.
My own writing is very spare, not at all florid like Dickens, but I still learned from him how to write a lively description.
Can I join? I not a writer but I think I could be, if I knew how:')
Hey Dawg!
Sure you can join.
I just posted some pics over there on the horse thread.
It's easy. Just start "...once upon a time..."
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