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 ...
Oh isn't that true.
I'm the writer, but everyone and their brother is an "editor".
Touch my words and lose your fingers!
Yes, it's fine to copy your heroes as an exercise.
That's why I always try to write in the style of me.
Not that I'm narcissistic or arrogant. :-)
"This is CRAP!" My next thought was "Heck, if that guy can get published, I'm a shoo-in."
Exactly my thought as well. Except I haven't gotten published yet. Mine is not a case of laziness as I am re-writing even now. It's a good story but I've come to realize that I needed to hone a few skills and trust my BS meter more. I think I'm almost there.
I might regret this, but could you add me to the ping list if one arises? I know you said fiction writers, and I'm an opinion writer, but I'm not that good at it if that helps me here......
'You can now get your beerer stuned'.
Hey Baby. I wish.
Seriesly it's from 'The Jabberewocky', Alice In Wondereland.
Uh, that's Jabberwocky and Wonderland
And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callou! Callay!
He chortled in his joy.
"Seriesly it's from"
Typo-twittery strikes again!! Its that time of day for me too, my fingers fly in any direction they want just about now.
Time to log out and find a refueling station that deals in a variety of different types of ethanol.
The Jabberwocky. Heard of it, never read it. Now I'm educated. Thanks.
" a variety of different types "
Horrible visions of Sister Ann Christine, ruler in hand, forcefully explaining the meaning of the word "redundant".
As I said above I think people who are struggling with a manuscript and/or story ought to ask themselves which writers they really enjoy
---and then read the writer carefully and see how he/she does it
--- and then try the same thing as an exercise.
For instance, there's a rhythm between sections of dialogue and sections of narrative summary. It makes a good balance and keeps the reader moving along.
Check out Hemingway and/or McCarthy. You'll see long sections of dialogue, and after that, there is a move to another scene but that scene directly afterwards is written in narrative summary, not dialogue.
You need to balance three things
----direct description of action
---scenes with a lot of dialogue
---narrative summary.
Never too long in any one mode, never follow a scene with a lot of dialogue with another scene with yet more dialogue.
Check out your favorite writer and watch how they balance these three elements.
It's not terribly hard to start small, maybe even with a non-fiction article or two, just to get some professional experience and business contacts.
If getting published is your goal, there are LOTS of ways to skin that cat.
You'd better have at least a little of that. I think it's essential to success. =]
I've been published. I want to get my novel published. No vanity press, please.
C:Not that I'm narcissistic or arrogant. :-)
O: You'd better have at least a little of that. I think it's essential to success. =]
No, none of it. I'm just a really great writer :-)
You want some advice?
I'd just give it...I've been doing it throughout the thread so far...but it occurred to me that unwanted advice can be awfully annoying.
Well, good. After all, if you didn't believe in yourself, why should anyone else believe in you, or read your work?
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