The Word Weavers Corner

[Fenrir]

@ Sha - Heh, I have a variety of sharp poking devices I can use - 'tis no problem.

Most of the authors I admire are kind of no-brainers in regards to why I admire them - Tolkien, Poe, Shakespeare, Stephen King and Neil Gaiman immediately spring to mind.

Used to really love 'The Dark Is Rising' series by Susan Cooper when I was younger. Still have the books around somewhere. The lore of that universe fascinated me.

@ The Doc - Heh, it's kind of surprising just how many well known "creatives" are dyslexic actually. As for the premise of the novel, you had me at the mention of Harry Dresden

[elvor]

I am very slowly attempting to write something. Which to be honest I'm only posting here about to attempt to motivate myself to write more of. It can reasonably accurately be described as Noir in Spaaaaaaaace! The main problem I have with most writing is that I have loads of characters and settings in my head but I really struggle with coming up with the damn plots.

Also, I run the occasional roleplaying game. I'm without a group at the moment, and have all the ideas for an Unknown Armies campaign with no one to play with.

[Fenrir]

I am very slowly attempting to write something. Which to be honest I'm only posting here about to attempt to motivate myself to write more of. It can reasonably accurately be described as Noir in Spaaaaaaaace! The main problem I have with most writing is that I have loads of characters and settings in my head but I really struggle with coming up with the damn plots.

Also, I run the occasional roleplaying game. I'm without a group at the moment, and have all the ideas for an Unknown Armies campaign with no one to play with.

Huh. That sounds interesting actually. Do you have any idea for a basic premise at all? As for plots, have you thought of trying to use some writing prompts to try and generate some ideas? It gets you writing and thinking about things at the same time.

Some friends of mine keep trying to set up a roleplay group but we're presently having difficulty finding people and syncing schedules.

[elvor]

I haven't considered writing prompts, I might see if I can find any that are compatible with my ideas.

And yeah, I have a premise, I have all the core characters in place, I have a reasonably fleshed out setting, but I just haven't got anything for them to actually do. I recently have come up with a couple of starting points, one of them rather mundane (the MC is hired to track down an estranged son), the other veering into somewhat stranger territory (a House of Leaves-esque door appears in his office (that's where the similarities end though (yes it's very soft sci-fi (parentheses!)))). Seeing as I plan to write a few things in this universe (if I ever write any at all) I'm not sure which to try first, or whether to come up with something entirely different.

As for roleplaying, I run them as part of the uni's tabletop society, which only runs for 16 weeks out of the year. Seeing as most of my student friends are graduating this year, I have little hope of being able to get a group together over summer... I've thought about trying online, but that rarely ends well.

[Fenrir]

I find they can help when I hit a road block. Try these on for size - http://500themes.livejournal.com/1033.html. I tend to just google search and see what I can come up with.

Well it sounds like you have a fairly solid foundation at least. I really need to get off my butt and work on building up my original fiction some more too. Maybe this thread will motivate me too. Hmmm....

You could try and get an online D&D group.

[CtMolloy]

A recent conversation with my ex about how we never seem to find time to read and both of us deciding to go and read kind of lead me to think that I should have a go at writing again.

I used to write a lot when I was a lot younger, was never really happy with anything I did. I think the difference with then and now though is that i'm not being all serious about it, it's just something fun to do and I' really enjoying it.

I've got a whole bunch of what I intend to be fairly short stories started about various things, though mostly sci fi related topics.

[Thysane]

Took part in NaNoWriMo last November, wherein I got about 43,346 words into an Arabian Nights-themed fantasy novel, with an alternating third-person viewpoint that swung wildly between the noir-style investigations of an aged priest and the Conan-style shenanigans of two lone soldiers wandering in the desert. Might return to it some day. The story sort of morphed halfway through into something entirely unexpected, so some heavy re-writes will be in order.

This July I'll be taking part in the summer version of NaNo, with a cold, cynical, science fiction corporate thriller, tentatively entitled "The Armonde Generator" in true mad lib thriller title tradition. Go here for the full premise and a lil' excerpt of what I have so far.

And as if that wasn't enough to be getting on with, I'm also planning a mini-chronicle of Mage: The Awakening for my regular gaming group. It's going to be a true pulp adventure chronicle, set in 1940's Indonesia and entitled "Mists of Krakatoa." Ruined temples, bizarre cryptids, brainwashed Japanese soldiers, ancient magical contraptions powered by ley lines and frantic negotiations with angry volcano spirits. Should be fun.

/phew/

[Fenrir]

@ Mol - You should! I regret not making more time for reading these days. I used to love reading in my youth. Now though I just feel like I don't have the time. I've been trying to get back into a regular flow with my writing too but real life seems to be making a habit of getting in the way of that lately.

@ Thysane - Heh, sounds like you've got a lot of work cut out for you there! I really ought to give NaNoWriMo a try sometime. I was tempted to do so last year. By the way, loving the sig quote!

[ThrashJazzAssassin]

I am very slowly attempting to write something.

Talking of, you had a sketch idea once upon a time.

Go on, you know you want to...

[elvor]

Hmm... I might try to write that at lunch tomorrow. It would require me to actually be funny though, which could be a problem. :p

[ThrashJazzAssassin]

G'waaaan, give it a try. You have a sense of humour, a grasp of basic English and plot construction and plenty of friends eager to point out in excruciating detail exactly where you went wrong. What's the worst that can happen?

Hell, I manage to stumble along okay despite no prior experience other than *ahem* a certain Runners operation...

[Kapol]

I write badly. I roleplay in some places, which has made me a much better writer then I was before I did. I've wrote a few stories, and wrote a couple chapters of a book for a class once. The assignment had been write like 2-4 pages of a specific form of writing of our choice (poetry, novel, short-story, etc). I wrote 16. Everyone who read it really liked it. Always meant to finish it... actually kinda-started again recently. The first draft had been first-person, but I'm worried the character would become incredibly mary-sueish, so I'm going third instead. Likely will never finish it.

[dackwards d]

I write, less so lately but still on occasion. My english teachers used to rave over my stories back in school, but since then I've never really shown it to anyone. I guess I'm too judgemental of my own work, every time I reread something I've written I feel like it's not good enough so I file it away in the 'redo/revise' pile. Oddly enough the last thing I let anyone else read was erotic fiction of myself and my girlfriend at the time, written at her request. Man that felt weird.

[Kapol]

I write, less so lately but still on occasion. My english teachers used to rave over my stories back in school, but since then I've never really shown it to anyone. I guess I'm too judgemental of my own work, every time I reread something I've written I feel like it's not good enough so I file it away in the 'redo/revise' pile. Oddly enough the last thing I let anyone else read was erotic fiction of myself and my girlfriend at the time, written at her request. Man that felt weird.

I know those feelings. >_> Yesterday I actually wrote the majority of a script to put in the 'video suggestions' here, then I began to think it over, realized it was crap, and stopped. I'm overly harsh on myself according to others, which isn't helped at all by my low self-esteem.

[Jamfalcon]

Since I've got a lot of time on my hands for the next few months, I've been working on writing a novel (my second attempt, the first failed after a few months of work amounting to 30,000ish words). This one's going pretty well so far, I've done a lot more planning so everything is coming together nicely, although at this point I'm only about twenty pages in.

[JustAName]

Since NaNo was brought up... my friend is interning for the Office of Letters and Light! I'm totally going to drop in on him and bug him all the time.

[CtMolloy]

@ Mol - You should! I regret not making more time for reading these days. I used to love reading in my youth. Now though I just feel like I don't have the time. I've been trying to get back into a regular flow with my writing too but real life seems to be making a habit of getting in the way of that lately.

Real life sure does have that annoying tendency to get in the way, for me lately it is when I feel inspired to write... I have to make do with quick notes typed into my phone and hope I feel motivated to write later. I am trying to see it as a positive though, maybe something will give me an idea for something to write about.

I used to read so much as a kid, I took books everywhere. Of course we didn't have any internets back then. Not even one.

[Fenrir]

Firstly -- did any of you guys see this writers panel during the Geek & Sundry subscribathon? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlQMAEo7qRA I'd certainly recommend giving it a look if you haven't already.

@ Elvor and Thrash - I'm with Thrash on this one. Go on, give it a go! Heck, I'm mostly self taught (at least when it comes to creative writing). Even if you only do it for your own personal amusement it's still something at least.

@ Kapol - What's the premise of the piece? You should give it a go - see where it takes you. Can't hurt to try at least. I've always favored third person PoV in storytelling over first. It just seems more natural to me, though saying that I have seen some decent examples of writing stand alone pieces in the first person. I just don't think it works for books. Case and point - the writing style of Twilight was one of the many things that put me off it (the other being it's just bloody horrible...).

@ Dark - Yeaaaaah, that must have been awkward. I admit I have written some pieces of erotica involving characters of mine but NONE of that will evvvvvver be seen by anyone but me. Ever. Period.

@ Kapol (again) - The hardest thing to do when writing is to try and shut up that monkey on your shoulder telling you that things suck. It's better to just get it all out there, take a step back and then examine why something might have fallen short. At least in my opinion. Or see if you can get some constructive crit back from someone.

@ Jam - That's a start at least! I really need to put some time aside to work up my original idea. I keep getting put off by the world building though. A friend of mine linked me to what seems like a good resource for that but I've yet to establish whether or not it actually is. Glad it's going well though!

@ Faylll - Haha, nice

@ Mol - Aye, indeed it does. It doesn't help when real life stresses get in the way of your focus and you feel unable to "see" what you're trying to write. Heh, that's still something at least. I find listening to music can help motivate me to write too.

Aye, I was the same. This is why I really want to purchase a Kindle and some audio books. It's not quite the same but at least it's still taking the time to explore another world for lack of a better way of putting it.

[iamafish]

I like to write, but uni has meant that I don't have enough time anymore! I mostly write fantasy, historical fantasy, sci-fi short stories. I want to write longer stuff, but i don't have the confidence, the time or the skill atm

[JustAName]

Is anyone doing Camp NaNoWriMo? I might. My friends pretty much just badgered me into it.

[Fenrir]

@ Fish - Sounds like you've cast a pretty wide net in terms of genres. It always sucks when you feel like you can't find the time to write though. I wouldn't let your confidence issues stop you from at least trying though.

@ Faylll - Depends - what is Camp NaNoWriMo? (I know what NaNoWriMo is but is it the same thing or .... ? )

[JustAName]

http://campnanowrimo.org/ It's NaNo in the summer with support and stuff. It's cool!

[Thysane]

I'm doing Camp NaNoWriMo. I was also badgered into it

(It didn't take much badgering)

[JustAName]

Schweet! You got a cabin? Want to be in mine?

Edit: Also, if you guys like the concept but don't think you can do it, but want to support NaNo, maybe donate? >.> http://www.stayclassy.org/fundraise?fcid=201000 It's a really cool thing, and I'd like to keep it supported as much as possible.

[Thysane]

Yeah, sure. For the request bit, just put in Thysane. 'tis my username there as well

EDIT: And yes! I second the supporting of NaNoWriMo. It's a good cause.

EDIT NUMERO DOS: not sure if I have to request you in my cabin preferences too. If so, username?