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Cenor
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on: August 20, 2014 09:59
That's some good exercises Tarc!

I have started a first-person short story so when its finished I'll let you guys see it.
Image "Every good pirate has an alias" Felix glanced down, looking at contraption around the stump of his wrist. "Hook," he answered. "My name will be Hook."
findemaxam48
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on: August 21, 2014 04:09
Those are good exersises, and would work both with fiction and nonfiction pieces.

It is easier to go backwards and work to your intro. That is what I did awhile back.
We were one in the same, running like moths to the flame. You'd hang on every word I'd say, but now they only ricochet.
rhodilwen
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on: August 21, 2014 07:57
I usually figure out the end and then beginning to stories and then fill in the middle.

PS. I don't like starting back to school because then I get ideas while I'm supposed to be studying. Anyone else have this dilemma?
And I want a writer's block. Just saying.
The men of the east may spell the stars/ and times and triumphs mark/ But the men signed with the cross of Christ/ go gaily in the dark- G.K. Chesterton ~Member of the Realm of Ulmo~ http://clairembanschbach.wordpress.com/
BelleBayard
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on: August 22, 2014 07:31
I used to have vivid dreams and when I would wake up I'd scribble them down on a pad next to my bed. Later, I'd go back and see how I could work it for a story. Don't have them as much, but it's one way of getting new ideas. I've not written in far too long, but hopefully, once I retire from my regular job, I can get back into it. Not to become rich and famous (rarely happens with authors), but for the simple joy of creation.
tarcolan
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on: August 22, 2014 03:54
Yup, good ol' pen and paper is best. A notepad. If not then the voice recorder in a phone.

Writer's block is just an excuse. Discipline people! There's always something to write about. If not, forget it and go do something else. Like I keep saying, the mind works best if it's left alone.
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findemaxam48
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on: August 22, 2014 05:26
Funny you said that, Belle- Ive been keeping a dream journal for that purpose as of late.

Very true, tarc. Sometimes it's hard to continue on though, if you are stuck in a story rut and need a way out.
We were one in the same, running like moths to the flame. You'd hang on every word I'd say, but now they only ricochet.
Cenor
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on: August 24, 2014 01:28
I find it is best to write down what I can think of then and then fill in the blanks. But I believe this time I am going to write from the beggining to the end with an idea's notebook. I hope it is not a crime to use the RP add character questions. I wrote them down in my notebook, they are very handy for creating any character.
Image "Every good pirate has an alias" Felix glanced down, looking at contraption around the stump of his wrist. "Hook," he answered. "My name will be Hook."
findemaxam48
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on: August 25, 2014 02:03
Yeah, I use one notebook for all tihngs that I feel might be useful, but have no use for yet. I am on my third one, and I call it my Trashlist, because, more often that not, things that go in do not come back out the same again.
We were one in the same, running like moths to the flame. You'd hang on every word I'd say, but now they only ricochet.
rhodilwen
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on: August 25, 2014 08:05
I keep a notebook by my desk now or keep a supple of sticky notes around when i absolutely have to write something important down for stories.

I just want to announce that I went on a writing tear yesterday. It was in a notebook so I don't have word counts or anything, but I was pleased. It's a wonder what procrastination of studying will do for writing. lol!!

How's everyone else's writing coming along?
The men of the east may spell the stars/ and times and triumphs mark/ But the men signed with the cross of Christ/ go gaily in the dark- G.K. Chesterton ~Member of the Realm of Ulmo~ http://clairembanschbach.wordpress.com/
Cenor
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on: August 25, 2014 10:38
Fine just fine. Maxie I found an author that writes in "sarcastic first-person" although I cannot remember his name...

Did you send a synopsis in to the publisher for RoA Rhodi?
Image "Every good pirate has an alias" Felix glanced down, looking at contraption around the stump of his wrist. "Hook," he answered. "My name will be Hook."
Michael Gunter
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on: August 26, 2014 10:01
Doesn't ANYONE else here write their first draft on a typewriter or PC? I'd love to be able to use a notebook and pencil, but my handwriting just isn't up to the task. XD XD

@Rhodi: you like stickynotes, eh? I LOVE mini-stickies for addends in the editing stage.

@Cenor: an author that writes "sarcastic first-person"? That would be me.... XD XD In seriousness, who WAS it?
Authors are extremophiles; in short, creatures capable of surviving in the harshest of environments.
Cenor
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on: August 26, 2014 01:56
The author is J.D. Salinger. There was only one paragraph in my school book. Oh the title is "Catcher in the Rye".

I use my computer sometimes if I need to get an idea out quick before it is gone.
Image "Every good pirate has an alias" Felix glanced down, looking at contraption around the stump of his wrist. "Hook," he answered. "My name will be Hook."
rhodilwen
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on: August 26, 2014 03:32
@Cenor- I didn't at Tate. They have a spot where you can submit the manuscript or just request some information about publishing. If you do that then a representative will get in touch with you and answer any questions you might have about publishing. https://www.tatepublishing.com/submit.php Here's the link. Even if you aren't sure about it, get in touch with them. They can probably answer more questions about publishing and requirements than I can.

@Michael- yes, I love sticky notes. They are the best.
The men of the east may spell the stars/ and times and triumphs mark/ But the men signed with the cross of Christ/ go gaily in the dark- G.K. Chesterton ~Member of the Realm of Ulmo~ http://clairembanschbach.wordpress.com/
Cenor
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on: August 26, 2014 03:36
Okay thanks! We took the redo thing seriously and now the whole book is being reworked. I read something that said it is best to ask the publisher's requirements before one starts a book.
Image "Every good pirate has an alias" Felix glanced down, looking at contraption around the stump of his wrist. "Hook," he answered. "My name will be Hook."
Michael Gunter
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on: August 26, 2014 03:42
@Sticky-notes = awesome.

#Cenor: why do YOU use a note-book? Same reasons as Rhodi?
Authors are extremophiles; in short, creatures capable of surviving in the harshest of environments.
Cenor
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on: August 26, 2014 04:00
I feel that I half to slow down and concentrate on details. Plus no spell check bothering me. I have a notebook in the van, one in my desk, another by my bed, and many more scattered around the house.
Image "Every good pirate has an alias" Felix glanced down, looking at contraption around the stump of his wrist. "Hook," he answered. "My name will be Hook."
Michael Gunter
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on: August 26, 2014 04:24
Interesting. Thanks for answering the question, btw.
Authors are extremophiles; in short, creatures capable of surviving in the harshest of environments.
findemaxam48
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on: August 26, 2014 04:55
I use a notebook because when I first began writing, I didn't know how to use a computer. Now I do, but I use it for editing.

I talked about Trashlist. My comp books are the ones I call "For My Eyes Only," or FMEO. I am the only one who can open these, mostly because sometimes things slip in that no one else should be reading. Then I have ES, Editing Spiral. I take the FMEO and go through and abridge them, putting the new draft into the ES. Then I type the ES and print it.

I do not suggest this to those of you with perfect wrists. You will get tendonitis at an early age in both hands, first in your dominent and then when you learn to write with the other hand so you don't have to stop writing. And then they give you shots and talk about surgery...
We were one in the same, running like moths to the flame. You'd hang on every word I'd say, but now they only ricochet.
rhodilwen
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on: August 26, 2014 07:23
Yikes, Maxie!! make sure to stretch out your wrists and forearms periodically. Maybe that will help a little.
The men of the east may spell the stars/ and times and triumphs mark/ But the men signed with the cross of Christ/ go gaily in the dark- G.K. Chesterton ~Member of the Realm of Ulmo~ http://clairembanschbach.wordpress.com/
Cenor
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on: August 26, 2014 09:19
Yea if I wrote with my other hand no one would be able to read my story. Not even me. Image
Image "Every good pirate has an alias" Felix glanced down, looking at contraption around the stump of his wrist. "Hook," he answered. "My name will be Hook."
findemaxam48
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on: August 27, 2014 12:40
I do stretch them. It doesn't help that I play insturments that involve a lot of rapid hand and finger movement, and that I practice for an hour or so each day. I do wear a brace sometimes, but it just gets in my way sometimes, so I don't bother that much.
We were one in the same, running like moths to the flame. You'd hang on every word I'd say, but now they only ricochet.
findemaxam48
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on: August 29, 2014 11:07
Here is the next chunk of chapter from my book:

I was so adamant about shutting up the moon that the sun doesn’t wake me up. A harsh slamming on my door does.
For half a second, I get scared, scared of what’s behind there. But then I remember that I was sleeping, and that I am not scared of anything. So I let the rage manifest.
“What!?”
The knob twists, but I always lock doors to make sure nothing that’ll mess me up further will get in. Adrian growls in frustration. “Get up! Your late!”
“Late for what?”
“Don’t play dumb. You have as much to repay as we do.”
He doesn’t say anything more, so I lay back down and close my eyes.
Big mistake. “Darkness!”
I rocket to my feet. “Im up!” I yell back, snatching a wrinkled dress from the floor. The fabric stretches and sticks to my sweaty skin as I stumble around in the usual haze that covers everything I do.
Hair brushed. Teeth cleaned. Remember date. Remember location. Find Shoes. Hide Knife. Check to see if all limbs and extensions of limbs are accounted for.
Hair smooth. Teeth shiny. No idea. Inside. Black boots. Knife in right boot. Two arms, two legs, ten fingers, ten toes.
Not a bad morning.
I unlock the door and remember the last step on the list:
Grab Crown.
I realize it just as Im opening the door. Adrian is still standing there, ever the dutiful brother, seeing if Im still alive and unhurt. I slam the door back shut, stalk to my dresser, and slam the stupid tiara down on my head so hard Im sure that my blood is going to start flowing. I return to the door and step out into the hall as calmly as I can manage.
Adrian checks the small sundial mounted to the window at the end of the hall. “New record.”
“Shut up.” I tug at my dress, trying to make the fabric fall right. The blue sewn nightmare is not at all flattering.
“Shut up yourself. The more you come in late, the more behind you’ll be.” He fixes my crown so that it sits a little higher on my brow. “There.”
“You aggravate me,” I say, shoving his own crown. He catches it before it clatters to the floor.
“Stop it. And behave. Everybody Outside is starting to get mad at us for not paying up. We all need to be present for a deal to get through.”
“I hope they choke on whatever we give them.”
Adrian sighs. “Can’t you at least be a little more obliging in this matter?”
I look at him.
“Can’t you at least pretend to be more obliging?”
“I tried that yesterday,” I say. “And I have decided that I’m not good at playing pretend.”
“Agree with whatever I say and you get to sleep in tomorrow.”
“Deal.”
What? You think that’s shallow? Signing potentially my life away for an extra hour or two of sleep? Maybe it is shallow. A little bit. But when your me, sleep doesn’t come easy, and when it does, it is always interrupted. Adrian fully identifies with that aspect, as he shares it with me himself, as does our older brother.
Funny how prophetic dreams run in the family. I don't remember a time before I didn’t get them. But when I first did, Gabriel and Adrian were no stranger to them, and in a manner of months, neither was I. I don't know what it's called. But I can tell you any number of things about my own future. And, if I am around you enough, your own death. And don't even ask me to check your past in a crystal ball. I don't have one, and even if I did, I would throw it at your head. Im not blessed- Im cursed.
We were one in the same, running like moths to the flame. You'd hang on every word I'd say, but now they only ricochet.
OneSizeFitsAll
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on: August 30, 2014 02:00
I like it, Maxie!

@Michael: I know you asked this question a LONG time ago, but my computer has been broken, so...
Yes, I write my first draft on a computer. Except with poetry, and occasionally fan fiction one shots.
I can't write my short stories and novels on paper. 1, I get writer's cramp. Really bad. 2, I have a busy mind. I have an idea one minute, the next minute, my brain has moved on to something else and I've forgotten the original idea entirely. I have to get my ideas written down...fast. Faster then I can write with a pencil.
Of course, this makes my first draft very sloppy, and often times random. Revision is my best friend.
Anyway, just wanted to let you know, your not alone with your computer.
Image"The Corrupteds are going to wake up and find that they are strong." -Cenor
findemaxam48
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on: August 30, 2014 05:45
Thank You, OneSizeFitsAll! I appreciate all comments and take them seriously.
We were one in the same, running like moths to the flame. You'd hang on every word I'd say, but now they only ricochet.
rhodilwen
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on: August 31, 2014 06:36
It's very engaging, maxie! I want to find out more!!
Again- I admire people that can write in first person. lol!
The men of the east may spell the stars/ and times and triumphs mark/ But the men signed with the cross of Christ/ go gaily in the dark- G.K. Chesterton ~Member of the Realm of Ulmo~ http://clairembanschbach.wordpress.com/
findemaxam48
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on: September 01, 2014 12:35
Thnak you. First person comes more naturally to me, because I can be the character.
We were one in the same, running like moths to the flame. You'd hang on every word I'd say, but now they only ricochet.
Cenor
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on: September 02, 2014 07:53
Nice Maxie!

My short story is longer than I thought six pages to be exact. Drat.
Image "Every good pirate has an alias" Felix glanced down, looking at contraption around the stump of his wrist. "Hook," he answered. "My name will be Hook."
findemaxam48
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on: September 02, 2014 01:31
Anything below ten is a short story, methinks.

Besides, there is no such thing as a short story. All tales have strands and threads that remain untied; there is always something to extend to a branch.
We were one in the same, running like moths to the flame. You'd hang on every word I'd say, but now they only ricochet.
Cenor
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on: September 02, 2014 02:16
It's too big to post I mean.

I guess we should call them unfinished stories. But I am using them to learn more about the different battles in the War for Independence.
Image "Every good pirate has an alias" Felix glanced down, looking at contraption around the stump of his wrist. "Hook," he answered. "My name will be Hook."
findemaxam48
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on: September 02, 2014 02:29
You can post it in little installments, like I do.

We were one in the same, running like moths to the flame. You'd hang on every word I'd say, but now they only ricochet.
Cenor
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on: September 05, 2014 06:07
Alright here we go:

I, Daniel Locke, aged 17, of Lexington, in the County of Middlesex, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, give this account of the Engagement of His Majesty’s troops at Lexington. I swear to record this truthfully and may God judge me harshly if I do not.
It was April 18, 1775, close to the twelfth toll of the bell when my father and I were roused from our beds by the sound of horse’s hooves and a man crying, “The Regulars are coming out!”
Hurriedly, I jumped up and dressed. Long have we known that our munitions were at great danger--that at any time, the Redcoats could march upon us suddenly and seize them. Thus, we had already moved the muskets and ammunition hastily to Concord.
Slinging my musket over my shoulder, I slipped stealthily into the main room. Father was speaking quietly to mother, who stood twisting a handkerchief nervously. Agatha, my littlest sister, stood rubbing sleep out of her small, blue eyes.
“We will be back, Mabel,” my father said quietly whilst he opened the door.
“You had better, Nathan,” my mother whispered back as we walked out into the moonlit street. “You too, Daniel.”
The last thing I heard before the door closed was Agatha asking mother in her innocent voice, “Mother, why are they going to practice so early?”

I personally like to put ornaments in my writing at the beginning and the end on the computer. My favorite now is a star.
Image "Every good pirate has an alias" Felix glanced down, looking at contraption around the stump of his wrist. "Hook," he answered. "My name will be Hook."
findemaxam48
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on: September 06, 2014 02:12
It looks good! My only thing is that maybe there could be some pacing. I know little about the main character, and already it seems that the main plot is coming in. Short stories tend to do that, but maybe you can show more about him in his narration. I struggle with that myself.
We were one in the same, running like moths to the flame. You'd hang on every word I'd say, but now they only ricochet.
Cenor
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on: September 08, 2014 07:11
I do struggle with it so I will work on it. Here's the next part.

The answer I could not hear. Slowly, we trudged to the Green where Captain Parker and many others of the Massachusetts Militia had gathered. Having waited for an hour, the Captain dismissed us, but ordered us to be ready when the drum sounded for a call-to-arms. We sat down close to the fire at Buckman Tavern and listened to the men talk in hushed voices. For four full hours we sat, not knowing whether the British were coming, or if it was just another false alarm. That was when Thaddeus Bowman, one of the last scouts sent out, galloped into town riding his sweat-flecked horse. The Regulars were at the Rocks, thirty minutes away. Immediately after the long-droning sound of the drum, the church bell peeled, and the alarm guns fired, alerting the whole town of the danger that marched towards us.
We assembled on the Green, in the Open Common, between Bedford Road and the road connecting Boston to Concord. Captain Parker drew us up in military stance before giving orders, "Let the soldiers pass by. Do not molest them without they begin first.”
Soon after the orders were given, the Redcoats marched silently towards us. A redcoat officer rode up holding his horse back with one hand and waving his sword with the other. “Lay down your arms, you damned rebels!"
Captain Parker ordered us to disperse and return to our homes. We had made our point. I was walking over to my father when out of nowhere a shot rang out, loud and clear, but devastating. To our dismay, the Regulars opened fire and surged forward. We had believed that the Regular’s guns were only loaded with powder, but we were shocked to see our men fall as they ran. One man crawled to his house before he died; another was wounded then stabbed repeatedly with a bayonet. I was reaching for my musket and about to turn when a bullet whizzed past, grazing the side of my head. I ran. Only after taking shelter behind a rough wooden building, did I realize how close to death I had been. If I had turned, the bullet would have surely passed through my head. Silently, I thanked God for preserving my life. Warm blood trickled down my ear but I noticed it not.
The steady tramping of the Regular’s polished shoes faded into the distance and for a moment it seemed as if nothing had happened. The birds began to sing again and the crickets chirped serenely, but when I left my place of refuge, a repulsing sight met me: eight of our townspeople lay dead, nine wounded. The corpses were cruelly and unjustly stabbed with the bayonet. Were it not for the twisted, mangled position of the dead, one could mistake them for being asleep. The stench of blood was nauseating and I relieved the contents of my stomach several times whilst I helped move the dead. Of the dead were: John Brown, Samuel Hadley, Caleb Harrington, Jonathon Harrington, Robert Munroe, Isaac Muzzey, Asahel Porter, and Jonas Parker. Women and children mourned over their dead husbands, brothers, and sons. The ones with minor injuries, such as myself, and the unwounded looked to Captain Parker, who stood silently by his dead cousin’s side.
Image "Every good pirate has an alias" Felix glanced down, looking at contraption around the stump of his wrist. "Hook," he answered. "My name will be Hook."
findemaxam48
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on: September 09, 2014 04:58
Better. Still some pacing to work with, but that is all in the editing process.
We were one in the same, running like moths to the flame. You'd hang on every word I'd say, but now they only ricochet.
Cenor
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on: September 11, 2014 10:32
So I discovered this writing game so ya'll will be my guinea pigs . Its called "Who's the Bad Guy?". Basically the "guesser" is given a scenario then he or she has to pick the baddie. Alright I came up with a few here is one:

The room was dark except for a candle sitting on a table. A tall, dark haired man paced in front of the table, where a old woman sat, rubbing her hands nervously. The man stopped and pressed his mouth up close the woman's ear.
"I will ask you once more old woman," he hissed. "Where is she?!"
The woman cackled as if she enjoyed his interrogation.
"I can't...I won't tell you," she laughed evilly.
The man suddenly caught her up by her neck and pinned her against a nearby wall.
"Tell me where she is!"

So who's the bad guy?
Image "Every good pirate has an alias" Felix glanced down, looking at contraption around the stump of his wrist. "Hook," he answered. "My name will be Hook."
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