Chat (Cookies and tea allowed in this room) Showing 1,301-1,350 of 2,921

[Caitlan]

You can do it! I believe in you! (also, if you don't finish this project, I might just die)

[Stephanie]

Oh man, I'm in big trouble. I haven't written all day. And I have to write 3000 words if I want to have any chance of writing 80K this month. *deep breath* I must focus tonight.

[Caitlan]

Go STEPHANIE!

[Kymela]

I'm doing way worse. I still only have less than 1000.

[Caitlan]

by today? uhm, 11,669 XP

[Edward]

You can catch up, Al.

[Caitlan]

Yes you can :P

[Stephanie]

Yeah you can! I'm going to see if I can't reach 20K today. That's 5000 words for me; we'll see what happens. I am really enjoying my book though. I think I'm just hitting the dreaded week two turbulence/depression/laziness. Whichever one you find a more appropriate description.

[Kymela]

I'm having a hard time figuring out just what the hell is going to happen in mine. XP I have a few scenes, but nothing to tie them together.

[Stephanie]

Ah. I would suggest taking the day to outline or something. Of course, you probably already know/have thought of that.

[Kymela]

I've tried, but I still can't figure out what happens.

[Caitlan]

I have notecard helpers if you want me to draw one for you!

[Edward]

Have you looked at my fiction writing "cheat sheet?" It may help. I should post that somewhere ...

[Christa VG]

Please do Edward, I would really like to see it. I've tried a couple of different things to get my plot down, but mostly I am just writing a bunch of scenes about the person and hoping they will fit together in the end.

[Edward]

It isn't much - just a general guideline, all of which can be twisted around depending on the situation (and plot themes certainly isn't a requirement):

I. Work (Plot)
a. Act I – establishing the other four elements (Characters, Theme, etc.); ends when the protagonist is committed to solving the main problem. (25%)
b. Act II – a period of conflict as both the protagonist and the antagonist actively attempt to achieve their respective and contradictory goals. (50%)
c. Act III – the climax that brings all preceding plot points together in an emotional explosion (and maybe a literal one), the wrap up, and suggestion to lasting effects. (25%)

II. Workers (Characters)
a. Wit – a humorous quality, be it actual wit, the notable lack of wit, or just general buffoonery
b. Grit – a worldview and set of motives that drive the plot
c. IT – a memorable stage presence, something for the readers to latch on to

III. World (Setting)
a. Importance varies on genre, from drama (least) to fantasy (most)
b. Should support other elements, either by direct highlighting (“On a dark and stormy night …”) or by ironic contrast (“… the guests gathered to celebrate …”)

IV. Words (Narrative)
a. Clarity – say everything that needs to be said
b. Coherence – eliminate most unnecessary words
c. Cleverness – never pass up a good turn of phrase

V. Wisdom (Theme)
a. Philosophical – qualities of the world highlighted in your tale.
b. Psychological – qualities of people highlighted in your tale.
c. Plot – recurring aspects throughout your story or series, references to other works

[Edward]

I'm open to improvements on this list - especially on the Setting section.

[Stephanie]

Hey, that's pretty good.

[Christa VG]

That is really good. I am going to copy it and hide it away in my files to be studied further at most opportune moment.

[Jenny]

Crista-- I hope you don't mind my trying to help you with book advice. I had a plan for the book. Actually, I had two. For years I wanted to write, in a round-about-way a book on Brazil. However, I'd never been to Brazil, and so I forgot the idea. Well, years later I heard about a character in the Jewish Talmud, "Other." Basically, he's a Jewish atheist. And so I thought "I'll put the two ideas together." I did a little research on Brazil. And then I took the story from the Talmud and compressed it into the first chapter. I had a central character and place, and that defined the book.

[Christa VG]

I don't mind at all, thank you for taking the time to give me advice. I can see what you are saying and it is very helpful. I'll be writing the outline soon and I can use that to help me.

[Christa VG]

Hahah, thanks Al, that is really encouraging, if I had not just lost all my work because my computer got a virus last month I would write a whole chapter today! As it is, I have a plan for getting it back soon :D

By the by LOVE the new heading, or whatever that is called. The picture of the ship anyways, made me laugh :D

[Kyra]

Congrats, Guy!!! Yet another poem in the final round for the newsletter. Quite an accomplishment!!!

[Guy]

Kyra, thank you! Yes, that is unusual and that it was a Haiku is truly astonishing. I am truly surprised! And yes, I do have a smile on my face. Sometimes, oftentimes, it is these small things in life.

And yes, I went through my computer pains myself earlier this year. Not quite fully over, as I've been putting off some needed work on the old computer to get myself fully functional.

[Caitlan]

I voted for you, Guy! I hope you make it :D Yours was by far the best one :D

[Caitlan]

Let's all go vote for GUY!

[M]

He’s going to need a pretty big bloc vote. The poem in first place has a huge lead. Guy’s haiku is in third.

Guy has been a finalist two months in a row. Wow! That’s very impressive.

[Caitlan]

He'll still be a winner in our hearts.

[Christa VG]

Where and what are we voting for Guy?

[Caitlan]

Yes :D

[Christa VG]

Nice Job Guy! I can't vote cause I'm not a member, but good luck!

[Christa VG]

Seeing how it's been all quite for a but I thought I might ask a question I'm sure all of you are tired of hearing.

How do you keep your spirits up when one morning you wake up and decided all your hard work is rubbish and put them all through the paper shredder? The fact you know you are a good writer deep down? You can't think of anything better to do? What keeps you from just giving up?

[Stephanie]

Oh man, I can't say I've had many of those mornings. Wait, you put it in the paper shredder? Or is that part figurative too?

Honestly, I just weather out the day. These feelings tend to past with a day or two. If they don't, try writing something and have someone you know who will say good things about it read it. Hehehe.

I've never actually done that last one on a crappy day like you've described; but I have had my mom read some of my writing and it's nice to hear her say, oh yeah, that was a really good book.

But whatever you do, don't get rid of it all. Know that it'll pass and that you'll regret doing that when it does! :)

[Christa VG]

Oh I wasn't referring to me actually shredding my work, I am far too attached to it to to that, even the bad stuff. I am a tiny bit discourage cause my story I am writing is not as good as I first thought it was but nothing more than perplexed at the wording.

I was just asking out of curiosity what others do to help them keep soldiering on :D

[Stephanie]

From my experience, these things tend to pass. I would suggest to finish it and let it sit for a day or two. Odds are, it's not as bad as you think.

[Christa VG]

Thanks, I think I will :D That sounds like a good idea.

[Stephanie]

I hope it works!

[Christa VG]

You know, I love December. It is the only month of the year where you can spend all the money from your last three paychecks and some of the money from your next one and no one minds. Your Mom doesn't tell you off for being ridiculous and your Dad doesn't lecture you on responsibility :D It is so pleasant to shop for others, I wish I could do it all year long!

[Caitlan]

Ha. Nice :D

[Edward]

Okay, the Nintendo Land game for the Wii U is great. Not awesome - that's reserved for games with plot - but still great. Like Wii Resort, it's a great party game, with pleanty of fairly unique multiplayer games. Even the single player games work well at a party, such as Yoshi's Fruit Gobbler (or something) Game.

In this game you must draw a line from the start, to the various fruit, and then to the gate. The gate won't open until you collect all the fruit. The catch is that you can see the fruit (and pitfalls) on the television, but not on the controller on which you draw the actual path. Sometimes the background is constant, giving you good reference points, other times not, and sometimes the fruit moves around. At a party one person could play a single gate while other watch, laugh, and chat with their snacks - then pass it off once he's successfully entered the gate. Each gate takes less than a minute (more like fifteen seconds for the earliest gates), so it won't interrupt conversations unduly.

If everyone does want to play, there are pleanty of multiplayer games, many geared to have one unique player with the special game pad, but not all. I haven't tried them all, but I can see my friends really goofing off with this while arguing about whether or not Mario knows about Peach's affair with Bowser. (We're that kind of group.)

[Stephanie]

Sounds like fun!

On another note, I'm appreciating Macbeth much more now that I've been writing poetry and haikus lately. I wish I could rhyme like that. I have so many favorite lines I wish I could just remember them all.

[Guy]

Yes, Macbeth rocks! I've seen 3 live productions of it at my local EXCELLENT! Shakespeare festival. This summer the woman who played Lady M. was chillingly good. Serious shivers up the spine as she proceeded into madness.

Stephanie, just keep writing and be open to the possibility.

[M]

My wife (Lady M) never told me she was in Macbeth!

[Stephanie]

Haha. Definitely will, Guy. I'm finishing the play today.

[M]

One of my favorite lines from the play is said by Lady Macbeth when the dog needs to go out: “Out, damned Spot!”

[Stephanie]

I love the line, "It is concluded: Banquo, thy soul's flight,/ If it find heaven, must find it out tonight."

Althought my favore part of the whole thing is when the witches are brewing their witch's brew. "Round about the cauldron go;/ In the poison'd entrails throw;" or "By the pricking of my thumbs,/ Something wicked this way comes."

[Edward]

I can never remember Macbeth that well, but I know Romeo & Juliet, King Lear, and Hamlet fairly well.

[Guy]

Amongst lots of favourite parts, for me the gatekeeper scene stands out.

[Stephanie]

What happens in the gatekeeper scene again?

[Guy]

It probably plays better than it reads, but it just after the murder and before it is discovered. The gatekeeper at one point waxes eloquent about the evils of drinking, when there is a rapping at the gate. Macduff enters to discover the murder. The knocking marks the entrance of hell into Macbeth's castle, preceded by some drunken humour.

Knocking within

Knock,
knock, knock! Who's there, i' the name of
Beelzebub? Here's a farmer, that hanged
himself on the expectation of plenty: come in
time; have napkins enow about you; here
you'll sweat for't.

[Edward]

I can quote Shakespeare too:

"Blow, ye winds!" - King Lear

... That's all I got.