tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.comments2011-05-05T11:14:58.139-07:00fauxpoeticaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-26875345717494486072011-05-05T11:14:58.139-07:002011-05-05T11:14:58.139-07:00i actually don't get too distracted by the int...i actually don't get too distracted by the internet to write, unlike many other people, and often end up using it to research little things to make my writing more veritable/believable/polished. however, i find that the computer's interface itself can be distracting to me: typography, placement of icons, toolbars, etc. even in my "distraction-free writing software" (i use writeroom on my mac, currently... but i'm definitely thinking of switching) which is full-screen, and completely customizable, i can't "get comfortable" and continually waste time trying to find the perfect font-size, etc.<br /><br />now i'm starting to do most of my first drafts on paper. (i have a really, really expensive pen that makes me feel ok.)Benjaminhttp://twitter.com/benjaminwilnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-22824049605912986222011-03-11T14:03:13.390-08:002011-03-11T14:03:13.390-08:00Pure Awesomesauce. Thanks for the words of wisdom!...Pure Awesomesauce. Thanks for the words of wisdom!Matt The Nelsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17059568621842892719noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-61656701431418275832011-03-11T03:53:17.690-08:002011-03-11T03:53:17.690-08:00I recommend the book Small is Beautiful (a study o...I recommend the book Small is Beautiful (a study of economics as if people mattered) by E.F Schumacher. Here’s 2 good quotes from that book: <br /><br />Since consumption is merely a means to human well-being, the aim should be to obtain the maximum of well-being with the minimum of consumption.... The less toil there is, the more time and strength is left for artistic creativity. Modern economics, on the other hand, considers consumption to be the sole end and purpose of all economic activity.<br /><br />Buddhist economics must be very different from the economics of modern materialism, since the Buddhist sees the essence of civilisation not in a multiplication of wants but in the purification of human character. Character, at the same time, is formed primarily by a man's work. And work, properly conducted in conditions of human dignity and freedom, blesses those who do it and equally their products.Zomzarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14727512225540337363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-53450829984666747322011-02-27T05:08:59.415-08:002011-02-27T05:08:59.415-08:00You have Skins in the US? I didn't even realis...You have Skins in the US? I didn't even realise that there was a 5th series! <br />Skins is an inspiration for teen fiction. Over here teen fiction is all a bit twee and a lot of teens hate reading. It's because they'd rather watch stuff like Skins. Skins is exaggerated. The stuff they get up to is not the norm, though obviously select groups in any 6th form will have similarities. Teen literature is heavily controlled. Swearing, drugs references and violence are usually extremely thin on the ground (though obviously there are exceptions). No wonder kids stop reading in favour of tv, when tv isn't afraid to give kids what they want and literature is terrified of it. <br /><br />I agree that morals need not be spelt out, and certainly the author shouldn't comment on the morals of their characters. The reader needs to work it out for themselves. That's the whole point. The Skins characters are cool, but mostly people don't behave in this way, and the problems the characters get into teaches us why it might be a bad idea to do so, but it is not didactic. It's just a way of vicariously living through an experience and learning whatever you get from it without being dictated to.<br /><br />I might look series 5 up on 4OD then.Zomzarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14727512225540337363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-44713855738952094182011-02-26T14:45:45.582-08:002011-02-26T14:45:45.582-08:00Hey dude <3
Everybody says the first season w...Hey dude <3 <br /><br />Everybody says the first season was best. In any case it's the beginning, so start there if you do :)M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03661493523805404878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-90775947546506406042011-02-26T13:12:04.739-08:002011-02-26T13:12:04.739-08:00Exactly! I'm excited to see some of this explo...Exactly! I'm excited to see some of this exploring, and now I kind of want to start watching this show.<br /><br />-- pardonm3Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-61300330552041936962010-12-15T13:51:28.707-08:002010-12-15T13:51:28.707-08:00http://comments.deviantart.com/5/36915482/17832561...http://comments.deviantart.com/5/36915482/1783256134M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03661493523805404878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-23464055715329060082010-12-15T11:24:15.875-08:002010-12-15T11:24:15.875-08:00To add to the comment I just made on a your past p...To add to the comment I just made on a your past post "what is writing art": I think automatic writing is a great way to find your voice. Voice is hidden by ego, so let go of the ego, stop thinking and just write without a plan. <br /><br />Of course, a novel will need a certain amount of planning and a lot of concious input from the writer. But I think it's benefical to be capable of letting go, letting the language come directly from that hidden place beyond the ego where creativity flows without rules or boundary. The good thing about NaNo is that you have to write a lot of words very quickly, which demands an approach closer to automatic writing than ordinary writing practice. In order to make the deadline, the NaNo writer must cease to hold control over the work and let it flow freely and quickly. Hence, the writer's voice is more likely to come out in such circumstances.Zomzarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14727512225540337363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-2850056066008813202010-12-15T11:22:51.097-08:002010-12-15T11:22:51.097-08:00could you link to the quoted visual artist please?...could you link to the quoted visual artist please?benjaminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11440150119230459203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-81921934261288270422010-12-15T11:14:03.408-08:002010-12-15T11:14:03.408-08:00Roland Barthes- Death of the Author
http://en.wik...Roland Barthes- Death of the Author<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_the_Author<br /><br />You are powerless as a writer. All the power is with the reader. It doesn't matter what you put into your text, the reader will come to it with a totally different set of ideas and change it to fit within their own framework. It doesn't matter if the writer doesn't know where his story is going because the reader will ultimately guide it where they want it to go. <br /><br />I'm of the opinion that the less the writer thinks, the better. Let the language live and don't get in its way. That's why I think all writers would do well to engage with automatic writing, especially in the early stages of their career and projects. <br /><br />"The essential meaning of a work depends on the impressions of the reader, rather than the "passions" or "tastes" of the writer; "a text's unity lies not in its origins," or its creator, "but in its destination," or its audience."Zomzarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14727512225540337363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-21987866745331033172010-11-11T07:43:08.315-08:002010-11-11T07:43:08.315-08:00You're obsessed with telling and showing. Ha.
...You're obsessed with telling and showing. Ha.<br /><br />I think it's easiest to get that unique voice with your own brand of humour. My NaNo novel this year is a comedy and I feel like it's much more me (but not too much - because that can be harmful too) than any of the horror novels I wrote previously.Josiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11236281622532497640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-12483403528282085362010-10-01T06:40:42.569-07:002010-10-01T06:40:42.569-07:00(The last question is semi-taken from Syd Field...(The last question is semi-taken from Syd Field's book on Screenwriting, he makes the point there that the writer must make decisions and I quite like that).M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03661493523805404878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-26947618141198698572010-09-23T04:31:29.317-07:002010-09-23T04:31:29.317-07:00I suppose I do, though I was attempting to speak g...I suppose I do, though I was attempting to speak generally :PM.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03661493523805404878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-37173754051458165782010-09-22T17:15:38.430-07:002010-09-22T17:15:38.430-07:00what do you mean, 'we'? you mean 'you&...what do you mean, 'we'? you mean 'you'?benjaminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11440150119230459203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-7380909244528777252010-09-07T08:03:22.922-07:002010-09-07T08:03:22.922-07:00I read something similar to this once. It was abou...I read something similar to this once. It was about how if people were made to be confused (with a series of very fast moving pictures put together in a mini film) they would be seriously affected by that afterwards. They showed this by asking them simple maths questions after the film, and did the same with a control group who didn't see the film. I can't remember the specific result but they did get more wrong than the control group.Josiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11236281622532497640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-17841956417538289172010-09-01T12:14:35.092-07:002010-09-01T12:14:35.092-07:00well, thank you for the compliment. :)well, thank you for the compliment. :)M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03661493523805404878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-45394529615465670142010-09-01T09:56:49.240-07:002010-09-01T09:56:49.240-07:00well, memoire doesn't have to be as personal a...well, memoire doesn't have to be as personal as everyone says--and i think you have tons of original memoir and you (much different life experience than everyone else that i know, at least)benjaminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11440150119230459203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-79613286421725529032010-08-31T15:36:25.075-07:002010-08-31T15:36:25.075-07:00Yes. I've read so many I sometimes I think I&#...Yes. I've read so many I sometimes I think I've recommended when I haven't. <br /><br />I don't know what other non-fiction I would do; if I had an example of something I'd certainly consider it.M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03661493523805404878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-287251234757392482010-08-30T16:38:54.989-07:002010-08-30T16:38:54.989-07:00You and I discussed the unanswered questions as we...You and I discussed the unanswered questions as well--it was a bit of an add film.M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03661493523805404878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-21306588388081134102010-08-30T08:58:13.145-07:002010-08-30T08:58:13.145-07:00it's great that you went to that outside sourc...it's great that you went to that outside source, thank you for the indirect reading recommendation. <br /><br />i'm not one for outlines (or sequels, actually), but i find myself even second draft completely leaving out (particular) transitions that i just don't have right yet. a short story i worked on all season ended at 700 words in first draft and 1300 at fifth draft. two or three more drafts to go now (i'm setting a deadline, too). <br /><br />also enjoying the narrative element here, "personal essay" feel; ever considered doing non-fiction? (well, i guess this is non-fiction but you know...)<br /><br />sorry that my comment is mostly irrelevant.benjaminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11440150119230459203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-77202278071912646352010-08-29T18:48:13.436-07:002010-08-29T18:48:13.436-07:00I got barked at last night when, on hearing our ne...I got barked at last night when, on hearing our neighbors Dennis and Crissy's son fall at the curb and wail really miserably, I darted outside to the rescue.... Only to be confronted with a turning then charging German Shepherd --Yikes! (Fortunately, the owner called him off...and then laughed). So much for rescue lady--hah. <br /><br />The Book of Eli was surreal--what's the history of the characters and the wasteland? and Eli seems as heartless as any of the other characters, out of necessity / for survival--his literacy has not fully become a literacy of the Christian life--maybe that requires other human examples to acquire (not just a book)...the ending relies too much on a gimic--he is blind (or should we assume just because he can read braile that he's blind?)Faithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13744651293866191540noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-79435267942933009122010-08-24T10:20:37.290-07:002010-08-24T10:20:37.290-07:00"I have now discovered, conclusively, that I ..."I have now discovered, conclusively, that I am not a font of writing wisdom" - I giggled. You are a bit, with your writing books. (I discovered Flannery O'Connor's short stories recently, they're awesome. I still haven't read her book on writing that you recommended though *fail*).<br /><br />I'm glad you feel less urgent about all this writing business. And not because I don't think you should keep going but because it's going to take a really long time to get to where you want to be and I wouldn't want you to have a heart attack before you got there. :)Josiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11236281622532497640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-76317919878237296532010-08-17T05:55:27.519-07:002010-08-17T05:55:27.519-07:00Benjamin -
You’re right about the confessional m...Benjamin - <br /><br />You’re right about the confessional movement of poetry and prose. Heck, even things like Post Secret. It takes the cathartic aspect to a whole new level. This is also an example of you thinking of a way this could’ve been more fleshed out :P <br /><br />I think I’m going to start keeping that type of keywords notebook myself. Also I think it takes everyone a fairly long time to find their process. And, agreed about collecting things. I do that in one of my journals. Yes! Life experience is writing experience. <br /><br />Z - <br /><br />“when I don't feel like writing any prose, just vague ideas.” That happens to me a lot :P <br /><br />“I've just started a section off in my notebook called 'character traits'” I’m thinking of having a “people” section myself. <br /><br />I think I would also collect things that other people have written that inspire me. I think I would want to put pictures in it, too, but we never print pictures at home; I guess I could have my dad print some things. I think this aspect seems particularly important to me at the moment because I’ve been looking at posters and thinking about how they go together and actually pasted them all into one paint document to see them all at a time. <br /><br />I think as my life fills, I will spend less time on or near a computer, and having a journal will be extremely useful then. :)M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/03661493523805404878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-7411036768959069592010-08-17T03:15:00.945-07:002010-08-17T03:15:00.945-07:00I sometimes keep a journal, but that isn't any...I sometimes keep a journal, but that isn't anything to do with my writing, it's just a personal thing I occasionally enjoy doing. <br /><br />I normally keep a notebook with me for my writing. The stuff I write in the notebook is usually story ideas that I have when on a boring train journey or during a quiet patch at work or when I don't feel like writing any prose, just vague ideas. <br />I also note any good new words I come across. <br />I've just started a section off in my notebook called 'character traits' where if I see someone who has particuar traits, I write them down. This forces me to be observant about how people differ outwardly in their gesture, outlook and body language. <br />Another thing I use my notebook for is when I have read someone else's work and I want to give a quick analysis of it or a response or a reimagining of a book; I'll write it down. <br />Many of these things are actually written on scraps of paper and later inserted into the current notebook. <br />I have filled 7 notebooks in about 6 years. Each one is beautiful. I can only ever keep a notebook going if it is beautiful, if I have a reason to want to get it out. <br />Sometimes I flick through old notebooks and find ideas I had forgotten about that spark off a new story ideas. For that reason I think keeping notebooks have helped me as a writer. <br />Very occasionally I write full prose stories in my notebook, usually when I'm not at home near a computer or without any better writing paper around. <br />The occasional beautiful sentence comes into my head when I'm out on my daily walk. In that case I try to remember it and write it into my notebook. 8 times out of 10 I forget it before I write it down.Zomzarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14727512225540337363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1336074732810881061.post-44463617061135335952010-08-16T09:42:33.896-07:002010-08-16T09:42:33.896-07:00personal journals lose me too, but i can see some ...personal journals lose me too, but i can see some people wanting to share their most personal experiences with their readers; and then there's that whole movement of confessional poetry and prose.<br /><br />over the summer, made a single page of keywords/titles that are stories i'd like to develop through my writing, in whatever way i can, because they're original, enlightening, etc... and i've already written a couple different drafts which aren't half-bad in the pages following that single page, fruitfully. i'd really recommend the 'process' or something similar for every writer--it did take me a while to find one for me, but that's okay.<br /><br />in that same notebook i have, i write anything down--not just writerly things. it's good to keep everything collected, even grocery lists, because as a writer, your entire life can be used to further your career, instead of just education, social experience, and jobs like, other life-paths.benjaminhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11440150119230459203noreply@blogger.com