Week Two: Chit Chat

[Birol]

Jenna's really starting to toughen up the competition already isn't she? 1000-1500 words? Tough length to hit just right. (I won't mention the poetry option.) Personally, I'm anxious to see what the Remaining Nine do with this week's theme.

:popcorn:

[Melina]

You said it! Hey, could you pass the popcorn? That looks great! I've got some beers in the ice chest. Had to stop drinking Pepsi...

Melina

[Birol]

Sure. Here you go: :popcorn: :Cheers:


(Now if we just had one with its feet up on the desk, we'd be all set.)

[firehorse]

Had to stop drinking Pepsi...You didn't resort to Red Bull? I'm in awe.

Seriously, thank you Melina, and rest well for the next week!

[Melina]

I'm afraid to try red bull. I hear it tastes like crap. If it was good, I'd be all over it.

And you're welcome! The pleasure is all mine, really! I am diggin' this contest, and I'm so happy to be involved!

Melina

[maestrowork]

Red Bull is nasty, unless you're drunk or stoned or on whatever mind-altering chemicals. It's nothing but piss water with a mega dose of caffeine. Stay away.

[dragonjax]

Jenna's really starting to toughen up the competition already isn't she? 1000-1500 words? Tough length to hit just right. (I won't mention the poetry option.) Personally, I'm anxious to see what the Remaining Nine do with this week's theme.

:popcorn:

Birol, my friend, it's not the "Remaining Nine." It goes as follows:

Top Ten
Nail-Biting Nine
Elite Eight *
Super Seven
Stylin' Six
Ferocious Five
Final Four *
Thick-Skinned Three
Terrific Two
The Absolute Write Idol :thankyou:

* Yeah, so NCAA Basketball thought of it first. Come to think of it, the auditions did take place during March Madness...Coincidence? I think not...

;)

[firehorse]

Nail-Biting NineWell, then, I should have nothing to worry about. I've already chewed my nails down below the quick. ;)

[Birol]

Joanne indicated earlier she had, too. I guess that means you two don't have to worry. ;)

Dragonjax, I like that list. You'll have to keep it handy in the coming weeks. :D

[sgtsdaughter]

Red Bull is nasty, unless you're drunk or stoned or on whatever mind-altering chemicals. It's nothing but piss water with a mega dose of caffeine. Stay away.

nope red bull is necter of the gods. doesn't taste that bad if you drink sugerless. and you can always mix it with malibu.

[dragonjax]

Dragonjax, I like that list. You'll have to keep it handy in the coming weeks. :D
You know it, Birol!

[Birol]

Um, Melina, your sig line is definitely, uh, eye-catching and rather, ah, assertive.

[Melina]

Um, Melina, your sig line is definitely, uh, eye-catching and rather, ah, assertive.


Do ya like it? You don't think it makes me look fat, do you?

Melina

[brokenfingers]

Do ya like it? You don't think it makes me look fat, do you?

Melina

"Uh, no Melina. Not at all... ahem... really..." answers brokenfingers as he looks everywhere but at Melina...

[Birol]

Do ya like it? You don't think it makes me look fat, do you?

Melina

Fat? No. Not at all. That signature looks good on you.

[firehorse]

You don't think it makes me look fat, do you? Coincidentally, I was going to use this line (not from Melina!) as the crux of my story, but I changed my mind, because the way I see it, someone who asks this - and again, uh, I don't mean you Melina - is really saying "am I still attractive to you?" and/or "do you still love me?" But because that misunderstanding occurs in the woman's subconscious, I wasn't sure it would count.

And Melina, I think you look fabulous! :kiss:

[firehorse]

Did the entry touch a single cell of my being? Does the funny bone count as a cell? (I hope)

I'm discovering that when writing characters with a less-than-perfect grasp of grammar, it's difficult to figure out how to use incorrect grammar and punctuation correctly. Does that make sense? In other words, how do I write it so it's clearly the character's issue, not mine?

[Birol]

You're stressing and analyzing too much, Firehorse. Just write.

(And yes, the funny bone counts. ;) )

[Birol]

Ooo. The first story's up! Something to read, something to read! :hooray:

[pepperlandgirl]

Congrats to DPJ for getting it posted so quickly!!!

Mine is currently doings its rounds with my trust betas. Hopefully it'll be ready to post soon....

[DJP]

Congrats to DPJ for getting it posted so quickly!!!

Thanks Pepper, this week is crazy for me, so I'm glad to check this off my to do list. I can't wait to read all the other entries and see the different ways we all approached this.

[brinkett]

Firehorse, what I would say about giving characters grammatically incorrect dialogue is to choose one way in which the character errs and have them repeat that mistake. It then becomes obvious that it is a quirk of character rather than an authorial error.
I tried this with my last work. I had one of my characters always say "me and John" whenever she should have been saying "John and I". I had four beta readers. It drove all of them nuts. They hated it. Even the two who never commented on grammar consistently pointed it out. One even sent it back edited. I explained that it was intentional. They still didn't like it. They complained about it. They continued to correct it. It was one of the few things they all agreed on.

The expectation seemed to be that a character either speaks with good grammar all the time, or speaks badly all the time (not just a quirk here and there). Since my character was too educated to speak badly all the time, I dropped it.

If you write a character who speaks with less than stellar grammar all the time, I think readers are smart enough to know that it's the character, not the author. After all, you're (hopefully) not making the same mistakes as the character in narrative.

[trumancoyote]

Brinkett,

Were the people reading your story writers too? I find that, sometimes, when I show friends or family something, and they're not into writing, they tend to be overly critical: get in some sort of 'literary' trance wherein they can't take something for what it is, and even go so far as to sacrifice art to correct grammar, in spite of whether the grammar was intentionally tweaked or not.

Essentially: they're trying too hard.

[brinkett]

One of the four was a writer. Only one was a "family or friend" (not the writer). If anything, I found the writer the most critical of the four. For the record, I find that writers tend to nitpick more than non-writers do. Non-writers read like the vast majority of readers do, whereas writers tend to focus on things that may or may not matter to the typical reader.

I don't think they were trying too hard. It bothered them, plain and simple. In my case, I think it was because the character only had the one quirk, and that's the point I was responding to in my post. Either a character speaks well or they don't. To have a character who usually speaks well have a single quirk doesn't seem to work.

But I don't think firehorse has to worry. As I said, the reader can tell that it's the character and not the author because the author isn't making the same mistakes in narrative.

[William Haskins]

dialogue owes nothing to grammatical conventions. if it's inside quotation marks (or outside, as in the first person narration of huck finn) the writer's only responsibility is making it clear enough for the reader to follow.

[pepperlandgirl]

Well, I've posted. Don't hold the title against me, please, I couldn't think of anything. Heh.

[FreeSlave786]

I wasn't able to vote for the first round :( Now I'm back online, I'll definitely be there for the rest.

Have read both Week 2 entries and really enjoyed them. Can't wait for the rest! The finalists are doing a fantastic job - congrats!

(yeah, I whined, but now I'm seeing that I truly didn't deserve to be in the finalist ... or rather, the piece I submitted didn't. No more whining for me, well not publicly at least! ;) )

[sgtsdaughter]

Well, I've posted. Don't hold the title against me, please, I couldn't think of anything. Heh.

nope, i won't hold that against you. :D

[pepperlandgirl]

nope, i won't hold that against you. :D

Hey, why? Are you holding something else against me?

[dragonjax]

dialogue owes nothing to grammatical conventions. if it's inside quotation marks (or outside, as in the first person narration of huck finn) the writer's only responsibility is making it clear enough for the reader to follow.
Completely, totally, absolutely agree.

Lord Almighty, I'm becoming a William Haskins groupie...

[sgtsdaughter]

Hey, why? Are you holding something else against me?

nope, not you. but if the other finalist don't get their entries in i might hold something against them. :ROFL:

[William Haskins]

we've got till thursday the 28th, right?

[sgtsdaughter]

we've got till thursday the 28th, right?

maybe, but i'm bored and need help procrastinating. can't look at my draft of a wip for a few days. . .

no harm intended.

[William Haskins]

(it was a lame attempt at being funny. the real deadline is the 21st)

[Birol]

Stranger, I went ahead and moved our discussion of objective vs. subjective here (http://absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10997).

[jdkiggins]

Congratulations to DJP for posting first.
Also congrats! to Pepperlandgirl, Rhush and rhymegirl.
Way to go!
I just posted about 1:00 a.m., going to bed, I'll read the entries tomorrow. :)
I can't see straight right now.
Good luck all. Fingers crossed for everyone.
Joanne

[BlueTexas]

I have a draft! I finally have a draft! I didn't even have a decent idea until tonight. I think I was thinking too hard. I'll probably have it ready to post tomorrow night.

[BlueTexas]

(yeah, I whined, but now I'm seeing that I truly didn't deserve to be in the finalist ... or rather, the piece I submitted didn't. No more whining for me, well not publicly at least! ;) )

That's just it, FreeSlave786. It's the pieces, not the people. Well, unless you're William. Then it's hard to tell between the two!

[sgtsdaughter]

Blue,

Good! I need reads . . . please send me reads. I'm a bit :crazy:--I know.

And thanks to the others--I had a high time reading them yesterday and today.

A.

[jdkiggins]

Congrats! Blue. I look forward to reading it. :)
Good luck.
Joanne

[pepperlandgirl]

This forum is awfully quiet lately...

[William Haskins]

sshhh.

[rhymegirl]

What did you want us to say, Pepper?

[pepperlandgirl]

I dunno. Something to entertain me, I guess.

[firehorse]

Hi everyone... Yes, it does seem quiet. Those of us who have posted are in limbo. For those who haven't, the clock is ticking (not to make anyone nervous or anything). Though you still have more than 24 hours, so it's not clicking very loudly.

I'm supposed to be brainsforming query ideas, but we've got a major low-pressure system coming through - the sky is tornado green - so... so I'm making excuses, taking Imitrex (best invention in the world) and watching episodes of House that I've missed the past few weeks.

Tomorrow I'm going to Kinko's and scanning my tear sheets, after which I'll attempt to put them in PDF format (I sound like a magician warming up). I think PDF will take up less space and allow me to send clips via e-mail to people (editors) on any computer platform. I'll let you know how it goes.

The buds on the trees are opening into leaves, so it's either a pleasant reminder that spring is on the way (as if 90-degree weather yesterday wasn't?) or a nasty reminder that I still have my winter body.

That's about all the chit-chat I have to share ;)

Oh! I had an idea re: voting. When it begins, maybe we could each put a link in our sig line that clicks through to PM Melina. Maybe we can get more voters that way.

Okay, back to Hugh Laurie, who is an amazing actor, but I like him so much better without an American accent.

These ramblings have been brought to you by the addled brain of...
Sarah

[rhymegirl]

Entertainment, huh? Well, maybe we could pester the other 3 people to hurry up and post so we can get this round over with. How would that be?

[William Haskins]

i shall not be pestered. i'm trying hard to think of a subject.

[rhymegirl]

You need a subject? Let's see. What kinds of things can be misunderstood? How about a new guy at Burger King who keeps messing up people's orders? Lots of conflict there.

Or a guy getting the wrong tooth pulled by a new dentist?

[William Haskins]

i was being facetious about not having a subject. my militant aversion to smilies makes that hard to see in my post, though.

actually, i did have one about a new employee at burger king who keeps pulling customers' teeth, and one about a dentist who keeps shoving ground beef into people's cavities.

ultimately, they just didn't have the philosophical weight to come to full fruition.

[rhymegirl]

Uh huh. But they would have made funny stories.

I was just kiddin' around with ya, William. You take your time.

[jdkiggins]

These ramblings have been brought to you by the addled brain of...
Sarah

:roll: Sarah must have borrowed my brain for the day.

[jdkiggins]

Blue, truman and William, take your time. But get those entries in will ya! LOL
There William, I didn't use a smiley just so you didn't have to back away from things you have a distaste for. You really don't know how hard it is for me not to smile.

[BlueTexas]

I'm working on it as we speak. But cut me some slack...I was one of the early posters last round!

[Birol]

Would now be a good time to tell Pepper that if I can find nothing else to help me decide who to vote for titles can and will be used against you? Maybe. Possibly. Perhaps.

[Birol]

Do the entries have titles?

[Birol]

Ignore me. I'm just being mean.


Does anyone know where my copy of The Brothers Karamazov has ended up? Pulled it out of my bag at the start of class today and discovered it had morphed into The Idiot.

I think someone was trying to tell me something.

[jdkiggins]

I don't know where it went, Birol.
If I see it, I'll be sure to give you a holler.
Titles. Oh man, did I put a title on it? Yeah, I think I did.
It's done, it's posted.
I'm having fun, I'm toasted. (Not by any artificial means. Just burned out type toasted, :) That is until Jenna posts another theme; then I'll be up hopping around like a three-legged bunny.

[BlueTexas]

A three-legged bunny could be interesting! I think I'd find it easier to get an idea about that than this week's theme.

This one was hard for me. I was beginning to think I wouldn't be able to come up with something. It was rather unnerving.

[Rhush]

Man...the board has been pretty dead.

[Rhush]

No sex scandels or anything. Hmm.

[dragonjax]

Wouldn't it be funny if the "misunderstandings" topic Jenna assigned was actually a misunderstanding?

:scared:

Heh, or if the word count was supposed to be 150 instead of 1,500?

:poke:

Okay, okay, I'm leaving now...

[BlueTexas]

Ok, it's done, I posted! On to something else!

[William Haskins]

damn you women and your efficiency!

[BlueTexas]

Didn't you know we exist just to make you feel pokey and slow?

I'm sure yours will be worth the wait.

[jdkiggins]

Let's hear it, ladies.

Chant

William
Truman

William
Truman

[jdkiggins]

Congrats! Blue on posting! WOO HOO

[Birol]

I don't know where it went, Birol.
If I see it, I'll be sure to give you a holler.


Found it. Thanks for looking, Joanne. It was on my kitchen table, under the bible I was using to understand some of the imagery, under the stacks of papers I'd used to accidentally bury them both.

[jdkiggins]

Birol,

I would have looked for it on my kitchen table too. But I couldn't find my kitchen table. I think it's buried under the reams of paper I've gone through writing Idol passages. :)

[Rhush]

Here's Rhush posting... dead air. No one reply. Dead air. As if I've said nothing at all.......la, la, la, la

[Rhush]

Let's hear it for Rhush! The amazing invisable post master! Whoohoo.....

[jdkiggins]

Did I misunderstand, or was that Rhush posting?

[Rhush]

Yes, its me...Im being sarcastic due to my posting always going without reply.

[jdkiggins]

I used to feel like that too. I used to call myself "The Thread Killer." So I'll post after you. That way you won't feel like you're hanging out there in limbo. :roll:

[dragonjax]

((BLAM, BLAM))

:guns:

Oh, wait, maybe I was just quoting from Bladerunner. "My mother? I'll tell you about my mother." ((BLAM, BLAM))...

[DeadlyAccurate]

These are some really excellent entries so far. This competition is definitely going to get tougher each round.

[Rhush]

Thank you JDKiggins. Much appreciated.

[rhymegirl]

Hi Rhush! How are you? Sorry you didn't get any replies.

How do you like writing all these stories?

[Rhush]

Hi Rhymegirl. Thank you for responding as well! Man... I've noticed a pattern I've developed with the story writing. 1st I freak out. Then I assume I'll never think of anything good. Then in a frantic state of mind I consider explaining why I have nothing to submit. Then, generally about a day later, I get an idea out of nowhere... and joyess happiness follows. That seems to be what has happened the last 2 times anyway. How about you?

[firehorse]

Becky, I'm the same way. I've come to realize that freaking out is part of my process. Not a fun part, but it means my subconscious is doing something (or trying to kill me). I keep forgetting to trust that I will find an idea.

In terms of writing creatively under deadline, I find the most difficult aspect is waiting for an idea that pops. I'm often tempted to go with lesser ideas and try to make them work, rather wait for one that really excites me.

[rhymegirl]

I think I've had some of those feelings you describe. I get kinda panicky wondering if I can think of something to write about that suits the theme. Then once I have an idea, I wonder if it's good enough, clever enough.

But all in all, I'm enjoying this experience. I like a challenge and having a deadline makes me sit at the computer and WORK!

[firehorse]

I like the challenge, too - a lot. I don't usually worry with articles, because I'm confident I can get the words out and have them make sense. Creative writing is a whole other story; this contest has proven to me that I can write creatively under deadline, which is a fantastic realization. I'm also challenging myself, for however long I last in this thing, to write something different each time - different voice, different style, different genre (though I probably won't volunteer any poetry ;))

[jdkiggins]

I can't say that I freaked out at all. My biggest problem is that my brain is so full of crap, I have to sort everything and find the good stuff. :)

No problem with deadline, but I will say that normally when I have a deadline for an article or column, I'll write it, let it sit for a week, then go back and edit. With Idol, I don't have the "week" to ignore it. I'm writing and editing immediately; this is dangerous for me having something too fresh in my head before I edit. I tend to miss little things, that can be consider "big" things.

I'm enjoying the challenge. It is certainly keeping me on my toes. It's also given me so many more ideas for other articles and essays. Since the first week, I've written seven different stories. I love this! Thank you, Jenna. :Hug2:

[BlueTexas]

Becky, I'm the same way. I've come to realize that freaking out is part of my process. Not a fun part, but it means my subconscious is doing something (or trying to kill me). I keep forgetting to trust that I will find an idea.

In terms of writing creatively under deadline, I find the most difficult aspect is waiting for an idea that pops. I'm often tempted to go with lesser ideas and try to make them work, rather wait for one that really excites me.

This is my experience as well. I wrote three paragraphs of bad ideas before I stumbled on the one that I used. I knew the only time I had to write this week were Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and so when I still had no idea on Tuesday afternoon, I was freaking out!

[BlueTexas]

Too bad William and Truman are still writing...they're missing the fun stuff!

[pepperlandgirl]

Having a deadline doesn't stress me in the least. I have deadlines hanging over my head all the time. I know I'll get it done.

I tend to freak out over getting an idea. I have a very, very hard time writing to somebody else's specifications, even if it's something as general as "misunderstandings" or "crossroads."

[William Haskins]

i'm unwriting actually. cutting words like a drunk sailor slashing at merchant marines with a switchblade in some dockside dive.

[firehorse]

Having a deadline doesn't stress me in the least. I have deadlines hanging over my head all the time. I know I'll get it done. Do you find a difference between your response to meeting (nonfiction) article deadlines and meeting creative ones?

Maybe it's because I don't consider articles as creative - they require more skill than inspiration, IMO. But also I've a great deal more experience in that area, so my confidence level is much, much higher. When I work in TV, meeting creative deadlines isn't a problem (though I will revise until the very last possible second), but again, I have loads of experience in that area. I'm new at writing short stories, so perhaps that's why I get so anxious.

Also, the broader the topic, the more anxiety-provoking I find the assignment. There are so many options; how do I know I'm choosing the right one? I overwhelm and confuse myself (and befuddle at least a few other AW members ;))

[Rhush]

I'm with you Firehorse. It's the fact that they're essentially short stories. I always said I could write 100,000 word manuscript easier than I could a short story. I still might be sticking to that thought....

[Birol]

Less than an hour remaining and no William. You know he's finished and just tormenting everyone, don't you? I just hope he doesn't play around and suddenly have computer problems or something at the last minute. That would be really, really bad.

[Birol]

Ah, I just checked Who's Online and see that he's posting now. Best hurry up, William. Never know when a computer gli%$# wi^l s2o)! ou& y(ur t@*$

[BlueTexas]

No glitches...his story's up, and it's a good one.

[sgtsdaughter]

yes, lucifer did post . . . what a hook.

hey, all the stories were great this week. yes, i know i was annoying about getting reads, but there is a reason--i do enjoy them.

[jdkiggins]

Woo Hoo! Everyone is at the gate. Congrats! William for posting before deadline. We all know you were just keeping us all in suspense. :)

[William Haskins]

We all know you were just keeping us all in suspense.

believe me, that's not the case at all.

[jdkiggins]

Uh huh, that's what you said last week too. :)
Well, it was worth the wait, either way. :Thumbs:

[DJP]

i'm unwriting actually. cutting words like a drunk sailor slashing at merchant marines with a switchblade in some dockside dive.


Gotta love your way with words!