Learn Writing with Uncle Jim, Volume 2

HConn · Feb 11, 2010

allenparker said:
Anyone ever start out with a vice to accompany your writing and find that it is now a habit, part of your ritual without which writing is difficult?

I started several years ago sitting in one location, at one time, in a specific chair and drinking coffee, breaking my futon habit. Recently, the chair broke and I am using a new chair. It ain't the same. It feels funny. BIC is now BI some nebulous chair-like substance that neither fits my butt nor supports my creative butt brain usage.

Or is it just me?

It's not just you. You can bull through it, though. I use minor distractions to focus my attention "Hey, [distracting thing] is distracting me! I'm going to ignore it and laser in on the words on the page."

smsarber · Feb 11, 2010

euclid said:
Welcome home Steve. 70 days! Wow! I bet you're glad to be outa there. I spent 2 weeks in hospital last year and nearly lost my sanity.

Yes, glad to be home where I can start writing again. I was more or less "sedated" in the hospital, which made writing hard. I did five pages last night.

Calliopenjo · Feb 11, 2010

Congratulations Steve and welcome home!

Staying in the hospital should have gotten those creative juices flowing again. The plotlines that could be developed.

James D. Macdonald · Feb 11, 2010

allenparker said:
Anyone ever start out with a vice to accompany your writing and find that it is now a habit, part of your ritual without which writing is difficult?

That's why I recommend that folks not associate any harmful activities with writing -- smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, eating sweets -- lest they find that they can't give up the vice without giving up writing.

smsarber · Feb 11, 2010

That's great advice, UJ. So far I haven't associated any personal vices with my writing, knock on wood(head).

MumblingSage · Feb 12, 2010

allenparker said:
Anyone ever start out with a vice to accompany your writing and find that it is now a habit, part of your ritual without which writing is difficult?

I started several years ago sitting in one location, at one time, in a specific chair and drinking coffee, breaking my futon habit. Recently, the chair broke and I am using a new chair. It ain't the same. It feels funny. BIC is now BI some nebulous chair-like substance that neither fits my butt nor supports my creative butt brain usage.

Or is it just me?

In my experiance, this would mean even more BIC is required--to erode said chair-like substance into the shape of my posterior. Or vice-versa, depending on the hardness of the chair substance in question.

RJK · Feb 12, 2010

Welcome home Steve. I've been wondering when we'd hear from you. I hope the drugs didn't dull your creativity, and I hope you're up to writing at your old pace.

Calliopenjo · Feb 12, 2010

Hi there,

I'm about to embark on a group project. Everybody is assigned a different character. I have no idea how this is going to turn out but. . . well. . . wish us luck.

smsarber · Feb 12, 2010

The Greatest of Luck to you Calli!

HConn · Feb 13, 2010

Good luck!

Calliopenjo · Feb 14, 2010

Hi there everyone,

This question was posted by a member of my writing group.

I'm not sure what the answer would be as I think the author in question here just got lucky. (Personal opinion.)

So if anyone has any thoughts or advice about this please post.

Thank you.

And thanks for the good luck wishes.

There's this thought which is worrying me for the past few months, but I put it off for a while as I had more pressing matters at hand. Once my work gets polished, I would like to approach a literary agent of both the U.K. and U.S.; but my concern is, do I need to have an alternate manuscript for doing so? I've been reading Harry Potter's books closely, and I observed that J.K. Rowling has been using a lot of adverbs. Also, there were a few scenes which I felt were, um, not showing but telling. I know that I don't have the experience or right to say this, but I am only saying what I observed. So, since J.K. Rowling is a British author, is it OK to use adverbs, and tell and not show there? I'm really confused, and I hope one of you would be able to help me out. Else I think I'll just stick to the American publishing arena. What do you think?

smsarber · Feb 14, 2010

So I'm working on this new novel, I downloaded WordPerfect (trial) so I have 29 days to finish first draft. Push me.

Calliopenjo · Feb 14, 2010

Good luck with Word Perfect and good luck with your new novel. Think NaNoWriMo.

smcc360 · Feb 14, 2010

!

smsarber said:
So I'm working on this new novel, I downloaded WordPerfect (trial) so I have 29 days to finish first draft. Push me.

I don't want to undermine your motivation, but you can download OpenOffice's word processor for free and use it forever, and it does everything WordPerfct does.

That said: WRITE, GODDAMIT! WRIIIIIITE!!! :rant:

smsarber · Feb 14, 2010

I have OO and Microsoft Word, also. Just getting a feel for which I like best.

James D. Macdonald · Feb 14, 2010

smcc360 said:
I don't want to undermine your motivation, but you can download OpenOffice's word processor for free and use it forever, and it does everything WordPerfct does.

But isn't Open Office a Word clone?

Who'd want that?

James D. Macdonald · Feb 14, 2010

I know that I don't have the experience or right to say this, but I am only saying what I observed. So, since J.K. Rowling is a British author, is it OK to use adverbs, and tell and not show there?

What J. K. Rowling has is story.

Story trumps everything.

FOTSGreg · Feb 14, 2010

Steve, We're warming up the BBQ pit down in Horror Hounds and chilling the spits just in case you don't make it.

The way I see it, you have absolutely no choice. Write or be barbecued (on an ice-cold spit).

Uncle Jim, Excellent point! Rowling's story touches a lot of people on many different levels IMNSHO, bt the point of it all is story.

If there's no story there, there's not much else is there?

James D. Macdonald · Feb 14, 2010

I ran into something fun at Boskone: Drowned Hamlet.

Suppose that, when Hamlet was sent to England with Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern, rather than all the muggery with the letters and the pirates and all ... he drowned. He's dead. Out of the play.

Write a poem, play, or story (or paint a picture) from that alternate version....

smcc360 · Feb 14, 2010

James D. Macdonald said:
But isn't Open Office a Word clone?

Who'd want that?

Well, I'm not one of those long-hair Commie-pinko Mac hippies...

Calliopenjo · Feb 14, 2010

Thanks Uncle Jim. I sent the message. :Hug2:

Krintar · Feb 14, 2010

smcc360 said:
Well, I'm not one of those long-hair Commie-pinko Mac hippies...

That is not fair to communists.

James D. Macdonald · Feb 14, 2010

Mac?

Wouldn't take one as a gift.

We were talking about WordPerfect.

euclid · Feb 15, 2010

I used Word Perfect in the days of yore (when it first emerged from the primordial soup) and it was ghastly. It used the function keys for the simplest things. When Word came along I thought it far superior because it demanded little or no cerebral effort on my part. This suited me as I have little enough brain power to spare.

Am I right in thinking Works is a modern version of WP?

James D. Macdonald · Feb 15, 2010

WordPerfect uses function keys for some keyboard shortcuts, yes, but the important ones (new, open, cut, paste, save, and print) are all on shortcuts on the letter keys.

Any time I hear people describe what they have to do to start a document in Word, I'm horrified. Why not just start typing?

Then we come to the infinite incompatible versions of Word, and the Word macro viruses, and the weird formatting....

(This is, all, rather aside from the point. If you like X-Y-Write, or Peachtree, and it helps you get words on the page, then go with my blessing and use it the way you like.)

Learn Writing with Uncle Jim, Volume 2

Whore for genre

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Esteemed thinker

Your Genial Uncle

Coming soon to a nightmare near you

Inarticulate Herb

Sheriff Bullwinkle the Poet says:

Esteemed thinker

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Esteemed thinker

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Esteemed thinker

I've Got An MFA In LEO

Coming soon to a nightmare near you

Your Genial Uncle

Your Genial Uncle

Today is your last day.

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Where did I put me specs?

Your Genial Uncle