Hello, Everyone...
I found this forum on a random search for “world building” info sites and I’m glad to be here.
I am a professional sci-fi and fantasy sculptural artist. Name a media or medium and I work in most of them, albeit, I’m still only sniffing around the 3-D printer thing. I mostly work in metals, wood, stone and bones, detritus and trash, and I did short stints in a morgue and as a veterinarian. I was a firefighter and a park services enforcement officer until an auto accident ended those careers. My primary markets are in the sci-fi and multi-media fandom convention industry, and I wear a lot of hats in the operations of those cons or as a guest artist/speaker. That’s where I learned that artists and writers face pretty much the same market and societal “cred” challenges. Hell, the *whole* creative arts business community has been grabbed by the ankles and shaken thoroughly these days.
My most memorial personal trait, (For best and worst in equal measure.), has to be my sense of humor. It is warped, often irreverent, and usually “wrong”, though I’m never intentionally offensive. I *love* to make people laugh, and I care deeply about my friends and family, albeit, I can just disconnect from anyone outside that zone with very few regrets. That last sentence is one of the reasons why I’m here. I want to write well, but I am a nerd, and my writing is crippled by insecurities about a few of the social boundaries I tend to trip over in real life.
For example; I’m writing a murder mystery story I really enjoy in which the main protagonist is an amoral large animal vet living in rural New Mexico. Said protagonist is having constant run-ins with other people who like himself, are “laws unto themselves”. Let’s just say he finds creative ways to solve his issues that don’t physically harm anyone, but which can be embarrassing, and he occasionally says things that are definitely not politically correct. No hate or gross stuff, and very little sexual action. It’s more like riding in a rental horse group. The horses will constantly try to slip in subtle bites and kicks at each other while the humans do the same to each other in a more euphemistic manner. My protagonist doesn’t start the rodeos, but he finishes them with flair. Some of the people who read what I have so far say the story is too over-the-top, rude, crude, and “mean-spirited”. Others laugh so hard they fall out of the chair. Not a single *objective* response, but all agree that a little outside “editing for content” can only help me. I really need that help, and, I’ll trade for help in things I know well. I’ll also always provide links to places where you can explore the topic more. I’m pretty good at research at least.
Ask me about: Anatomy and physiology, alternate evolution, biomechanical kinetics, and biospheric niche adaptation. If you want to sell me on the notion that a dragon with an endoskeleton can realistically have a pair of wings capable of powered flight, *and* fully-functional front limbs, please talk to a magic user…I’m not your stop. If you want me to help you construct a plausibly functional endoskeleton of an alien “omniped” capable of powered flight, *that* I can and will do. I’m also extremely well-versed in classical philosophy and debate. I can show you if your arguments or assertions have holes or if they lead to the wrong conclusions.
Well, that’s enough for now. I’m so glad I found this place, and I hope to make some new friends and some progress in my writing now that I have. Thank you for your time and input.
I found this forum on a random search for “world building” info sites and I’m glad to be here.
I am a professional sci-fi and fantasy sculptural artist. Name a media or medium and I work in most of them, albeit, I’m still only sniffing around the 3-D printer thing. I mostly work in metals, wood, stone and bones, detritus and trash, and I did short stints in a morgue and as a veterinarian. I was a firefighter and a park services enforcement officer until an auto accident ended those careers. My primary markets are in the sci-fi and multi-media fandom convention industry, and I wear a lot of hats in the operations of those cons or as a guest artist/speaker. That’s where I learned that artists and writers face pretty much the same market and societal “cred” challenges. Hell, the *whole* creative arts business community has been grabbed by the ankles and shaken thoroughly these days.
My most memorial personal trait, (For best and worst in equal measure.), has to be my sense of humor. It is warped, often irreverent, and usually “wrong”, though I’m never intentionally offensive. I *love* to make people laugh, and I care deeply about my friends and family, albeit, I can just disconnect from anyone outside that zone with very few regrets. That last sentence is one of the reasons why I’m here. I want to write well, but I am a nerd, and my writing is crippled by insecurities about a few of the social boundaries I tend to trip over in real life.
For example; I’m writing a murder mystery story I really enjoy in which the main protagonist is an amoral large animal vet living in rural New Mexico. Said protagonist is having constant run-ins with other people who like himself, are “laws unto themselves”. Let’s just say he finds creative ways to solve his issues that don’t physically harm anyone, but which can be embarrassing, and he occasionally says things that are definitely not politically correct. No hate or gross stuff, and very little sexual action. It’s more like riding in a rental horse group. The horses will constantly try to slip in subtle bites and kicks at each other while the humans do the same to each other in a more euphemistic manner. My protagonist doesn’t start the rodeos, but he finishes them with flair. Some of the people who read what I have so far say the story is too over-the-top, rude, crude, and “mean-spirited”. Others laugh so hard they fall out of the chair. Not a single *objective* response, but all agree that a little outside “editing for content” can only help me. I really need that help, and, I’ll trade for help in things I know well. I’ll also always provide links to places where you can explore the topic more. I’m pretty good at research at least.
Ask me about: Anatomy and physiology, alternate evolution, biomechanical kinetics, and biospheric niche adaptation. If you want to sell me on the notion that a dragon with an endoskeleton can realistically have a pair of wings capable of powered flight, *and* fully-functional front limbs, please talk to a magic user…I’m not your stop. If you want me to help you construct a plausibly functional endoskeleton of an alien “omniped” capable of powered flight, *that* I can and will do. I’m also extremely well-versed in classical philosophy and debate. I can show you if your arguments or assertions have holes or if they lead to the wrong conclusions.
Well, that’s enough for now. I’m so glad I found this place, and I hope to make some new friends and some progress in my writing now that I have. Thank you for your time and input.
to AW, you'll enjoy being here. 
