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At 3/17/10 05:36 PM, Imperator wrote: Traditional Irish music.....

.....for you uneducated heathens.....

Save me before i uneducate again!

At 3/17/10 10:13 PM, sinfulwolf wrote: That was... utterly random. When you started talking about the Snake God, I expected Conan to jump out to battle Thulsa Doom. You also go back on yourself, for at the beginning you mention that there is no England, Scotland or Ireland (and many other nations) but you keep calling St. Patrick Irish. You also mention Rome being ancient, despite China not even existing yet... so yer time frame is pretty messed up.

Yeah, the world was pretty messed up ion my head, and i thought about that, so my only answer to it would be "The world was a crazy place under the snake god"

[Alright, i don't often do poetry, but i do do epics. I can't really see this as what i usually write, though...so, with that in mind, i present...]

The Real St. Patrick Day's story

...Or...

DEATH OF THE SNAKEGOD!

In Olden times, there was no Ireland
No Scotland, England or Spain
No China, America or Canada
No country that could be say'n
There was only one master
Of power of sufficient allaud
Only one ruler, only one king
The great and powerful SNAKEGOD!

He ruled over the planet earth
With a simple slight of hand
From Timbuktu to Beijing
The world was at his command
And in his great armada
Of fiends that he had made
was an army of snake warriors
the great HANDLESS BRIGADE!

[oooh god, this sucks sooo bad...]

When anyone would arise again
To try to beat him down
He would let them know quick and swift
who was wearing the crown
and he worked the humans tirelessly
from night into the day
with whips and chains and lizard men
he ruled a land of decay

But an old blind man foretold
while sitting on his bed
that one would arise to challenge the god
and make him utterly dead
It gave the people hope indeed
that one day they would all be free
and so they waited in silent hope
for the inevitable hero to be

One day this man was walking
His manner pious and slick
For this man was no other
than great St. Patrick.
He carried little with him
aside a chisled staff
a lucky shamrock around his neck
and some whiskey in a flask

He was a traveller much travelled
from the ancient city of Rome
Where the Snakegod's snake had never tainted
This man's peaceful home
He had come to seek his father
who had been captured by the snakes
So of he went with staff and flask
to the lair of LOCK NESS LAKE!

St. Patrick was in a stupor
by the time he had arrived
he threw up all right down the road
it's amazing that he survived
for he wasn't just seeing double
but quadruple, and a matter of fact
luckily his irish blood
was picking up the slack

yet when the snakemen found him
puking gallons in a ditch
they seized his ass and dragged him off
faster that one could twitch.
He laid there in a prison
for how long i don't know
but all that time a vengeance
was slowly beginning to grow

[...never again...no poetry ever again...]

In a fit of rage he broke his chains
And slaughtered every snake in sight
With his staff whirling in his hand
and his green shamrock alight
and the fact that he was angry
had nothing to do with snakes
but the fact his flask had not been refilled
but sadly, it was too late.

[fuck your rhymes, society! FUCK YOUR RHYMES!]

And so into the great fortress
the crazy irishman struck
Slaying every snake he saw
And stomping them into muck
He shanked, he slashed, he throttled
every enemy that he could see
and in that day, the irish became
entirely, completely, snake free

Yet tired and very bloodied
He entered the snake god's bed
where the snakegod tried to seduce
(aye, that would have been mean head)
But Patrick was way to wholesome
as wholesome as he could be
when he's been drunk for this entire story
That's pretty wholesome to me

He threw the flaming Shamrock
into one of the God's seven eyes
and drove his spear into the jugular
which made the snakegod cry
And in a rage, Patrick noticed
in a fantastic sense of grief
that the snakegod was guarding the whiskey
an insult beyond BELIEF!

[i can totally understand if you guys wish to write me off as a writer after this. there will be no hard feelings AT ALL]

And so he found his dying father
and he told his son in fear:
"Son, break me down to a malty fluid
and henceforth call me 'Beer'"
And so St. Patrick did what he was told
Though he cried like a child of four
and created the greatest of booze
the likes of never before.

And in one foul swig of hops and wheat
it disappeared down his throat.
Beer before liquor you be all the sicker
in his vomit, he could float
But it gave him strength innumerable
of which the whiskey never could
And with it, he faced the Snakegod
(FYI, he drank more than he should)

I can not tell what happen yet
as your eyes would bleed with shock
of the bloody battle that ensued
i dare not enter that...um...whatever
Suffice to say, St. Patrick won
The epic and daring duel
With a burning shamrock on his breast
and beer to be his fuel

He freed the world that very day
And made the world anew
and made the land of Ireland
as much as any man could do
It was an empire far and wide
it reached across the earth
and so thanks to St. Pattrick
Freedom had won it's birth

St Patrick died, oh sad of truths
from a wound he had received
though his failing liver did not help
his health to be reprieved
His glorious empire stands today
Though now it's more of buisness
The greatest Empire of all the world
but we simple call it "Guinness"

[never again...]

Scarab, i'd LOVE to talk Philosophy, i really would. But you just threw ten different terms at me, and I'm still having trouble sorting through MODERNIST lingo. And i DID read said wall of text.

At the moment, i'm trying to write down a complete Character Bio. It's good to start with History, but i have a question for ye all: Do you think that after history it's important to explain personality, or does that really dictate itself. Also, this is strictly writing style aside, as there's 1000 different ways to say George is angry.

I'll raise you 5, comrades. And by that i mean i'm in. Give me something to work with, and i can promise you a very first draft-esque first draft!

How about we use this catch phrase for maturity:

Got an issue? Write it on a tissue.

Speaking of which, has anyone actually done that? I've only done it once when the bus me and a group of people were on broke down and i couldn't get my writing material out of my bag, so i just wrote on the back of a napkin. It was some poetry, and now that i know better, i'd rather not bring it back, but i just like the idea that i did it.

I'm only going to say that your concept of numbers is very trendy. If you have accept a simply numerical form of reality, and not a spiritual one, then 2+2=3 won't make sense. Preconceived notions of numbers is an interesting notion, but it doesn't really do anything other than stir up shit.

Aye. If you put out your work to the general public, you have to deal with said criticisms.

Now what was this i hear about blogging? They most likely are a dime a dozen.

At 3/15/10 12:17 AM, Ravariel wrote: Whenever someone first discovers the whole post-modern nihilism idea, we all think we're the most awesome armchair philosopher evar.

Hell, it doesn't even HAVE to be nihilism...or post-modern...you just have to namedrop something philosophy-esque and BAMB you're a philosopher...

You know what would be great organization wise? A personal wiki for your characters and your world, so you can link them up in that whole intellectual web Wikipedia has going. That would work for me so well.

My answer to you is simply "Accurate Historical Fiction". If people knew what the middle ages were ACTUALLY like, no one would write stories about them; bad teeth, oppression, disease, war...hell, even being upper class was shit. Unless you're writing a blow-by-blow historical account, then you have the liberty to be able to change whatever you want in your story.

But, if you're worried about being accurate, the best research you can do for fiction is a simple read-through of the respected Wiki article because, unless it specifically says "There could be wrong things with this article", you're not going to be 180 degrees in the wrong.

However, if people wanted a history lesson, they'd read history books. And by extension, if they like reading history books, why would they want to read your fictional interpretation at history? Do what makes you happy with your writing, and everything's bitch'n.

At 3/13/10 08:54 PM, Abuelodigital17 wrote:

I wouldn't do it. Like I said turning a pastime or hobby into work ruins all the fun.

Taken, but in my mind, it'd be getting paid to do what i love to do anyway.

At 3/11/10 11:37 AM, Imperator wrote: I learn for the sake of learning.
I write for the sake of writing.

Very philosophic.

It's very comforting to know that anyone who does something because they actually like it is not doing it solely for money. However, i doubt anyone here would think twice if they could turn this hobby or otherwise into a career.

I've been in a rut for the past week and a half. My energy levels roller coaster every so often. Some weeks i'm pumped, motivated and creative, others i'm just bleh. This particular rut, i re-visited that Teen Titans cartoon, which i was a fan of back then, and also "overplayed" Mass Effect 2. But today, i'm officially out. Aside from things that happened today (paid attention in Logic, got chased by a dog which sent my fight-or-flight through the roof, etc.) it's shown off creativily.

At times when i'm really inspired, usually i keep a pencil and paper beside my bed. This is good if the computer is off but i still want to write, or when i wake up and i have a dream that i write down (and i always remember it if i do, even if the dream itself is mundane). Right now, i'll start with multiple projects. i need to make the most of this high before i go down into another rut.

At 3/10/10 05:22 AM, albatross412 wrote:
Very interesting thoughts. I see how it could be linked to science. Additonally, I understand how it's much easier to interpret visual art but it's not like I dismiss literature as an art form.

Oh, and i wouldn't assume you would. It just is kind of a different standard i keep for different media. Though sometimes, Art is supposed to be expression (all art is really) of the individual. You can find meaning in Literature that the author put there, not so much the painter or the sketcher or the sculptor.

And it all comes to a tee with Computer games: The combination of those two medias.

At 3/10/10 06:37 AM, Coop83 wrote: I think the main reason behind me writing is because I love stories so much. I read quite a few bits and pieces and did get chastised during my school life for not paying attention to various classes (usually religious studies), because I'd rather read my book, and for only reading Terry Pratchett.

This kinda describes me ad-verbatim. Except i wouldn't read, i'd just sit back and daydream.

I had a hunch that anyone who regulars this forum would do it for [what i think are] the right reasons. It isn't often that someone who is actually a hardcore writer would do it for money.

This is simple for me: Too many stories in my head, and writing is my best media.

I recently bought the book "Writing Fiction for Dummies". I browsed it over, seeing if there was anything i could pick up (you'd be surprised about how much you learn if you just decide for a moment to go back to basics and see if there's anything you've missed). In one section, there was a list of reasons as to why some people write. Surprisingly, "money" and "Message" won out over story telling.

What be your reason, comrades?

At 3/9/10 06:43 PM, albatross412 wrote:
I like for people to make the message their own. Sometimes keeping outcomes open to further that effect. Glad you enjoyed it.

In that case, i will guess science, and the dangers of such...

Personally though, the visual artist's purpose is to express, and the person who's viewing the art must come to their own conclusion. not so much in literature.

you get 20,000 points for the title.

I got a Cartesian vibe from your poem, which just happens to be right now my main philosophic niche (Yeah, it won out over political philosophy). A very interesting poem that i'm not going to critique, due to the fact i shouldn't judge what i cannot do myself; Poetry is just not my thing.

i was thinking more "Paradise Lost" rather than "Revelations", but i got the point.

I have my own reservations, but i was wondering what the message was.

Good choice of words, which mean everything in Poetry, i find.

At 3/8/10 12:29 PM, Version2 wrote:

I think you are concentrating on what they say a bit much. Personality also comes out in how you act. If you have a character punching a baby, he doesn't need to say a word for the reader to know that he's angry. Use that to your advantage! If your character is a bully, make sure you're talking about him bullying people. If your character is instilled with righteous fury, have him get worked up every time he sees wrong doing. What, how, and why a character does something is going to go a very long way towards bringing that guys personality out.

A couple of cuss words in dialog aren't going to have that big of an impact on the overall personality of a character. If it does, the character needs a serious rewrite anyway.

I disagree. An measure of an individual is gauged by both equally. A guy who kills without speaking is a murderer, and a guy who speaks only of killing without doing it is perceived as a guy who talks but doesn't walk. How they speak goes a long way in how they perceive themselves. The words you use to describe something indicate who you are. How is a person that describes anger as "A fucking power trip." different from one who describes it simply as "A power trip." Did you see the difference, how subtle that is? Swearing adds an extra depth to the character. And if you tinker with the language you use, you lose that subtle depth. And although children may not pick up on it when they're children, they will if the revisit the series 10 years later. Re-watch any Disney movie from back in the day and you'll understand.

But i agree, if a character's entire personality is based on swearing alone, a re-write is in order.

I'm sure you guys will know what i meant by "I can't get my characters to stop swearing" when i explain it like this (sorry for not doing so earlier).

When a character is in a certain state of mind, or certain personality niche, they do things. Happy people giggle a lot, sad people sometimes sigh, and angry or chisled characters oftentimes swear. So to just delete swear words is in a way deleting part of their personality. Normally this isn't a problem until...well...you try to PG it down...

But hey, thank god for double entendres. Kids don't know where Somalia is anyway.

I just realized how hard it is to make my writing child friendly.

I can take away the violence, for the most part, and i can take away the utter reality, for the most part. But sometimes it just comes down to i CAN'T GET MY CHARACTERS TO STOP SWEARING!

Just say'n

Kan't a Krab Keep a Kake for Kool Kids when they Kongragate? The kack it kordially on the kow, which, aah, fuck it. Poetry was never my thing.

So a note: As writers, you do have the creative license. We're the people who make up the english language, because for the love of god, are you going to let the TEXTERS make it up *shutter*

So, how do people feel about that?

*nudge nudge* Peter is a dog, i think...last paragraph.

At 3/5/10 01:42 AM, X1SephX wrote: I curious to see what kind of story length can you write.

Like for example, me I just don't like to have characters live throughout one book and its over. Even if there's a happy ending. The author stops it there. So what I do is see what kind of intriguing adventures i can put my characters through. Trying my best to be very innovative.

mmm I guess what I'm asking is , who are Novelists and short story tellers.

Novelist.

But i have ways of making sure that if i ever wanted a sequel, i make sure that there's no coming back. I either kill the Character off, make them go away forever some other way. But a character is like a reusable condom...that simile speaks for itself, i think. But for me, Characters don't get recycled as much as settings and worlds. Characters come and go, but reality stays put rather nicely.

However, as much as it is sometimes a struggle, a one-time story is nothing to sneeze at.

At 3/4/10 11:57 PM, Me-Patch wrote: Thank you for the replies. I think I'de rather not clarify the message though, I've never liked it when things are spelled out.

Well, that's a bit problematic when everyone's thinking "eh?"

It was a little feel good for some reason, but i do miss the point.

Maybe a bit of expansion, i was kinda left wanting to know a little more. If it stays this long, it needs lots of pictures.

I'd love to...

But i'm actually late for my editor.

But you just made a few writers wet, so congrats.

At 3/3/10 03:58 PM, Version2 wrote: Sorry for the double post but I forgot to mention something. Feedbooks also has a Kindle portal, and they have a mobile website as well for phone users, so things posted there can reach a wider audience.

Kindle has the Market, but hopefully the Ipad is where it's at.

Who knows, maybe the next generation of writers like us won't write books, but ebooks...

Can't say i'm thrilled.

OH! figured out something else you can do with it.

Where the same character's line and row corrispond (Box in the Felix Column, Felix row) right about how that character feels about themselves. Does he like him? hate him? What is his no.1 fear, no.1 weakness. how does he/she view their self?