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 Post subject: Writing
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 5:44 pm 
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I've always had an interest in writing, and I finally decided to step up and actually do something about it.

Creative writing, does anyone here do it?


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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 7:14 pm 
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I got my girlfriend her A in English 102, and I got straight As in English classes in HS and college. Creative writing is fun but you have to be in a certain mood to do an exceptional job. Sometimes I'd end up looking at a blank piece for a long, long time before I even write down a word.

Always have a strong opening - known to some as "the hook" - because most people will make their decision to either read, skim, or skip your work depending on the first few sentences. It also helps to rewrite it a few times after you finish the initial draft to add more details and remove excess words or even entire paragraphs. Try your best to avoid being redundant so always have a thesaurus with you (or a thesaurus website on the next tab); remember that repeating the same word even in different paragraphs will affect the flow of the piece, especially if it's an unusual one. Be aware of the consistency in your style. If you notice that mental fatigue is starting to get in the way of your creativity, take a break. Otherwise, you'll end up with a good start but leave readers with a bad impression. Most of all, be creative about drawing your inspiration.

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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Sun Jan 15, 2012 7:29 pm 
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Thank you for the advice. Do you know of any place (forum/website) where I could share and discuss my work with others? I had my first go at a 10 minute power write and after some editing it came out pretty nice and I just wanted to get some input.

My only struggle right now is deciding between writing in my native language(Portuguese, not as much opportunity) or in English which I am pretty good at but still far from perfect.


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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:05 am 
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Miguez wrote:
My only struggle right now is deciding between writing in my native language(Portuguese, not as much opportunity) or in English which I am pretty good at but still far from perfect.

There are ways to get around that, as inky said, using a thesaurus would help immensely.

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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 5:56 pm 
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Hey,

I'm personally not a writer but a designer. However,
I think that there are certain techniques that could
overlap.

During my Msc I followed the course Creative Facilitation,
which basically means that I am able to facilitate a
creative session. Creative sessions are not always held
with creative people, but also with end users who might
have little to no imagination when they're asked for
input on the spot.

Certain techniques can loosen people up and get them in
a more visual, creative mindset. A great example for me
was when our facilitator asked us to close our eyes, let
our minds visit the house/home we grew up in, and then
asked us how many windows the house had.
Now, normally you'd think we would all simply shout a
certain number of windows, but unconsciously we were
walking through this old house in our minds, visualizing
each and every step of the stairs, every door and hallway
we passed on the way to these windows.

It might sound vague, and I am not sure if this would
apply to writing just as well as it would apply to what
I'm doing (we usually hold a Dynamic Braindrawing session
after this), but it can help you when you're stuck and
out of inspiration, to open up your mind and think visual.

Well, that's my input for you :] If anyone would be
interested in the creative techniques I use when organizing
creative sessions, just send me a pm and I'll be happy to
explain a few of my favourites.

edit:
If people are really interested btw, then I can make a
guide on it with tips and tricks for when your mind gets
stuck, or when you are brainstorming with more than two
people. :]

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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 6:43 pm 
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Yesterday I couldn't sleep so I decided to pick up my phone and writte a little text about a girl who couldn't sleep. It was fun!

And thanks for the input cin(you're back?).

Spoiler!


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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:52 pm 
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cin wrote:
Spoiler!

Do it. The forums need some new posts :[
Lately I've been thinking of just hellspamming OTL full of all kinds of posts and threads in the hopes of catalysing some activity :[. Things really seem to have slowed down lately :/

@Miguez

The little short story is pretty nice, but I think the end is a little ..rushed? It seems like a very strange way to end. Might've been better to do something like "and then her alarm clock went off, she felt very refreshed". proclaiming her to be someone's imagination....serves no purpose imo :/

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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 10:56 pm 
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Yeah at the end I started to get sleepy.

My idea was to end it abruptly in purpose, in an unexpected way, but I get what you're saying.


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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Mon Jan 16, 2012 11:53 pm 
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Yeah writing is an art form and should be treated as such.
I'm no writer so I can't say much but diction is especially important.
Just write and write.

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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 12:58 am 
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poehalcho wrote:
Do it. The forums need some new posts :[

Alright, I will get on it as soon as I find the time,
which will most likely be on thursday.

And Miguez, how do you usually go about when writing?
Do you write when something comes to mind or do you
sit down and wait till inspiration hits you?

Might be interesting to try and test this so you can
find which way works best for you. But again, I'm not
a writer ;]

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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Tue Jan 17, 2012 8:15 pm 
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When something comes to mind I open word/pickup my phone/a notebook and I start writting.

Yesterday I designed a character, I might use him for either a novel/serie or just short stories.

Today I wrote maybe a prologue for this possible novel, I felt inspired and wanted to try my new character on actual paper. And first person is confusing lol.

I'm just going to post both of them incase someone is interested. I'm trying to do something about a world like ours but with superpowers included, not sure which approach I'm going to take (mutation, science, alien, etc.) and I'm trying to come up with an interesting plot in my head for this guy. I might also change his power since this one, while interesting, isn't very astonishing. But still, something out of the ordinary might be better than the usual amazing kill them all power.

His Bio is very cliche-y but this is just a draft, something to remember when writing about him.

Spoiler!


Little prologue/first chapter

Spoiler!


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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 5:38 am 
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Writing fiction from a first-person POV is a tough one. If you ask me, third person omniscient or limited would be a better option since it gives you more freedom. The first thing I noticed about your prologue is the excessive use of "I". It gets the point across but it lacks style. There's just something about listening to the inner voice of a typical angst-driven teenager that deflects most people's interest. It doesn't have that flow that entices the reader to delve deeper into the story. In addition, if you have to make a written profile (in first person?!) about your main character, that means you haven't truly created him in your mind. It would really help your writing if you knew every character inside and out - especially since you created them. Looking at your work, I think you might be interested in reading Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower since the novel is somewhat similar to yours - teenagers, colloquial language, and everything else you can relate to high school life. If you want to see style, I'd say read Chuck Palahniuk novels. For excellent mind-blowing storytelling, Kurt Vonnegut. Writing fiction is not simply about listing the details of a story. There are many ways you can rewrite that prologue but only a few that allows it to draw people's interest and imagination.

Also, do you read a lot?

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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 2:17 pm 
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I used to read a lot when I was 10-14, now not so much since I have less time. I've been reading Raymond E. Feist's work lately, it's an awesome fantasy collection. Love his characters and love the fact that all of his books were written on this world he developed himself.

In average I read 2-4 fantasy novels each year.

About that Bio thing, there was a contest and the entry consisted of that Bio in the first person and then a text about your character. I didn't enter the contest but I found the Bio idea interesting, especially since I'd heard before that when writing a novel it's a good idea to write a page about each of your characters.

I'll rewrite that part again from a third-person perspective and see how it comes out.

I have the character in my head, but writing what I actually imagine him like helps. It's not like while I'm writing I'll constantly go read the bio to remember who I'm writing about.


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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 5:31 pm 
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The whole bio thing, IMO, would be more helpful if it came in a list/notes format instead of looking like a facebook page. But it is ultimately your story.
Spoiler!

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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 6:23 pm 
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Yeah everyone keeps telling me I should move on from fantasy novels, but I want to atleast finish the Riftwar Saga from Raymond E. Feist.

After I do I'll try different genres. Or whenever I get bored of fantasy :p

Tried something different. Right now I know what my main problem is and I know how to solve it. I've never actually read any english books, most of my english knowledge comes from watching movies/tv shows and the internet/games.

The books I usually read are in Portuguese therefore I've decided to buy one or two English books with a similar genre/plot to what I'm pointing towards right now and reading daily while trying to write something more everyday.

I came up with a new and possibly alot more interesting idea, this is a 5 minute draft I'm hoping to continue it later on today.

Spoiler!


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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 8:39 am 
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You don't have to abandon fantasy novels altogether. Just take breaks between each book or halfway through. I read a few books in between Robert Jordan's WoT series but after finishing the 6th book, I think I'll take at least half a year before I pick up the 7th.

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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 1:57 pm 
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Here's what I came up with yesterday. Don't feel obliged to read it, it's just here incase you feel any interest.

Spoiler!


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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Wed Jan 25, 2012 1:03 am 
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Oh is that what you meant by creative writting.

I've had a couple made before as I play on a GTA San Andreas roleplay server where you need some kind of biography for your character.

Spoiler!

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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 12:32 am 
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cin wrote:
Hey,

I'm personally not a writer but a designer. However,
I think that there are certain techniques that could
overlap.

During my Msc I followed the course Creative Facilitation,
which basically means that I am able to facilitate a
creative session. Creative sessions are not always held
with creative people, but also with end users who might
have little to no imagination when they're asked for
input on the spot.

Certain techniques can loosen people up and get them in
a more visual, creative mindset. A great example for me
was when our facilitator asked us to close our eyes, let
our minds visit the house/home we grew up in, and then
asked us how many windows the house had.
Now, normally you'd think we would all simply shout a
certain number of windows, but unconsciously we were
walking through this old house in our minds, visualizing
each and every step of the stairs, every door and hallway
we passed on the way to these windows.

It might sound vague, and I am not sure if this would
apply to writing just as well as it would apply to what
I'm doing (we usually hold a Dynamic Braindrawing session
after this), but it can help you when you're stuck and
out of inspiration, to open up your mind and think visual.

Well, that's my input for you :] If anyone would be
interested in the creative techniques I use when organizing
creative sessions, just send me a pm and I'll be happy to
explain a few of my favourites.

edit:
If people are really interested btw, then I can make a
guide on it with tips and tricks for when your mind gets
stuck, or when you are brainstorming with more than two
people. :]


That is honestly amazing, I'm definitely going to do that tonight. Please do share more techniques!

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 Post subject: Re: Writing
PostPosted: Sat Jan 28, 2012 3:46 am 
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Kraq wrote:
That is honestly amazing, I'm definitely going to do that tonight. Please do share more techniques!

I actually started the guide about a week ago I think, but
due to lack of replies I deleted it again lol..
I saved the posts I had so far so I can always copy paste
them back but I got the feeling people weren't really that
interested in it. I can also pm it to you if you want, but
I had only just made a start with an introduction post.
You'd have to wait a bit before I start explaining the
actual techniques ;]

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