Any Writers Here?

Off Topic
101

[quote]bond james bond wrote:
My son and I both like a particular author. In his first, book he writes in the spot where they thank peole who helped write the book etc, “never underestimate the power of an e-mail or letter from a fan expressing a job well done, loved your book” or something to that affect.

So my boy did, asked him a couple plot questions and asked him to not kill off a dude lol. Got an e-mail back straight from the man himself! Made our day, small gesture but we won’t soon forget, since then he’s bought all his books to help support the guy.

[/quote]

Hah awesome! I have to ask - did he kill off that character? =P

102

[quote]PimpBot5000 wrote:
Here’s something I wrote for a parody news site - hope you all like it

http://www.theleakywiki.com/k2-front-page/item/428[/quote]

Hilarious stuff ^^

Going to link it to my virologist buddy!

103

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:
I’m a 2-bit poet and short story writer. I also used to write song lyrics. Neither professionally, of course.

When done properly, writing is the highest art, in my opinion. People always recite that stupid thing, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Well, to me, a few words can sometimes paint a brilliant picture. [/quote]

Having also trained in illustration I totally agree! I always found it easy to conjure up an image from someone’s writing, well the few short stories I illustrated for. A paragraph or page has movement to it; sounds, smell, it’s malleable whereas pictures, generally, are a snapshot in time, a stagnant capture. They still have beauty in their own right of course but everything about the written word is movement- both in the way we read them and in the content they tell.

104

[quote]Stern wrote:

[quote]Cheeky_Kea wrote:
Liking the P-shop work stern.

Fantasy writing is full of made up words.

Tolkien has lots of poems throughout his works that are full of made up elvish.

Doesn’t seem to have diminished his popularity.

Also, under this criteria I should bin my copy of Ulysses.

Btw…I am still trying to work in an idea of the dead chicken souls communicating through the T.V in my story…sounds a bit far fetched though eh? [/quote]

I don’t know man. In this day and age you can pretty much put anything on the screen and make it believable so I’d just roll with it and see what happens! ^^

Cheers for the support! Fightin’s made a fair point - even though I haven’t just thrown out words to make it rhyme (which would be lame) I’ve pretty much made it too difficult to pick up at a cursory glance which narrows my audience. This is fine if you’ve already got a fanbase who’re used to scrutinising your work or appreciate your style, however I’ve got neither of those. In hindsight it was a bad choice to put up here. Lesson learned. :wink:

You’re a photomanipulation artist as well aren’t you?

[/quote]

Yes he has made a fair point, especially about the music :-).

I have always wanted to say this…them’s fightin’ words!

I have been known to bend a few pixels, but the stuff you may have seen me do on here was strictly for lolz and I never spent more tahn 15 mins on any of it.

105

[quote]pushharder wrote:
Some of us here write limericks. Does that count?

http://velocity.T-Nation.com/free_online_forum/world_news_war/pwi_pow_wow_?id=3289237&pageNo=0[/quote]

hah hells yea they count. The Dr. there has a hell of a tongue it has to be said! And your good self too of course!

106

[quote]Cheeky_Kea wrote:

[quote]Stern wrote:

[quote]Cheeky_Kea wrote:
Liking the P-shop work stern.

Fantasy writing is full of made up words.

Tolkien has lots of poems throughout his works that are full of made up elvish.

Doesn’t seem to have diminished his popularity.

Also, under this criteria I should bin my copy of Ulysses.

Btw…I am still trying to work in an idea of the dead chicken souls communicating through the T.V in my story…sounds a bit far fetched though eh? [/quote]

I don’t know man. In this day and age you can pretty much put anything on the screen and make it believable so I’d just roll with it and see what happens! ^^

Cheers for the support! Fightin’s made a fair point - even though I haven’t just thrown out words to make it rhyme (which would be lame) I’ve pretty much made it too difficult to pick up at a cursory glance which narrows my audience. This is fine if you’ve already got a fanbase who’re used to scrutinising your work or appreciate your style, however I’ve got neither of those. In hindsight it was a bad choice to put up here. Lesson learned. :wink:

You’re a photomanipulation artist as well aren’t you?

[/quote]

Yes he has made a fair point, especially about the music :-).

I have always wanted to say this…them’s fightin’ words!

I have been known to bend a few pixels, but the stuff you may have seen me do on here was strictly for lolz and I never spent more tahn 15 mins on any of it.

[/quote]

Well if you ever get the time you should set yourself up with a Deviantart account! They’ve got a fantastic stock photograph community (free for non-commercial DA use) and alot of very talented artists, of all types. And of course loads of other resources for photoshop like brushes and actions.

I’ve found good stock really makes or breaks your images!

107

[quote]Stern wrote:

[quote]Cheeky_Kea wrote:

[quote]Stern wrote:

[quote]Cheeky_Kea wrote:
Liking the P-shop work stern.

Fantasy writing is full of made up words.

Tolkien has lots of poems throughout his works that are full of made up elvish.

Doesn’t seem to have diminished his popularity.

Also, under this criteria I should bin my copy of Ulysses.

Btw…I am still trying to work in an idea of the dead chicken souls communicating through the T.V in my story…sounds a bit far fetched though eh? [/quote]

I don’t know man. In this day and age you can pretty much put anything on the screen and make it believable so I’d just roll with it and see what happens! ^^

Cheers for the support! Fightin’s made a fair point - even though I haven’t just thrown out words to make it rhyme (which would be lame) I’ve pretty much made it too difficult to pick up at a cursory glance which narrows my audience. This is fine if you’ve already got a fanbase who’re used to scrutinising your work or appreciate your style, however I’ve got neither of those. In hindsight it was a bad choice to put up here. Lesson learned. :wink:

You’re a photomanipulation artist as well aren’t you?

[/quote]

Yes he has made a fair point, especially about the music :-).

I have always wanted to say this…them’s fightin’ words!

I have been known to bend a few pixels, but the stuff you may have seen me do on here was strictly for lolz and I never spent more tahn 15 mins on any of it.

[/quote]

Well if you ever get the time you should set yourself up with a Deviantart account! They’ve got a fantastic stock photograph community (free for non-commercial DA use) and alot of very talented artists, of all types. And of course loads of other resources for photoshop like brushes and actions.

I’ve found good stock really makes or breaks your images!
[/quote]

I thought about the Deviant art thing a couple of times…might look into it.
I gots me some o’ them thar fancy drawin’ skills too.

108

[quote]Cheeky_Kea wrote:

[quote]Stern wrote:
Well if you ever get the time you should set yourself up with a Deviantart account! They’ve got a fantastic stock photograph community (free for non-commercial DA use) and alot of very talented artists, of all types. And of course loads of other resources for photoshop like brushes and actions.

I’ve found good stock really makes or breaks your images!
[/quote]

I thought about the Deviant art thing a couple of times…might look into it.
I gots me some o’ them thar fancy drawin’ skills too.

[/quote]
You should definitely go for it then! :wink: You can always watermark your work if you’re concerned with copyright and I have to say it’s a good community. Also makes it much easier to direct folk to your work should you want to. Hit me up if you do - Captain Stern.

Of course you don’t need to be a member to access the stock photography! Just makes it easier to browse and organise things if you decide to do a serious photomanip that consists of like 40 images or something.

109

[quote]Stern wrote:

[quote]Iron Dwarf wrote:
I’m a 2-bit poet and short story writer. I also used to write song lyrics. Neither professionally, of course.

When done properly, writing is the highest art, in my opinion. People always recite that stupid thing, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Well, to me, a few words can sometimes paint a brilliant picture. [/quote]

Having also trained in illustration I totally agree! I always found it easy to conjure up an image from someone’s writing, well the few short stories I illustrated for. A paragraph or page has movement to it; sounds, smell, it’s malleable whereas pictures, generally, are a snapshot in time, a stagnant capture. They still have beauty in their own right of course but everything about the written word is movement- both in the way we read them and in the content they tell.

[/quote]

Well said, Stern! Exactly how I feel about it.

110

[quote]PimpBot5000 wrote:
I figured as much with you. Based on your sentence structure and economy of words it’s pretty clear that you’re a writer.

I’ve written for a couple well-known humour websites, and I’ve had work optioned before, but this was several years ago.

I guess my question is as follows - are there any writing jobs for people completely outside the field? (I’m a biomedical science graduate who works with prosthetic limbs). If so, how does one go about proving himself? Based on my existing writing experience, I’ve learned that unsolicited manuscripts and writing samples usually wind up in the trash.

Thanks.>

Ring up a few places and ask THEM what they recommend.
Start a blog. THis will establish and help you build a writing profile. Monetise it if you want to get paid.
Write short stories/articles about your field.
From what I’ve read people with expertise are in demand.
Perhaps you could write on prosthetics for newspapers or magazines from the POV of potentially disabled people, people who get injured eg What to Expect if You Lose a Limb
or Coping with Your New Arm.
Doctors Who Pull Your Leg - Maybe THey’re Your aNew Specialist :wink:
That Sort of thing.
Check with magazines (online as well as dead tree) regarding their lifestyle/soul/ body pages.
Don’t forget to target local raio stations internet sites.
You can always write for ehow.com and such like free sites to get started too.

Or start your own website for the subject you wish to explore.
And go to networking events in writing, journalism etc to get to know people.
Do you have a personal writing style? At least get a few samples together.

Just a few ideas…:slight_smile:

111

[quote]roguevampire wrote:

[quote]roybot wrote:

[quote]Nards wrote:
And please correct me if I’m wrong, but if it has to do with vampires then it’s definitely been done.

I mean even if it’s a story about a vamire that becomes a cop to fight vampires on the side of the law, then it’ll just be Lethal Weapon with vampires. If it’s set in the 28th Century on a spaceship then it’s Aliens VS Vampires.

Though I should mention that “nothing is original” is not trying to sound cynical. It’s OK and most writers (as well as audiences that try to act jaded) understand this anis d just try to tell a good story.[/quote]

No, no. RV’s novel is completely original. He finds his way across the abyss of time to reach his true love Lizzy Bathory by hypnotizing himself. Nothing whatsoever to do with the Chris Reeve movie Somewhere In Time:

RV’s effort improves on the original by adding vampires into an already winning formula. Not just ordinary ones, either; these can travel through time.

[/quote]

the only similiarities between that and my book is time travel, thats it. there are no vampires in the book. [/quote]

There are no vamps in the movie, either. Niche crying out to be filled there, RV.

112

We need a story about a time travelling werewolf! He fights crime back in time but he can only go to times when there was a full moon or he’s useless!

[i]BOSS: Captain Werewolf! We’re sending you back to November 22,1963! You need to stop Kennedy from being assassinated!

CAPTAIN WEREWOLF: (googling on iPhone) No can do boss! There wasn’t a full moon that day.

BOSS: Shit. OK, send back that vampire guy.

VAMPIRE GUY: But boss wasn’t Kennedy shot in the daytime? I’m only good at night.[/i]

113

[quote]Nards wrote:
We need a story about a time travelling werewolf! He fights crime back in time but he can only go to times when there was a full moon or he’s useless!

[i]BOSS: Captain Werewolf! We’re sending you back to November 22,1963! You need to stop Kennedy from being assassinated!

CAPTAIN WEREWOLF: (googling on iPhone) No can do boss! There wasn’t a full moon that day.

BOSS: Shit. OK, send back that vampire guy.

VAMPIRE GUY: But boss wasn’t Kennedy shot in the daytime? I’m only good at night.[/i][/quote]

BOSS: Fuck! Sgt. Bog Monster and Agent Zombie Flesh-Eater are off sick. Who’s left?

CAPTAIN WEREWOLF: Just that new mortal kid Lee Harvey Oswald. He’s waiting to be assigned to a department. He’s a bit crossed-eyed but his intentions are good.

114

Whooaaa! You just blew my mind!

115

[quote]Nards wrote:
Whooaaa! You just blew my mind![/quote]

Whoaaa indeed. This story has serious potential! ^^

116

[quote]Nards wrote:
We need a story about a time travelling werewolf! He fights crime back in time but he can only go to times when there was a full moon or he’s useless!

[i]BOSS: Captain Werewolf! We’re sending you back to November 22,1963! You need to stop Kennedy from being assassinated!

CAPTAIN WEREWOLF: (googling on iPhone) No can do boss! There wasn’t a full moon that day.

BOSS: Shit. OK, send back that vampire guy.

VAMPIRE GUY: But boss wasn’t Kennedy shot in the daytime? I’m only good at night.[/i][/quote]

He didnt time travel but I read this book in highschool, I really enjoyed this guys books and read a ton of them.

It is 1944. A message from Paris warns Allied Intelligence of something big in the works—something which might have serious implications for D-Day. The only way to get more information from the agent in Paris—now closely watched by the Gestapo—is to send in a personal courier.

Russian émigré Michael Gallatin is picked for the job. In retirement as a secret agent since a grisly episode in North Africa, Gallatin is parachuted into occupied France, on a mission which will take him to the festering heart of the Third Reich on the scent of doomsday.

As a master spy, Gallatin has proved he can take on formidable foes—and kill them. As a passionate lover, he attracts beautiful women. But there is one extra factor which makes Michael Gallatin a unique special agent—he is a werewolf, able to change form almost at will, able to assume the body of a wolf and its capacity to kill with savage, snarling fury.

In the madness of war, Gallatin hunts his prey—ready to out-think his opponents with his finely-tuned brain. Or tear their throats out with his finely-honed teeth…

The Wolf’s Hour is a novel by Robert McCammon—master of horror fiction—which breaks the mold of the werewolf novel. It is a remarkable tale of pulse-pounding excitement and a fascinating, complex, and compelling portrayal of the werewolf as noble warrior and conflict-torn being.

117

See! RV…it’s all been done! Even the stuff that’s made up as a joke has been published already!

118

[quote]PimpBot5000 wrote:
I figured as much with you. Based on your sentence structure and economy of words it’s pretty clear that you’re a writer.

I’ve written for a couple well-known humour websites, and I’ve had work optioned before, but this was several years ago.

I guess my question is as follows - are there any writing jobs for people completely outside the field? (I’m a biomedical science graduate who works with prosthetic limbs). If so, how does one go about proving himself? Based on my existing writing experience, I’ve learned that unsolicited manuscripts and writing samples usually wind up in the trash.

Thanks.
[/quote]

To answer this, as you asked before, what kind of writing jobs are you looking for?

It’s kind of one of those things where you’re REALLY networking… you write for some no name companies a couple times, and then they tell you someone else is looking for a writer, then they say someone else is… and so on until you have more to do than you know what to do with.

Unfortunately the pay is awful and you’ll be writing a lot for free. I don’t mind a lot of times because I’d be writing anyway… it’s just what I do… but still, you’re probably going to be looking for a lot of free work first, and then you’ll get paid stuff.

You need published clips to show off to other people. That doesn’t really matter if they’re in a magazine nobody reads, or for a news site nobody cares about, but you need clips, and they have to be good.

If you’re good enough, people will pay attention. I guarantee it… it’s like my theory on bands, when guys say their band is looking for “the big break.”

Fuck that, you make your breaks by showing off how good you are. Guns N Roses could have played in the same dives over and over in 1986, but they were so awesome that SOMEONE was going to find out about them.

Writing is the same way. Write your ass off, and if you’re good enough and you send it out enough, you’ll get it.

Are you looking for a novel deal? That’s hard to accomplish but again, networking is HUGE in that.

119

I really enjoyed writing stories throughout school growing up, but that kind of faded away as I got into university and started studying engineering. I’ve had the rough outline of a novel-ish sized story in my head for a few years now, but not sure I’ll ever really take the time to flesh it out. Besides that, I have learned that bitches love poetry you wrote yourself (okay, maybe not all bitches, it was a small sample size; . . . ok, maybe it was just one). Oddly enough, around the same time I also learned not to set the bar so goddamn high in the first 6ish months of the relationship . . .

And why is it always werewolves and vampires? Why not write a story about a kid that can transform into a bear or a gorilla or something? That’d be pretty sweet.

120

I think there was a series of teen books called Animorphs like that.

That’s a game we could play…we make up an absurd idea and we see if we can find a real story close to that.

Let me go first: An astronaut finds genie’s lamp on the beach and she’s hot. Man, I miss wacky shows like that. I’m tired of middle-class white guy has boring job with silly coworkers and wacky friends.