So, what do you write?

[GreenPartyVoter]

I am a freelance fiction editor. I write romance. I also write book reviews and do the occasional blog entry.

http://curvynovels.com/

http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/

[ZenLefty]

1. Unpublished fantasy fiction

At my rate, it'll be never-published fantasy fiction.

[efhmc]

4. Have you ever read or seen what Ann Rice went through before she

got Interview With a Vampire accepted? Don't give up.

[oneighty]

8. Hey ZenLefty

Why you never be telling us before?

Please send creepy crawlies.

180

[wryter2000]

16. As Dwight Swain says

1. Know your markets.
2. Put manuscripts in the mail
3. Keep them there.

Do those things, and you'll get published.

[ZenLefty]

18. Crap, I'm zero for three.

:dunce:

Worse, I'm zero for four. I haven't had the time to write as much as I used to. I have one good short story finished (the rest of them suck, but this one is good), but I still need to edit it before it goes anywhere.

If my life ever gets to a point where I can devote more time to writing, I'll start taking it a little more seriously and be more proactive about getting published. Thanks for the encouragement.

[Longgrain]

68. Hey I can relate

I just posted something above bemoaning the same situation.

As for what I write, mostly humorous fiction, though my short stories tend to be a little dark.

Some fantasy in a sense, but not of the LOTR variety, more like Vonnegut.

[Swamp Fox]

107. Insight of a Bull's-Eye

Insight of a Bull's-Eye

by Swamp Fox

A lot has happened since the good old days of crack-shots like Annie Oakley, or the expert marksmanship of William F. Cody, a.k.a. "Buffalo Bill" Much of what was once civilian marksmanship has been replaced under the catch-all modern-day military term called "Sniping". Sharp shooting, or sniping, first became famous as a philosophical weapon during the Civil War when champion marksman Hiram C. Berdan of New York was authorized to raise a regiment of sharpshooters for the Union Army. To qualify, a recruit had to place 10 shots in a 10-inch circle at 200 yards. Regardless of what term or method that's used to identify someone's skill level, at the core of these techniques are 5 basic fundamentals that need to be applied; with no shortcuts for each and every bull's-eye.

Probably, no one adapted these five fundamentals any better and was more famous as a sharpshooter than William F. Cody, a.k.a. "Buffalo Bill". Legend has it, much of it according to Cody; that he killed 6,570 buffalo in the 18 months he worked for the Kansas Pacific railroad; hunting to feed the construction crews with little or no waste. All edible parts of the buffalo were reported to have been consumed. Back in those days good marksmanship was measured by how many buffalo were taken in a day with a one shot one kill. Better yet, Cody reported going quail hunting all-day with friends like Annie Oakley and bringing home six quails having only shot six times. That's probably a stretch, but those who practice this type of sportsmanship would never consider dry- firing their firearms to gain an edge over marksmanship because they did not need too. It would be hard for one to imagine a sharpshooter like Buffalo Bill or crack- shot Annie Oakley needing to do any practicing to improve their shooting techniques.

According to legend, Oakley herself started shooting at the age of 8 and by the time she was 12 had a business supplying restaurants with wild game meat. One can only imagine how much her marksmanship improved with age. Sportsmen /sportswomen of those times starting out taking pride in one's ability in knowing the proper distance to lead a running rabbit, deer, flying pheasant, grouse or how to hold a tight group in their shooting pattern under all kinds of conditions. This they believed is what marksmanship was all about. In most cases during those early days, a hunter having something to rest their shotgun or rifle on would be considered by some folks a lucky shot. These days it's called Sniping and measured by how many notches or confirmed kills one has to his or her credit.

To become a good marksman, safety always has to be at the forefront in one's thinking. I started shooting at a very early age, nine or so. If we wanted to participate in hunting, the proper safe handling of firearms needed to be proven to our peers and elders in advance, and this also meant becoming good at marksmanship. One of the golden rules back then was to treat and consider all firearms as if it's loaded with live ammunition; this way there were no excuses for accidents. Always keeping the gun pointed at the ground or in the air, but never at a person. A shooter was also responsible for where a bullet might stop; that meant even a bullet's backdrop needed to be considered before taking a shot. This also meant there was never a need to dry-fire a weapon; even releasing the firing pin before putting a rifle away was done by squeezing the trigger back at the same time locking the bolt down. We also were led to believe that dry-firing could damage the gun's firing pin. This could very well have been a myth created by some gun manufactures to minimize the squeezing of a firearm's trigger which in return would help to minimize unnecessary accidents. Especially considering most folks put a lot of value in their guns and would teach their youngsters not to damage them at all costs.

There is a school of thought that claims dry-firing is a necessary part of becoming good at marksmanship and they back this up with military and FBI Sniper experts. One in particular was the late Gunnery. Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, who was a Marine sniper, was considered by some to be the founding father of modern sniping. He was alleged to have had 93 confirmed human kills. His biography, "Marine Sniper," written by Charles Henderson, was published in 1985. He once said that Vietnam was "just right" for him. Although he also told a fellow Marine that he never looked at his work "as a shooting match where the man with the most kills wins the gold medal". My older brother actually served side-by-side with Hathcock, in Vietnam with the First Battalion - First Marines in 1966.and has some interesting observations and opinions of those days.

The FBI also maintains a sniper school primarily for law enforcement. One of its Snipers, Lon Horiuchi gained much attention for his actions during the Siege at Ruby Ridge. It was Horiuchi who shot Randy Weaver's wife Vicki as she stood in the doorway, holding their 10-month-old baby. Nevertheless, I've never considered myself any kind of sniping expert, thank God to my knowledge never took a human life during my tour in Vietnam. However, I've always taken some pride in the fact that during my Army basic training I qualified as an expert and finished second out of 350 other guys at the rifle range. This, other than the occasional turkey shoot, is the only competitive shooting I've ever participated in. Although the Army had an excellent training program back then, I felt my skills in marksmanship were developed long before ever being drafted into the military.

The problem with military and others Sniper training (dry- firing) is designed for killing human's with offense tactics and handling of weapons in a controlled environment. I can't help but feel these tactics, while necessary for the military, are not a good choice for training young civilian marksmen. A lot of youngsters never have any kind of supervision or training to speak of and once they become of legal age can purchase firearms under their Second Amendment rights. With little or no training in safety it's a scary potential for disaster exits. I remember all too well hunting during the '60s before hunter's safety courses became law; lots of guys were walking around the mountains in Western Maryland with their safety off not knowing any better from a lack of proper training. When confronted over their poor safety techniques their usual response was a challenge to fight over a bruised ego.

For one to train themselves to become a good marksman, 5 important elements listed below will need to be applied. In my opinion, good marksmanship is about consistently performing these five elements, often enough to make them automatic.


Controlled Breathing

Sight Alignment

Trigger Pull

Shooting In Groups of 3

Do Not Anticipate Recoil.


With practice a good marksmen using open sites should be able to, at 100 yards, place three consecutive shots that can be covered with a quarter. There are two different methods to tell the shooter if they are flinching or pulling the rifle at the point of its going off. First, if the group of 3 is not consistent regardless of its overall outside diameter. Second, have someone other than the shooter randomly load the weapon; the loader should occasionally not place a round in the chamber. The observer will then immediately be able to see if the shooter is flinching and thus disturbing their sight alignment.

There are two very important things about the use of a three-shot group when shooting for accuracy. First, some rifles become overheated after the third round and will not hold a tight group. A good example of this would be the Savage model 110 -300 magnum. The barrel on this rifle becomes very hot and the fourth round will not stay within a tight group or pattern. That does not mean to say there's anything wrong with the Savage rifles, only this is the nature of this particular caliber. Second, mountain rifles are normally designed with a light stock and therefore have a tremendous amount of recoil. One-way to help reduce recoil is by installing a muzzle break. In some rifles like a 280 this can reduce recoil comparable to that of the 243.

Bring the front site to a very fine point in the rear V, at the same time taking all the other four elements simultaneously into consideration; shooting in groups of 3 is making one's bull's-eye, regardless if they're hitting the target center. Moreover, it's one thing to practice one's skills not being under pressure, and a completely different thing when adrenalin is applied. Comparable to that of seeing a nice Buck or being in a combat situation. However, practicing shooting in groups of 3 to make a bull's-eye, allows one to focus on the task at hand (consistency). The principal behind this is under pressure your reflexes and previous practicing, along with training skills, will take over.

Shooting is no different than any other sport: consistency, coordination, practice and focus are key elements in fine-tuning a skill level, to bring them ( five mentioned earlier) together successfully at one point (accuracy) in a bull's-eye. Leaving just one element out of shooting would create a handicap and not give the shooter a true picture of their skills. Without this it would be impossible for the observer (trainer) or shooter to understand which one of five needs improvement. One very good example would be archery, consistency in one's technique in their draw; stand and stop the drawing of the bow before releasing at the same point (cheek) every time. Just imagine a shooter practicing dry-firing with a compound bow to perfect his release. So, unquestionably, the claim by some folks that dry-firing is necessary to become good or great at marksmanship just does not hold water. One could very easily make a claim that they are leaving out one very important element in the training process of their mind to deal with recoil.

One could easily draw the conclusion that there is no danger in the practice of dry-firing and therefore philosophically take the position this it is not a safety issue. However, there is no evidence that those who practice good marksmanship prior to the modern-day term called sniping ever needed to dry-fire their firearms to make a bulls-eye.

[Swamp Fox]

109. U.S. Army draftee

Swamp Fox
U.S. Army draftee

[Name removed]

113. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Swamp Fox]

114. here's a link

Thank you JMCC2218 ,and here's a link for the folks that's unfamiliar with the term.

Dry Firing Practice
http://home.sprynet.com/~frfrog/safety.htm

[OldLeftieLawyer]

112. For what it's worth,

my first novel was turned down by everyone. Then my agent went into deep cover mode, because she knew a particular editor at one house had taken a vice-president's job at another house. That's what agents are supposed to do - know who's who and who's where and what's what.

When that editor made her move, my agent sent her my novel. She read it, loved it, called me, we talked and made sure we liked each other so that we could work together, and I heard myself asking the incredibly impossible question, "So. You gonna buy my book?"

"I just did," she said, and the rest, as they say, turned out very nicely. We're still working together, six years later.

My agent has a great saying, and you should keep this in mind:

"Everyone say 'no' until someone says 'yes.'"

Just keep writing. You'll be surprised at how good you'll get.

[BigMcLargehuge]

2. currently, historical fiction

also film reviews, DVD extras (at least in one case), literary short fiction, some horror and science fiction shorts and longs too. I also edit for a few friends also writing horror and science fiction.

[efhmc]

3. Not a writer except out of frustration about what is happening around me.

Just wrote a few pages and the time it took is time I do not have, except when my sanity is involved. Kudos to those who do.

[GAspnes]

5. mysteries and sci-fi

I have about 7 now, all half-done. The problem with the mysteries is that I get the situation all complicated and interesting and then can't get all the issues resolved. Maybe I should switch to crossword puzzles.

[oneighty]

6. I write life stories.

I was going to say I write very short life stories but somehow that did not convey my wishes. But they are very short stories. I compiled 218 of them into a self published book.

I intend to enter my book in the 'Writers Digest' contest for best self published books.

180

PS. The book ended up being 180 pages long.

[Coyote_Bandit]

7. Whatever I Feel

I've written poetry since I was a young kid.

I'm working on my first novel.

For now I've put all that aside. I'm writing a non fiction book proposal about faith and politics.

I'd be just delighted to be able to write professionally.

[Cadence]

9. Screenplays

[soleft]

17. Me too

And some theater

:hi:

[Emboldened Chimp]

20. Me as well

Either one of you in Los Angeles?

[Bolo Boffin]

33. Me also

Well, I've started several.

I go often to a group here in Tennessee: the Tennessee Screenwriter Association. I've learned a lot from these folks.

Anybody going to Austin next year?

[Zynx]

60. Ditto

[Dora]

10. once a poet

always a poet, I guess. Haven't written in three years or so - haven't had the heart since we were burglarized and I lost nearly all of my work.

ALWAYS MAKE A BACKUP!
PRINT A HARD COPY!

:nopity:

[SmokingJacket]

28. My husband is a novelist...

and he's a total freak about making backups. He makes a disk copy and a paper copy of every day's work in addition to the hard disk version.

At one time he even kept a disk in the trunk of our car, just in case the house burned down.

Now our house and his writing space are detached, so he's safe.:eyes:

[THUNDER HANDS]

11. used to be a journalist

covered sports and politics and crime.

I miss it, really.

:(

[Search Party]

12. poet

three self-published broadsides

working on collected stuff now

indie press published only plus many, many readings from alaska to colorado to new mexico to missouri

labor of love

[pearl]

13. Me too for poetry

Never really into ficion, although I have a poem titled

Gone Fiction

[Chovexani]

14. Yet another unpublished fantasy writer wannabe

We're a dime a dozen aren't we? :) I'm not really looking to be published, since I don't think I'm nearly good enough for it (even with all the crap fantasy books that do get published). I mostly do it for fun. I also write fanfiction, most of it Final Fantasy-related, and nearly all of it slash.

My "regular" work tends toward dark fantasy, sometimes downright pornographic (I'd say it was erotica but I don't think it's good enough to be called that :P). Right now I'm working on this little story about my current D&D character, a female dark elf who turned her back on the Spider Queen and became a priestess of a much different religion. I didn't really intend for it to get as long as it has, as it really just started off as a "color" piece for her background, but as usual I got really carried away and it's turned into a novella of sorts. What can I say, in school I was the irritating kid that turned in a 30 page epic when my English teacher wanted 2 pages.

I don't have a website right now since what little HTML I knew went in one ear and out the other, so I just put my stuff up on livejournal. I would like to come up with my own site though because I really hate LJ's formatting limitations (for instance I was forced to split up the latest part of my dark elf story because it was too long). Here it is anyway, just be warned most of my non-rant stuff on there is not work-friendly because it can get pretty filthy. :P

http://www.livejournal.com/users/kylenne

[wryter2000]

15. Hi, there

We've "talked" before. I'm published in romance. Today I'll be finishing my first fantasy, ever. An agent in NY asked for the complete. If she likes it, maybe she'll be able to sell it.

On edit: I'm at http://home.pacbell.net/halice

[dogmastomper]

19. Major block

mostly due to the election...before it, i felt like anything I would write might be useless the day after, and since its over, I'm not sure what the hell to say...fiction, poetry, screenplays, non-fiction, reviews etc...

[Emboldened Chimp]

21. I couldn't write election night...

but I've since managed to put it aside and concentrate on the work.

[SmokingJacket]

23. I've been blocked too.

Everything I started before the election seems to come from some other, kinder, more innocent world.

Had the same feeling after 9-11.

Otherwise, I write fiction.

[dogmastomper]

25. Thanks for the reminder

I forgot how bad the post first shrub election and 9/11 blocks were until you mentioned it.

[Ivan Sputnik]

22. Short stories, poetry, non-fiction, and a blog

Some of it published.

Stop by, if interested:

http://www.dreamhouse.co.nr

[Abelman]

24. Everything

Really. Fiction - most genres I have attempted. I love creative nonfiction, I'm a mediocre poet and I love screenwriting and drama.

I have my BS in Creative Writing and hope to continue with an MFA later on.

[SteppingRazor]

26. I'm a journalist

Yes, yes. A member of the hated, whorish media. You can see my stuff at citylinkmagazine.com. My name's Dan Sweeney.

I've also had a short story published and freelanced for a gazillion different publications. Writing is my life. ... well, that and drinking. Oh! And also sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. And avoiding church.

You know, I wonder why conservatives hate liberals so much?

[St. Jarvitude]

27. Poetry, and short stories

I unfortunately lost my massive collection of poems (some of them were awesome) this summer, and I'm only recently starting it up again.

I don't post my poetry online usually because I feel that the real poem is the one that is read out loud - by the author or by another performer - and not the one that is written on paper or saved on a magnetic disk.

[fugue]

29. Fantasy fiction with strong liberal overtones ^_^

Unfortunately my format in my head is comic book or animation, but I don't have time to get up on the art software.

I was hoping to get back to it after the election, but . . .

[sybylla]

30. Copywrite for profit

Fiction for fun. Fiction is currently more of a hobby than anything else. I've been toying with a few stories for most of ten years and I still don't have anything publishable...yet.

I'm entertaining the thought of publishing non-fiction related to my family history. Not sure how to approach that yet but I'll run with it if I discover a good hook.

[Cleita]

31. Adventure fantasy.

Or I did. I haven't been able to write a word since Bush became our president, however, I'm getting some stirrings to do a futuristic story on how all of this plays out.

[WCGreen]

32. OpEd and columns...

Mostly local, was an editor and fearture write/financial advice columnist for a local weekly..

Fun...

Now I write short stories, maily about race relations in the 60's and 70's.....

[nadinbrzezinski]

34. Science Fiction, fantasy

Derivative work that actually pays

;-)

Oh and right now fluff for a role playing game, and gee golly, it has many overtones of current events

;-)

[Bat Boy]

35. Humor

I'm attempting to make a career out of bad behavior.

[fudge stripe cookays]

73. And you do it so well!

Thanks for the tutorial last Sunday!

:D
FSC

[mikehiggins]

36. Everything

SF, fantasy, newsletters, you name it.

I self-published a novel, which I DON'T recommend doing to anyone, though I had a lot of fun, and have two more WIP's that I work on as time and inspiration move me.

The first novel, the one I self-published, was turned down in an earlier incarnation because it was considered too much like right-wing paranoia. It was basically an SF story which revolved around a whole series of events which seemed unrelated but actually form the basis for a plot to establish a fascistic "America First" government in this country. The reviewer thought it was far too far-fetched an idea to be commercial.

Timing is everything.

[derbstyron]

37. a mixture

lots of non-fiction (essays, articles, etc.)
short stories
I just started working on my first novel.

[DrZeeLit]

38. I write romantic comedy and romantic thrillers. Also, poetry and

literary criticism (mostly academic).

This ought to be fun.

[nostamj]

39. I write mostly lyrics these days...

original and, of course, political parody. but I have written poetry for decades and have published some of that, feature articles, reviews and.... porn!

I have also completed one novel (yeah!) and have a 'mosaic novel' (interconnected short stories) that I really need to return to.

i REALLY thought I would be able to give up the political humor with the production of "The Question W Revue" and removal of the * administration but, alas, we may have to do another version. damn it!

[Philostopher]

40. Poetry, of which some is on the 'Internets'

and a couple of things have gone into friends' chapbooks/poetry magazines in the past.

Also had a short story published in a local literary rag, though that was years ago and I really don't write many short stories.

I have a Larry McMurtry-style 'continuing saga' about a group of rock musicians that I work on between inspirations, just to keep my 'chops' up, but I never considered publishing any of it -- it's more a case of cheap psychotherapy than anything else. I love the characters, but I don't pretend I think anybody else would love them enough to pay to read about them.

I've written several other novel-length treatments, but again -- no faith in my ability to write a novel, I don't have the patience to plot and really enjoy character development more. It's a weakness that would likely keep me from publishing anything, but since I enjoy just doing it, I can be happy with having it hanging around on the hard drive for my own enjoyment.

I started out as a journalism student, but I never got my degree because I realized wanting to write and wanting to be a journalist are two entirely different things. I could probably have done okay as a journalist, especially pop culture -- the entertainment editor used to beg me to write reviews, he didn't have time and he actually though I was good at it -- but I never went anywhere with it.

[kcr]

41. Stuff no one reads

:)

SF shorts, usually with some sort of political overtone.

ON EDIT: Oh yeah, a political blog. Oddly, that has gotten many more readers han any piece of fiction I have ever written. I had a couple of articles run by DU when the site was newer and the competition was less fierce ;)

[MsConduct]

42. Ironies of life short stories....

and a few months ago, started a not-so-short-story about a haunted house I lived in. Used to write poetry. Looking for a muse (male of course) LOL

[whalerider55]

55. taking applications?

i've seen your writing, ms.
very promising.

whalerider55

[MsConduct]

56. Why, thank you kind sir!

High praise indeed!

[MsConduct]

61. Applications for a muse? Yes indeed! n/t

[Polly_Sorbate_60]

43. Grant proposals by day, chicklit by night

Curvynovels, I've been to your site!!! Excellent!

Any other Chicklitters out there? :-)

[Shopaholic]

49. I'm a grantwriter too!

Internet Blogger by night.

[fudge stripe cookays]

74. Hey Polly--

I'm doing the chick lit thing, but got a stern talking-to last weekend in Chicago from susang, who won't let me use that term.

Tech writer by day, froth, fun, and fluffiness by night. That's me!
FSC

[Left Is Write]

44. I write short fiction.

I had no idea there was a writers' forum until I decided to browse the forum listing. It's right up my alley.

[itzamirakul]

45. Plays...

Most success has come from writing children's plays based on historical data. Wrote one very successful children's fantasy musical. The musical played in New York for six weeks and played three performances in North Carolina where we got a very good review.

Good reception because I book productions to schools, produce, direct and have a captive pre-paid audience. I do use professional adult actors. Sometimes we tour to the schools and other times use rented theatre space and the kids come to us. It is cheaper to take the production out to the schools, even though I have to provide transportation for the actors. I also write lesson plans and provide information to the teachers for follow-up activities, so that the enjoyment of the play can be used as a learning experience

I have had three childrens' plays produced Off-Broadway on 42nd Street a real dream come true.

I have never had big Broadway dreams for my plays or for myself as an (former) actor. It is just too cookie-cutter commercial. I prefer the cutting edge possibilities and opportunities of Off and Off-Off Broadway.

I'm working on a history text book now about theatre in NYC from the earliest settlement in 1625 up through the 1990s, suitable for grades 9-12, I hope. The problem is that there is so much really dirty, porno stuff in the real history of professional theatre, that it might be better suited for adults. I find it very hard to leave this good juicy stuff out. :)I've got about three chapters completed so far...

I have found that teaching kids history through something they are interested in, like theatre, works better than just the dry history text. We'll see if I am right or just blowing feathers in the wind.

Now, I am going to post one more thing and then sign off and do some more writing on my book. I am glad that I found this forum because it is making me return to my writing discipline!

[Killarney]

46. Mostly horror.

Except the novel I'm currently working on (mystery).

I mostly write horror. I've had several short stories published. I completed one novel which remains unpublished. Working on a second novel now, which is more mainstream.

[lapislzi]

47. General hackery

I'm a staff writer (among other things) for a small publishing company. I author nonfiction books and I'm also responsible for some promotional material.

I write newsletter copy for the causes I'm involved with.

I also write poetry, articles, short stories, and am working on a novel.

Pleased to meet all of you!

[LawDem]

48. Another Internet guy

I've done a variety of Internet publishing (I'm in awe of those of you who actually kill trees). Most of my time of late has been spent on a series for BuzzFlash -- The Last Chance Democracy Cafe.

http://www.buzzflash.com/day/archives.html

[bigwillq]

50. I'm a sports writer for a newspaper.

It's how I make a living.

But I write poems, short stories, in my journal.

Nothing of my "free time" writing has ever been published.

[thebeaglehaslanded]

51. I'm a technical writer

I've been paid for my writing and analytical abilities for over 35 years and consider myself a professional writer. Not always very creative, but challenging and satisfying. And for relaxation I read all the wonderful fiction which the rest of you write for my pleasure.

[flying_monkeys]

52. I write it all and run a creative writing board online (m)

We do poems, nonfiction, short stories, daily exercises - - you name it. We also critique each other and choose winners for the next week's work load... We just moved sites but we have a good core and the calibre of talent is pretty high...

Most of our writing has a weekly turnaround from topic to next offering so we all produce rather quickly...

But Dark short stories are my "thang"

[kcr]

53. What the board

if you don't mind me asking?

[flying_monkeys]

59. it's at awriterscafe.com (m)

We just moved there a month ago and are coming up on the slooooow holiday time but you are welcome to check it out, add ideas, hop in :)

[whalerider55]

54. a plethora...

of stuff

I have a column in a weekly paper
http://www2.townonline.com/byfield/opinion/
i also do features for them a couple times a month (Byline is my nom de reality, Bruce Menin, the column is Dispatches from the Rear).

I also write short stories, (looking to get the short stories published or even read); personal essays, opinion pieces;have done some national magazine features and a piece in a journal about mediation.

oh yeah, and some grantwriting, speechwriting, white papering and general roustabouting journalisitic adventuring.

whalerider55

[MsConduct]

57. I've read a lot of your writings.....

and I highly recommend your Dispatches. I am a huge fan. I'd like to read your meditation piece. Thanks.

[Technowitch]

58. Epic fantasy, mainly. Also SF.

[MrBenchley]

62. Bob Boudelang, Angry American Patriot

http://www.democraticunderground.com/bob/index.html

Also occasional articles here as "Smokey Sojac"...

Also freelance consumer magazine articles, business journalism, business to business communications, and screenplays...

Last year wrote four childrens' books; hope to do more.

[BikeWriter]

78. Howdy, Mr. Benchley. Fancy seeing you here, my friend.

:-)

[seg4527]

63. songs and poetry

But I've had such writers block lately. Also I've had a lot of trouble sleeping, not falling asleep till 5 in the morning. That's okay, because I dont' get home from work till 2 AM. But that's 3 hours of trying to fall asleep. So last night I just started writing, and I am now working on my first novel. :)

[skygazer]

64. Short stories for the most part

Though I have an outline mostly done for a fantasy novel. A scattering of poetry. Many op-ed pieces and LTTE's.

All of the above are unpublished except for the LTTE's. I've never even bothered to try and wouldn't have the foggiest idea of how to begin.

I love to write but I also feel like I have to write. I feel empty if I don't.

[expat_left]

65. I write short stories and travel pieces...

and a little poetry too when I'm in the mood.

[NJCher]

66. opinion pieces

Pieces that seek to persuade, mostly on environmental issues.

I write vignettes about my cats.


Cher

[Wallflower_Liberal]

67. Mostly short stories...

My leanings are towards satirical fantasy (ala Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams) or dark humor. I dabble in poetry as well. But I haven't done much of anything lately

[NashVegas]

69. I Used to Write for a Music Mag

Just a little regional thing, but it was enough to cure me of any desire to intellectualize music.

[warrens]

70. Business journalist

I write about meat. Which lately means, mad cow. It's fun covering an evil industry.

[Der Blaue Engel]

71. Interesting...a lot of us write spec fic

Wonder if there's any dem/liberal connection? :)

I'm a copy editor for the website of a multinational human resource consulting firm (we're infamous at the moment) by day. The rest of the day and night I write dark, romantic fantasy.

I've written two novels, and made half-assed attempts at submitting both. (I don't bounce back well from rejection.) I spent this summer making the second novel my priority, rewriting, getting feedback from other writers, and then thoroughly researching the agents I want to query and preparing a kick-ass query letter and synopsis. I had all the envelopes addressed, letterhead created, and return reply postcards designed and personalized...and then November 2nd happened.

I also write queer erotica, and have been published in that genre; don't know if that's a plus or a minus. (http://home.earthlink.net/~backseatbetty/vanity.html)

(Edited for URL typo)

[RFKHumphreyObama]

72. Political fiction

[eugeneliberal]

75. Theatre reviews

But always looking for additional freelance work.

http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2004/11/04/culture.html#theater2

[katinmn]

76. Science and health articles

primarily about new studies on the brain
We like to call it the last frontier of science to stay excited.

[BamaGirl]

77. political essays, short stories, poetry

Now I'm working on something I'm not sure how to define--regional, travel, simple living, etc? I was sure where it was going when I started, but now don't have a clue lol. I need to write it though, so guess I'll just have to wait and see what I have in the end lol.

[Mad_Dem_X]

79. Mostly short stories, some poetry...

and one novel that I'm still kinda tinkering with.

[Catamount]

80. I have just finished reading my own first novel.....in paperback.

What a buzz!

As an amateur, it took me two years on a part-time basis.
After the election I began the seventh draft which kept me focused and stopped me from going absolutely insane.
Of course finding DU, helped tremendously in that regard.

During my first draft, my hard drive crashed and I lost a substantial part of my story, but I didn't give up.

As a gift, my son published it on cafepress, which is how I got to finally read it in print.
That began yet another draft, since it's a different experience reading it in actual book form,and I found a few typos.
I highly recommend cafepress to anyone who has not been able to find an agent, like me.
Please check it out: "Cadie" on www.cafepress.com/gabriele
You can read a synopsis.

Thanks for sharing.

[geomon666]

81. Short fiction so far.

Usually stick to horror genre but I'm flexible if the mood strikes me. And for all those getting rejected, do not give up. Many, many bestselling authors have been through hell and back trying to get published so keeping working at it.

[Beetwasher]

82. Music, Lyrics, Poetry, Fiction

Mostly music and poetry though...

[hippiegranny]

83. I am writing a true story account

of how an evil presence occupied the life of my best friend for three years... and the journey to rescue her from it.

[all.of.me]

84. essays

i have a journaling website and a newsletter, both full of essays about self discovery.

http://www.inspiredtojournal.com


i have another site with some older gardening essays.

http://www.genevatanner.com/Gardening/gardening.html


i've also written a few articles about creativity to various writing magazines.

[Maeve]

85. Short stories of the Irish fairyfolk and Jack tales

Tales that draw from the folk traditions and themes. Mostly for my use as a storyteller, but my first book is at the printer's now. I plan to sell it as an adjuct to the telling.

[carolinayellowdog]

86. History

Hey,

I'm working on my fourth book (fifth if you count an early self-publication). The rest were published by a university press, and the current one might be also but it's much more narrative and less expository than the rest. At the moment I'm debating whether or not to query a trade house where I have a contact.

CYD

[youngdem]

87. Way to many "Comp" papers.

I am an older student,(well, not that old) and it is hell!!!!

Maybe I need to frequent this forum more often.

Please feel free to edit this "post", as one professor has said, I love comma's and sentence fragments.

I am think of writing a novel of "comma's",,,,,,,,,,

[Hidden Stillness]

88. Essays, Poems (One Here), and Journals--I Write Everything Down

I like to write essays, things that analyze, philosophy, politics, etc., and would like to write a play; still organizing it. I have written many poems and love poetry; a few have been posted at DU. This was a poem I wrote about two years ago, and posted recently on a fading thread on General Discussion; I don't know if anybody read it. It was about life and the passage of time.

I look into a dream
of a life that did exist,
Reach for it from far away
A memory of mist.
Lessons learned in shadow, of people known from outside
Remembered as they were not
As unknown as me.

The scene that shifts, then fades away,
All the plans once drawn.
The life I thought would happen--
Gone, gone, gone.

Once I turned to face the scene,
Playing on the lawn,
But time moved on and I looked up,
Gone, gone, gone.

Why do I still dwell here,
this vast parade gone by
Where is it remembered?
Why?

Why does the sense remain
when the thing itself was gone
Why be tortured forever
By playing on the lawn?

[wryter2000]

89. Self-delete

I didn't realize I'd already contributed to this thread.

[Jo March]

90. Southern humor, poetry

miscellaneous ramblings. :)

[freesqueeze]

91. Random Chapters

to imaginary novels.

[MrModerate]

92. Like the guy ahead of me, I'm a sometimes technical writer . . .

Actually done the full gamut . . . essays, theatre criticism, plays, adaptations (during my theatre periods 1970-80 and 1992-97), and since then more straightforward tech writing such as engineering specs, instructions and directives, software documentation and user guides, corporate video scripts, speeches, etc., etc.

Most of my work has been in business development writing, which means engineering proposals and presentations. THAT's put the most food on the family over the last 20 years.

I got lucky when I left the theatre in the early 80s, latching onto a company able to see that my experience as an actor, director, and stage manager actually had some application to engineering. I leveraged that into an international career, and I'm now on my 4th expatriate assignment during which I've worked in over 15 countries (some nice and some nasty).

ON EDIT -- and posting on DU, of course, which keeps my one-liner and mini-essay skills fresh.

[Mutley]

93. Fiction

Short stories, trying to get a novel going, poetry - though I am no good with that, essays, articles, basically whatever I feel like.

[EFerrari]

94. I've published poetry, self help and political commentary.

Have a little column here in SF.

Am trying to figure out which way to step for next book.

Decisions are a b#tch :)

[SuffragetteSal]

95. first time to this forum...

I write something everyday and have for most of my of life. I have only taken one college class and found it very helpful. I just never got around to taking any more classes. Up until now I have written about events in my life but for the past year or so since retirement I have been developing a collection of personalities or characters I would like to combine into a fictional story. I work best in solitude and quietness.

Thanks for being here in this forum...nice to meet you!

[KaliTracy]

96. new to this forum...

I am currently a technical writer (of software). I would say I'm a poet -- but have had a dry spell of several years...(had a child 5yrs ago) but I can feel the muse kicking again -- not just for poetry, but in many areas.

Also have written fiction, email novellas *grin*, and posts here on DU and in a few other places since the election.

I never knew this group was here until last week. :blush: So -- glad to see such a diverse crowd. :)

[Jack Rabbit]

97. Several things, both fiction and non-fiction

I have had several opinion pieces/articles published on DU's home page.

I recently lost my job (it only hurts financially; I hated the job) and have just stated writing a story I specked out a couple of years ago. After about three days, I am about 10,000 words into the exposition. That's what I've always wanted to do.

[PATRICK]

98. Realm of the Unread

is my website under everlasting construction. Very apropos. Lots of verse, humor, books, tales, an untouchable screenplay. My daughter is putting on a one act play of mine for a college performance. I have an honorable mention from L. Ron's contest. Hoo-hah. For the honor.

A couple of articles on religion teaching. Paid! One butchered short horror story in "The Horror Show", one on-line novel, "The Swan Coat"(poetry and fantasy based on Yeats(for sale!) at a forward looking site which I knew never pay off(Sen. Lugar has a book digitally buried there too, which tells me he is the innocent dupe he often appears to be).

A takeoff on "Lost Horizon"("Lost Horizontal") which has some political commentary about our times in the mix. A severely shortened fantasy trilogy in about 70 pages for those needing an impressive book report but are to lazy to read along work and too cheap to but study notes.

But here's a trivial limerick for any tempted to still think this is a hot resume:

Pythagoras thought of a theorem.
Figures, he no longer did fear 'em.
For every triangle he tried to untangle
He had the right angle to clear 'em.

Crazy.

[Mutley]

99. Anything. Everything.

I've only ever finished short stories and poems, but my ultimate goal is to write (and publish!) novels. I've actually started the research today on what I hope will become my first novel.

I've had some vague thoughts on writing non-fiction but I have no idea about what or where or who.

[BloodForOil]

100. This incredibly massive story

which has taken the past three years of my life (I'm only 14 so that's a pretty long time lol).

Mainly me but about 10 other guys help me.

Except I never want to show it to anyone cos it's really personal so oh well lol

[The Straight Story]

101. Poetry (link below)

http://www.ourmom.net/ourweb/stuff/poems.html

A mix of things, all pretty much relating myself and my life (from romance to fantasy and those whom have left us).

[neuvocat]

102. I write politics of course

as well as poetry and short stories. I also have commentary on social trends and other issues. Check it out:

http://www.neuvocat.net

[supernova]

103. Mostly personal essays

I like to writer personal essays having to do with personal experiences and memories... things that are important to me.

I also have a couple of books in mind, if I can ever find the time to sit down and write them.

[GOPFighter]

104. Mostly humor

Mostly for myself. Mostly after three or more glasses of wine.

[Sasha Undercover]

105. Lots when I think about it.

Technical writing - manuals and such.
Several blogs (see sig line for the political one)
Short fiction - Some of the web-published stuff is here: http://www.practicemakes.com/fiction.html
Essays
And I have a novel and an essay collection in process

[Mythsaje]

106. Paranormal Urban Science Fantasy

and, yeah, that's a mix of genres, all right.

My first book came out today. :woohoo:

[Swamp Fox]

108. Nowhere to run !

Nowhere to run ! - By Swamp Fox

One of the most exciting and enthusiastic things as a young boy is growing up in a family that loves to hunt together, moreover the experience's along with the lessons proper hunting etiquette can teach will last a lifetime. Beginning at a very early age, watching the preparations my family made that went into planning and preparing for a hunting trip was something only a young boy could dream about. Waiting for the time to be a part of the excitement. Gun safety, sportsmanship, reparation along with that use of the good judgment would have to be proven to your peers before ever being allowed to participate in a big hunt. For these virtues alone, it takes only once to let your guard down that could possibly endanger others, yourself and in some cases cost a life. This was a lesson I learned the hard way, which ended up changing my hunting habits forever, almost to the point of never entering the mountains again.

One such hunting trip was planned in the fall of 1980; that year my father was invited by a friend the uses of his hunting camp in Maine. So like any other year my dad never had a problem getting together 10 to 15 guys, sometimes even more, to make up a camp. Normally these camps would be in northern Pennsylvania (Potter County) right outside a small village called Cross Forks. Actually, we had become so familiar with this area to this day names of hollows like (Tin Smith) (Cherry Run) Kettle Creek) are still fresh in my mind. Anyone that's not familiar with this area, it's called God country, and there's some of the most beautiful mountains you'll find anywhere in the country.

One of first things my dad would always talk about, is how some of tops had very large flat areas and lost hunters have been known to walk in circles all-night without ever finding their way out; in some cases they would freeze to death. He said the reason for this was because our legs are no different than arms, one is more dominant and for this reason without reference points we'll walk in circles. Several times I've turned myself around in these mountains but always managed to find my way out , probably, if for no other reason, being familiar with the area. However, that was a different case in Maine.

To begin my story we arrived in Maine on Sunday afternoon around an area called China Lake and after settling in had several hours to do any scouting. My dad always liked to scout an area before hunting in any unfamiliar territory for several reasons. Sometimes we might scout an area several different times before ever hunting, if for no other reason than to get to know the local hunters and community. This time all we had was his friend and maps to go by for planning.

That Sunday afternoon after coming across an old rebuilt tree stand my decision was to return there on Monday opening-day. About 8:30 the next morning a real nice three point came within fifty yards, so by 11:30 my friend Richard and myself had returned to camp with this deer. Richard was one of those hunting guys you always like having in camp, because regardless of what's happening, you'd know he's always covering your back. That could be
something as simple as spotting an idiot in camp playing with his rifle that was about to shoot himself in the foot. Then what happens everyone's has to stop what they're doing to take this fool to the hospital. Then come back and cleanup the blood all because he dry -fired his rifle thinking it wasn't loaded after reading somewhere in hunting magazine some self-proclaimed expert in gun safety said it was okay.

Anyway, at the same time my dad had also returned to get something to eat and the three of us decided to organize a small drive for that afternoon. What we didn't know at the time was a winter storm had moved into the area , although the sun was shining. To this day I'm not sure why we were not aware of this, but nevertheless we weren't and because Richard and I would both to be drivers, we headed out about 1:00 dressed lightly and without my
backpack and compass, thinking we wouldn't be going that far. 0n my person was light clothing, a wallet, hunting license, shotgun with five rounds of ammunition, knife, cigarettes and matches.

Our goal was my dad was to stay in this flat area, Richard and myself would move along a shoulder to a certain point then head inward. About 2:00 it started snowing while we moved along the shoulder for an hour or so . At 3:00 we had started moving inward towards my dad , by now several inches of snow had fallen and the wind started to lightly pickup.

Moving across this area we separated ourselves by a hundred yards or so, every once in a while closing the gap within sight of each other. As we move across this flat area with Richard on my right, it began to snow even harder. With the wind, it also made it difficult to hear one another as we moved along Somewhere around 3:30 I crossed another hunters tracks in the snow thinking someone else must be in the area. Several times I shouted for Richard with no response , so I started moving more to my right hoping to come within vision, that never happened.

About 3:45 I came upon what appeared to be the same shoulder we had followed earlier. At first I tried walking in the direction that seemed most logical and after approximately 10 minutes came back to the very same spot. My first reaction was of concern because of knowing I had turned myself around, and was now walking in circles. Another problem was because of my first attempt, it's now impossible to figure out which tracks to follow in reverse. But the real problem was by this time there was only about half an hour of daylight and my clothing was soaking wet, with the temperature somewhere around 25 degrees and getting colder. At the same time it was beginning to snow even harder along with the wind, that's when the panic started. Actually, I started bitterly running for what must have been about 100 yards, stopped, sat down and tried to control the panic. The only time I'd ever faced this level of panic before, was once during my tour in Vietnam.

After several minutes of thinking of my options, it became very obvious finding a way out without a compass or help wasn't going to happen. My No. 1 concern was being lost in these conditions along with hypothermia, however at that very moment because just running I wasn't cold, although it was only a matter of time. Looking around there was several large pine trees in the immediate area, which would make a nice temporary shelter. Another plus thing about these trees, down low a lot of the branches were dry. I immediately started breaking small branches into several different size piles, knowing because of the conditions there would not be that many opportunities to get a fire started. Starting with my hunting license first, this attempt failed, at the same time my matches had become partially damp from removing them out of my pocket. Knowing this, my second attempt was done so not to take any more chances of failure, because by now my hands were so cold and nomad it was hard to even feel them. Nevertheless my second attempt using the paper money and business cards out of my wallet was successful and after several minutes the fire starting to create some hot coals. And also allowed for the warming of my hands.

After what must have been about ten minutes, some snow from one of the large branches above the fire fell down and completely put it out. Luckily there was enough hot coals created by this time, using them along with several very small branches and down on my knees blowing, was enough to get it restarted. By now it was completely dark and for the next hour or so my total focus was the survival of this fire, bitterly running to the surrounding trees to gather firewood. At the time signaling for help was not an option because snow creates a sound barrier and along with the wind, makes it almost impossible for sound to travel very far. Nevertheless somewhere around 6:00 several times using my shotgun tried to signal for help with no response knowing there's a possibility no one's listening. Also my voice was completely gone by now because of trying to yell for Richard earlier.

In previous years it would not have been uncommon for one of us not to return to camp until way after dark, an hour or so. That also met nobody's worried or concerned that anyone lost, so any chances for rescue was hours away. The upside was by this time my clothing was dry the heat from the fire warmed my body and as long as I was able to find firewood there'd be no problem in surviving the night regardless of how bad things got. The downside was by 8:00 my hands were bleeding from breaking and gathering firewood. The next several hours were spent with total focus on the fire and my family, it also helped pass the time and control fear.

Somewhere around 11:00 p.m. I could hear the search party calling out and used one of my two remaining rounds of ammunition to signal out. After what must have been about 10 minutes a flashlight came within my vision. At first this person yelled out to come in their direction, my first response was of refusal knowing the fire was my only survival for the night and wasn't leaving it under any circumstances. Thinking to myself what happens if we didn't connect up and for some reason I loose sight of the fire.

In closing: the funniest part was finding out later that not too far away there was a logging trail that led to the main road. It's those things; the other hunter's, family and friends will never let you forget.

Footnote:
That snowstorm before ending generated 24 inches of snow with wind gusts that exceeded 40 mph.

[Swamp Fox]

110. U.S. Army draftee

Swamp Fox
U.S. Army draftee

[whalerider55]

111. whatever i can...

whenever i can. been a freelance journalist for years, writing mostly about music, often interviews with interesting musicians. local features on interesting folks, have had a steady gig with a weekly paper here in NE MA. I have had a column for three years, mostly about seeing the world through the eyes of kids, which is also posted online.

also write short stories, working on a novel and a mystery; and have had a short play accepted for a new works fest in the fall.

ima montessori teacher, as well.

whalerider

[hyphenate]

115. A wide variety

of things.

Novel: mainstream fiction/women's fiction--NOT romance

Short stories: SF and fantasy, mainly time travel stuff

Scripts: SF. fantasy, paranormal

Poetry: almost anything

I've tried blogging, but I don't have the attention span or discipline anymore to keep it up

Some of my posts are "mini" articles sometimes, though

Articles for websites--nonpolitical, though

[Kire]

116. Ethnography

that is what I most enjoy to write

[nashville_brook]

117. essays -- i love essays

fits my attention span and need to puzzle. i had a humanities prof who insisted our papers be no longer than 3 pages. he said if you couldn't communicate in 3 pages or less, you didn't understand what you were talking about. i thought, "oh boy! this is great! it'll be cinch not to have to produce 10-pagers every couple of weeks."

it was the most difficult writing i had ever done and continues to make me happy.

[yellerpup]

118. I write plays, novels, screenplays, publicity

Have had 3 plays and two poems published. My agent is trying to find a home for my novels.

[kjejan]

119. variety

Fiction, creative nonfiction, screenplays, plays. NO POETRY. I SUCK at poetry. Used to focus on short stories, but am working on a novel (first time - ughghghghg).

[mvd]

120. Poetry and music reviews mostly

I'll review Faith Hill's Fireflies:

Fireflies, Faith Hill's 6th album, should satisfy those fans who felt betrayed by the pop move of Cry. The production on Fireflies is similar to the production of Faith's albums prior to her self-titled album. There's nothing new here, but it is an appealing pop-country sound. Vocally, Faith doesn't over sing. Lyrically, Fireflies has some of the best portraits of Faith's career - "Stealing Kisses," "If You Ask," and "Paris." There is also good traditional-style writing on "I'm Not Gonna Take It Anymore" and "Wish For You." Also, some comic relief is in the hoe-down "Dearly Beloved." That song would better placed later in the album. Clunkers include "We've Got Nothing But Love To Prove," which brings to mind a tamer John Lennon, and the cliched "I Want You." If you were never a fan, Fireflies won't change your mind. But for a fan, Fireflies is well worth checking out. Grade: B+

[Literate Tar Heel]

121. poetry mostly

individual poems placed in several online and print publications ... first chapbook scheduled for release in late 2005/early 2006

[petgoat]

122. Since the Election, I write mostly on Internet chat boards about

the evils of unverifiable voting machines and about holes in the
official story of 9/11.

[kjejan]

123. writing assignment

I'm too new to start my own thread, but I had to post this. It SORT of fits here...it's what people wrote, anyway...hope you all enjoy it. I laugh every time I read it.



>Here's a prime example of "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus"
>offered by an English professor from the University of Phoenix:
>
>The professor told his class one day: "Today we will experiment with a
>new form called the tandem story. The process is simple. Each person
>will pair off with the person sitting to his or her immediate right. As

>homework tonight, one of you will write the first paragraph of a short
>story. You will e-mail your partner that paragraph and send another
copy
>to me. The partner will read the first paragraph and then add another
>paragraph to the story and send it back, also sending another copy to
>me. The first person will then add a third paragraph, and so on
>back-and-forth. Remember to re-read what has been written each time in
>order to keep the story coherent. There is be absolutely NO talking
>outside of the e-mails and anything you wish to say must be written in
>the e-mail. The story is over when both agree a conclusion has been
>reached."
>
>The following was actually turned in by two of his English students:
>Rebecca and Gary.
>
>THE STORY:
>
(first paragraph by Rebecca)
>
>At first, Laurie couldn't decide which kind of tea she wanted. The
>chamomile, which used to be her favorite for lazy evenings at home, now

>reminded her too much of Carl, who once said, in happier times, that he

>liked chamomile. But she felt she must now, at all costs, keep her mind

>off Carl. His possessiveness was suffocating, and if she thought about
>him too much her asthma started acting up again. So chamomile was out
of
>the question.
>
(second paragraph by Gary)
>
>Meanwhile, Advance Sergeant Carl Harris, leader of the attack squadron
>now in orbit over Skylon 4, had more important things to think about
>than the neuroses of an air-headed asthmatic bimbo named Laurie with
>whom he had spent one sweaty night over a year ago. "A.S. Harris to
>Geostation 17," he said into his transgalactic communicator. "Polar
>orbit established. No sign of resistance so far..." But before he could

>sign off a bluish particle beam flashed out of nowhere and blasted a
>hole through his ship's cargo bay.
>
>The jolt from the direct hit sent him flying out of his seat and across

>the cockpit.
>
(Rebecca)
>
>He bumped his head and died almost immediately, but not before he felt
>one last pang of regret for psychically brutalizing the one woman who
>had ever had feelings for him. Soon afterwards, Earth stopped its
>pointless hostilities towards the peaceful farmers of Skylon 4.
>"Congress Passes Law Permanently Abolishing War and Space Travel,"
>Laurie read in her newspaper one morning.
>
>The news simultaneously excited her and bored her. She stared out the
>window, dreaming of her youth, when the days had passed unhurriedly and

>carefree, with no newspaper to read, no television to distract her from

>her sense of innocent wonder at all the beautiful things around her.
>"Why must one lose one's innocence to become a woman?" she pondered
>wistfully.
>
(Gary)
>
>Little did she know, but she had less than 10 seconds to live.
Thousands
>of miles above the city, the Anu'udrian mothership launched the first
of
>its lithium fusion missiles. The dim-witted wimpy peaceniks who pushed
>the Unilateral Aerospace disarmament Treaty through the congress had
>left Earth a defenseless target for the hostile alien empires who were
>determined to destroy the human race. Within two hours after the
passage
>of the treaty the Anu'udrian ships were on course for Earth, carrying
>enough firepower to pulverize the entire planet. With no one to stop
>them, they swiftly initiated their diabolical plan. The lithium fusion
>missile entered the atmosphere unimpeded. The President, in his
>top-secret mobile submarine headquarters on the ocean floor off the
>coast of Guam, felt the inconceivably massive explosion, which
vaporized
>poor, stupid, Laurie and 85 million other Americans. The President
>slammed his fist on the conference table. "We can't allow this! I'm
>going to veto that treaty! Let's blow 'em out of the sky!"
>
(Rebecca)
>
>This is absurd. I refuse to continue this mockery of literature. My
>writing partner is a violent, chauvinistic semi-literate adolescent.
>
(Gary)
>
>Yeah? Well, you're a self-centered tedious neurotic whose attempts at
>writing are the literary equivalent of Valium. "Oh, shall I have
>chamomile tea? Or shall I have some other sort of FU-KING TEA??? Oh no,

>I'm such an air headed bimbo who reads too many Danielle Steele
novels!"
>
(Rebecca)
>
>A--hole.
>
(Gary)
>
>Bit-h
>
(Rebecca)
>
>FU-K YOU - YOU NEANDERTHAL!
>
(Gary)
>
>Go drink some tea - whore.
>
>++++++++++++++++++++++++
(TEACHER)
>
>A+ - I really liked this one
>

[Shipwack]

124. Some fantasy/science fiction...

mystery, "life in the real military" yarns (as opposed to Clancy and other military recruiter fiction), one screenplay almost finished (a B movie geared toward 18 - 24 year old males).

I have a couple of essays almost done, and I want to get a couple more finished. I want the "disgruntled military guy" column that used to run in the back of trade paper. I'm researching leaders for another series of essays.

Of course, by "work", I mean I open the document up once a month and rearrange a period or two.

Does posting count as writing?

[frogmarch]

125. Short fiction

is what I write. Most of my stories contain supernatural elements. Three of my stories can be found at The Harrow ( www.theharrow.com ) and a fourth is set to be published there in December - or in January, if the editor accepts more Christmas-themed horror stories for inclusion in the December issue.

[petgoat]

127. Boy Howdy, Froggie--"Kiss, Jack" is Magnificent

Beautifully set up, nothing extraneous. Honestly, I got chills when the
pet store owner told Jeff about Jack's former owner, and again when
the librarian got the names mixed up, and again when Jeff went in the
door that was sealed.

How do we get to your other two "Harrow" stories?

[jayctravis]

126. I write sentences.

They have resolved into partial screenplays, children's theatre, stage plays, musicals, song lyrics, short stories, notes for my own entertainment...

[frogmarch]

128. Hi, petgoat...

"Kiss. Jack" isn't my story. I wish it were! All of my stories are in the Harrow Classic section (1998-2004). I agree with you that "Kiss. Jack" is superb. It's a tough act to follow, but oh, well... here are my stories at The Harrow:

http://theharrow.com/2003/fiction/wintersong.html

http://theharrow.com/2002/fiction/annsdragon.html (My son gave me some helpful plot ideas, so he's named as co-author on this one.)

http://theharrow.com/2001/fiction/summerday.html

[petgoat]

130. Good Work, Froggie. Lots of specific detail on the relationship in

the pan piece, on the smells in the dinosaur piece. In the third one
when you brought in the issue of the aunt's spells, I wondered why, and
was really delighted to find how you made that essential. One technical
comment: you're pretty fond of the construction: "Lifting up the pack,
he gazed out across the prairie." Which is okay, but sometimes you use
two sentences like that in a row, and then it gets jarring.

For me, the suspension of disbelief was a bit of a stretch in such short
pieces, and for me this kind of material would work better in a novel
where I could be more eased into the world-bending realities. That's
not a fair criticism for work in a venue where people expect certain
conventions.

You're a good writer and I'd like to see more of your work. I'm glad
you didn't write "Kiss, Jack" 'cause now I can say the big flaw in that
one: there is absolutely no reason that the newspaper guy knows when
the hero is going to that house, so unless the news guy's been waiting
there for a week it makes no sense that he's there.

[frogmarch]

131. Thank you, petgoat,

for taking the time to read my stories. I appreciate and value your critique. I've written only a handful of stories, so I'm still eagerly learning.

My frequent use of "ing" phrases is a tic I've tried to overcome ever since I began to write fiction. Even on edit, some of the extras slip past me. As for the suspension of disbelief, that is something I need to work on. I've read short horror and fantasy fiction that accomplished it for me - well, as far as my disbelief in the supernatural could be suspended - but I haven't figured out how it did it.

Your saying I'm a good writer made my day. Thanks! It'll take work, but I hope to get lots better.

[petgoat]

132. Don't thank me, froggie. I'm just an unemployed shmuck who hasn't

published anything since high school (though nobody can say I didn't try).

Your blow-by-blow of the dinosaur battle might be the best blow-by-blow
I've ever seen.

That being the case, maybe turning the vivid-meter on that scene down
and turning up the vivid-meter on the breaking-out-of-the-stratigraphy
bit later might be a good idea.

I should've read your piece again before saying this. There's a whole
lot going on right now, and I don't have time. Keep posting, keep
writing. You are being heard!

[EstimatedProphet]

129. Science fiction mostly

I have a couple short stories and some chapters of my first novel down. Haven't tried to publish yet, and I really don't know how to go about it.

[blogslut]

133. I make my living as a technical writer

...for the adult Internet industry.

I'm looking for a literary agent, BTW. :)

[Thirtieschild]

134. Have a love-hate relationship with writing

Afraid to do it, unable to let it go. Am working on a coming-of-age novel, unfortunately at the rate of about one chapter a year. Spend far more time not writing than writing. Am so afraid of the blank computer screen. I read what I've written and think it's good but am sure I can never do it again. So put it off, read the Internet instead of writing. Have written 10 chapters, 8 to go. My hope for publishing is my age - by the time I finish I'll be well into my 70s and picture the headline OLD WOMAN WRITES BOOK.

Part of my problem is comparing myself to my husband - he wrote the first third of his novel during a week of vacation, finished it in the next five weeks while working full-time at the AJC.

His novel came out two years ago. (SHIKAR, Tor, by Jack Warner). SHIKAR tells the story of a man-eating tiger loose in the mountains of North Georgia. The heart of the book is a battle for the soul of a young boy between the tiger and an aging hunter. The tiger is trying to teach the child to be a tiger and the hunter to be a man. We made a horrendous mistake and trusted the editor to know what to put on the dust jacket. He made the book sound like JAWS on land. Got a good review from PW, Kirkus hated it, just about everyone else ignored it. Everyone who has read it has loved it (except for the Kirkus reviewer, who I think didn't read it), but not enough. Sold about 3,000 copies. It's now remaindered on Amazon for $2.72. It's coming out in paperback in December (I-Books) but with a new name. It's going to be confusing.

Sigh

[EmmaP]

135. Creative Non Fiction

I've been involved in a creative nonfiction workshop for a couple of years and it's really helped me improve. The feedback (instant gratification) is very helpful.

Several of us got together and wrote pieces for an anthology about being childfree. We, along with the workshop leader, are currently working on editing/peddling.

I've also just started reworking a few of my pieces for submission. I've got to start amassing those rejection letters! LOL

The first time I get published, there's going to be a HUGE party!