Someone explain this weirdness to me ...

Elves are special. Once you come in contact you can't let go.

Well put, Abe.

JoElle wrote:

Author's Den won't let me leave
Author Nation won't let me leave

Do they actually discuss writing in those places? Folks here are more interested in politics, health issues, religion, promotion, publishing, etc., and have virtually nothing to say about writing.

When an issue is raised about the art and craft of writing, it gets a couple of responses from the same few contributors and then dies out. But mention Obama or Islam and you've got a never-ending thread.

... but that's writing.

So is graffiti.

lol. Come on Al, you sell us short. I personally find something useful in most threads, if nothing more than admiring how someone writes, or learning a new phrase. Your "sucking up to an empty shirt" comment on another thread cracked me up. I like the way Betty writes about small animals. I like Ahad's never-ending admiration of the galaxies. All of this is stuff I bring to my own work in some way.

The novel I'm writing greatly draws from message board posts and interactions.

Oh, I agree, Elsie. I love all that stuff, too, and wouldn't give it up. But I also learn a lot from the detailed discussions of the art and craft of writing. I've tried to get it going. Go look at the Articles section under Writing and Publishing. I originated 13 of the last 14 articles with an average of 7 replies per topic with most of the replies being me encouraging folks to say more. I can count on responses from the same five members most of the time. There's got to be more than five people here who have opinions about writing.

I miss a lot of those because, honestly, I don't check all the areas here. I've said before that I think there are too many -I admit to mental laziness.

When I do see a post, I don't always respond if it takes too much thought and composition. I admit to laziness that way, too, lol.

LC,
Thank you for the nice words about my writing.

Dear Al,
Before computers and message boards, authors wrote letters, social epistles, to each other. I agree with LC. It all is wonderful fodder for the imagination.

Love,
Betty

Betty Fasig wrote:

Dear Al,
Before computers and message boards, authors wrote letters, social epistles, to each other.

Yes, I know. I was around then. Hardly seems possible.

By way of explanation: The threads I started were not merely to get people talking about writing. I might have given that impression. I am working on my first major piece of fiction. I opened those conversations because I wanted to learn from experienced fiction writers here how they handle certain aspects of the craft.

Don't leave. I like your posts as well as the others. Alice previously said she wasn't a writer, but after reading her great book, she is a great writer. Betty and Ahad have lots to say, as well as Ann. Ann leaves me behind but I still like her posts and threads.

I usually have a book in my head before it goes in the computer and that is where it is right now. I began writing a series for family about great-grandmothers' lives and have written two historical novels read by more than family. The next one is about a woman who committed suicide, but I want it to be about life and love. I also want there to be a backstory of the last few years, not illness but good stuff.

And there is my Cuba book, which floats around in my mind as I read about writing from the past, as there seem to be more and more books about the turbulent sixties, which I was a part of, but as a military wife rather than a commune dweller.

So don't give up on us, Al. You get things floating around in our minds. I love to write fiction, but I don't do as well as non-fiction.

Carol

Al Stevens wrote:

By way of explanation: The threads I started were not merely to get people talking about writing. I might have given that impression. I am working on my first major piece of fiction. I opened those conversations because I wanted to learn from experienced fiction writers here how they handle certain aspects of the craft.

I, too, am working on my first major piece of fiction. I have nothing profound to add about how I handle the craft. I am reading novels, studying them to see how bestselling authors handle the craft. When I finish each one, I diagram it to analyze the relationships between characters, conflicts, and points of view.

Like you said in an earlier thread, I have a great idea, but I'm not ready to write it yet. Meanwhile, I'm gathering information on the subject, and that's another problem; how to organize it. I have both paper and digital files and haven't figured out how to make them easily searchable and accessible yet. With my nonfic books, this was easy. I made hanging file folders for each chapter. But I don't know what my chapters for this project are yet, or even if I can organize my material by chapter. I'm thinking it will have to be organized more by character.

Some authors map out the plot on a large piece of paper pinned to the wall and add "family trees" as they introduce characters:

http://marksarvas.blogs.com/elegvar/2008/11/images-from-the.html

or you can use coloured post-its to move around as the story develops:

Yes, I've seen that before. One author said that technique enables her to roll the whole thing up to work on away from home, which I thought was cool. However, I'm not even that far yet.

Dear LC,
RSE sets the mind to wondering about your signature. A new mystery of who you be.
Lovely.

Love,
Betty

But none of these lovely thoughts tell me how to remove my account from these forums that I no longer want to be a part of.

There isn't a place to remove my account from here either, but I know know where to go if I should wish to.

And I belong to another forum that has accessible moderators.

But I hate these places that don't have an option to remove accounts and moderators are nowhere to be found or have no means for contacting them.

AUGH!!!!!

Al Stevens wrote:

JoElle wrote:

Author's Den won't let me leave
Author Nation won't let me leave

Do they actually discuss writing in those places? Folks here are more interested in politics, health issues, religion, promotion, publishing, etc., and have virtually nothing to say about writing.

When an issue is raised about the art and craft of writing, it gets a couple of responses from the same few contributors and then dies out. But mention Obama or Islam and you've got a never-ending thread.

LOL, Al.

I can see why you would say that.

To be honest, I don't think I can contribute much on the 'craft' of writing. Though I have four published novels, I don't think anyone here but Madhatter has read them. Most are not interested in a YA fantasy romance adventure. So, they don't know anything about the quality of my writing.

I am not self published, but my publisher is a small independent press, so I am not making the big bucks (though I get royalties), so I can't really offer suggestions on how to make a living from writing.

And last but not least, I don't have a writing 'system' or 'routine'. I write when inspiration strikes and I mostly go with what pops into my head and what my characters decide to do. I don't outline, I don't plan ... I just write the story as it happens.

And I am sort of ADD, I usually work on two or three novels at a time. It keeps the writer's block from happening. Besides, sometimes a new story comes to me while I am in the middle of a manuscript.

See? I can't really say my writing style would help anyone ....

JoElle,
you have proven that we're all unique.