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Post by Chris on Feb 26, 2007 23:58:14 GMT -5
Oh, sad. My thread has died in my absence.
Well, let's say we kick it back up again, huh? Anyone got a topic they'd like covered?
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Post by Chris on May 1, 2007 15:07:27 GMT -5
It's been a while, huh?
Let's see if I can get people interested in this again.
Here's something to discuss: how important are superficial aspects like punctuation, spelling, line spacing, etc., to you when you read a story?
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Post by Angie on May 6, 2007 22:06:57 GMT -5
Very very important. Honestly, I lose respect for someone as a writer if they can't even take care of such simple and essential tasks when they're writing a story. It's how you present yourself to your readers; do you really want to sound like an unintelligent fourth-grader? It gives a horrible impression if you can't even master the basics.
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Post by Chris on May 14, 2007 17:39:52 GMT -5
After going over everything in this thread, it seems that I have broken my own rule: the goal of this thread is not to stimulate discussion but to solicit practical advice. I'm such a ditz to forget that. Next time I'll make sure not to lose my way.
Anyway, I agree wholeheartedly with what Angie said. Your spelling and punctuation do much in showing how you present yourself, and it is hard to take someone seriously when they seem to have no interest in making an effort to present themselves as a serious author. Still, there's definitely more to it than that: things like spelling and punctuation may seem superfluous, particularly considering that we get so accustomed to just dispensing with it all when we delve into web-speak, but this is a writers site, and you have to realize that these seemingly frivolous things serve very important purposes.
It's obvious why spelling is important: if you spell a word wrong, it either becomes nonsense, or it changes the word into another one entirely. I misspelled a word in my first sentence as I was typing this, and take a look at how it would have impacted my sentence had I not changed it: "After going over everything in this thread, it seems that I have broken my own role: the goal of this thread is not to stimulate discussion but to solicit practical advice". If you didn't notice the difference, then shame on you. I misspelled 'rule' and typed 'role', and by just changed that one letter I changed the meaning of the entire sentence. By saying that I have broken my own rule, I'm saying that I've overstepped a boundary that I myself made in the first place. However, by saying that I have broken my own role, I'm saying that acted outside my authority. When you misspell words, you take the risk of losing the true meaning of what you mean in what you actually say.
And the same goes for punctuation. My beloved Wikipedia defines punctuation as "everything in written language other than the actual letters, including punctuation marks, inter-word spaces, capitalization, and indentation", and that punctuation "is vital to disambiguate the meaning of sentences". It goes on to give the following example of two sentences with the same words but both punctuated differently: The first, "Woman, without her man, is nothing." states that woman is nothing with man, while the second, "Woman: without her, man is nothing." states the exact opposite.
And then there's the appeal factor. Like Angie said, it's easy to get discouraged from reading someone's work when you can tell from the get-go that it is riddled with spelling errors and improper punctuation. God knows how many times I just gave up on Brokenhearts' old stories because of all the mistakes, despite the fact that I knew it was because of her 'dyslexia'. I just thought that if she didn't care enough about her work to make it presentable for her audience to read, then why should I care enough to read it? If you can just take the time to dot your i's and cross your T's, it can only help your work reach more eyes.
Well, that's it from me. Anyone else got anything to add? Your input is greatly valued, whether it's a question or comment or opinion. Don't be shy.
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Post by Chris on May 15, 2007 14:50:14 GMT -5
Also, while you're thinking of something to contribute, if you can think of the writing of a fellow guildian we can use to illustrate the effect of poor presentation, go ahead and post a link.
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Post by Chris on May 20, 2007 8:24:07 GMT -5
Well, I guess there's nothing new to contribute. Either that or I'm scaring everyone away.
Sigh.
Suggestions for this week's topic? Remember to suggest a topic that will solicit advice.
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Post by Chris on May 21, 2007 19:36:41 GMT -5
At the risk of talking to myself yet again, perhaps it would be better if I suggested the topic.
How about ... how do I write about something I know nothing about?
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Post by Denithar on May 24, 2007 9:45:07 GMT -5
Well, in my case, I get a friend who does know about the topic. I am writing a science fiction with a nerd friend, and there is no way I could do it without him.
However, I think the answer is pretty obvious, is it not? You have to research it. You cannot write something worth reading without having knowledge on your topic. Search your library for relevant books. If nothing else, at least Wikipedia it.
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Post by Chris on May 24, 2007 11:13:00 GMT -5
lol, I knew that I would get an answer like this. I admit that the topic was poorly chosen and worded. Of course research is the way to go when you need information, and it seems dumb for me to even ask such a question when the answer is obvious. You don't know something, you find out. So let's take it further then: let's say I didn't mean writing in a homework/report sense, and I'm trying to write a story about something I don't fully understand, something abstract that is difficult to put into words, something that is unique to everyone that I have no experience with. How do I write about something believably that you can only really understand through experience? How do I, as a man, describe what sex feels like as a woman, or what a period is like? How do I explain what color is like to a blind man? How does a stab feel? Ugh, I still can't explain what I mean. Let's just choose a different topic, something a little less abstract and a little more practical.
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Post by Denithar on May 24, 2007 11:46:01 GMT -5
I still say ask. If you seriously want to know what sex feels like to a woman, then hopefully you can find a female who is quite forthright. Personally, I think I'll wait and ask my wife and just not even try to write about that topic until then. But if you are really intend to write something worthwhile on a topic that is so foreign then I see no other way. However, I am sure there are a few works that detail female pleasure during sex, written by females. If I was a little older, and a lot more sure of my own self control, maybe I would even pay a prostitute to tell me about her experiences (not to illustrate them. I am a hardliner who believes in sex only with one person and only after marriage). I think if you were brave enough, crazy enough, and believed enough in your work then you would find a way.
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Post by Chris on May 24, 2007 11:57:50 GMT -5
Ah, you made your point with aplomb. Exalt.
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Post by Denithar on May 24, 2007 12:49:14 GMT -5
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Post by Chris on May 31, 2007 14:18:30 GMT -5
Damn, I've been pretty remiss in my duties lately. I totally forgot about this.
Ok people, new week. Anyone got a new writing problem to be solved?
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Post by Denithar on Jun 1, 2007 18:52:57 GMT -5
I enjoy writing stories that are based in the future, or present, but my absolute favorite fight scenes are based around people fighting with something resembling swords. How do I write something in the future without it being similar to Star Wars and its lightsabers, and without it being like "oh, well, he could use a gun, but I guess he is going to use a sword instead. Hmm, what an idiot, how is he going to beat guys with guns?"
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Post by jbbeazer on Feb 10, 2008 17:28:13 GMT -5
Hello I'm new.
Well, one of the ways is to make the sword more or less indestructible. By doing this you could have the main character, or the one using the sword deflect the gun's, lasers or bullets. In this regard, even when the ones with the guns do shoot, the swordsman can still beat them.
Another way to get away from the star wars theme or feel, would be there clothing. Have the characters dress in medieval themed clothing or at least the feel of medieval.
One more thing. If you can have the swordsman try a gun, and have him/her be so unskilled at it, that he/she wouldn't want to use one, I believe that would be a believable enough reason for him/her not to use a gun.
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