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Entries in Writing Observations (7)

Wednesday
02Dec2009

Pavlov's Writer - Training yourself to Write

For the first half of the month I did fairly well, every time I was able to sit down to try to write I wrote. Halfway through the month that stopped working, I had trouble writing and kept getting stuck. I just realized why. I'd trained myself, just as Pavlov trained his dog, to write on cue. Specifically, this cue. Whenever I listen to that pandora station now I have the urge to write and, if I am at a computer, actually do so. I'd also stopped listening to it around half way through the month.

I've trained myself to write on cue. Woof.

Tuesday
24Nov2009

The Cozy Fire of Kept Secrets

I have secrets.

Now, that's no secret. Everyone has secrets. I'm sure most people even have the specific kind of secrets I'm talking about. The kind of secrets that you absolutely want to tell someone, anyone, just to see their reaction but also absolutely cannot tell anyone. They eat at you, wanting out. I've let them out, kinda.

I wrote them down on a couple pieces of notebook paper, then I used the paper as kindling to start a fire in the fireplace. So now I sit here, warming myself, as I type, on a cozy fire. The Cozy Fire of Kept Secrets. You know? I feel a lot better now.

TSDUU29ZJ3PN 

Monday
16Nov2009

Help! Need Slang

So, I'm trying to come up with a slang term but drawing a blank. It needs to fit the following criteria :

  • Applies to all the native races of my planet, Lylurn
    • That includes Orcs, Ogres, Goblins, Dwarves, Elves and Gnomes
    • Humans have only been on the planet 400 years and have mostly taken over except for within the dense rain forest in the middle of the main continent.
  • The term is mainly used by humans, though also somewhat by natives who are trying to integrate and either have or are seeking citizenship (which raises their status from about equivalent to third class to second class citizens)
  • Needs to be short, preferably single sylable, and easier to say than "Natives"
  • Needs to have a hint of derision. 

If anyone can give me a good suggestion then I'll give them a google wave invite.

 

Friday
13Nov2009

I Wordled my book and then went back

Wordle is a toy that lets you take a chunk of text and convert it into a word cloud, the more often a word is used the larger a place it has in the cloud. I found it through Michael Wulf's blog and thought I'd give it a try, so here is the Wordle of the first four chapters of Crystal Clarity.

 

Unsurprisingly the book seems to be about Eton, the protagonist. Surprisingly, however, I apparently go back a lot. Should probably do something about that. Well, time to get back to writing.

Tuesday
10Nov2009

The Criticism Tango

I'm looking for some more good constructive feedback on my writing, this is my first attempt at a novel so I'm doing something wrong or something that can be improved but am getting little feedback so far. I would love to be able to just ask and recieve but instead I will bribe. If you want a google wave invite, click that "Contact Us" link to the left and give me some feedback on one of the posts on this blog. Tomorrow night, and every night till I run out of invites, I'll give out some of my google wave invites to people who answer the call.