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Writers' Bloc - Creative Writing Off Topic Thread

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Comments

  • #962
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    The Poetry Show is on RTÉ radio 1 again now

    I'm pretty disappointed with this show btw. Anyone else listen to it ever? Any thoughts?

    It's great that there's poetry on the radio and stuff, but I just find it boring and I've never heard of most of the guests.


  • #963
    expatinator
    Registered Users Posts: 58 ✭✭expatinator


    What do you think about 'Gender Swapping' characters?

    I feel like there are too many men in my 'villain troupe' in the story that I'm publishing on this forum. I kind of want to change one of the characters to a woman.

    On the positive side, it adds a new dynamic to the groups relationship. Also, stories feel weird to me without female characters. Not for political reasons. It's just the type of books that I have read.

    On the negative side, it's not how I imagined the character. It changes the dynamic and imagery a little.

    So, in general, what do ye think about gender swapping characters in stories?

    Also, has anybody guess who I used to be on this forum?:P I had to create a new account because my last broke.


  • #964
    expatinator
    Registered Users Posts: 58 ✭✭expatinator


    Anybody want to give the first chapter of my book a read ?


  • #965
    loubian
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,635 ✭✭✭loubian


    expatinator wrote: »
    Anybody want to give the first chapter of my book a read ?

    Yeah, sure!


  • #966
    expatinator
    Registered Users Posts: 58 ✭✭expatinator


    Yayyy :P I don't expect it to get a good 'review', but I do need to harden myself to criticism.

    Will I send it in a private mail?


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  • #967
    loubian
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,635 ✭✭✭loubian


    expatinator wrote: »
    Yayyy :P I don't expect it to get a good 'review', but I do need to harden myself to criticism.

    Will I send it in a private mail?

    Yea, cool! I will read it this evening!


  • #968
    loubian
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,635 ✭✭✭loubian


    expatinator wrote: »
    Yayyy :P I don't expect it to get a good 'review', but I do need to harden myself to criticism.

    Will I send it in a private mail?

    Yea, cool! I will read it this evening!


  • #969
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    Is anyone going to Cuirt or Listowel or the Dublin Lit Festival?


  • #970
    expatinator
    Registered Users Posts: 58 ✭✭expatinator


    Hmmm, anybody have tips to reach a word-count?

    I have to reach 12,000 words in a week. On top of full time work :P


  • #971
    donalh087
    Registered Users Posts: 607 ✭✭✭donalh087


    Come on, hurry up, it's 1700 words a day and you have already wasted 25 here. Lets do it.


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  • #972
    Jimmy Bottlehead
    Registered Users Posts: 10,118 ✭✭✭✭Jimmy Bottlehead


    So over the last 10-11 years, I've written a handful of poems on a VERY irregular basis. Years could pass without writing anything, and they'd usually be the result of a very upsetting time in life.

    I've always kept them hidden as I thought they *must* be rubbish; I don't have any formal knowledge of how to write poetry and they just felt like inane ramblings, so I didn't show anybody.

    Anyways, showed them to my girlfriend (who's incredibly intelligent & a literary student) and she seemed seriously impressed with them... so I bit the bullet today and submitted them to the Irish Times. Not sure what I want to happen, but I guess its an experience in itself :)


  • #973
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »
    So over the last 10-11 years, I've written a handful of poems on a VERY irregular basis. Years could pass without writing anything, and they'd usually be the result of a very upsetting time in life.

    I've always kept them hidden as I thought they *must* be rubbish; I don't have any formal knowledge of how to write poetry and they just felt like inane ramblings, so I didn't show anybody.

    Anyways, showed them to my girlfriend (who's incredibly intelligent & a literary student) and she seemed seriously impressed with them... so I bit the bullet today and submitted them to the Irish Times. Not sure what I want to happen, but I guess its an experience in itself :)

    Class!

    Check out the sticky at the top of the forum for other places you could consider submitting to.


    @expatinator what on earth do you need such a word count for in April?!


  • #974
    Jimmy Bottlehead
    Registered Users Posts: 10,118 ✭✭✭✭Jimmy Bottlehead


    Das Kitty wrote: »
    Class!

    Check out the sticky at the top of the forum for other places you could consider submitting to.

    Cheers!

    Am I right in thinking one can only submit to one publication at a time with the same poems?


  • #975
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »
    Cheers!

    Am I right in thinking one can only submit to one publication at a time with the same poems?

    It depends, some allow simultaneous submissions, but whoever says yes first gets them and even if the New Yorker comes back to you after that you have to say no. :D


  • #976
    expatinator
    Registered Users Posts: 58 ✭✭expatinator


    @expatinator what on earth do you need such a word count for in April?!

    Ghostwriting :)

    Eh, I've wrote 1600 so far. Strangely, I think I can do it. The money incentive is really a strong incentive.


  • #977
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    If anyone is going to be in Listowel next month, I'd love if you could come along to the winners' readings on Thursday morning and lovingly jeer me.

    Still waiting for someone to pop out from behind a potted plant and yell, "Ha ha, JOKE!" :o


  • #978
    Lyaiera
    Registered Users Posts: 5,818 ✭✭✭Lyaiera


    I started writing a novel on Sunday night. A sci-fi book. I've never written a book before, in fact I haven't even written a short story. The first 2,500 words were easy. They just flowed onto the page. Yesterday I wrote 500, but I spent yesterday concentrating on poetry mostly. Sitting down to write today was difficult. Whereas I was full of potential and eager Sunday night, with 2,500 words appearing in just under three hours that felt like a single hour, I'm now daunted by writing the next 70,000 or so words. That's a whole lot of words.


  • #979
    echo beach
    Registered Users Posts: 1,252 ✭✭✭echo beach


    Das Kitty wrote: »
    If anyone is going to be in Listowel next month, I'd love if you could come along to the winners' readings on Thursday morning and lovingly jeer me.

    Well done. Sorry I can't be there. What did you win? Is it being published?


  • #980
    Rubecula
    Registered Users Posts: 8,551 ✭✭✭Rubecula


    Das Kitty wrote: »
    If anyone is going to be in Listowel next month, I'd love if you could come along to the winners' readings on Thursday morning and lovingly jeer me.

    Still waiting for someone to pop out from behind a potted plant and yell, "Ha ha, JOKE!" :o

    Well done DK obviously I won't be there as I am not in the area. but well done my friend.


  • #981
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    echo beach wrote: »
    Well done. Sorry I can't be there. What did you win? Is it being published?

    Thanks :)

    I won the Listowel Originals Short Story prize.

    I got totally over excited when they rang to tell me and ended up making a hames of a job interview I had that afternoon. :pac:

    It'll be in their anthology, but I'll probably stick it on my dusty blog a while after that.


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  • #982
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    Lyaiera wrote: »
    I started writing a novel on Sunday night. A sci-fi book. I've never written a book before, in fact I haven't even written a short story. The first 2,500 words were easy. They just flowed onto the page. Yesterday I wrote 500, but I spent yesterday concentrating on poetry mostly. Sitting down to write today was difficult. Whereas I was full of potential and eager Sunday night, with 2,500 words appearing in just under three hours that felt like a single hour, I'm now daunted by writing the next 70,000 or so words. That's a whole lot of words.

    Go go go!

    Don't look back. Don't edit. Get to the end.


  • #983
    expatinator
    Registered Users Posts: 58 ✭✭expatinator


    One step at a time :) Think of the story as parts and focus on each piece you have to create.

    Also, write every day. I'm lazy and, after a few days, I get sick of thinking about writing. Also, I tend to worry that everything I will write is rubbish.


  • #984
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    expatinator wrote: »
    I get sick of thinking about writing.

    That never happens to me. In fact it's too much the other way. My head is always full of imaginary people.
    Also, I tend to worry that everything I will write is rubbish.

    This, however, does happen to me.


  • #985
    donalh087
    Registered Users Posts: 607 ✭✭✭donalh087


    Lyaiera wrote: »
    I'm now daunted by writing the next 70,000 or so words. That's a whole lot of words.

    At your pace 70,000 words is only 28 days. You could be finished a first draft by the end of May, doing it every Sunday you could be finished by the end of October :-)


  • #986
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    Would anyone be interested in a VOAT?


  • #987
    Fuzzytrooper
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 896 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fuzzytrooper


    I might be persuaded.


  • #988
    echo beach
    Registered Users Posts: 1,252 ✭✭✭echo beach


    Twist my arm.


  • #989
    The Pooka
    Registered Users Posts: 112 ✭✭The Pooka


    Yep :)


  • #990
    Lyaiera
    Registered Users Posts: 5,818 ✭✭✭Lyaiera


    What's a VOAT?


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  • #991
    Fuzzytrooper
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 896 Mod ✭✭✭✭Fuzzytrooper


    Lyaiera wrote: »
    What's a VOAT?

    It's like a moat but different...


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