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Writers' Bloc - Creative Writing Off Topic Thread

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    #812
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    Dave! wrote: »
    New online text editor which allows others to leave notes on your writing

    http://techcrunch.com/2014/06/18/poetica-is-a-clever-text-editor-that-lets-you-phone-a-friend/

    Looks kinda cool :) Dunno if I'd use it though.

    Incidentally what software/website/tools do you guys use for your writing? Presumably pen and paper features for some of you :) It does for me too initially. But when I'm "digitising" it, I use Google Docs. Works quite well for me!

    Others suggested include:
    http://www.ommwriter.com/
    http://www.iawriter.com/mac/
    http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/writeroom

    I have my novel in Scrivener, I find it excellent for keeping my head around plot, characters and timelines. It also has a distraction free mode, but I've never really needed it.

    Word docs for short stories, notebooks and postits and paper scraps for jotting down ideas or rough drafting if I get a free half hour at work.

    I use my phone's notes feature to note down some of the gold my four year old comes out with to use as prompts later.


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    #813
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    I got a very kindly worded rejection from Penny Dreadful this evening.


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    #814
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,309 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    Aw :(


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    #815
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    bluewolf wrote: »
    Aw :(

    I'm actually grateful for rejections. If I'm going to continue with my writing I have to be at home with rejection, and persevere. Gets easier each time. :o


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    #816
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    Presume my rejection is due any day now so :pac:


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    #817
    GalwayGuy2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,269 ✭✭✭GalwayGuy2


    Scrivener sounds awesome.

    But, you know, money :P


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    #818
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    GalwayGuy2 wrote: »
    Scrivener sounds awesome.

    But, you know, money :P

    My husband bought it for me as a Christmas present. I'd still be dawdling now over whether to buy it or not if he hadn't. :)


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    #819
    GalwayGuy2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,269 ✭✭✭GalwayGuy2


    Give that man a piece of chocolate!

    On another note, I'm starting to think I have an unfair advantage in the writer's arena. I've already come up with a them, and I'm already creating the story.

    Will I put it up a little early and we can submit sometime tomorrow evening/night?


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    #820
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    GalwayGuy2 wrote: »
    Give that man a piece of chocolate!

    On another note, I'm starting to think I have an unfair advantage in the writer's arena. I've already come up with a them, and I'm already creating the story.

    Will I put it up a little early and we can submit sometime tomorrow evening/night?

    That's the nature of the beast in a winner stays on game. :)

    Yeah, sure whatever time suits. I'll get something done regardless of how crap it is.


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    #821
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,309 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    yay more stories o/
    I must get back into it at some point


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    #822
    GalwayGuy2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,269 ✭✭✭GalwayGuy2


    Das Kitty wrote: »
    That's the nature of the beast in a winner stays on game. :)

    Yeah, sure whatever time suits. I'll get something done regardless of how crap it is.

    Fair enough. I'll put it up tonight :P


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    #823
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    Dave! wrote: »
    Presume my rejection is due any day now so :pac:

    Right on cue!


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    #824
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    Dave! wrote: »
    Right on cue!

    Next issue. :)


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    #825
    echo beach
    Registered Users Posts: 1,252 ✭✭✭echo beach


    Das Kitty wrote: »
    I'm actually grateful for rejections. If I'm going to continue with my writing I have to be at home with rejection, and persevere. Gets easier each time. :o

    You have a great attitude. I wish I could copy it.
    At least a rejection proves you tried and submitted something which puts you far ahead of the field of procrastinators.


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    #826
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,309 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    echo beach wrote: »
    You have a great attitude. I wish I could copy it.
    At least a rejection proves you tried and submitted something which puts you far ahead of the field of procrastinators.

    >>


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    #827
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    Anyone read Rob Doyle's novel "Here are the Young Men"? It's getting rave reviews on Twitterbook, lots of buzz about it.

    Gonna pick up a copy soon; I'm nearly finished "Homage to Catalonia"


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    #828
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,309 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    Totally need to get in on this :p

    http://www.theguardian.com/music/shortcuts/2014/jun/22/one-direction-harry-styles-fan-erotic-fantasies-publishing-goldmine?CMP=fb_gu


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    #829
    GalwayGuy2
    Registered Users Posts: 2,269 ✭✭✭GalwayGuy2


    I wonder why fanfiction like that has caught on, but others haven't?


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    #830
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    Can ya get away with a story in which very little happens? I'm writing up a slightly amusing take on some pretty mundane stuff that happened to me today! Doesn't seem like that would be the kind of thing that would get published; shouldn't there be some sort of plot that goes somewhere, and characters, etc.? :D


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    #831
    Insect Overlord
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,865 Mod ✭✭✭✭Insect Overlord


    Dave! wrote: »
    Can ya get away with a story in which very little happens? I'm writing up a slightly amusing take on some pretty mundane stuff that happened to me today! Doesn't seem like that would be the kind of thing that would get published; shouldn't there be some sort of plot that goes somewhere, and characters, etc.? :D

    Did you ever study a story called "An Bhean Óg" for Leaving Cert Irish? It's about 800 words long, feck all happens, and critics have been praising it for decades! :D Write your story. :)


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    #832
    Das Kitty
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 17,231 Mod ✭✭✭✭Das Kitty


    Yeah, write it!

    You may find some thought to string the amusing bits onto as you're writing.

    The Crannóg launch was tonight. I was last up. Thankfully, wine. :)


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    #833
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    Nice one DK, hope it went well :)


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    #834
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    Finished that story – 1800-odd words. Decent bit of work for a Friday night!

    Had totally given up on the idea of writing stories, and was focussed purely on poetry, but stuff just started coming to me on the train today, and I had to keep taking the notepad out every 2 minutes to scribble something down—even after I got off the train, and was walking, I was writing stuff :D

    Dunno what I'll do with it. Will read it again and then leave it alone I guess, and see if I find it funny in a few weeks.


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    #835
    Insect Overlord
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,865 Mod ✭✭✭✭Insect Overlord


    Let us know if you need a second pair of eyes to critique it. :)

    I wrote 3 poems today. Most productive hour I've had in a long time!


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    #836
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,309 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    Jaysus it took me about 10 years to finish the last one


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    #837
    iguana
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 12,915 Mod ✭✭✭✭iguana


    I need a massive kick up the bum. In October 2012 I was most of the way through a very thorough edit of my novel that I had been working on for the previous year. I could probably have finished it in 2-3 weeks of serious work and polished it in another few weeks but I was 38 weeks pregnant and decided to chill, figuring that I could slowly work my way through it after my son was born. Since then I've done about an hour of work on it. Life has gotten in the way big time and I keep thinking I'll get around to it when things calm down but funnily enough, there is always some other crisis/major life event to be dealt with. I worked so very, very hard on it. I've never put that kind of effort into anything that hasn't demanded it and it would be stupid to let down that effort by not completing it. Yet I just can't seem to motivate myself to do that last bit of work to finish it off. I suspect it's because what would have taken a month or so pre-motherhood will likely take me closer to a year now and I find it hard to believe I'll manage that.

    I actually caught myself today seriously considering a completely different project today and while there is obviously merit in putting away a project that's stalled and starting something else to keep yourself motivated, that's not what I'd be doing. When it comes to my writing, I've never finished anything that I didn't actually have to. I guess through a mixture of laziness and fear of it being rejected if I did finish it. But I need to change that pattern and finish what I have so nearly completed, at least this once.


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    #838
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    Wow, I've never read Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" until today. I love it. The first few lines are very striking.

    I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by
    madness, starving hysterical naked,
    dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn
    looking for an angry fix

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVGoY9gom50


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    #839
    coffee_cake
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Politics Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 81,309 CMod ✭✭✭✭coffee_cake


    I've had this one in my brain lately
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_Not_Stand_at_My_Grave_and_Weep

    Do not stand at my grave and weep
    I am not there. I do not sleep.
    I am a thousand winds that blow.
    I am the diamond glints on snow.
    I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
    I am the gentle autumn rain.
    When you awaken in the morning’s hush
    I am the swift uplifting rush
    Of quiet birds in circled flight.
    I am the soft stars that shine at night.
    Do not stand at my grave and cry;
    I am not there. I did not die.


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    #840
    Dave!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 27,857 ✭✭✭✭Dave!


    oooh I like that one :)


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    #841
    writer_lady170
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,604 ✭✭✭writer_lady170


    howdy all,

    didn't know a place like this existed! I really enjoy writing and i'm writing a book and a blog in my spare time so think i'll like it here. so umm hi everyone:o


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