Anymore, "made from scratch" doesn't actually mean that it's made from scratch. You can buy flour, eggs, apples, beans, etc., from the store and look in a store-bought cookbook for a recipe you didn't have to spend a second comprehending save for your taste and the ingredients needed. "Made from scratch" ends up meaning that something is made to suit your wishes while letting you have a spark of creativity and pride because you've accomplished following directions. I have no clue why I just said what I did. It was inspired by the offhand Title I put on this post. Sadly, it's true, though. It does make me think, though, that no matter what, something that you do is going to be unoriginal. No matter how original you think you are. I'd love to shred my initial paragraph to pieces and deny it until I draw my last breath... but I wont. My introduction is of a girl named Crystal: She is a little too outspoken. Sometimes she'll realize when to "shut it," but expecting her to see appropriate times to do it... well, that's silly. Sometimes she's repetitive. Sometimes she's downright obnoxious. And a bad first impression of her would be remedied if you only talked to her a little bit more. She's very nice and does mean well. She listens to what you have to say but misinterprets it every now-and-then, so explanations of her wrongdoings are kindly accepted (and encouraged). Etc., etc., etc.... Hehe Hello world. *shouts Crystal to the open air* Now I'm left to wonder if there's someone not turned-off by my odd introductory speech. (Oh, and please excuse my use of words. I don't like to use present-day affiliations, so I ignore them quite often. Sometimes you have to look differently at what I say.) -- Crystal
Beinvenue like the title says. welcome. I'm Hambone, the unofficial spelling Nazi. I was not at all turned-off by your opening paragraph. be prepared for Cogito's warning on how you shouldn't post your work first. but honestly, enjoy these forums. If you need a review, PM me.
Thank you for the welcome as well as the heads-up and offer to review my work. Really, what I say is who I am. I spout random thoughts more-so than refined work. If someone wants to know me then they must know my thought process. I don't care for the feeling of officially meeting or being introduced upon generalities. I would rather catch someone off-guard and have a nice chat about something completely unrelated to the general set of questions one might ask initially. It would not only break the ice, but it would give a better feeling of knowing one another. Again, thank you.
I do not seek to know people. I only seek to learn what I can from shared experiences. what do you like to chat about? Pencil trimmings? The scent of used currency? Inkblot tests? You remind me of a friend of mine, in the way that you like to be different, which is an essential trait for writers....that or a touch of insanity....
Wherever I go, I seek to learn. Here on the forum I am trying to learn about writing. But that include analyzing writers. I'm wondering why people word things the way they do and how speech ends up dramatically changing over a period of time, who changes it, where else words could be used, their deep roots and the best ways to use them, etc., etc.. Psychology is mixed with writing as well, and to get to the root of that, one must seek to know other writers, true? I do like making friends and acquaintances and I like talking to them, but it's easier to ask someone about something specific when it doesn't seem like business. Before I posed this thread, I looked over the site. I'm not trying to be show-offy. But I do agree that I'm a bit insane. We all are.
lord. I could debate language for days. and as for the psychological aspect of writing, yes, that is true, but may not be as nessicary as you seem to think. Did Emily Dickenson not live in almost total seclusion and still write some of the most beautful poetry ever penned? I think that writing requires an understaning of self, the ability to observe both objectively and subjectively, an eye for detail, and the ability to turn suffering into art. but that would just be my opinion.
I agree with your opinion and I know that what I'm looking for is unnecessary. But I want to understand words so that I can stop massacring them. I want to feel the texture of them on my tongue before I decide whether they properly piece together what I feel. I've gone through life thinking that I just had to be artistic, and I have been, and I think it's okay to just be so. But I'm looking for more. The way peoples' brains work is intriguing. I want to know... why. About everything. I guess I'm just curious like that.
Hello Crystal, Welcome to the Writing Forums. I do hope you aren't also known as Sylar... Anyway, as Hambone warned, here's my Grand Tour speech: Posting your own work should not be among the very first things you do here. It is worth taking the time to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog. If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Word Games, or the Review Room, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the forum rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Review Room, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize reviewing as a critical writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. The Review Room forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Review Room forum). See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
I thank both of you for the welcome, and thank you, Cogito, for the information. I'm not anyone other than myself. I am only 16 (almost 17) and sometimes I speak -- and act -- like it, but I'm much more mature than a lot of the teens I know. I hope that I don't embarrass myself too often. This is the first forum I've joined (which also means that I'm unfamiliar with conduct). I can't emphasize enough how much I'd appreciate advice. *lingering smile*
Velkommen - Just trying to get a sense of the kind of books you read, the stories you write (or want to write once we finish inspiring you with our brilliance ). Please advise.
I'm already inspired by some of the stuff I've read on the site. :] On the subject of books, I'm open to anything. I'm currently reading "Idylls of the King" by Tennyson and a biography called "Walking with Wolf" of a family friend, Wolf Guindon. When i was younger, I bought a lot of Sarah Dessen books, the Harry Potter series and other teen books. I'm not so keen on fantasy but if a book from that genre is recommended, I'll give it a chance if I have time. I don't like choosing favorites, but so far authors that I like are: Marion Zimmer Bradley, Jane Austin, C.S. Lewis, Dan Brown, Bernard Cornwell, John Grisham, etc.. I know that they're all big names, but I can't think of much more right now. For my schooling, my next book is Siddhartha. (I'm homeschooled and get to choose my book list.) What about you?
I read a lot of realistic fiction. Just recently finished As Simple As Snow by Galloway. It reads a lot like Paper Towns by John Green (although Looking for Alaska is his best book). I highly recommend both books. Also, if you haven't read it yet, I recommend Till We Have Faces by CS Lewis. I also love Melina Marchetta (fantastic Aussie writer), Sarah Dessen, John Grisham, Jodi Picoult, Stephen King, Orson Scott, Michael Connelly, Charles Frazier, Kevin Brooks, MM Kaye, Jane Austen, Kazuo Ishiguro, CS Lewis, and more). I just recently got a book called Old School by Tobias Wolff that looks awesome, but I need to finish The Book Thief, Breakfast of Champions, and a bunch of others first. I always borrow from the library more books than is humanly possible to read in 28 days.
I've heard of several of those. Thanks! I'll be sure to look at some. I see you have the same problem with getting too many books from the library. We only have three weeks at the library I go to. I used to get out around 4 or 5 at a time but finally decided that it was a bit much to try to read everything along with my schedule.
