The good morning, good night thread

[earthspot]

@Geoff - you've just presented me with the missing tessera in the mosaic of a short story I've been gestating till it's gone bad... "The Storm-Forests of Alqazzar" (or whatever random name you want).

A storm-forest (...you don't want to be anywhere near it at seed-dispersal time) has just gotta have wolves! So obvious in hindsight.

Do I need to elaborate on the proclivities of the said wolves? Sure, you're welcome to pinch the idea - if you get to write the story first.

[Geoff_N]

You probably DO need to explore the proclivities of your wolves, and the story's all yours

[earthspot]

Just trying to help... 

[Geoff_N]

I've finished the story and enjoyed being on Mars so much I didn't want to leave!

[delboy]

I've been reading text books and a few bios this year - not much fiction at all. I realise now that this is a mistake and it's a massive contributing factor to my not writing much. Just started reading a novel and yeah... inspiration.

That's all.

[elay2433]

Good to see you back Delboy.

I hit on a good novel a month back (after reading a lot of drab ones). Defending Jacob by William Landay was pretty good. Didn't exactly grab me from the start, but as I neared the end I found I didn't want to put it down. It was Landay's latest (and most acclaimed) novel, but I found his earlier works to be even better. He's only written three, but all three were novel's I didn't want to stop reading. I was actually bummed when they were over. I know everyone's tastes are different, but give them a shot if you get stuck for something to read.

Doom Flash is going through a revival of sorts. Good way to shake the rust off.

-Jerry

[Ed]

Yep, I'm coming up to another book reading week -- we're off to Egypt again for Christmas, so I'll probably get through a couple of novels. Reading them, not writing, of course.

Batshit crazy time of year is here again at the moment at work. The deadline is looming, we're down three men with too much to do, too little time, problems here there and everywhere. It could drive me insane if I let it

A customer just rang me then -- it's 10:30 on a Saturday morning, FFS. Office hours are supposed to be 8am to 5pm Monday to Friday

[Ed]

I've been reading text books and a few bios this year - not much fiction at all. I realise now that this is a mistake and it's a massive contributing factor to my not writing much. Just started reading a novel and yeah... inspiration.

That's all.

Any bios to recommend, Del? I like a good bio

[marc_chagall]

Earlyworks Press are giving a fiver a day to the best Christmas-related piece of writing in under 60 words posted to their facebook page every day until Christmas. Not many people are entering this at the moment, so your chances of winning are very high. Go for it!

[Ed]

Thanks for the heads-up Delph

BTW, how's it going for you at Bootcamp? Are you finding it useful?

[marc_chagall]

'Useful' is an understatement, Ed. My writing has improved immeasurably and I'm getting better hits than I used to - ie getting paid for stuff rather than simply basking in unpaid glory. It's also helped hugely with the editing work I do for other people.

Of course AK is driving me up the wall, but it's worth it.  He's not around much at the moment due to personal issues, but there's still a hardcore of us on there who are critting each other's stuff and discussing other stories, learning tons in the process. The standards are excruciatingly high, so one has to be prepared to 'fail' all the time, but that sort of regime suits me perfectly. Makes me work so much harder than if I were getting praise.

Definitely horses for courses, and I fully understand why many (most) people try it out for a bit and then leave spitting bile and venom and swearing never to have anything to do with AK ever again.   

[Ed]

I'm glad you're getting something out of it. I think most people do, as long as they keep an open mind and don't get hurt by criticism. AK is one vile character, though. He hides it most of the time, but when you see a glimpse of the real person it's kinda eye-watering.

Personally, I just don't 'get' literary fiction. It's too subtle for me. My failing completely, so it was the wrong place for me to begin with. I still learned a bit, though. You should get a lot more out of it, but be careful. AK =

[marc_chagall]

Lit fic is very much my thing, which is why I'm so at home there. It's a type of writing that will never make me rich, but I'm not writing to make my fortune. As for AK himself, he's always been absolutely honest with me, both on the forum, by email, and on the phone, and I appreciate that. I like his bluntness. He really can't stand my writing, but has told me exactly why, and that's enabled me to do something about it. I appreciate his candour.

I've read all his books and huge numbers of his stories and rate them extremely highly. He is simply the best writer and teacher I know. That being the case, I'm prepared to take any amount of tough critique from him, because he REALLY knows what he's talking about. Nobody else comes close, as far as I'm concerned.

But yeah, he can be a total shit at times 

 

[Ed]

Hang onto your identity and go for it

[marc_chagall]

Yep, absolutely