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Recent content by Xaysai

  1. Xaysai

    Writing What You Enjoy...

    Hello, all! I just wanted to take a moment to share my recent experiences in the world of writing. As some of you know, I've spent the better part of the last six months on these forums whining, moaning, complaining and boo-hoo'ing about how hard it is to write, how hard it is to come up with...
  2. Xaysai

    A couple questions/comments/thoughts on Author Voice

    I've always struggled with where style ends and voice begins, which is something I put a great deal of thought into while stuck in the Cleveland airport a few weeks ago reading Railsea by China Mieville. Here is an excerpt from the beginning of chapter 1: Now, first, I think this excerpt...
  3. Xaysai

    Damnit, I'm Going to Write Today...

    Ok, so I wrote and published 527 words on my gaming blog, and wrote 664 words for my fiction blog. The problem is that my 664 fiction words are still terrible, so I still need to flesh the story out and then spend at least another day or two obsessing over every word.
  4. Xaysai

    Damnit, I'm Going to Write Today...

    The Mythic Scribes: bringing the tough love!
  5. Xaysai

    Damnit, I'm Going to Write Today...

    I haven't written anything in about a month. I'm sorry to impose upon you, but I need you guys to hold me responsible for writing today. If I don't have something in the Showcase by tonight, there will be hell to pay! You'll make sure of it! Thanks, Dan
  6. Xaysai

    Bad Writing Advice

    Worst writing advice I ever got: "Dan, you should definitely be a writer."
  7. Xaysai

    Speech tags--why the hate?

    I know I'm a rookie, but I find that replacing speech tags with action or beat tags where possible makes for a more compelling story. Also, it may just be I'm just more aware of it now, but when I read and see too may speech tags, it's distracting. I just read "Railsea" in 2 days (traveling...
  8. Xaysai

    Most Anticipated Novels of 2013

    White Trash Zombie Apocalypse will be an instant classic.
  9. Xaysai

    Quote in paragraph question.

    Xayai's eyes widened as he read the original post, and then he shrieked in horror. "Oh dear, someone bury this post before BWFoster78 sees it or we are all going to get grounded for a week." He quickly closed the thread. "I wasn't here. You didn't see me. Got it?"
  10. Xaysai

    Story vs. Writing

    So let's say that instead of using a pass/fail system of writing or storytelling to determine why people enjoy a book, we say they exist on a spectrum of quality: Poor Writing ----------a---------Technical Proficiency---------b----------- Poor Storytelling Books that land between "Poor...
  11. Xaysai

    Story vs. Writing

    I think "empirically false" is a little heavy handed, especially when whether or not writing is good or not is, to some extent, is a matter of opinion. There are many popular books out there for which I have little respect for the writing, but that's not to say the writing is terrible. So...
  12. Xaysai

    Story vs. Writing

    I think it has to be writing every time. I feel like writing is the tool we use to build a story, and if you don't have the proper tools, you can't build it. It would be like trying to build a house with a toolbox of full of kitchen utensils, or trying to cook a four course meal with hammers...
  13. Xaysai

    The Value of Writing Shorter Chapters

    Chapter length is a weird thing for me and my like or dislike of length is completely based on the author's writing style, and more specifically to the POV I am following. For instance, I love Patrick Rothfuss, and I would happily read a book written by him that is one massive 400 page chapter...
  14. Xaysai

    Terry W. Ervin II interviews Antonio del Drago

    I loved the Black Company. Also loved the Demon Cycle.
  15. Xaysai

    Blogging Question...

    But I think the difference between you and I, is that you have enough of a handle on the subject of writing to compose some terrific "how-to" blogs, which helps establish you as an authority and allows you to build a following of people who want to learn. BTW, I appreciate you all taking the...
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