Russ
Istar
I can get by in German well enough to enjoy a film in it, if they are speaking it properly. I will have to give that film a look. Thanks.
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Random thoughts
- Thread starter SeverinR
- Start date
I can get by in German well enough to enjoy a film in it, if they are speaking it properly. I will have to give that film a look. Thanks.
thedarknessrising
Sage
Drinking some Coke out of my favorite leather tankard, so I raise a toast to my favorite community on the internet. To my fellow writers on Mythic Scribes!
Addison
Auror
Yow, bad Padre. Italian movies are easy to understand because Italians are very good with body language and gestures. I nearly flunked out of Senior Spanish because the new teacher spoke spanish at the spanish speed. As you may know the language-by natives-is spoken at sixty miles an hour.
Speaking of which, as a random thought, I had a weird dream. Not sure how it started (that part's blurry, all I remember is being trapped on an inflatable raft with a jerk who's trying to push me into carnivorous waters. Then I'm with a hot friend running form some monster, we hop into the family station wagon and somehow hit eighty miles an hour and suddenly we're in a Back to the Future sequel. With an ordinary station wagon and we're trying to avoid our past selves without screwing anything up and avoiding the weird-possibly psychotic-family member after both versions of us. As most of us know most horror movies take place in secluded places or in times when help can not reach the victims (blizzard, tsunami, cave in etc), this one was in pubic places with people, who acted like we weren't there. If dreams are the brain's way of telling us stuff then mine is telling me society is no help, and I don't know why it would say that.
Speaking of which, as a random thought, I had a weird dream. Not sure how it started (that part's blurry, all I remember is being trapped on an inflatable raft with a jerk who's trying to push me into carnivorous waters. Then I'm with a hot friend running form some monster, we hop into the family station wagon and somehow hit eighty miles an hour and suddenly we're in a Back to the Future sequel. With an ordinary station wagon and we're trying to avoid our past selves without screwing anything up and avoiding the weird-possibly psychotic-family member after both versions of us. As most of us know most horror movies take place in secluded places or in times when help can not reach the victims (blizzard, tsunami, cave in etc), this one was in pubic places with people, who acted like we weren't there. If dreams are the brain's way of telling us stuff then mine is telling me society is no help, and I don't know why it would say that.
Arrrrghhh!!!!
I sent the second draft of my story out to a new beta reader last night. Today, they contacted me to point out that I'd put a chapter in twice - and then a few hours later they told me they'd done it again.
Highly embarrassing.
On a more positive note it means they read almost the entire story already. I hope that's a good sign.
I sent the second draft of my story out to a new beta reader last night. Today, they contacted me to point out that I'd put a chapter in twice - and then a few hours later they told me they'd done it again.
Highly embarrassing.
On a more positive note it means they read almost the entire story already. I hope that's a good sign.
MineOwnKing
Maester
Nothing quite like an icy cold day of fly fishing the Salmon run.
It definitely wiped some stress out of my mind this morning.
The trees are very beautiful this year.
It definitely wiped some stress out of my mind this morning.
The trees are very beautiful this year.
WaffleSingSong
Dreamer
The Dragonborn from Skyrim is an otherkin. I mean really, his name in Dragon is "Dovahkiin!"
Why do people hate it when they get corrected on something? I mean, should they kinda be saying "Oh yes, thank you! thank you for letting me have the opportunity to be less of a dumbass!" I mean, I do...
Why do people hate it when they get corrected on something? I mean, should they kinda be saying "Oh yes, thank you! thank you for letting me have the opportunity to be less of a dumbass!" I mean, I do...
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Addison
Auror
I'm actually dying a slow death waiting for such a comment from a guy I sent my manuscript to. Yes he's busy, a rancher/technical writer/editor, he said he'd get it back to me-finished, by the end of the month. If he could just send a few messages saying anything-ANYTHING- I'd love it. Even if it was "What's the deal with this character? Why would you make such a flat, terrible character the main character?" I'd be happy!
Addison
Auror
I've come to an understanding about a certain type of author. The type that wishes to write stories for the sole purpose of making money. I've found that either A: They do NOT make money or B: they make money but not in the bestselling, movie rights way they desired.
The best example is an "I Love Lucy" episode in season three titled "Lucy Writes a Novel". Lucy didn't start her day with a great idea that she just had to get on paper before she forgot like so many. She started her day reading the paper and saw an article about a house wife who wrote a book and got ten thousand dollars. In today's world I'm guessing it would be a lot bigger.
Anyway she's typing away at the typewriter when her friend Ethel comes in and does a double take when Lucy tells her what she's doing. Lucy shows her the article, Ethel reads and says "So what?"
Lucy, "Well I'm a housewife."
Ethel, "It takes more than that to be an author. What are you going to write about?"
Lucy, "I'm writing about things I know."
Ethel, "That won't be a novel, it'll be a short story."
To which Lucy replied with a quote to which authors are- or should be-treated nicely. Lucy, "One more remake like that and I'll kill you off in chapter one."
Well the episode went on, Ethel, her husband Fred and Lucy's husband Ricky searched the apartment for Lucy's novel wanting to read it as they're a little curious and anxious as how they're portrayed. And rightly so, as they burned the novel. But Lucy, being surprisingly smart, made copies and hid them in places they didn't think of looking. (Taped to the underside of the arm chair, behind a picture, to the bottom of the desk mat thingy). She, and the rest, were surprised when it got a royalty check from a publisher. Oly the hammer came down when the publisher came over himself to tell her they'd made a mistake and they did NOT want to publish.
It gets better.
The next day she got a call from the publisher that he has a colleague who wants to use her novel in a book. She and her friends ran to the cellar and went through the bins to find all the pieces of her shredded story and put them together. After spending all night typing a clean copy she called the publisher's friend to make sure it wasn't too late. He said no and asked anxiously if the publisher had told her how her book would be used. He said it was for a text book for how to write a novel, and her story-pieces anyway-would be used in the chapter entitled "Don't Let This Happen to You".
Ouch.
So yes, Lucy-if she agreed to that-got some money for her words but not in the glamorous, respectful way she'd imagined. Show of posts, who here is writing for the purpose of making money? I'm hoping to not see any. J.K Rowling, George Martin, Stephen King, Judy Blume, none of the greats, inspirational authors wrote to make money. They wrote because they loved writing and they had a story in them that they wanted to share with as many people as possible. Those stories pay off, with the royalty and other $$ being a bonus. That's why I'm writing, and I'm not about to stop until my stories are out there in the hands of more than my Taki loving brother and his pals.
The best example is an "I Love Lucy" episode in season three titled "Lucy Writes a Novel". Lucy didn't start her day with a great idea that she just had to get on paper before she forgot like so many. She started her day reading the paper and saw an article about a house wife who wrote a book and got ten thousand dollars. In today's world I'm guessing it would be a lot bigger.
Anyway she's typing away at the typewriter when her friend Ethel comes in and does a double take when Lucy tells her what she's doing. Lucy shows her the article, Ethel reads and says "So what?"
Lucy, "Well I'm a housewife."
Ethel, "It takes more than that to be an author. What are you going to write about?"
Lucy, "I'm writing about things I know."
Ethel, "That won't be a novel, it'll be a short story."
To which Lucy replied with a quote to which authors are- or should be-treated nicely. Lucy, "One more remake like that and I'll kill you off in chapter one."
Well the episode went on, Ethel, her husband Fred and Lucy's husband Ricky searched the apartment for Lucy's novel wanting to read it as they're a little curious and anxious as how they're portrayed. And rightly so, as they burned the novel. But Lucy, being surprisingly smart, made copies and hid them in places they didn't think of looking. (Taped to the underside of the arm chair, behind a picture, to the bottom of the desk mat thingy). She, and the rest, were surprised when it got a royalty check from a publisher. Oly the hammer came down when the publisher came over himself to tell her they'd made a mistake and they did NOT want to publish.
It gets better.
The next day she got a call from the publisher that he has a colleague who wants to use her novel in a book. She and her friends ran to the cellar and went through the bins to find all the pieces of her shredded story and put them together. After spending all night typing a clean copy she called the publisher's friend to make sure it wasn't too late. He said no and asked anxiously if the publisher had told her how her book would be used. He said it was for a text book for how to write a novel, and her story-pieces anyway-would be used in the chapter entitled "Don't Let This Happen to You".
Ouch.
So yes, Lucy-if she agreed to that-got some money for her words but not in the glamorous, respectful way she'd imagined. Show of posts, who here is writing for the purpose of making money? I'm hoping to not see any. J.K Rowling, George Martin, Stephen King, Judy Blume, none of the greats, inspirational authors wrote to make money. They wrote because they loved writing and they had a story in them that they wanted to share with as many people as possible. Those stories pay off, with the royalty and other $$ being a bonus. That's why I'm writing, and I'm not about to stop until my stories are out there in the hands of more than my Taki loving brother and his pals.
thedarknessrising
Sage
Last night at work, a friend of mine inspired me to write a book in the vein of Tolkien's The Silmarillion. I am both very excited and very nervous to start this project
Tom
Istar
Ooooooo, I've heard good things about Ragnarok. I'll have to check it out, as well as Krabat. That one looks interesting.
I generally don't watch foreign films unless they're dubbed. However, I know enough German to watch German-language films without subtitles. I don't do it a whole lot because I don't find the experience as enjoyable as I would if the film were in English. When you watch a film in your second language, you miss a lot of nuance and depth of meaning that a native speaker would grasp immediately.
Addison
Auror
I've been toying with the idea of putting something on my portfolio. I just don't know what. Seriously, I've peeked at some portfolios and I can't really see the difference/big deal. No offense, I've seen great things but I've seen art when there's a forum for fantasy art and cover art. I've seen pieces of long stories, short stories and a few poems when we have a showcase.
I guess I'm not really seeing the difference between what's shared in a portfolio and what's shared in the forums. So if someone can point me in the direction of what goes where, I can get started.
I guess I'm not really seeing the difference between what's shared in a portfolio and what's shared in the forums. So if someone can point me in the direction of what goes where, I can get started.
It says pieces meant to be in their final form and as such i should remove mine. I need to improve it. I like the idea of portfolios but i don't know how much people are looking at them. If you feel in a giving nature you can review mine [emoji16]
Sent from my LGMS345 using Tapatalk
- Thread starter
- #773
SeverinR
Vala
If you watch a movie in a foreign language, that you don't understand, you will pay more attention to the expressions and gestures of the actors. You will be surprised about how much you understand.
A friend took me to a "dinner theater(?)" in a small town in Germany. It was a comedy. I didn't understand many words they spoke but I did laugh a lot. I also figured out a lot of what they were expressing.
FifthView
Vala
Totally irrational oddity about me, resulting (I think) from the existence of Netflix and Amazon Prime:
Sometimes I'm so in to television series, that although I marathon-watch them, I sometimes stop just before the last episode or last few episodes of a series because I don't want them to be over. I don't want to come to that point where I know, That was all; there will be no more.
This happened with The Sopranos. I've never seen the last episode. This also happened with Breaking Bad, but I stopped several episodes before the last episode. There are other series.
This also somewhat affects my reading. Robin Hobb's latest in the Fitz and the Fool Trilogy, Fool's Quest, I had on preorder and downloaded to my Kindle in August. But didn't start it, didn't start it....Because I knew that once I started reading it, it'd soon be over and I'd have to wait, wait, wait for the next in the series. But I started reading it Sunday and am loving it. Unlike with television series, I can't see myself not finishing a series of books (unless I grow bored with them, of course), but there's still that dread of finishing them forever.
Sometimes I'm so in to television series, that although I marathon-watch them, I sometimes stop just before the last episode or last few episodes of a series because I don't want them to be over. I don't want to come to that point where I know, That was all; there will be no more.
This happened with The Sopranos. I've never seen the last episode. This also happened with Breaking Bad, but I stopped several episodes before the last episode. There are other series.
This also somewhat affects my reading. Robin Hobb's latest in the Fitz and the Fool Trilogy, Fool's Quest, I had on preorder and downloaded to my Kindle in August. But didn't start it, didn't start it....Because I knew that once I started reading it, it'd soon be over and I'd have to wait, wait, wait for the next in the series. But I started reading it Sunday and am loving it. Unlike with television series, I can't see myself not finishing a series of books (unless I grow bored with them, of course), but there's still that dread of finishing them forever.
- Thread starter
- #775
SeverinR
Vala
Don't be sad for those dancing to their own music, be sad for those that don't hear the music, for they have nothing to dance for.
Incanus
Auror
I've been reading The Grapes of Wrath, and made an interesing observation. For decades I've heard Steinbeck's prose described as lean, tough, unadorned, and light on adjectives and adverbs.
I just now counted FOURTEEN adverbs on a single page of this book. And I've also noticed he uses adverbs in dialogue tags not infrequently. Makes me wonder how he got this reputation.
It seems to me like adverbs and adjectives are looked down on way too much, the advice to avoid them over-emphasized. I don't think I'll be giving this kind of advice much weight in the future. They are perfectly useful types of words and have their place.
I just now counted FOURTEEN adverbs on a single page of this book. And I've also noticed he uses adverbs in dialogue tags not infrequently. Makes me wonder how he got this reputation.
It seems to me like adverbs and adjectives are looked down on way too much, the advice to avoid them over-emphasized. I don't think I'll be giving this kind of advice much weight in the future. They are perfectly useful types of words and have their place.
MineOwnKing
Maester
Adverbs are a great way to spice up an otherwise boring sentence.
The problem is that they are habit forming.
I have been trying to limit my use of them because although they can make a paragraph sound more melodic, in retrospect, they are more likely to drown out a developing style.
Moderation.
Incanus
Auror
Absolutely moderation. Moderation in all things, except moderation itself.
I just thought it was something of an eye-opener to realize I use less adverbs than Steinbeck, one of the kings of lean prose. Basically, I'll be ignoring comments about adjectives and adverbs from now on. They will neither make nor break any story of mine. And they are hardly drowning out Steinbeck's style.
I just thought it was something of an eye-opener to realize I use less adverbs than Steinbeck, one of the kings of lean prose. Basically, I'll be ignoring comments about adjectives and adverbs from now on. They will neither make nor break any story of mine. And they are hardly drowning out Steinbeck's style.
MineOwnKing
Maester
I'm not a fan of lean prose, Salinger and Hemingway started a trend that became popular with the baby boomers because purple prose was not in tune with the 20th century literary vibe.
I think it will take a few more generations after we are all dead to understand if it is a short term trend or part of a neverending evolution of literature.
I think Chapter 132 of Moby Dick, The Symphony is the greatest sample piece of literature I've ever read and it is in no way lean prose.
Sometimes too much of a good thing is never enough.
Incanus
Auror
Totally with you. Don't like Salinger, and I really don't like Hemingway. Gaiman seems to be the same way. Plain, boring prose doesn't engage me at all. I love Melville, and Steinbeck (who's not so lean after all--Grapes of Wrath is riddled with adverbs AND contains some beautiful prose).
Thus, I relegate the 'adverb-nazis' to their rightful place. I will heed them no longer. Advice that does not map onto reality very well won't be hard for me to dismiss.
Thus, I relegate the 'adverb-nazis' to their rightful place. I will heed them no longer. Advice that does not map onto reality very well won't be hard for me to dismiss.
