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Post by garyweston on Jan 10, 2020 2:50:16 GMT -8
Hi and happy new decade (maybe. some insist it doesn't start until next year.) Almost home from walking old staffy Sally this morning, (chat with a neighbour walking by. I had given them a paperback version of my first book and asked how she got on with it. 'Loved it. A sad ending, but a lovely book.' Made my day and of course pushes me to start the two writing projects for this year. An email from Chris had us both contemplating on combining painting with our writing for covers of new books. Chris is an accomplished artist with a unique style. I have painted a couple of my covers but for my next couple of books I'm more likely to use the uni's tec departments to sort out new covers so that could be fun. So that and some major painting projects to do, (not including painting my kitchen in that) and I'm a busy boy. Are YOU inspired and eager to create? Sharpen up your quills and go for it!
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Post by ChrisLAdams on Jan 10, 2020 7:30:19 GMT -8
Hi and happy new decade (maybe. some insist it doesn't start until next year.) Almost home from walking old staffy Sally this morning, (chat with a neighbor walking by. I had given them a paperback version of my first book and asked how she got on with it. 'Loved it. A sad ending, but a lovely book.' Made my day and of course pushes me to start the two writing projects for this year. An email from Chris had us both contemplating on combining painting with our writing for covers of new books. Chris is an accomplished artist with a unique style. I have painted a couple of my covers but for my next couple of books I'm more likely to use the uni's tec departments to sort out new covers so that could be fun. So that and some major painting projects to do, (not including painting my kitchen in that) and I'm a busy boy. Are YOU inspired and eager to create? Sharpen up your quills and go for it! Man it's great to get feedback like that, Gary. I bet that put a smile on your face! Hoping my next two will garner some thumbs up from the lovers of weird tales. I am stoked that a piece of my art is going to appear on a book cover for another author buddy and that simultaneously, I'm painting a cover to be used on one of the two novels I'm publishing this spring or summer. I've done lots of digital trickery for cover art but these other two are both firsts as far as doing oil paintings (painted a monster for a buddy, and a pretty grim scene from the pleistocene for my own novel). Still have to finish up the pleistocene thing (a creek, a mammoth skull, the eyes of a saber tooth glaring from a cave, etc). Plus plenty of rocks and grass and other landscapy goodies. This is a continuation of the painting I shared awhile back with the sienna sky, mountains, glacial lake, etc. I'm only now getting to the foreground after setting it aside for quite some time while I pondered what I wanted to do with it.
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Post by djmills on Jan 10, 2020 11:14:17 GMT -8
I am slowly getting into the routine of writing for 2 - 4 hours each morning. Started with 600 words then next day 850 words and yesterday over 1000 words. Hopefully, as I get into the story, more words will flow. :-)
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Post by garyweston on Jan 10, 2020 11:52:18 GMT -8
Slacker!!! (LoL. only joking) I once wrote 15,000 words during one drunken 48 hours. I had lost the start of a book (Dusty Miller 1, I think) in a computer glitch , went outside and screamed, Gritted teeth, rolled up sleeves, growled at ole crankie the p c, and got stuck in. Happy days. These days I don't set targets. Still the rolled sleeves, teeth gritting, growling thing, but when I've had enough I stop. Some writers take years over one book. I'd have died of boredom by then. Writers have good natural instincts. Embrace them, don't force them. A story tells me when to start. I scratch that itch, enter the zone, stop when the zone does. It's in your DNA. Embrace it.
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chelsfield
SWF Writers
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Post by chelsfield on Jan 11, 2020 1:13:38 GMT -8
You guys put me to shame! I have only been doing professional writing, but mostly reading for my research. Like you, Gary, I've gone 'back to school.'
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Ria Stone
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Post by Ria Stone on Jan 11, 2020 11:27:47 GMT -8
Hi and happy new decade (maybe. some insist it doesn't start until next year.) Almost home from walking old staffy Sally this morning, (chat with a neighbour walking by. I had given them a paperback version of my first book and asked how she got on with it. 'Loved it. A sad ending, but a lovely book.' Made my day and of course pushes me to start the two writing projects for this year. An email from Chris had us both contemplating on combining painting with our writing for covers of new books. Chris is an accomplished artist with a unique style. I have painted a couple of my covers but for my next couple of books I'm more likely to use the uni's tec departments to sort out new covers so that could be fun. So that and some major painting projects to do, (not including painting my kitchen in that) and I'm a busy boy. Are YOU inspired and eager to create? Sharpen up your quills and go for it! Due to my unexpected opportunity to have an audiobook made of my novel. I am now pursuing writing a Radio Drama version. I am exploring all the ways to write versions of the "same" story.
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Ria Stone
SWF Writers
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Joined: Oct 30, 2013 14:12:26 GMT -8
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Post by Ria Stone on Jan 11, 2020 11:36:35 GMT -8
You guys put me to shame! I have only been doing professional writing, but mostly reading for my research. Like you, Gary, I've gone 'back to school.' Chelsfield: Do not worry. There will always be times of "feast and famine" in regards to your writing output. It's hard to work on your own writing projects when you hold a full-time job.
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Post by djmills on Jan 11, 2020 13:42:47 GMT -8
garyweston Wow! I would not get 15K words written in a week, even if I tried to do it with or without alcohol involved. ChrisLAdams I am looking forward to see your finished painting. ria Good luck with your radio drama version. chelsfield It is hard finding 10 or 15 minutes during a full working day. Do not compare yourself to any one else's writing time or you will not enjoy the process of writing a story to see how it ends. I used to write on my train journey to and from work each day, then get another hour in at night when I was working full time. Now I am retired, I try to get 2-4 hours each morning free to write, or work on publishing chores. Outside of that I am busy with elderly relatives, my house yard and veg garden, and any running repairs on my neighbour's or my house. :-)
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chelsfield
SWF Writers
Posts: 700
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Post by chelsfield on Jan 11, 2020 22:56:22 GMT -8
Hi and happy new decade (maybe. some insist it doesn't start until next year.) Almost home from walking old staffy Sally this morning, (chat with a neighbour walking by. I had given them a paperback version of my first book and asked how she got on with it. 'Loved it. A sad ending, but a lovely book.' Made my day and of course pushes me to start the two writing projects for this year. An email from Chris had us both contemplating on combining painting with our writing for covers of new books. Chris is an accomplished artist with a unique style. I have painted a couple of my covers but for my next couple of books I'm more likely to use the uni's tec departments to sort out new covers so that could be fun. So that and some major painting projects to do, (not including painting my kitchen in that) and I'm a busy boy. Are YOU inspired and eager to create? Sharpen up your quills and go for it! Due to my unexpected opportunity to have an audiobook made of my novel. I am now pursuing writing a Radio Drama version. I am exploring all the ways to write versions of the "same" story. A radio drama! You really are on fire! (I mean that in a good way)
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Post by garyweston on Jan 12, 2020 3:37:13 GMT -8
I agree. With the radio drama, Ria is exploring all avenues and possibilities. Exciting indeed. I explored turning some of my shorts into radio dramas, I even bought script writing for dummies. What I could never get my head around removing the guts of the prose, to me the soul of the story, just leaving the speech. I found a site somewhere where I could download a hundred well known scripts and also templates. There are also courses to go on but I went the art route instead. I still couldn't get my head around it. Perhaps it is just too specialised. Ria. Please include us on your radio journey so we can all get something from it. Good luck.
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chelsfield
SWF Writers
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Post by chelsfield on Jan 12, 2020 22:58:27 GMT -8
I suppose a problem for playwrights is that some of those 'guts' have to be added in by other people, like actors, directors, producers...
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Post by garyweston on Jan 17, 2020 12:32:53 GMT -8
Y'know, I do get a teeny bit annoyed with the mighty ZON at times. We endlessly debate the power of free on this site but zon, typically, make it up as they go along. Drifta's Quest, free all over the galaxy, suddenly gets 99 c banged on it by zon!!! Had I the energy to waste I'd argue the toss but sod it. Is it just me zon targets or has anyone else been prodded by the sharp stick of these control freaks?? Pass the booze.
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Ria Stone
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Post by Ria Stone on Jan 17, 2020 20:01:33 GMT -8
I agree. With the radio drama, Ria is exploring all avenues and possibilities. Exciting indeed. I explored turning some of my shorts into radio dramas, I even bought script writing for dummies. What I could never get my head around removing the guts of the prose, to me the soul of the story, just leaving the speech. I found a site somewhere where I could download a hundred well known scripts and also templates. There are also courses to go on but I went the art route instead. I still couldn't get my head around it. Perhaps it is just too specialised. Ria. Please include us on your radio journey so we can all get something from it. Good luck. You are right Gary, a radio drama is quite different than a novel. You would think I'd take to radio drama scripts like a fish in water because I like dialogue but it's hard to cut to the chase and push the characters to carry the "scenery."
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Post by Ted on Jan 20, 2020 9:14:12 GMT -8
Great. You've been writing away while I've been fighting the flu. Sheesh.
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Post by garyweston on Jan 21, 2020 10:35:58 GMT -8
Delighted you are up and about again, Ted. You have had your fair share of stuff to contend with. As a young lad of 66, I usually have some part of my body complaining but we just have to deal with it. My venture into university life takes my mind off bodily things, giving me challenges I wouldn't get vegetating at home. (did I ever vegetate?). A very intense one on one conflab with a phd fine art lecturer today had me unlocking aspects of my mind (a little bit) to conceptual art forms that normally has those heckles on my neck at full alert. Which has me wondering. Writing is just another art form. Do we entrench ourselves into one dimensional perspectives of story telling, ignoring alternative imaginings? Perhaps I need to loosen up my simple story telling style as I need to do with my painting, to create a deeper experience. Food for thought.
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