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DirtyMartini
Over 90 days ago
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Quote by Lisa
Because the paragraph's in Fred's POV, there'd need to be some kind of physical indication that Joe felt good about his hand because Fred can't know what Joe's actually thinking, or which cards he's holding. If the paragraph went something like, "The smile on Joe's face indicated he was happy with his hand" it would still get the point across, but remain in Fred's POV.



Ahhhh...I think I'm starting to understand...I'm not big on writing in third person myself, though I know a lot of authors who swear by it, and won't write in anything else. I always feel first person is more "personal" and I tend to put myself in my stories to some extent, no matter how limited, and tend to write how I would feel about something...
I've written I believe a total of four stories in third person...my first story was in third, and I deliberately wrote one in third to "depersonalize" it...but, I don't think I've ever really taken advantage of the potential benefits of third person...like being able to tell what goes on in everyone's head...

I'd probably have to read more about writing in third person before I really got into it...I like to write as if I'm the one telling the story, because I am...I'm much more comfortable writing that way...
I just saw this same list somewhere else recently, but can't recall where at the moment...I have to say I agree with all, except...

Quote by AutumnWriter


Fred picked up his hand and saw a pair of Aces. He was trying to decide how much to bet. Across the table Joe was feeling good about his three deuces.

How is Fred supposed to know how Joe feels about his poker hand?



Isn't one of the main reasons why people write in third person is so you can tell how each character feels? I would think there is nothing wrong with the example above...

Now...if the sentence was...

I picked up my hand and saw a pair of Aces. I was trying to decide how much to bet. Across the table Joe was feeling good about his three deuces.

I would see a definite problem with that...thoughts?
Here is a writing blog site that was recommended to me by a girl who seems to go out of her way to help other authors...

The motto of the site is "Escape from Unpubbed Island...writing contests, publication and everything in between."

I was told the site has a bit of a Christian leaning, and in fact on the "About Us" page it says...

"This is the blog of the Seekers, fifteen unpublished and newly published Christian writers. We are all contest winners and finalists who randomly collided on the road toward publication.

This group blog offers what we offer each other--support, encouragement, information for the writing journey.

Since we all have experience in fiction writing contests, we'll be posting contest updates as well as posts on writing craft, contest savvy, and spirit-boosters."

I'm told that it offers useful advice...regardless of genre...check it out...
http://seekerville.blogspot.com/
Quote by Sherzahd
I will log a complaint, if that helps...


I think it would be the best course of action...I just hate to have to lose a site where my poems regularly get thousands of views, and tend to do fairly well...

I have to say my poem "Neon Sign" has more views here than on Poetry Craze, but that is an exception...

For some reason, that poem has taken on a life of its own here...
Quote by Lisa


It's surprising that they accept erotic poetry but they won't accept one containing an "offensive" word.


It's funny too what words they find "offensive" and have removed...so far "ass"..."whore" and "piss" among others they seem to find offensive...

I was sort of hoping that people here would join me in sending in complaints, in the hope that things could go back to the way they were, but it seems most people just want to remove their stuff...

I really didn't want to stop posting on the site, because it does get a lot of views...oh well...
My father and step-mother are selling their condo on the beach in North Carolina...

Anyone looking to buy a condo on the beach? If I could spare the extra change, I'd consider it...it is really very beautiful, I know, I've stayed there several times...the tenth floor balcony overlooks the ocean...very nice...

Property For Sale 1615 S Lake Park Blvd Carolina Beach NC 28428 | Justin Donaton Coastwalk Real Estate...
http://listingsmagic.com/ps/propertysites.php?property_ID=26318

Anyone interested, let me know...I'll pass the word along...
I think I can mention Poetry Craze here, as I would not really call it a competitor of Stories Space...it's poems only, and really not a very well-designed site...though the poems get more views than any other poetry site I can think of offhand...

I happened to be over there this morning because I was looking for poems to post in a new poetry group I had just joined recently on Facebook when I noticed something which is actually a bit disturbing now that I think about it...

This is what I posted on my Facebook "wall"...the poem mentioned is right here on Stories Space...in its full, unedited glory I might add...

Oh Lordy!!! They took the piss out of my poem!!! This poem is not all it seems...while looking for poems to post in a new poetry group here on FB, I noticed that Poetry Craze has been editing my poems..."cleaning them up" shall we say...this is just one example...believe me, there are more...smile
Life Is What It Seems
http://exakta66.poetrycraze.com/life_is_what_it_seems-12061.html

There are other examples...I haven't gone through all my poems there, but I'm sure they "edited" quite a few...I have a number of poems over there that I can't post here because they fall into the "erotic" category...or, as they call them on Poetry Craze..."Passion Poems"...

What do you people think? Do you think it's right that they're "editing" people's poems in this fashion?

I'm almost tempted to write them and pull off all my poems...except I get a lot of views over there, and my poems do pretty well there actually...
Welcome to The Writer’s Chatroom!

We’re so much more than a mere chatroom. We’re a vibrant group of writers whose work spans all genres, who join together to encourage one another and to share important information regarding the profession of writing.

The Writer's Chatroom
www.writerschatroom.com

Sounds good...someone check it out and give us the full report...
Quote by ladysharon
I can always use my blog to sell an ebook and hook it up to a paypal account so I can get paid whenever someone buys my book. *lightbulb goes off and cracks*


Whenever you go the self-publishing route, you have to be prepared to very actively market yourself...there are some self-publishing success stories, but they tend to be few and far between, and they always involved a lot of self-promotion by the author...

Once you self-publish, you have to be prepared to use "every trick in the book" when it comes to networking...and every resource available...Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc...
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Quote by Lisa

It probably looks good on your writer's resume to have won several contests if you end up submitting your work to a bigger publisher. As you mentioned though, it's an expensive way to go about it. Is this one of the main ways poets get their work in print? I'd imagine it'd be more difficult to have a book of poems accepted by a publisher than it would be to have a novel published.


I don't know if it is one of the main ways, or the success rate...but, you have a point about the reluctance of publishers to put out poetry books...and with good reason, I might add...poetry books are understandably a risk, even for relatively "known" poets...

That reminds me...I was offered an "Author subsidized contract" last year for a book of my poems...I'll have to post the actual contract in a new thread, just in case anyone is interested...I think it's an alternative that people don't think about, and more attractive than self-publishing in most cases...
Here is a couple of more links that were posted recently in a poetry group over on LinkedIn...the discussion thread is about editing poems, but some of the advice can no doubt be applied to stories as well...I think it's in a similar vein to what we've been talking about here...

I copied this whole thing from a post in another forum...so it's a re-post...

Want to know how Robert Frost wrote his poems? Who?

Here is an overview on a poetry site...this might be of interest to some...

http://www.suite101.com/content/how-robert-frost-wrote-is-poems-a130342

The link was posted in a writing group over on LinkedIn...the discussion was about editing poetry...

Here is another link that may be of interest regarding editing poems...

http://thepoetryeditor.blogspot.com/2011/06/revising-your-poetry-can-be-smooth-move.html

Have fun!

Cheers,
Alan.

A big congratulations to Sprite and Xuani on their recent contest winnings...

And a big congrats as well to Clarabelle for her recent story sale to Every Night Erotica...

Nice to see all my friends getting rich...

Now I know where to go when I need a loan...
Some interesting advice...I had no idea there was a difference between "literature" and "writing"...hmmm...

I think most of the rest is fairly common sense, though I know that common sense is not always common...

Just a note...number 17 is sound advice...the first thing I do when starting a story is open a document, and set the font to Times New Roman 12-point...you can't go wrong...
Which makes me wonder...why does MS Word default to Calibri 11, when nobody on the planet actually uses it?
I think Microsoft just likes to mess with people's heads...

I had posted something along the same vein a couple of weeks back, if someone is interested in the contest winning advice...
http://www.storiesspace.com/forum/yaf_postst199_This-may-be-of-interestfree-online-writing-course.aspx

Not sure how contest winning advice would differ from improving your writing in general, but if anyone figures it out, let us know...

Interesting note...OK, I find it interesting...one of the things I've become aware of in the last several months since reading blogs and writing groups, is the number of people who enter writing contests in an effort to become "published"...this is especially true among poetry people...
To me, this does not seem particularly cost-effective since most poetry contests charge a $15-25 entry fee, and you can easily enter ten contests a month...
But, the winning entries usually end up getting published in a journal of some sort, and that appeals to a lot of people...

It just does not seem particularly cost-effective to me...but, you would be very surprised how many people actually do it...

I know I was surprised after seeing how many people mention it...
Quote by scooter
Interesting stuff Dirty,
Some fine Paraprosokians listed there.
I like to hear the pronunciation of that word, as well as seeing it put into a captivating/ unusual sentence form.


Maybe you could write a poem or story there Mr. Scoot...just make sure you speeel it correctly...
Quote by AutumnWriter

I will add another suggestion that helps me.

Limit paragraph size.



Good rule...I think a common mistake I see with a lot of beginning writers is not starting a new paragraph often enough...

My rule of thumb is...if you are not sure whether or not you should start a new paragraph, start a new paragraph...

There are few things that scream out "Lame Beginning Writer" more than if you click on a story and it is one giant block of text...I know I'm reluctant to read a story like that, and I believe most people would feel the same way...
Quote by Lisa
Here's a list of explanations for various rights your publisher may request when making an offer for your work:

Know the Rights You've Got Left


This is most excellent Lisa...you get the DirtyMartini Seal of Approval for this one...

Yeah, I've become familiar with a lot of this stuff...the "hard way" to some extent...but yeah, I think it's natural to want to give a shot at selling something after you've been writing for a while...I had been writing for approximately a year and a half and one day realized I had over 100 stories and poems to my credit...

It just seemed natural to me to see if there was any value here...

Terms every writer should become familiar with..."First Serial Rights"..."Simultaneous Submissions" and "Previously Published"...

That last one can vary from publisher to publisher...some don't consider something posted on the net to be previously published, but many do...so, be aware...

Thanks for posting this Lisa...
Here...someone please figure out what they want here quick...here is a quote from the site...

"The prize program will award seven to nine $150,000 prizes annually, in fiction and non-fiction categories. In addition to the prestige the prizes will bestow on recipients, Windham wished to ensure that the prizes would be substantial enough to enable each recipient to spend a full year writing, unencumbered by financial concerns."

That sounds awfully tasty to me...just trying to figure out what I have to do here...whatever it is, I'll do it...if someone can figure it out, let us know...

Here's the link...
http://dailybulletin.yale.edu/article.aspx?id=8681
Now this is special...a short story competition where you can actually win a trophy...don't see that every day, you just have to find a place to put it...

"The rules are as follows. All entries for the 2011 RTÉ Guide/Penguin Ireland Short Story competition should be original, unpublished and previously not broadcast short stories in English of 2,000 words or less."

Go for it...in the meantime, clear off a spot on the mantle...
http://www.rte.ie/ten/2011/0611/storys.html
Quote by Lisa

She has some interesting advice. I particularly liked her suggestion to proof read the different areas during separate sittings rather than proofing everything all at once:



Yeah, she's very active over on LinkedIn...don't think she came over here though...I have mentioned this site more than once over there...

As I've said, it would be nice to get a bit more active writing discussions going right here on SS...and I think this thread is great btw...I enjoy active discussions about writing with other writers, more than I enjoy, say, just reading someone's blog...

Since I've started writing a couple of years ago, I really enjoy hearing about other writer's "process" and their reasons why...I think a lot of other writers find it an interesting topic as well...
Btw, there are a lot of writers who cover the topic of editing in their blogs...there is a discussion going on about editing poems right now, and Janice Richards posted this link to her blog...she is a published author who does more than poems...

http://cjanasdreams.wordpress.com/a-writers-suggestions/

I've been recommending the writing groups on LinkedIn to anyone here who will listen...it would be nice if we can get more of that type of writing related discussion going on right here on Stories Space...

Btw, I don't necessarily endorse any of the suggestions she offers...understand that different things work for different people, and writers are most certainly a varied group...here's a quote from her blog...

"Average times proofing for a professional writer is twenty plus times."

Scary, isn't it? I do agree with her about backing up your work, and "Frequent breaks are needed. It is recommended that every 15 minutes you get up go for a walk, stretch, get something to eat do anything but it is best that you do something where you won’t be sitting."

I follow that one all the time...as I mentioned before, I rarely write more than two or three paragraphs at a time without getting up and taking a break...
Quote by ladysharon
If you come across more, please post.


Lol...that's not enough for you at the moment?

I think that should get you started...
Quote by ladysharon
I know about this group. They have a party every year here where you can get lots of free swag, free food, and free alcohol.


Free drinks? Make sure you let us know when the next party is Sharon...
This is pretty nice...nine minutes, but worth it...Gary really shows his stuff here...I'll give this one the DirtyMartini Seal of Approval for today...

PARAPROSDOKIANS...

I had to look up "paraprosdokian". Here is the definition: "Figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected; frequently used in a humorous situation."

Example of a type of paraprosdokian: "Where there's a will, I want to be in it."

1. Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
2. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's still on my list.
3. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
4. If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.
5. We never really grow up; we only learn how to act in public.
6. War does not determine who is right - only who is left.
7. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
8. Evening news is where they begin with 'Good Evening,' and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.
9. To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.
10. A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.
11. I thought I wanted a career. Turns out I just wanted paychecks.
12. Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says, 'In case of emergency, notify:' I put 'DOCTOR.'
13. I didn't say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.
14. Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.
15. Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman.
16. A clear conscience is the sign of a fuzzy memory.
17. I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn't work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.
18. You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
19. Money can't buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.
20. There's a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can't get away.
21. I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not so sure.
22. You're never too old to learn something stupid.
23. To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.
24. Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
25. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
26. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
27. A diplomat is someone who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you look forward to the trip.
28. Hospitality is making your guests feel at home even when you wish they were.
29. I always take life with a grain of salt. Plus a slice of lemon, and a shot of tequila.
30. When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.

Words of Wisdom: "The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it's about learning to dance in the rain."
"Be who you are & say what you feel because those who matter don't mind & those who mind don't matter!"