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Post by whdean on Jul 14, 2015 12:10:10 GMT -5
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Post by mlhearing on Jul 22, 2015 7:20:16 GMT -5
Ooh, good ones.
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Post by whdean on Jul 22, 2015 13:23:05 GMT -5
Funny how most of them are about attitude as opposed to being bromides about craft (e.g., there's no "write compelling characters," etc.
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Post by vrabinec on Jul 22, 2015 14:54:28 GMT -5
Hmm, let's see.
1. Read whatever you can lay your hands on.
Does Playboy count?
2. Write out of necessity.
Does writing just so I can have an excuse to put on the head phones so I don't have to listen to the wife count?
3. There's nothing wrong with a titanic ego.
How about if it's only Monday's Wednesdays, and Fridays?
4. Know you're writing something good even if nobody else does.
Everything I write is a van Gogh. Joe van Gogh (sp?). Might be Joe's Van Detailing.
5. Have an ear for dialogue.
I have dirty ears for dirty dialogue. Close enough?
6. Parental approval isn't important.
Never been an issue. They never approved of anything I did.
7. Write a scene that breaks your heart.
Well, if the thing doesn't sell, then, technically, every scene broke my heart.
8. If Clint comes along, don't say no.
Clint? Our shop guy? Okay, but I don't think I'm his type.
9. Ignore critics, what do they know?
You actually have to have someone read the fucking thing to get critics.
10. Never get comfortable with being rich.
Why? I'm perfectly comfortable being poor.
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rv
New Member
Posts: 13 
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Post by rv on Jul 25, 2015 16:09:47 GMT -5
What he said about the child abuse scene in Mystic resonated. Note***he didn't cry*** but I'm betting he wanted to.
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Post by carlos on Jul 25, 2015 17:04:13 GMT -5
There should be a corollary to the rule on parental approval--something like: "Presumed parental DIS-approval is unimportant." Who knows, really, what mom might have thought if we had been so flighty as to become writers in her lifetime?
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Post by vrabinec on Jul 25, 2015 17:44:19 GMT -5
There should be a corollary to the rule on parental approval--something like: "Presumed parental DIS-approval is unimportant." Who knows, really, what mom might have thought if we had been so flighty as to become writers in her lifetime? Yeah, Mom was a teacher and lyrical as shit. She would've been proud. |
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Post by Daniel on Jul 25, 2015 18:08:54 GMT -5
Family approval was never a consideration for me. Back when I was writing nerdy nonfiction, I wouldn't have dreamed of asking them to read "Fundamentals of ASP.NET Security."
None of my family are particularly big readers, so when I started writing fantasy, I had no idea if they would be interested in checking it out. I honestly didn't care if they did read it because I wasn't writing for them. My brother is the only fantasy reader in the family, so I'll admit I was curious what he might think. In the end, my sister and my mother ended up reading the series and liking it more than my brother did. My mom has been effusive with compliments, and my sister told me more than once that she "can't believe my brother wrote this" (meaning that in a good way.)
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Post by vrabinec on Jul 25, 2015 19:51:54 GMT -5
None of my family are particularly big readers, You know, it's weird. My family read, but my Mom and Dad read Czech books, so we didn't really have much in common to talk about, and my sister red chick stuff. Though, I did go in and get a couple books from her that looked interesting. The Bastard. 1942. Stuff like that. Coming of age stuff. Whatever book I wanted, my folks got me. I really appreciate that now. |
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Post by Miss Terri Novelle on Jul 26, 2015 8:24:21 GMT -5
My folks weren't exactly big in the approval department until I wrote these books and to have them turn it on after 50ish years has been a bit surreal. I'd like to say I like the feeling but to be honest, it makes me feel a little squicky and uncomfortable because I don't know how to handle it.
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Post by Daniel on Jul 26, 2015 8:49:12 GMT -5
Whatever book I wanted, my folks got me. I really appreciate that now. Me too! My mom encouraged me to read from the beginning. I was allowed to order books from Scholastic and she took me to the library. Her only rule for purchased books was that I had to read whatever she bought (never a problem). I particularly appreciate that now because I know we didn't have a lot of extra money in those days. She was a single mother for chunks of that time, with first one and then two children (I'm 8 1/2 years older than my sister). I'm amazed at how she managed to make ends meet. |
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Post by ameliasmith on Jul 26, 2015 13:05:12 GMT -5
My folks weren't exactly big in the approval department until I wrote these books and to have them turn it on after 50ish years has been a bit surreal. I'd like to say I like the feeling but to be honest, it makes me feel a little squicky and uncomfortable because I don't know how to handle it. I can totally relate. Mine are just starting to try with the whole approval thing, and I'm not sure what to do with it. Actually, they've been approving before, but not consistently and rarely for things I consider important, only for random stuff that I do without thought or effort. Parents are weird. My mother does read my books, though, and I think she thinks they're okay, and I think she also recognizes that simply finishing books is an accomplishment, it's the kind of thing she can understand. |
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Post by Rinelle Grey on Jul 27, 2015 8:17:58 GMT -5
Most of my books were second hand or from the library. We couldn't afford scholastic books (and my mum probably had the same opinion of them that I do now, that they were overpriced for what they were, here in Australia at least!) She did sit at the library (that we weren't members of) for several hours with me while I read a book I'd been looking for for ages though. I mean, we were probably sitting there waiting for my dad anyway, but I prefer my version of it.
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Post by scdaffron on Jul 27, 2015 9:19:52 GMT -5
Most of my books were second hand or from the library. We couldn't afford scholastic books (and my mum probably had the same opinion of them that I do now, that they were overpriced for what they were, here in Australia at least!) She did sit at the library (that we weren't members of) for several hours with me while I read a book I'd been looking for for ages though. I mean, we were probably sitting there waiting for my dad anyway, but I prefer my version of it. My mom didn't buy me Scholastic books either. But we went to the library every week because she read more than anyone I've ever known. She'd check out 10 or 20 books every week. Not surprisingly, my first job was shelving books at the library when I was 14. I could only work 2-hours/day because I was under 16, but over time I earned enough money to buy my first car when I was 17. (It was a cheap crappy car, but hey, it was still a car!) I also know the Dewey Decimal system really well  |
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Post by vrabinec on Jul 27, 2015 9:34:49 GMT -5
Most of my books were second hand or from the library. We couldn't afford scholastic books (and my mum probably had the same opinion of them that I do now, that they were overpriced for what they were, here in Australia at least!) She did sit at the library (that we weren't members of) for several hours with me while I read a book I'd been looking for for ages though. I mean, we were probably sitting there waiting for my dad anyway, but I prefer my version of it. My mom didn't buy me Scholastic books either. But we went to the library every week because she read more than anyone I've ever known. She'd check out 10 or 20 books every week. Not surprisingly, my first job was shelving books at the library when I was 14. I could only work 2-hours/day because I was under 16, but over time I earned enough money to buy my first car when I was 17. (It was a cheap crappy car, but hey, it was still a car!) I also know the Dewey Decimal system really well Don't get me wrong, I like Dewey, but Huey was always my favorite.  |
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Post by lou on Jul 27, 2015 10:15:49 GMT -5
I'm happily upvoting anything about how y'all have fond memories of childhood reading, because I just love those memories and hearing the stories. Yay for parents who fostered that love (and those of you who are parents now, doing it still.)
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Post by Miss Terri Novelle on Jul 27, 2015 17:58:18 GMT -5
We had the Bookmobile because I grew up in the boonies. Mrs. Towne was the librarian and there was a nice man who drove for her. She was a sweetie who let me take out the same number of books as adults and with my mom's permission, select books from the adult shelves besides. I guess I learned to read when I was three and had a high school reading comprehension level by 4th grade. All I remember is that I'd read every book in our tiny, one-room school's library by 2nd grade so the Bookmobile was better than candy.
The last Bookmobile run happened when I was a senior in HS, I got my pic in the paper as our town was the final stop. It was a sad, sad day.
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Post by vrabinec on Jul 27, 2015 18:22:15 GMT -5
You were three? Shit, man. I was 6. But, uh, girls develop faster than guys. Yeah, that's it.
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Post by Miss Terri Novelle on Jul 27, 2015 18:29:17 GMT -5
I was three when my mother bought me a new Little Golden book and I read it to her before she could read it to me. Up until then she thought I had just memorized all my books. So it could have been earlier. You'd think I'd be some kind of brainiac with a firm grasp of how to properly use commas...but sadly, no.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Aug 12, 2015 19:13:21 GMT -5
We had the Bookmobile because I grew up in the boonies. Mrs. Towne was the librarian and there was a nice man who drove for her. She was a sweetie who let me take out the same number of books as adults and with my mom's permission, select books from the adult shelves besides. I guess I learned to read when I was three and had a high school reading comprehension level by 4th grade. All I remember is that I'd read every book in our tiny, one-room school's library by 2nd grade so the Bookmobile was better than candy. The last Bookmobile run happened when I was a senior in HS, I got my pic in the paper as our town was the final stop. It was a sad, sad day. Laura, have you read Laurie Cass? Her cozy mysteries feature a librarian who runs the local bookmobile. Lots of warm fuzzies there. |
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