Quill and Ink Corner: A writing thread for the Cobbies.

Since writing and discussion of writing has steadily increased in popularity I thought a thread that focuses on the activity would not be a bad idea.

So share your work, discuss writing technique, and talk about other related subjects.

To start us off how about someone who is working on some writing discuss what they are writing and what they are trying to work with inside of that writing.

edited 2nd Mar '13 12:36:57 PM by TuefelHundenIV

Who watches the watchmen?

Working on the next chapter of Wild Red Bird. I'd meant to update it in a few weeks, but then a lot of things happened and it has been languishing about five months.

The prologue has several stereotypes of the Western like gunfights and mysterious travelers, except for how it's from the POV of a girl in the town. I will gradually swerve away from the spaghetti-western archetypes which most people think of when they see a story set in 1880s America, and into plain historical fiction.

edited 2nd Mar '13 12:23:21 PM by Leradny

An interesting approach. I am smack dab in the middle of a historical fiction series set in the early 1800's.

My own work is still mostly in the speculation and constant brain storming with only a few paragraphs to speak of. I had a good start but lost it to a glitch.

Who watches the watchmen?

Tonight is writing night. I've got me a cup of coffee and the office to myself. So far I've got two more chapters re-written and hopefully can get two more before I have to get some sleep/run out of steam.

Not going to let this year's really crappy flu slow me down.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

^ I'll be checking my email in the morning...

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

I'll be sure to leave something there.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

Okay, the universe can kindly stop interrupting me any time now. Seriously.

First there was the gunshot thing, and then the freaking cat decided to be a clumsy little shit and knock a bunch of stuff off my desk. I caught everything but a glass, which promptly hit the floor and exploded.

Fortunately DG's being kind enough to deal with it. Still, this is getting a little ridiculous. -.-

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

Huh, apparently there's a trope for that.

"I don't know how I do it. I'm like the Mr. Bean of sex." -Drunkscriblerian

Well, I got three chapters done despite all the interruptions. Hopefully the quality did not suffer.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

It most emphatically did not suffer.

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

I am only writing fanfics, almost entirely Mass Effect to one degree or another. I've got one Peggy Sue fic, one "mix in all the alternates together" fic*

, one crossover with Planescape Torment, and some other smaller fun projects like a history of Zaeed Massani (RIP Robin Sachs).

If anyone's interested.

Also, over in the Fanfic forum, I got a Review Tag thread going. Expand your reader base and get/offer helpful feedback at the same time.

That’s the epitome of privilege right there, not considering armed nazis a threat to your life. - Silasw

-Pokes in-

edited 3rd Mar '13 10:52:36 AM by ohsointocats

Back on the case. Hopefully there won't be any gunshots or kitty commandos this time.

EDIT: There weren't. 10,000 words in the can this weekend. I can be happy with that. In fact, I think I'll have a drink to celebrate. Cheers, fellow inkling-followers!

edited 3rd Mar '13 10:15:02 PM by drunkscriblerian

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

Some of you folks are familiar with my story idea in general. I have read through the Death Lands, Sharpe Novels and some Dan Abnett. The reason is to get a feel for how they all handle action, combat descriptions, and make their various characters.

Also how they handle the settings in general.

Plus with the help of the World Building thread I seem to have a good grasp on where I want to go with the setting.

I have become rather fond of the organization of the nations and territories.

The general gist is this. Between two devastating wars one with some nuclear weapons use, a steadily changing environment (whether it is man caused or not is up to speculation of the reader), and other events humanity has adapted to living in arcologies.

An arcology for those who don't know is basically the epitome of effecient urban/city living arrangements. An arcology is usually a self contained city that has all needs for food, water, and sanitation in general within one massive super structure. Think like sky scrapers were living space as compact and effecient as reasonably possible. Arcology like stuctures are popular in sci-fi.

Now these Arcology structures have largely supplanted cities and towns. A grouping of arcology units which are much like countries are called arcology clusters. The rest of the space that is no longer taken up by the cities and towns is mostly wilderness, preserves, and land slowly being terraformed. The wildnerness is preserved and exploited in a manner that the ecosystems are not crushed. They can be strained though.

My idea of how arcologies turn out is less idealistic then original idea behind them. Arcologies generally are broken up into four types. Living arcologies, industry arcologies, environmental acrcologies (think sanitation and pollution control), and food and water arcologies. There are going to be some sub-arcologies like power generation, traffic conttrol, and the like but I haven't decided how those will work in the big picture.

Now individual arcologies can vary in size and population density and have their own internal rules much like a city or state would but adhere to the general base line tennants laid out for the Arcology clusters.

This allows me to use every arcology a bit differently under one similar banner much like we have for states, cities, and towns. This also allows differing arcology clusters to have differing philosophies and political views from their neighbours as they are effectively indidependent nations unto themselves.

Most arcology clusters tend to share in a larger psuedo government like structure based on their continent. Think like a UN for a continent rather then the world. This organization holds the bulk of the military power and the various arco clusters contribute money, raw materials, and finished goods equally.

While there are still military bodies this groups job is to keep the various arcology clusters from starting another devastating.

Another theme that will be placed through out the story is the struggle for a balance. I read about the Research Project about the real life Rats of Nim. The "Rat Arcology" which resulted in some interesting events among the population. Something like that is going to have happened to some of the earliest arcologies called Arcology Collapse syndrome.

So part of the balance is varying efforts to match population inside the arcologies to their resources and ability to kepe people doing something with their lives.

There will also be other stuggles of balance like law and order, human and machine, war and peace, anger and temperance and so on.

The focus will be a young man and his roguish friend who both decide to join the local equivilant of Law Enforcement. It will follow their struggles through not only inside the institution but the as LEO members trying to help keep a balance in the arcologies. It will slowly spin out to encompasse something much bigger then both of them and their arcology in general.

Who watches the watchmen?

sounds interesting.

Anyhow, I found out today that I have Monday and Tuesday off, due to their being nothing for us to work on. You know what this means?

Four days of writing madness, that's what.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

Writing binge.

I just finally got my bloody opening hammered out. Gotta work out the opening gambit if you will and then get to the story at hand.

Who watches the watchmen?

^^^ Sounds fascinating, Teuf. When you start looking for beta readers, I'd be interested.

^^ Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

edited 8th Mar '13 10:01:48 PM by Madrugada

...if you don’t love you’re dead, and if you do, they’ll kill you for it.

@Tuefel: Beginnings suck. Endings are easier, but that comfy middle bit is the easiest yet. My advice; just keep pounding on the keys until good words come out. Ignore anything bad, you can fix it later. Resist at all costs the temptation to edit mid-stream.

Editing is for finished works.

edited 8th Mar '13 10:02:15 PM by drunkscriblerian

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

Well once I got the opening properly slogged through and to point at the next important bit it was a good thing.

Who watches the watchmen?

Well, good luck fellow writer.

Anyhow, cigarette smoked, coffee percolated, soundtrack selected. I disappear into my story now. If I'm not back in four days...don't interrupt me, because I'm on a roll.

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

I will just send in Recce teams to find you lost in the story. :P

Too early to write as my brain is still slugged. I need a lot of caff.

—-

Caffinated and poking at my story. I have the opening where I want it for now. Cleaned up some verbal tics and phrasing. General reread quick edits. On to the follow up.

edited 9th Mar '13 9:07:12 AM by TuefelHundenIV

Who watches the watchmen?

Sounds like this weekend is a good time for writing.

Just got a few chapters in. About a third of the way through the second draft. 8,000 words since Friday evening. Going to take a break and watch some movies with a friend, then there will be more writing madness.

EDIT (to avoid double-posting): Weekend is half-over. Draft is roughly halfway done.

edited 11th Mar '13 1:33:20 PM by drunkscriblerian

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

Okay, double post because no one's really using the thread.

Just realized I've written over 30,000 words in a three and a half day period. That's...almost 10,000 words a day. Ack.

Oh well... -returns to writing-

If I were to write some of the strange things that come under my eyes they would not be believed. ~Cora M. Strayer~

Drunk: That is good. At that pace you should hit around 100,000 words in no time. It also 10 times the number of words I have in my current thing now. :P

Who watches the watchmen?