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chihuahua0 Since: Jul, 2010
#1801: Jun 2nd 2011 at 8:30:42 PM

And bragging rights. Don't forget that.

Currently, I'm revising what I wrote yesterday. I take out some words, I put in some, I swap some out, and fix stuff.

I'm keeping what I read in the writer guide I finished today in mind.

EDIT: Done. The entire scene is 1556 words total (about 200 of them new), or 6 pages. Now, I'll see if I can go back to revise another scene.

edited 2nd Jun '11 9:30:05 PM by chihuahua0

KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#1802: Jun 2nd 2011 at 8:47:12 PM

I've got an idea I'm putting to paper right now, see how it goes.

EldritchBlueRose The Puzzler from A Really Red Room Since: Apr, 2010
The Puzzler
#1803: Jun 2nd 2011 at 9:15:28 PM

Leradny: Eldritch: I fail to see the point of talking about the contest at all if you're just going to say "I don't care".

The point of the contest is to 1) see how writers write under pressure with deadlines and limits, which is what will happen for 99.9% of writers who want to get published, and 2) get in-depth critique on their stories from a variety of people.

What do you mean by saying that "I don't care"? Sure I'll admit I don't personally care about joining this current competition, but does that mean I personally don't care about the contests? I will read at least some of the stuff you guys write, that is if it is accessible to the general public once the contest concludes. I feel you are taking my short numbered list a bit personally, so let me explain myself.

The next time we have a contest we need to have a plan prepared as to how everything is going to work like when the poll is supposed to end, how many judges, rules, when the contest starts, when the contest ends, and the like before the first post for the poll. The way I see it we all have our own personal lives, and such matters need to be solved before real life steals us away from our writing.

While it is true that it was a bit egotistical to phrase myself as "I write what I want to write", but isn't there some truth to that statement to all writers? You chose to write for that contest, right? You are going to write what you want within the guidelines of the contest.

Finally I was a bit worried that some people might be expecting to get some fame or money. However if everyone is in consensus with what you are saying, I think it should be alright.

Having such a contest is good, but I think there is a better option if you want to listen to me.

Self-discipline and Writing Groups

Has ADD, plays World of Tanks, thinks up crazy ideas like children making spaceships for Hitler. Occasionally writes them down.
GIG Forever livid from Where I want to be Since: Feb, 2010
Forever livid
#1804: Jun 2nd 2011 at 9:17:16 PM

I think I have enough notes to do a small flash fiction to test the waters of my story.

So I'm going to try for that tomorrow.

[up] I doubt anyone sane thought they were getting anything more than E-cred and an Internet high-five.

edited 2nd Jun '11 9:24:32 PM by GIG

Leradny Since: Jan, 2001
#1805: Jun 2nd 2011 at 9:28:23 PM

Hrm.

Before this gets embarrassing, I'd just like to point out that tone gets misconstrued quite easily on the internet. When people make a point of saying they're not going to join a contest, as opposed to just not talking about it, it usually means a more active distaste.

And that's without all the other things.

melloncollie Since: Feb, 2012
#1806: Jun 2nd 2011 at 9:34:28 PM

@ Dec: Wagh, I already wrote it in [lol]. I'll keep that in mind though, I'll edit it out if somebody complains.

@ GIG: Aw geez, SI Units >:(.

I was gonna ask why only 3 rounds? But then I saw 17 kg => 40 lbs. Wheeeeeew.

use of armored cars by Italy in their border dispute with Turkey in 1911

Hmm. I'm wondering about this part, because IIRC in our 'verse Turkey wasn't exactly the most up-to-date industrial country in Europe/Asia, and neither was Italy. Assuming that armored cars are uncommon in this 'verse, because they're expensive or hard to make, why would Italy have them, and what would justify their use in Turkey? Seems to me Germany or England or even the USA should have them.

Also, just wondering in general how magic works in your 'verse. What's this Mana do, exactly?

GIG Forever livid from Where I want to be Since: Feb, 2010
Forever livid
#1807: Jun 2nd 2011 at 9:46:49 PM

Actually, the first instance of armored cars in combat I could find was in the Italo-Turkish War, but yeah, a lot of nations had been developing armored cars as far back as 1902. Italy got to really use them first though.

And Mana doesn't really do much on it's own except glow and be very hard and either slowly kill you when you're too close for too long, or addict you to it's presence. Mana-Tech, however, is a general catch-all term for devices that use the energy contained within Mana for various uses.

edited 2nd Jun '11 9:47:30 PM by GIG

chihuahua0 Since: Jul, 2010
#1808: Jun 2nd 2011 at 9:49:54 PM

Just installed yWriter5, an open-source program for writing novel. It's similar to its paid counterpart Storybook, which I uninstalled since the former had all of the features of the paid version.

Leradny Since: Jan, 2001
#1809: Jun 2nd 2011 at 10:02:21 PM

You need something other than a word processor to write novels now?

melloncollie Since: Feb, 2012
#1810: Jun 2nd 2011 at 10:02:37 PM

Ahhhh silly me ^___^ Shows what little I know of history.

What's Mana-energy do? What does being mana-enhanced do for the weaponry?

I'm unsure if I should lean towards the modern usage of sigils or the traditional usage. Modern = you make it up yourself and it does whatever you want, traditional = it stands for an angel/demon's name and you uh, summon it I guess. The problem with the former is that it's just not exciting to write. "I wanna do magic... okay I'll just write random shit down."

EldritchBlueRose The Puzzler from A Really Red Room Since: Apr, 2010
The Puzzler
#1811: Jun 2nd 2011 at 10:04:09 PM

[up]x6 Good point.

I guess I do feel a bit annoyed that the contest took as long as it did. Or maybe I was thinking that chihuhua0 was opening some sort of discussion / debate. Or maybe I was aggrivated that no one made an official post saying that the poll ended, for whatever reason. Or maybe it was because I have Don't Tread On Me stuck in my head.

Most of my posts are snapshots from a specific time frame, so as of this moment I'm confused about what I previously posted and what my point behind it was. I probably got you needlessly upset / angry by my actions, and for that I'm dreadfully sorry. >.>

Can you forgive me for what I've done, Leradny and chihuhua0?

[up][up][up] Open Source stuff... Must... Check out... From Supermarket... Bananas! tongue

link

Has ADD, plays World of Tanks, thinks up crazy ideas like children making spaceships for Hitler. Occasionally writes them down.
Leradny Since: Jan, 2001
chihuahua0 Since: Jul, 2010
#1813: Jun 2nd 2011 at 10:09:49 PM

[up][up] We were arguing? I forgive you then.

I mostly downloaded it so I can have an outlining feature and to keep my docs together. It's a pain keeping word documents together.

GIG Forever livid from Where I want to be Since: Feb, 2010
Forever livid
#1814: Jun 2nd 2011 at 10:26:48 PM

@mellon Mana energy is essentially a blank slate to do what you want with it. For example, process it through one Mana-tech device, and you have a machine that stimulates the healing process of skin and muscle cells, abet temporarily and somewhat expensively. Put it through another and you can heat a forge indefinably.

However, it's use in weaponry is more varied than it's other uses, unfortunately. Put it in a bullet, and that bullet will fly farther, penetrate further, and wreck flesh more spectacularly. Ignite it, and you have a flame that burns through just about anything. Refine the ore, take the leftovers and combine them with other chemicals and you have a gas that wreaks Hell on the body. Theres also talk of someone researching a way to project the energy in it's rawest form (Read: FRIGGIN' BEAMS!!) to a devastating effect.

Also, the ore by itself looks like a pretty red, glowing crystal. So theres that.

melloncollie Since: Feb, 2012
#1815: Jun 2nd 2011 at 10:28:56 PM

So... it's do-anything phlebotinum? Should be easy to write with, then [lol]

Wait, are there any limits to what one can do with it?

GIG Forever livid from Where I want to be Since: Feb, 2010
Forever livid
#1816: Jun 2nd 2011 at 10:44:43 PM

Overexposure in any of it's forms can cause harm to the body, like those things I mentioned in the spoilers earlier, which is why medical uses are limited compared to the industrial and weapon fronts.

Mana is just about useless without Mana-tech, and Mana-Tech devices can only do what they have made to do, nothing else. There is an insane amount of trial and error with Mana research in anything not involving weapons, as you have a pretty good chance of, say, causing the exact opposite what you wanted. As in, instead of removing that tumor, causing it to grow even larger. Or causing it to explode.

Also, it tastes horrible!

melloncollie Since: Feb, 2012
#1817: Jun 2nd 2011 at 10:47:56 PM

Also, it tastes horrible!
[lol]

I was thinking more in the lines of, what's preventing someone from inventing a resurrection machine or some other totally broken thing. You mean to say that research is risky, so development is relatively slow?

edited 2nd Jun '11 10:48:27 PM by melloncollie

animemetalhead Runs on Awesomeness from Ashwood Landing, ME Since: Apr, 2010
Runs on Awesomeness
#1818: Jun 2nd 2011 at 11:00:35 PM

@Chi, I downloaded that program, seems very nice. I knew I should have looked for a freeware version of Scrivener...

No one believes me when I say angels can turn their panties into guns.
GIG Forever livid from Where I want to be Since: Feb, 2010
Forever livid
#1819: Jun 2nd 2011 at 11:03:49 PM

Yeah, medicine is barely keeping up with the other uses. And resurrection would be ridiculously difficult with how many different machines would be needed, what with just about each different organ needing it's own machine. Of course, there isn't a Mana-tech device that can deal with anything more complex than the simplest organ. And that much Mana energy in one spot would just kill the person you're reviving again, along with anyone in a mile radius.

Developing a complex weapon that can be gamebreaking is barely possible, but the more complex the weapon, the more time it would take to develop. And complex in the 1900's meant excessively large. Assuming it just doesn't explode when you flip the switch due to a miscalculation. But if someone were to, you know, hypothetically, manage that, well that would be a problem, wouldn't it?wink

melloncollie Since: Feb, 2012
#1820: Jun 2nd 2011 at 11:05:05 PM

Heh. Sounds like you've got this worked out. smile

FreezairForALimitedTime Responsible adult from Planet Claire Since: Jan, 2001
Responsible adult
#1821: Jun 2nd 2011 at 11:08:59 PM

@Lera: Same here. What's wrong with just... typing in something that can save what you type?

Due to distractions, I doubt writing will be done tonight. Oh well. Siiiigh....

"Proto-Indo-European makes the damnedest words related. It's great. It's the Kevin Bacon of etymology." ~Madrugada
snowfoxofdeath Thou errant flap-dragon! from San Francisco Suburb Since: Apr, 2012
Thou errant flap-dragon!
#1822: Jun 2nd 2011 at 11:22:14 PM

I don't think in scenes and I could accomplish all that the program offers with a few tables in a word processor if I wanted to anyway. My computer thanks me for keeping it uncluttered.

I was going to start planning out my rewrite today, but I was distracted by Majora's Mask. Oh well. At least I got another helpful review today.

edited 2nd Jun '11 11:25:41 PM by snowfoxofdeath

Warm hugs and morally questionable advice given here. Prosey Bitchfest
melloncollie Since: Feb, 2012
#1823: Jun 2nd 2011 at 11:53:39 PM

Words | 808

But it looked so much longer :|

AirofMystery Since: Jan, 2001
#1824: Jun 2nd 2011 at 11:58:22 PM

I've got a problem with one of things I'm writing right now.

See, it's a superhero webcomic, so it's mostly about things like Communist clockwork robots with hammers and sickles that fire lightning that have giant radio antennas pointing out of their heads (which are shaped like ushanka), but I also want to do some deeper stuff.

My main characters are a multiracial guy, part white, part Native South American (Quechua, specifically), a Chinese-American wizard, and a black woman. I know Unfortunate Implications are easy to fall into, regardless of intent, and the comic as a whole is not meant to be a didactic on race (or gender, sexuality, able-bodiedness and whatever, although those will also come up), but I really think I should ask people of the same ethnicities about this before I go much further into it.

Thing is, how does one ask about that?

FreezairForALimitedTime Responsible adult from Planet Claire Since: Jan, 2001
Responsible adult
#1825: Jun 3rd 2011 at 12:14:20 AM

Depends. What sort of storyline are you thinking?

"Proto-Indo-European makes the damnedest words related. It's great. It's the Kevin Bacon of etymology." ~Madrugada

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