Kiln-Fired Ceramic DM

Macbeth · Apr 29, 2004

Interesting to hear how others write, and what kind of experience you have. I've never taken a formal class on creative writing, all of my style and experience comes from reading. I have taken an AP Eglich course, and a college course on script analysis, but those courses were both much more about interpreting other's writing then writing for myself. I find that I easily slip into the style of whatever author I'm reading at the time.

For example, my first round story for this Cermic DM was written while reading Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimen, and I think the story reflects Pratchett's style in particular.

The second round entry was written while readin the Endless Nights graphic novel by Neil Gaimen, part of the Sandman continuity, and I believe that influenced the surreal, almost dream-like aspect of the story.

And now, as I write my third entry, I'm reading American Gods by Neil Gaimen (seeing a pattern?

), and admittedly, I think an aspect of that story has slipped in to mine. I guess you could say that I'm using the same setting, but from a much different angle, with a few changes... kind of... you'll see.

Sialia · Apr 30, 2004

It's a good technique, as long as you use good models and aren't too literal about copying them. Dr. Seuss is easy to mimic, but hard to get to anything out of that you can really feel like you own because no matter what you do, people will say "It's a Seuss-mock, right?"

Before I started writing last competition, I sat down and read some really disturbing short stories by LeGuin, Vonnegut, and Bradbury. (I figured, If you're going to channel, channel strong stuff, right?) Then I thought for a while about what makes a story really about something and not just a sequence of events that happen. I didn't write anything nearly as powerful as theirs, but there was a lot more strength in what I did because I was trying to catch their coattails.

It's a bit like drafting in a bicycle race.

Macbeth · Apr 30, 2004

Sialia said:
It's a good technique, as long as you use good models and aren't too literal about copying them. Dr. Seuss is easy to mimic, but hard to get to anything out of that you can really feel like you own because no matter what you do, people will say "It's a Seuss-mock, right?"

Exactly. I'm not saying it's good, but I just tend to do it. I figure as long as I'm just slipping into the style, no stealing the story, it's not a horrible thing to do.
For a little while I was worried about my story for this round being too close to some stuff I've read, but now that I've finished a draft, I think it ended up very much my own story, just with a little style, even possibly a bit of setting, from other works.

orchid blossom · Apr 30, 2004

Macbeth said:
Exactly. I'm not saying it's good, but I just tend to do it. I figure as long as I'm just slipping into the style, no stealing the story, it's not a horrible thing to do.
For a little while I was worried about my story for this round being too close to some stuff I've read, but now that I've finished a draft, I think it ended up very much my own story, just with a little style, even possibly a bit of setting, from other works.

Writing in the style of our favorite writers is natural. There's no better way to learn to write than to read, read, read. We read the same books over and over, studying the style as well as the story. It will sift through your mind, along with all the other authors you've loved, and after a while you'll patch together a style all your own made up of bits and pieces from all over.

Eeralai · May 1, 2004

Zhaneel said:
Story 2: Corporate Dryad [on the way to F&SF mag]

This is the story of a dryad who is trapped in an office tree. Came from stopping at the BofA near Lake Merritt and noticing all the trees inside the glass windows. My environmentalist heart broke and demanded a story. Wrote over the course of 2 three hour writing sessions. The idea had been bubbling for about a year before being put to paper

Zhaneel

My husband, BSF, was just telling me about this discussion and your dryad story. I would really like to read it if there is a way we could arrange that and if you don't mind some random person on ENworld reading your story. I just finished a story about a satyr leaving the countryside of Ireland to see what a big city was all about, and I would enjoy someone elses thoughts on how the fey would fit into modern society. Please let me know. I am looking forward to the showdown between you and Mythago

Sialia · May 2, 2004

I had a friend once who wrote--or at least often talked about writing--a story about the nymph of the Hudson River. She was living in the Village at the time, and had a very New York view of the Hudson. She described the nymph as a . . . I probably can't use any of those words here withuot offending somebody's grandma.

Ok--trying again--Up my area in Queens, the river used to make tinkling noises like little bells where it slapped against the concrete retaining walls. It tinkled because of the immense quantity of broken beer bottles in it. Cigarette butts and fast food wrappers and hypodermic needles float by. The image of the vast city and its lights are reflected in it. At night, it is black as oil, and shining as gold.

But the river is quite different further up, and if a river has a spirit, it must encompass both NYC and upstate.

It's a river full of majesty and beauty that has been utterly corrupted, and is still beautiful and powerful in its state of corruption.

The story would have to be both to be really great . . .

I surely would have loved to see that story.

Sialia · May 2, 2004

On another note--probably an entirely different one, one of the two stories that went up this round in Ceramic GM inspried me to write today. I'm out of my mind with massive nonfiction writing assignments due in the next two weeks, so an outline and a few key paragraphs was all I could do today--enough to get the rough sketch down.

Given the spirit of the forum, if folks want to post a few interesting photos in this thread, I'll see if I can work them in when I get around to filling the outline out in a few weeks. Something interesting might come of this, but I don't want to use my own art for it. Not yet. I want to be dragged somewhere unexpected, because as it stands the story is too predictable.

mythago · May 2, 2004

Here's one...

Macbeth · May 3, 2004

Hmmm, if your looking for pictures, how bout this one? I won't tell you anything about the picture, so as not to cramp your ideas.

Macbeth · May 3, 2004

Here's another couple, one from a website that I chanced upon that hosts a number of Ceramic Dm worthy pictures, including at least 2 that have been used in this tourny.
The 'kising' picture is from the website, 'nick Fritz" has a long story behind it.... But I don't want to tell it, because it might give the picture too much bagage.

Edit: Ooops, wrong picture. Never mind, the one I uploaded was Photoshoped, and the original is too big. No Nick Fritz I guess.

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