Prose as Art

[mythusmage]

Piratecat closed a thread of mine because prose is not art. I must disagree.

Well crafted prose is art. It can affect the viewer much as the visual arts do. A well written passage can evoke images and stir emotions. Prose can inspire and persuade, it is not just words on a page.

So I present this proposal. A new section for the message boards, The Arts. Under which would be found (at first) the following fora, Writing and Visual Arts. These fora being where people go to post examples of their work, and where respondents can post opinions, critiques, and stray friendly jibes.

Feedback on this proposal is welcome.

Morrus, if a poll seems appropriate for this, you are welcome to post one.

 

[garyh]

I don't think dividing/expanding the art section is necessary, especially since there's already Story Hour. The system has worked fine so far, and this is just the latest tangent resulting from an "advice" thread that didn't go over well.

Let it go.

I also dislike the use of the term "fora." Technically correct, but also technically uppity.

 

[Dragongirl]

Piratecat has already said that things like that can go in Story Hour. Though perhaps the the little blurb under the forum name could be expanded to make it clearer that it is for any fiction as well as game stories.

 

[Darkness]

Piratecat has already said that things like that can go in Story Hour. Though perhaps the the little blurb under the forum name could be expanded to make it clearer that it is for any fiction as well as game stories.

Exactly.

 

[alsih2o]

being as dance is art too maybe we could just open up a way for folks to post interpretive dance movies in the art forum too!

and a small section for the theatre!

and maybe find a way to post postodern tuba recitals reflecting the nuances of halforc sympathies!

but if piratecat is gonna be a wet blanket and stick with the definition 95% of the people use for the word art 95% of the time, i guess it is no use fighting this blatant use of prosecutorial excess

 

[Darkness]

I think prose might even fit best into GD, BTW; after all, haiku and such go there, too... *shrug* But if you're writing entire sagas, SH is probably the forum for you...

 

[mythusmage]

I see some misapprehensions have appeared in this thread. I shall attempt to elucidate.

While there is a forum for the art of storytelling (Story Hour) and another for game design (Game Design of course), there is none for the art of writing.

In other words, a forum where the poster can put a sample of his prose for others to critique. The aim of this forum being to help people improve their writing, as writing in and of itself. In this way helping to improve the quality of writing in RPG materials. Good graphics can get a customer's attention, but its good writing that keeps it.

SH and GD are fine fora (I like "fora") as far as they go, but they are not the places to go when you need feedback on your prose. Thus my call for a "Prose as Art" forum"

BTW, If there is a great enough demand for a dramatic arts forum (in-so-far as the dramatic arts apply to RPGs), I'd support that two.

 

[Morrus]

I'll give my customary - nay, habitual - rejoinder at this juncture -- if a consistently significant number of persons instigates a significant number of such threads for a significant period of time to the extent that incorporating the area under discussion into pre-existing fora becomes impractical or disruptive then I will give the concept or notion due consideration.

 

[mythusmage]

Hmmm

How many such threads would have to be shut down by Piratecat as being inappropriate to a forum in a week's time for that to happen?

 

[Piratecat]

being as dance is art too maybe we could just open up a way for folks to post interpretive dance movies in the art forum too!

"I am a trickling arpeggio. I am the slight wind that ruffles your curtains on a warm spring night. See me dance!"

Perhaps you missed it, Mythusmage. In the Art forum, someone else started a thread asking this same thing.

Prose IS art. However, the art forum isn't the right place for it; that's for visual art, just like General Discussion is usually the right place for an occasional piece of performance art. Unless we have a general outcry for a new forum, prose currently belongs in the Story Hour forum (stories of some type) or in general discussion (other prose). Please mark it clearly as fiction (perhaps with a [fiction] label.

Feel free to start a poll in Meta asking whether or not a new forum is seen as useful. You may want to change your sig to give the poll greater exposure.