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17000 words is not bad. Go, CD, go! Keep at it. Considering the vocabulary and writing quality of people that DO get published, precisely everyone can do it. Get a copy of 50 Shades of Grey if you don't believe me.
*shudder* So much this. One of the few books that disgusted me so much I threw it against a wall and never finished it. It wasn't even funny bad like harlequin romance novels from the eighties. It was just bad. In the end it wasn't that the sex scenes fell flat, or even that nobody can bite their lip that much without turning it into a bloody mess, or really just that it was kinda boring that did me in. It was all the bad spelling and punctuation. Surely after so much success she can afford a gorram editor! Bloody hell, a run-through with grammar check in Word would have caught all of this! I just couldn't handle the crimes against grammar. *sobs*
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@Cal :( that sucks, I quite enjoy writing (I did a degree in English lit so I'm used to writing a decent amount) I just find pulling myself away from family and forums and video games to actually write something slightly tricky.
Fortunately I have found I can generally see what is wank and what isn't when I read things over again.@Sissyl thankies I actually discovered this thread stalking you >.> .. or something less creepy.
This is what NaNo is for! Family and friends tend to be more understanding when you confine the crazy to a set time of year. At least it works for me. :)
Now if I could just ever finish a second draft >.<(And seriously, you did good to write that many words. Words are hard. ^.^)
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We celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary.
WOOOOOOOOO~!
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Not the f+*$ing way I f%&!ing use them.
But there is only so many times you can swear in a chapter before it becomes a Quentin Tarantino script.
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50 shades started out as honest-to-god Twilight fanfiction, as I understand it. *shudder*
CD, I know I can come across as combative. It surprised me too to find myself writing my encouraging post here after our earlier debate.
On a different note: Knowing that what you write is wank is a trap. You may feel it is a good thing, but rest assured, it comes back to bite you. Eventually, your familiarity with the text makes you feel all of it is old hat.
What you do is: Have a plot outline, even if rough, before you begin. Then write the novel, THEN judge. Make the obvious changes. Let it rest a while, then revise. For the same reason, don't show your stuff to others before it is ready.
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@lynora thankies for the kind words, whats NaNo?
@Syssyl, I also heard it started out as a twilight fan fic and honestly I can see it.
As for the debate, I wouldn't worry about it, I can get wrapped in in silly arguments on these forums too easily. I've already banned myself from all Paladin related threads xD
The trouble with my editing and looking back is being an English student I'm used to writing about 500 words, going back, editing it writing some more and doing the same. I was never even very good at writing a full essay before I went back and edited it.
I am trying not to do it so much now. The book is currently planned to have a part one and a part two, a bit like Tess of the d'Urbervilles is split into 7 or Wuthering Heights into 2. I'm trying to hold off on editting at least until I get to the end of part one.
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NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Although it's really more international at this point. Anyhow, it happens every November. The goal is to crank out a 50k word first draft of a novel in 30 days. Which sounds intimidating, but is quite doable. I write 2000 words a day and thus usually finish a few days early. The first year I did it that was super hard but now I know that it's totally okay for those words to be utter crap. Crap makes great fertilizer. ;)
It's a really great way to break yourself of the habit of editing as you go. If you decide to do it this year, feel free to add me as a writing buddy. :)
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Hmmm well I don't think I'll be starting a second one but I'll certainly be carrying on the current one, see how it goes.
As it happens I do have an idea for 2 more novels and 2 shorts set in the same world, although I don't think it rounds out evenly yet so it might end up being 3 more. I find it hard to crystallize anything in books 2 and 3 yet. They're both kinda murky currently.
Also another thing that happened this summer
My brother passed his driving test.
Which is great, although mildly awkward for me given I'm three years older than him and haven't.
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Driving for any reason other than enjoyable road trip is somewhat overrated Chromantic...trust me...reliable and clean public transportation looks so much better after sitting in traffic jams on and off for 21 years.
Plus vehicle ='s money hole (second only to a boat in eats your money ability)
Plus side....as the older sibling, you can extort rides and such, and if your brother asks for gas money, just remind him of all the stuff you have done for him over the years :)
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I love driving, anything and everything.
Which is why, before I became the stay at home parent I was a landscape foreman and heavy equipment operator.
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I'm more than happy to use public transport, I figure its probably cheaper than buying, insuring, servicing and running a car. The only difficulty is all the graduate schemes that ask applicants for drivers licenses :P
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Likely quite true...spend all the savings on more gaming stuff!!!
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For us, driving is entirely optional.
The wife works almost a mile away, one kid's school is two blocks away, and the other a mile (which we walk every day) and then my work is a half hour bus ride (though I usually drive, as it's only fifteen minutes to drive).
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I really envy your ability to walk so much. I couldn't cover the two blocks at all without mind killing pain surging in my lower back. Part of it's my obesity, the other getting older, and the other is from a car accident several years ago. So my back and both legs conspire against me, limiting my mobility. The closest grocery store is less than a half mile away and I have to drive there. Just can't make it otherwise.
When I was a kid I grew up in a very rural area and my closest friends lived over a mile away so I walked or rode my bike down a dirt road all the time and we hiked all over hill and dale all the time. What I wouldn't give to be that slim and active again.
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It's interesting. I was trying to prove GM_Beernorg wrong using Quicken and our 2016 driving records, but it just reinforced his statement.
Our total on public transportation in 2016 was $1127.33, mainly NobodysWife commuting to downtown S.F. for work. If you count the cost of a car as including the purchase price divided by the number of years owned (so my 1996 Celica is down to $857.14 a year), our total cost for two cars in 2016 was $7289.47. That's a LOT less than Adam's claim of $9000/year per car (Adam Ruins Everything -- a GREAT series), but I'm weird. I want a car that gets good gas mileage that will last forever with minimal maintenance. Not sexy at all.
Of course, public transportation in the Bay Area SUCKS -- it's filthy, has a high crime rate, and it's almost impossible to get to many places in a timely manner (you typically take the time it would take you to drive, triple it, and add at least a 1-mile walk to determine your public transportation option), BUT it is apparently cheaper; at least as compared to a solo driver.
So if you've got the time, use public transportation.
Personally, I feel that for anything under 15 miles a bike is the way to go. It's cheaper than either AND gets you free exercise!
EDIT: Just saw DM Cal's post. Yes, cars are better for many, many things: Two or more people immediately make cars better, as do many medical issues.
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I used to ride my bike seven and a half miles to town every day for drivers ed (I was home schooled otherwise).
My jerk older sister wouldn't give me rides even though she was going to work.
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My uncle knows someone around the age of 50 who tried and failed to learn to drive 7 times, then gave up after working out he could live a perfectly finiacially viable life without ever driving just with Taxi's the train and the bus.
I should clarify I'm English which I imagine changes the context when compared to you American folks, although I myself am unaware of the nature of those changes in context.
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If it helps John, I didn't get my license until I was almost twenty five and my wife made it a prerequisite of moving to the west coast.
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Before my car crash in 2005, I LOVED driving. But since then my anxiety issues have become worse and worse and now I'm not only becoming afraid to drive I'm becoming a really bad driver myself. And don't even get me to drive on a rainy night. I refuse to do it. It's tough enough for me to just drive to the store (which I did a few minutes ago). I'm a nervous wreck just from doing it.
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Absolutely, people are generally terrible drivers..
I was almost hit this morning walking and then the a@+@$~! had the gall to insist he wouldn't hit me because he was such a good driver.
Needless to say he didn't like me circling every argument he had back to him being a stupid driver. :-)
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Hey.
Just wanted to say I'm still around. Just don't post much.
Unfortunately I'm still rather under the weather, on the account of my depression.
But to the point. Yes my meds have been re-balanced, and I will be starting seeing my psychiatrist, on a regular basis, from the 9 of October and onwards.
Just wanted to give an heads up to you guys and gals.
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Always nice to see you, Kjeldorn :)
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Hey, Kjel...glad to see you still kicking about. We've all got your back here.
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Huzzah! Thanks for telling us, Kjeldorn! God bless you, and we'll be keeping you in prayer!
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Happy autumn equinox everyone!
Hopefully your fall is better than your summer Kjeldorn!
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I have really good situational awareness and spatial intelligence so what other people do doesn't stress me out, as I already know what they're going to do.
For me, driving is one of the least stressful things I do.
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I have neither of those things in any great proportion. xD
And I find driving very stressful, you see my father was a fireman for 31 years. He has told more than enough horror stories about arriving to car crashes wherein one or more of the victims were relieved of the burden of their head to make me well and truly ill at ease behind the wheel.
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In a vacuum, I'm entirely capable of driving.
How does your internal combustion engine work in a vacuum?!
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I have neither of those things in any great proportion. xD
And I find driving very stressful, you see my father was a fireman for 31 years. He has told more than enough horror stories about arriving to car crashes wherein one or more of the victims were relieved of the burden of their head to make me well and truly ill at ease behind the wheel.
My mom was an ER nurse before going back to school.
So I heard those same stories. :-)
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I have neither of those things in any great proportion. xD
And I find driving very stressful, you see my father was a fireman for 31 years. He has told more than enough horror stories about arriving to car crashes wherein one or more of the victims were relieved of the burden of their head to make me well and truly ill at ease behind the wheel.
I've heard similar (and worse) about motorcycles, which has always kinda put me off riding one of those.
Having said that, my parents rode scooters and then (not very powerful - maybe 125cc) motorbikes for years and nothing happened to them.
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OK, enough people are talking about driving that I'll chime in:
Other drivers drive me crazy, because I am reasonably close to what the DMV defines as a "good driver":
I get SOOOOOOOO angry at drivers who think that driving is some kind of sightseeing show where they can stare at accidents on the side of the road while braking in the middle of the freeway, or stop in the middle of the road to let off passengers, or drive really slowly through a National Park to enjoy the view, or...
If you're driving, you're driving. You don't get to do anything else. Driving is 100% your job and your focus. Stop trying to do anything else. (And yeah, I don't talk on the phone while driving, either.)
And what does being a paranoid, "Won't take my eyes off the road", "Won't tailgate" driver get me?
My car hasn't touched another vehicle (with both in motion) in 32 years. So it's not just that being an attentive, obsessive-compulsive driver keeps you from hitting others. It keeps you from being hit as well. I've heard dozens of, "This is what happened, and so this is why I couldn't possibly have avoided it," excuses.
In 90% of them, I can immediately point out what the person could have done differently to avoid it. (Usually it's, "So why weren't there any other lanes you could go into and why couldn't you brake? Didn't you leave yourself an 'out'?")
So driving isn't nearly as dangerous as it's made out to be. You just have to actually pay attention to what you're doing. Which is apparently very, very hard.
EDIT: And yes, I'm a huge fan of driverless automobiles. I'd be much happier if driving were taken out of the hands of humans entirely, myself included.
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I keep reading the title of your spoiler as "Gloriously Old Man Tirade"...
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I keep reading the title of your spoiler as "Gloriously Old Man Tirade"...
Yes. Yes, it is. :-P
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Kjeldorn, glad to hear you're still with us!
On Topic:
This summer I...
...took in a new convention I don't normally go to...
...went to my very first concert (They Might Be Giants, at GenCon)...
...vounteered in HQ for four slots at GenCon for Paizo...
...helped raise more money for Tubman at SkalCon, volunteering for two slots of HQ...
I don't drive.
I've had a driver's permit three times in the past. During high school driver's ed, nearly crashed the student car four times (one of the people in our car backed into a dumpster and another got our car caught in a snowdrift so deep we had to call for a tow, so I guess I was better than them?).
My problem was akin to NH's commentary above: I'd get distracted by either things *on the road* or *off the road*. Made a really quick logic leap that driving was not a good idea for me. People tried (patient folks they were) to help me learn, and had similar near-crash instances too many times to justify trying to continue to learn.
...and now I see folks sitting there: Doing their hair, doing their nails, texting, talking on the phone (hands-free or not), watching videos in their car, eating, anything BUT driving.
It makes me angry on one level, but at the same time, makes me feel better about my life choices.
Holding out for driverless vehicles (doesn't have to be a car, even)...
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Kjeldorn, glad to hear you're still with us!
Ditto!
On Topic:
This summer I...
...went to my very first concert (They Might Be Giants, at GenCon)...
Awesome!!! Love them!
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I couldn't name you one song by them.
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Off the top of my head:
Triangle Man
Istanbul
They are awesome!
=======
I'm holding out for driverless bubbles, myself. XD
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Ok, "Istanbul" rings a bell. I think I've heard that one. They're just not my cup of hot, molten METAL.
Actually, I listen to a lot more than just metal, but it sounds less metal when I admit that.
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Hey, no one is judging - least of all me!
I heart most every music around (though it took me a while to allow "rap" a chance to be music, and, even now, I find the vast preponderance of it both insipid and irritating - yes, okay, "gangsta" I get it, choose a different topic, and stop all the needless swear words for "shock" value - it makes you you look like talentless hacks that require such doofy shenanigans to gain attention; while I'm on it, pull up your daggum pants, you can't walk, I don't care what kind(s) of underwear you've got on, and you look dumb; also, get off my lawn!)
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I couldn't name you one song by them.
Birdhouse in your Soul from Flood is my favorite.
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Ok, I think I've heard that one. I may have known someone years ago who were into them.
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Rap is a major reason Spotify doesn't work out well for me. I just wish they had a declaration of contents, so I can avoid rap. No such luck.
Other people can like whatever, of course, and they do.
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This summer I learnt that Captain yesterday owns the Pharasma alias
I am jealous now. >.>
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This summer I learnt that Captain yesterday owns the Pharasma alias
I am jealous now. >.>
She was one of my first aliases.
I was surprised no one else had been doing it before me.
Or since.
As for why my deity aliases are always in bold, you can thank The Simpsons for that, with god always speaking in a loud booming voice.