Post by firestorm78583 on Dec 13, 2011 4:04:17 GMT -5
I have made frequent trips to this site and recently began putting in my 2 cents worth on some of the threads, but I never have introduced myself or anything of the sort.
That is one of the blessings and curses of the internet, annonymity. You are most known by your username or handle. I often feel like the guy that walks up to a group that's having a major discusion, and shouts out "Well I think..." and walks away, leaving the others scratching their heads.
Anyway. Hi, I'm Will (Hi, Will!). I have been attempting to write a story that I have had bouncing around in my head since High School. That was the mid-80s.
I began writing the story in a spiral notebook, and later, I carried a beige plastic file box, with separate file folders for each character. Any time I had an idea I would jot it down and put it in the appropriate folder. Later, I would sit down and look through the folders to get a feel for the characters and flesh them out.
In college, I was a Theatre major with a minor in Radio & Television. So naturally, I took a class in script writing. My teacher, Dr. Jack Stanley, said to "write what you know". Thus, the movie script was forged (That means I wrote the script and not that I copied it. I don't mean that kind of forged). Great! Now I have a movie script with the character's origins, without ever completing the original story.
Luckily, I kept the file box. I would, continue to drop ideas into it, or story starts, or whatever. Occasionally I would dig it out of the dust, thumb through it and reminisce. Finally, I set my mind to it, and I started writing again. I knew I had to get this out of my head, and on paper, or it would be lost. I cannot tell you how many times I have had an idea or a line that I needed to put in this story, and I didn't write it down, and I lost it.
I used to carry a Dell Axim hand-held computer everywhere. I had a watered-down version of Microsoft Word, and this is where I would jot down ideas or work on the story.
I take the Madeline L'Engle approach to writing. She described the process like pots on a stove. You add ingredients and stir, untill it is ready to serve. If it is not ready, put it on the back burner to simmer, and bring another pot up front and work on it.
I have a file specifically for jotting down ideas. I will revisit my ideas and flesh them out. If I think its ready, I will copy and paste it into where it goes in my story.
Some of my fleshed-out ideas have become sequels to the main story I am working on. Great, but I gotta finish the main story or the others wont make sense.
And that's where I am now, trying to come up with a decent way to end my story. That part is driving me nuts, because I don't want to force it and come up with a weak ending.
Incedentally, I have upgraded to an android tablet.
You're probably wondering what so important about what I'm using to write. It stems from the late, great, Douglas Adams. He touted the fact that all his books were written on a Macintosh. I figured that it would be fairly unique to type the majority of my text on my handheld and leave the typesetting and formatting to my main computer. I thought about switching over to an Ipod touch, but there is not a non-wireless way to move my files to and fro. Since I'm using an android tablet, I've still avoided using a Mac.
I have enjoyed this site because I have always wanted to keep my book a work of Christian fiction. In the original draft of the story, my characters were high school buddies that formed a Christian band/acting group.
I have had other friends of mine express their interest in writing, and I point them here.
I have a wonderful wife and two woderful teenage kids. My wife and I homeschool, and the kids are loving it.
I share the same birthday as Madelyne L'Engle and C.S. Lewis. That just always seemed cool to me.
Even if I don't publish this, I remember what Jeff said about writing for an audience of One. I thank God for the opportunity to write. It is through him and for him that I write.
That is one of the blessings and curses of the internet, annonymity. You are most known by your username or handle. I often feel like the guy that walks up to a group that's having a major discusion, and shouts out "Well I think..." and walks away, leaving the others scratching their heads.
Anyway. Hi, I'm Will (Hi, Will!). I have been attempting to write a story that I have had bouncing around in my head since High School. That was the mid-80s.
I began writing the story in a spiral notebook, and later, I carried a beige plastic file box, with separate file folders for each character. Any time I had an idea I would jot it down and put it in the appropriate folder. Later, I would sit down and look through the folders to get a feel for the characters and flesh them out.
In college, I was a Theatre major with a minor in Radio & Television. So naturally, I took a class in script writing. My teacher, Dr. Jack Stanley, said to "write what you know". Thus, the movie script was forged (That means I wrote the script and not that I copied it. I don't mean that kind of forged). Great! Now I have a movie script with the character's origins, without ever completing the original story.
Luckily, I kept the file box. I would, continue to drop ideas into it, or story starts, or whatever. Occasionally I would dig it out of the dust, thumb through it and reminisce. Finally, I set my mind to it, and I started writing again. I knew I had to get this out of my head, and on paper, or it would be lost. I cannot tell you how many times I have had an idea or a line that I needed to put in this story, and I didn't write it down, and I lost it.
I used to carry a Dell Axim hand-held computer everywhere. I had a watered-down version of Microsoft Word, and this is where I would jot down ideas or work on the story.
I take the Madeline L'Engle approach to writing. She described the process like pots on a stove. You add ingredients and stir, untill it is ready to serve. If it is not ready, put it on the back burner to simmer, and bring another pot up front and work on it.
I have a file specifically for jotting down ideas. I will revisit my ideas and flesh them out. If I think its ready, I will copy and paste it into where it goes in my story.
Some of my fleshed-out ideas have become sequels to the main story I am working on. Great, but I gotta finish the main story or the others wont make sense.
And that's where I am now, trying to come up with a decent way to end my story. That part is driving me nuts, because I don't want to force it and come up with a weak ending.
Incedentally, I have upgraded to an android tablet.
You're probably wondering what so important about what I'm using to write. It stems from the late, great, Douglas Adams. He touted the fact that all his books were written on a Macintosh. I figured that it would be fairly unique to type the majority of my text on my handheld and leave the typesetting and formatting to my main computer. I thought about switching over to an Ipod touch, but there is not a non-wireless way to move my files to and fro. Since I'm using an android tablet, I've still avoided using a Mac.
I have enjoyed this site because I have always wanted to keep my book a work of Christian fiction. In the original draft of the story, my characters were high school buddies that formed a Christian band/acting group.
I have had other friends of mine express their interest in writing, and I point them here.
I have a wonderful wife and two woderful teenage kids. My wife and I homeschool, and the kids are loving it.
I share the same birthday as Madelyne L'Engle and C.S. Lewis. That just always seemed cool to me.
Even if I don't publish this, I remember what Jeff said about writing for an audience of One. I thank God for the opportunity to write. It is through him and for him that I write.