YWO Needs Bloggers

[Shaun]

Alright folks, I've finally decided to look for more people to become bloggers for YWO. We're going to use Survival By Storytelling as the platform, since that seems like the logical thing to do.

What we're looking for:
--People who are interested in blogging about writing, books, literature, and all things related to those subjects (genre specific is a-ok, as well as the occasional discussion of movies).
--People who can write one or two posts a month for the blog.
--People who are capable of editing themselves and writing decent posts (we don't want anyone just writing text-speak posts and tossing it out there willy nilly, if you know what I mean).

That's basically the criteria. Anyone can apply and I plan on bringing in a lot of people to keep the posting steady.

If you're interested in becoming a part of this, please let me know and write something you'd like to put on the blog and post it here. Again, topics are open. Talk about being a young writer, about books, about literature, about your English lit class, your creative writing class, a movie based on a book, or some topic of relation to that. Find a topic, write about it, and post it here (somewhere around 500 words is fine).

Anyone may apply, by the way (old, new, super new, confused, Bowie, etc.).

So have at it!

[Rouge]

I'm interested. I'll send something later.

[Shaun]

Sure. No rush. I just want to know if you're interested and then get me something whenever.

Your interest has been duly noted.

[Rouge]

Sure. No rush. I just want to know if you're interested and then get me something whenever.

Your interest has been duly noted.

Awesome. I'm kinda excited for this. :)

[Shaun]

You shouldn't be. It's not like we have anything to be excited about around these parts :P

[Rouge]

You shouldn't be. It's not like we have anything to be excited about around these parts :P
You sure are great at promoting things, Shaun. :P

[Shaun]

I try.

[Jack]

Hmmm, I wouldn't mind giving this a go either.

[Spacepirate]

I've already got a writing blog, I would link it but it doesn't let me.

However, my exams are coming soon so I've taken a break from it.

I'd be interested in this a lot, just not now. Nearer the summer?

I write a lot in my posts so word number will not be an issue, and I can waffle about writing for Scotland.

[Shaun]

It's sort of an open-ended request. We are thinking of having a large staff of writers that constantly circulates in and out (since folks have obligations and what not). So, if you're interested, write something up and apply!

[Spacepirate]

Never mind....

[Klon.]

I'd like to, if I'd be of any use.

I might be better at reviewing movies. Is it okay if they're not based on books?

[Shaun]

They should really be based on books or about books/writers. Mythology-based work would also be okay, or something rooted very clearly in history. Other than that, it's basically not for the blog :S.

[Rouge]

Palahniuk Panic

So, many of you readers out there may know about Chuck Palahniuk’s bestselling novel Fight Club, or may have even seen the movie. And, on the flipside, many of you that listen to tons of music may know of Panic at the Disco, and their first album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out. But, how many of you knew that their first album had a few song references in both titles and lyrics to Chuck Palahniuk and a few of his books?

The song Camisado from Panic’s album has many references to the book Fight Club. I’d provide examples, but I don’t want to give away any part of the book if you haven’t read it. I’ll post a link at the end where you can find all the answers.

Time to Dance is an entire reference to the book Invisible Monsters, which I personally haven’t read yet but plan on it soon. Therefore, I’m not going to post any references to that, ha ha, because I don’t want the book spoiled for myself.

The thing I find interesting is that I have listened to Panic for a couple of years now, but I never once caught the references. It literally blew my mind because I understood why I loved Panic and Palahniuk so much—they’re interrelated!

I’m apparently really slow on this because most people know about the references. I just fail, is all. Obviously, I just like songs because they sound awesome. Now they’re even more awesome because of this and I hope those of you who haven’t read any of Chuck Palahniuk will go read some. I suggest starting with Fight Club, just because it’s the easiest to get into and it’s his most popular. If you haven’t listened to Panic then I highly suggest listening to them, starting with their first album. If you don’t like it, then their second album is really different and you may like it more. It just depends on your tastes.



Since it's not going in a blog yet, it's really just a sample. I typed it up fast and don't really have a link yet, so yeah. If it's legit lemme know.

[Shaun]

I'm actually intrigued about the references. I'm mildly familiar with Panic at the Disco, and more than enough familiar with Palahniuk.

Write up the whole thing, with spoilers and explanation of the references and we'll put it up on the blog. Seriously. It's curious stuff.

[Rouge]

I'm actually intrigued about the references. I'm mildly familiar with Panic at the Disco, and more than enough familiar with Palahniuk.

Write up the whole thing, with spoilers and explanation of the references and we'll put it up on the blog. Seriously. It's curious stuff.

Okay, I'll work on it some tonight.

[Shaun]

We still want bloggers. If you're interesting in participating, feel free to let us know. We want a large crew.

For now, those of you who I have expressed interest in should assume you're on the list.

[Majyk]

I can try to write something for this. I've never written a blog post before, so I'll see how it goes.

[Shaun]

They're not terribly difficult. Relatively short discussions about a topic. See my blog in my sig. Obviously some posts will be shorter than others (posting videos, links, pictures, things like that).

[Majyk]

Okay, so here's my entry. Hope it's all right. I can change anything about it that you want.

Planning

Recently, I had to write an essay for my comp. 100 class. Everyone was given the same topic: write an essay about how to write an essay. Simple, eh? Enough, since we’d just spent half the semester going over the basics of how to write an essay and we now had to write about that and do it at the same time. Unfortunately, that meant I had to do some serious planning. If I was going to sit down and write a paper informing whoever was going to read it that planning was an essential part to writing a good essay, I had to do it myself, too.

I’ve met writers—“met” as in known people on writing sites such as YWO—who plan out each chapter in great detail before even beginning to write. On the other hand, all the planning I do before I start a novel or short story is to make sure that I know the basic plot. But is lots of planning necessary? I suppose it depends on the person. For me, it’s worse when I do plan.

Occasionally it’ll happen that I don’t write for a while, and in those cases I’ll figure out a lot of what is going to happen in the next few chapters or so, but I find that the more time I have to think about what I’m writing before I actually sit down and do it, the harder the scene is to write. Fresh ideas are easiest to deal with, and there’s a certain thrill about writing into the unknown which doesn’t occur when I know what the next four chapters will be like. On the down side of lacking planning, it does make it very easy to get stuck, or be at a loss for what happens next. All too often (which isn’t that often, now that I think about it) I find myself writing a scene and getting really into it when I realize that I can’t continue because I don’t know what the next part is. I’ve gotten used to that, so it doesn’t bother me too much. But right now is a perfect example of why I don’t plan. With so many ideas in my head at one time, it’s hard to focus on the scene I’m currently working on. When I was little, I would have just skipped the difficult section to get to the “good part,” but that doesn’t really work anymore, even though I did try it once. My advice: don’t skip parts. They’re a pain in the butt to edit in later.

Planning is one of those things that everyone talks about, yet it’s really up to the writer. Whatever works for you. But if you’re writing an essay, do plan—it does make it much easier.

[jordanisonfire]

You know you'd love me to do a take on erotic novels, Shaunwise.

[Jack]

This is something I typed up over the last few days.

The Art of Conning

What is Conning?

For a lot of writers, the world in which the events of your stories take place is just a back drop; an unimportant cut out that sits around your characters and tells them where to stand and how to look pretty while doing it. To others, particularly those involved in writing fantasy and science fiction works, the world is its own character and, quite possibly, the most important one of them all.

The term conworld is a portmanteau of the words ‘construction’ and ‘world’ and refers to an imagined setting dreamt up by writers, artists or hobbyists, often for no other reason than the joy of creating. J.R.R Tolkien is the prime example and he was obviously going to rear his head at some point in this blog entry. Tolkien was primarily a professor of language when he set out on his world ‘Arda’. It started with a few scribblings, some runes and some made up words, and from there he constructed entire languages. Eventually, he began to create cultures to fit said languages and a place to put them. Middle Earth was born. Arda was a man’s life work and it is thought that when Tolkien died in the September of ’73, he hadn’t even come close to finishing it.

How is it done?

Of course, Tolkien is an extreme example; his work on Arda has a scope and depth to it that is unmatched by most in the writing world. But that doesn’t mean that conning can’t be both handy and enjoyable for the budding writer. There are two ways to go about creating a conworld. The top-down approach involves outlining the major parts of the world first (layout of the world, races, how sophisticated the inhabitants of the world are) and then fleshing out the world gradually by focusing on smaller and smaller details until the world is rich and vibrant. The second method, and the one that Tolkien favoured, is the bottom-up approach, where a small section of the world is focused on and the built around (in Tolkien’s case the small section was language because that was his area of expertise). Both techniques have their advantages and disadvantages, and choosing which one to use really all falls down to personal preference.

How can it help?

If you are planning on writing a fantastic story set in its own world, it will show if you haven’t given the world a bit of thought beforehand. The greatest advantage of conning when writing is that it will help arrange things in your head and stop you from making trip ups in terms of continuity within your story. Of course, many people choose to create worlds purely for their own enjoyment, and all that takes is the imagination; not even a pen and some paper are necessary. The possibilities are endless.


I hope its okay. I can edit it if there is anything you feel needs changing.

[Shaun]

Drax; You're in. That makes three!

[Majyk]

That makes three!

Don't we have four now? Me, Tsuki, Spacey, and Drax...?

[Shaun]

Space is a -1.

[Spacepirate]

Space is a -1.

Try and square root me!

:P

[Shaun]

For some reason, I find that rather funny. Math humor! Geeks for the win!

[Spacepirate]

For some reason, I find that rather funny. Math humor! Geeks for the win!

Hi-five! :D

You heard about the book written in Pi laws?

/endspam.

[Rouge]

... did you quit, Space? :(

[Spacepirate]

... did you quit, Space? :(

No. I didn't quit. Unless Shaun kicked me off. O_o

[Shaun]

What? Quit? I didn't kick him off...he hasn't done anything for that yet...what are you talking about?

[Emsidian]

I'm interested.

[Shaun]

You have to post something, then.

[Emsidian]

I forgot to to tell you but I will post it tomorrow. Can it be about whatever interest you? or...

[Jack]

I forgot to to tell you but I will post it tomorrow. Can it be about whatever interest you? or...

Did you read the Shaun's first post?



What we're looking for:
--People who are interested in blogging about writing, books, literature, and all things related to those subjects (genre specific is a-ok, as well as the occasional discussion of movies).

[young_writer]

I would like to join this group!

[Majyk]

I would like to join this group!

As Shaun said to someone else who wanted to join...

You have to post something, then.

[Shaun]

Alright, in hopes that everyone will read this who wants to participate: if you want to blog for YWO, please provide a sample of your writing. A small 300-600 word post or something about a topic relevant to what we're looking for. This way I have an idea where you are at writing-wise and whether you'd be a good fit for the blog (we can't take everyone and I have to make sure that everyone is capable of writing something interesting).

So, if you're still interested and haven't already been slated for the blog, then post something here for my perusal.

[Clarissa]

Um... *puts up hand* I'd rather like to do something for this....

But I'm not sure I'll actually be good enough. However, I do have an idea for a blog type thing so I shall post it here (when I've written it) and we shall see how awful it is.

I'm going to ask a stupid question that's most likely been answered already, but meh. It's been a long day. Can I do book reviewy things?

[Shaun]

Possibly. I need samples.

[KythingToWrite]

Can I still apply? 'Cause it looks like it's been a long time since the last post... But I'm definitely interested! I'll try posting something this weekend about writing stories with in the Mystery genre-Is that all right?

[Majyk]

Can I still apply? 'Cause it looks like it's been a long time since the last post... But I'm definitely interested! I'll try posting something this weekend about writing stories with in the Mystery genre-Is that all right?

The blog isn't going anymore; that's why no one's posted in a while.