Shadowspinner

How did you lot put up with me?

2011-06-08T17:35:00.003-04:00

So, I was going through old posts on here, and I'm just wondering how people managed to put up with the younger me.

So I'd like to apologize to you for the git that the younger me was and thank you, for putting up with me. I hope my character has improved somewhat since I grew older.

If there isn't a new post on this blog within the next three weeks, I give you all permission to write horrible, CAPS LOCK filled comments and things.

Is there something about writing or writing related things that you'd like to see on this blog? Suggest it in the comment box below.

Thanks,

roguewriter

Put the balloons back, darlings, I make no promises

2011-04-27T16:06:00.003-04:00

Right.

There was, once upon a time, long long ago, a point to this blog.

I figure it's about time I went a found a point for it.

What does this mean for you?

Well, quite simply, it means that the hiatus should be over.

And now back to our [ir]regular program.

Important

2010-09-01T11:46:00.003-04:00

[I started this blog September, 2009.]
And after almost a year of blogging, Shadowspinner is going on hiatus.
I'm taking a break, and school has provided the perfect opportunity. I don't know when I'll be back, posting regularly again.
Please note that Thief of Words will still be updating.
Thanks for sticking around,
- roguewriter

Arranged Marriages part 1

2010-08-06T21:25:00.005-04:00

Yes, all you writers group people - my brain is still on the topic of marriage.
There are typically 2 - count them - two ways arranged marriages work in stories.
1. The person getting married finds his/her true love in the person s/he been arranged to marry.
2. S/he ends up running away from the arranged marriage with his/her true love.
(We touched on a much less popular option a couple meetings ago - two people living together. One working very hard during the day and then spending his nights a late night bar that he owns and the other working very hard as well, and living with her nose in a book/writing.)
The 2nd "official" option seems to be more popular, probably because it adds "conflict" (and usually angst, but that's a different post.).

I read a book for school recently that included arranged marriages. Homeless Bird, by Gloria Whelan. Granted, the main character's didn't go terribly well, but her stepsister got married and seemed to do quite well in her life. We needs more of that, arranged marriages that work, but aren't necessarily "Troo wuv".
Think about culture, and the character his/herself. Is she really going to throw tantrums because she doesn't want to marry a man she's heard is kind and gentle?

And I can't help but wonder about the divorce rate in fictional works, particularly fantasy/SF. I guess that would depend on the culture you've created.

See these rants for more information. Arranged Marriages . . . Oh, and Duty-Bound Protagonists
. . .
I need to stop watching Doctor Who so close to bedtime. . . it sends my mind into overdrive.

Have a rant or two

2010-07-14T20:53:00.002-04:00

This is one of my favourite things on the internet.
Limyaael's Rants. http://www.forresterlabs.com/limyaael/
I advise you click on the 'live journal' links for each rant. (The little pencil icon next to each rant of the list. The comments are interesting)
The rants cover everything from Abused Characters to Writing without and Outline.

May I suggest the rant on arranged marriages to you, rock4ever95 (And just about everyone else)? I find it quite interesting.

Quote of the day

2010-06-28T13:19:00.001-04:00

"Writers aren't exactly people.... they're a whole bunch of people trying to be one person."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Quote of the day

2010-06-21T16:51:00.000-04:00

"Every first draft is perfect, because all a first draft has to do is exist."
- Jane Smiley

Random question

2010-06-06T09:37:00.004-04:00

"What is red, and smells like blue paint?"

Now, no fair searching the internet, books, or other research materials - except people, you can ask people.

Can you guess it?

Character naming - part 2?

2010-05-14T16:54:00.001-04:00

I was thinking about a prevoious post of mine, on character naming, more specifically about Bliradella tifanreta and Jack. You could pull two completely different names like those off if there was a large enough difference in their stations in life. (How ever, I would advise a slightly less ridiculous name, for the sake of your reader)

That's what I adore about our world, no matter how much we mess it up, there will always be interesting cultures. Take India, in example. The caste system is rather inspiring. Or Mongolia, or just about any culture you want. Mix and match to your heart's desire, just remembering to keep a bit of logic and reality included.

I feel like I've forgotten something. . .

When the ideas refuse to come

2010-05-09T15:09:00.002-04:00

Some people will tell you to set a schedule and stick to it. I can't do that, so this is my piece of advice: Try mixing up your routine. It doesn't have to be major, little things work. In example, I'm currently sitting on the floor as I type. (I brought the key board down with me.)
Maybe try new music, write while standing on your head, sitting upside down in an armchair (which I've tried), or whatever else your mind can think up.
Or you can say that I'm slightly crazy and completely ignore me.
Your choice.

Love thy characters. . .

2010-05-04T10:04:00.000-04:00

. . . or at least care what happens to them. If you don't care, why the heck should your reader care? Just be careful not to care so much about them that you make sure that nothing bad ever happens to them. I once started reading a story online and nothing bad ever happened to the main character - you can bet how fast I put that thing down.
Make your characters work, make them suffer for their goals, don't be afraid to kill them if the story requires it.

Oh, and don't forget to laugh today.

Link of the day

2010-04-28T19:47:00.002-04:00

So, the link of the day is -
The Anti-guide
The Anti-Guide is a forum topic on the site Gaia Online. It's very long, at the moment there are almost 1600 pages, I'm currently on page 144. Yeah. That's a lot of pages. What it is, is a place to post "advice" for writers. It is an Anti-guide, anything that is said should be taken in reverse. Excellent forum, and you do not need to sign up to access it. Enjoy!

Character naming - part 1

2010-04-06T19:27:00.003-04:00

Names help bring the characters to life and they bring certain prejudices. One must be careful with them! If you have two characters from the same small place and one is called Bliradella tifanreta and the other is Jack, then you have a problem and should proceed with care. You might be able to pull it off, but it's a lot of work.
Keep track of characters that have names that begin with the same letter. In one of my novels, I have Jaden, Jonah, Jinx, and Jaytur. Things tend to get confusing rather quickly. Your reader will have trouble keeping these characters separate. I am (slowly) working on rename Jaden and Jaytur. This, for me, anyway, is a subconscious thing. I don't go out and say "Oh, I want four male characters in this novel with names beginning with J." No.
And a bit of advice: Did the parent of your character(s) have a crystal ball so they could see what would happen in their future? No? Then please do NOT give them names that match their paths in life. The poor parent probably had very little idea what their children would do and so would not have given them special names.
And that's an end to part one of our segment on character naming!

Quote

2010-04-06T07:59:00.000-04:00

"A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.”
-Thomas Mann

A what will never be a completed list of links.

2010-03-17T13:01:00.005-04:00

I will get to posting what the people asked me to write about - later.
Through the years that I have been writing, I have found link after link that has inspired me. The list I have compiled off the top of my head is short, but will grow quickly.

This is just the beginning. I'm sure that, once I scour through all the e-mails I've sent people I'll find more writing related links.
Have a link? What do you think the comment box is for? **hint, hint**

Poll results.

2010-03-08T06:48:00.002-05:00

The results are in!
Three people voted for "Too many to count!"
And one person voted for "1" and for "Too many to count."
Alright, so there are people besides me with far too many writing projects going - nice to know I'm not alone.

Next poll will be. . . . coming soon!
Thank you for voting!

A story and a point

2010-02-15T07:47:00.004-05:00

Writing - you give it everything you have. Sometimes that's enough, sometimes it isn't.

When I was 11, I started on this story, it was my first attempt at writing, and it was the best thing i ever wrote - so I thought.

I look through it now, and there are a couple sections that I want to burn. The voice is awkward throughout most of it, characters make ridiculous mistakes and do things that don't really make sense - all for honor. As you get to the end, though, you begin to see it change. The voice becomes a little smoother, plot holes begin to mend, and it gets better.

And then I stopped writing it. I stopped writing.

Then I found inspiration, I began writing again. This time, the story was better. And it went on for a few months, then I dropped it. I had become very interested in one of the secondary characters, I began writing about her.

So many versions poured out of that decision, and not all of then were very good.

That characters name was Sorrow Fleetfoot, I am currently on my . . . umpteenth version, and enjoying every minute.

The point to this story? (Yes, there actually is a point to this story.)

Writing gets better the more experience you have, and the more you do it.

Quote of the day

2010-02-13T17:35:00.002-05:00

"All you need is love"
~ John Lennon

A little help would be lovely.

2010-01-28T10:36:00.004-05:00

Alright. It has been brought to my attention by a certain someone that the name Shin-ti could be interpreted as Shi'ite, and that it could be seen as me taking sides of something that I probably don't want to take sides on.
So, I'm trying thinking up new names for the Shin-ti. That's where you come in.
What name would you give a band of the best H'carian warriors, the ones that guard the queen, and serve her and only her? The very best of the best, her personal little army to do her dirty work for her? These warriors kill entire villages, sneak into places, kill innocents in the name of H'car and war.
Well?
Please note that at best, Shin-ti was a working title for them, and if you and I cannot think of a good name, I shall simply keep on using Shin-ti. There really is no pressure.

Quotes of the day

2010-01-25T07:08:00.002-05:00

If you surrender to the wind, you can ride it. ~Toni Morrison

Quotes of the day

2010-01-18T07:15:00.003-05:00

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, I bring to you four quotes of his.

"The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it. Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary because it invites defeat. It involves an emotional catharsis, but it must be followed by a sense of futility."

Martin Luther King, Jr., The Trumpet of Conscience, 1967.

"Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."

Martin Luther King, Jr., Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Stockholm, Sweden, December 11, 1964.

"Man was born into barbarism when killing his fellow man was a normal condition of existence. He became endowed with a conscience. And he has now reached the day when violence toward another human being must become as abhorrent as eating another's flesh."

Martin Luther King, Jr., Why We Can't Wait, 1963.

"The curse of poverty has no justification in our age. It is socially as cruel and blind as the practice of cannibalism at the dawn of civilization, when men ate each other because they had not yet learned to take food from the soil or to consume the abundant animal life around them. The time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty."

Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, 1967.

2010 and other things . . .

2010-01-11T19:01:00.006-05:00

Ah, the smell of a new year. I guess I expected to feel different, now that it's 2010, and in a way, I do and I don't. Strange.

To those of you who were able to see the moon New Year's Eve, I envy you. Do you have any idea how rare an actual blue moon on New Year's eve is? All I could see were clouds that night. T_T

On to the next order of business.

I have been spending waaay more time than is probably healthy hanging around the website http://www.etsy.com/ *nervous laugh* I'm not old enough to buy anything, but I love looking at all the designs, they really do inspire me. It's kind of what inspired me to add some steampunk themes to my novels, so I'm figuring out lots of little technical details and getting to know the characters better as I go.
Resolutions have been made and broken, as usual. The only one that I'm guaranteed to completely succeed with is "Expand horizons and stretch to live beyond the box." That's right, live beyond that dreaded box, not just in thought.
How have all of you been?

Merry Christmas.

2009-12-24T19:55:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas, from all of us at Shadespinner.
May there be peace on earth, good will towards all.
It is my hope that the light of this season follows you and your communities throughout the new year.
Good fortune go with each and every one of you.

Alright, this just doesn't make sense. . . .

2009-12-24T19:39:00.004-05:00

I have been reading up on this, and even after all the research, this still sounds weird to me.
There are these things that have popped up in Cary. They look like Christmas trees, they act like Christmas trees, but they are not called Christmas trees. That's right, in Cary's town hall you have your glorious Community trees. Wait, what? *checks script* That cannot be right. . . Political correctness is behind this, as you've probably already guessed, and the trees have sparked quite the debate. Some say, that this is political correctness gone way too far, and that, as they always have, the trees should be called Christmas trees, and that they should place symbols from other religions near the trees. Others say that there is nothing wrong with having a community tree and that people should just leave it alone. And of course, there are those who say that there should be no trees, no symbols, nothing. The last one probably would be the most politically correct, I personally agree with the first argument.
What is your view on this "critically important" issue.

Hopefully some sanity.

2009-12-17T17:10:00.005-05:00

Yes, this is what I call a regularly updating schedule, I'm sorry.
Are the holidays sneaking up too quickly on anyone else or am I the only one?

Hanukkah is in full swing, Christmas, Kwanza, the Winter Soltiace and New Years are not far away.

My family celebrates Christmas, and, like last year, people are ignoring my wishes. The one thing that really drives me crazy about my entire family is they refuse to see reason on that one point. When I say "I don't want anything for Christmas", that is exactly what I mean. It's not that I don't like presents, I love giving and receiving small and/or practical ones, it's just the fact that I think there are better purposes for the money that they spend.

But I am not here to complain. I have more important updates to get to.
I have decided, that what this blog needs more than anything else, is some sanity. And a lot of it. So that is what I plan on supplying.
All right, all right, you can stop laughing now, I am capable of being relatively sane. I survived November, didn't I?
And as my first order of business, I would like to thank you, all of you, for being brilliant and also, for putting up with me. It means a lot to me.

My second order of business is . . . . . . coming up in a later post.

G'bye.

Thank you.

2009-11-28T16:06:00.002-05:00

Thank you, everyone, for puting up with me this month. It means a lot.
I have over 50,000 words written, have collected my slip of paper that proves that I did it and am enjoying the fact that I have two more days to write.
Prepare for a return to our slightly more regular updates.
Thank you.

Gender Genie

2009-11-13T18:20:00.002-05:00

Hello,
I found this link through the NaNoWriMo forums and thought you all might like it.
http://bookblog.net/gender/genie.php
What it does is take a sample of your writing, analize it, and try to figure out whether the writer is male or female. I find it to be amusing, what do you all think?

13th.

2009-11-13T12:24:00.004-05:00

Today is Friday the 13th, a day to get out all your lucky charms, spells, protections, swords and pens.

~ roguewriter

A rather neat idea

2009-10-31T13:06:00.003-04:00

http://procrastinatingwritersblog.com/2009/10/put-together-a-nanowrimo-survival-kit/
A NaNoWriMo survival kit.
What an excellent idea.

. . .

2009-10-31T11:27:00.001-04:00

Happy Samhain everyone!

~ roguewriter, Azai, and the rest of the crew.

National Novel Writing Month.

2009-10-26T16:32:00.005-04:00

"Yes, yes I signed up for NaNoWriMo. So the next few days will be busy, busy, busy. You can't start writing your novel till November, but you can do all the prewriting stuff.
What is NaNoWriMo? A chance to gain recognition through writing a novel in one month, a chance to show all the naysayers that yes, it is possible. Oh, and a reason to drive quite a few people crazy.
Disclaimer: Those reasons are things I made up spur of the moment, thank you very much.

If anyone else is interested - http://www.nanowrimo.org/
I'm Scribe Azai (Thank you Azai dear, for lending me your name and agreeing to take care of the blog while I write)"

~ roguewriter

Lovely.

2009-10-25T17:17:00.004-04:00

"Two. Two people voted in the last poll, and one, being me, doesn't really count." The girl crosses her arms, snorting. "I can guess who the other voter was. Alright, alright, what time of day did I forget this time?
(I know it's going to be something obvious)"

~ roguewriter

Quote of the day

2009-10-16T19:47:00.003-04:00

"I shall live badly if I do not write." ~ Francoise Sagan

Still Azai here, roguewriter is still arguing with her muse, slightly different subject, I think. I stopped trying to make sense of it long ago.

Well. . .

2009-10-07T16:29:00.005-04:00

"Hello, hello, hello. I'm roguewriter's (overworked and underappreciated) assistant, and I will be filling in for her today as she is pouring over a couple of "key" points of her novel and arguing with her muse and isn't in a terribly helpful mood. So you're stuck with me, lucky you, eh? Well, you needn't look like that, she's been telling you about me, hasn't she? It's not my fault she bets with me too much! Er, but - but, you're getting me off subject!" The elf rose, large black wings unfurling. "I've got the feeling I'll be maning the station for a good week or two, so let me outline what the plan looks like: we'll have several quick words on several subjects. First on the list is in relation to Soundtracks, part 1.
rock4ever95,you said "I use real music as my soundtrack. For example, right now I am listening to Dear Mr. President by P!nk and that makes me feel sort of inspired and elegant. But if I were listening to, say, You Don't Know What Love Is by the White Stripes I would feel more, angry and up-tempo. The music I listen to affects my writing style." You are quite right, the music a writer listens to usually affects one's style. Take for example, my writer, she has ben listening to the same two albums over and over again for the past couple of weeks. Dragon Archer, you said "Me, I'll hear songs on the radio and think "Hmm. . .this song would fit Azalea," or "This song would be perfect for Kairan and Kylise as a couple," but I don't really compose music in my head for scenes. At least, not consciously.
It's not unheard of for me to do things like that on a subconscious level." Also very true, as long as it works for you. I think it's a matter of what and how you choose to write. In both your responses I see bits of the writer I'm forced to work with, but in the end, I think it's the way the writer thinks.

And they're in!

2009-10-02T09:15:00.002-04:00

"Poll results are in!" The girl grins, looking up from a landslide of votes. "Humour and Fantasy tied with four votes each, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction and Theater/Drama all came in close with three points. Thank you for voting."

New poll

2009-09-25T07:43:00.003-04:00

"As you can see, we have a new poll. There are a couple of glitches, I created the new poll then realized - I hadn't recorded all the votes from the last one. I think Fantasy won the last round, it got four votes.
I remembered humour and romance this time. If I foegot something else (again), there is a nice shiny poll option for notifying me. Thank you."

Quote of the day

2009-09-22T19:35:00.003-04:00

Two quotes for today

"The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say." ~Anaïs Nin

"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia." ~E.L. Doctorow

So. . .

2009-09-19T10:06:00.001-04:00

It looks like I forgot to place a genre in the poll. . . I apologize, and I would appreciate knowing it so I can place it in the round 2.

Soundtracks, part 1

2009-09-18T06:47:00.005-04:00

5...4...3...2...1.. lights come on, and we're set.

The girl paces the floor, scowling. "So, I hit a new low, well, actually, I've been this way since the last plot idea failed.
"But I'm not here to talk about that, no, I'm here about soundtracks. Come on, I can't be the only person who "composes" music in their heads to go along with scenes. . . am I? I mean, that's the problem in life, unlike movies, there is no danger music. If there was, life would be quite a bit simpler." She pauses, looking around. "And that's really all I have to say on Soundtracks, part 1."

And the winner is. . .

2009-09-15T07:11:00.002-04:00

Autumn wins. You lot don't really like Winter do you? No, thought not. Ah well, Autumn won fair and square.
I know there are still three days left on the poll, but everyone who watches this blog has voted and I don't know of anyone else who visits this blog.

As you can see. . . .

2009-09-12T11:33:00.008-04:00

". . . I cut the poll short, alright? I know who has done it, and I know who did it twice (me). Everyone who has visited this site has voted, and no one is able to vote twice. So, we have a new one!" the girl points excitedly to the new poll. "Careful, you only have five days to vote."

*edit*
"Three votes down and Autumn is in the lead."

Autumn, part I

2009-09-12T10:58:00.004-04:00

Autumn is coming. My favourite season for many reasons. It is a great time for writers in my opinion. Back to school sales are still going on in some stores, notebooks, pencils, erasers, and all sorts of little thingamajigs are really cheap, bags to put it all in, apples. . . It's just a really good season, alright?

Yes, my muse is still on strike, thank you ever so much for asking.

Consider this your poem of the day.

2009-09-11T12:32:00.005-04:00

Why do we do this?

Damn.
Why do we do this to one another?
You used to smile
I used to laugh
Why do we do this to one another?
Have we grown up
So that we see things in a harsher light
Less cheerful
Breathing in the smog of the city
Polluting the children.
Damn
Why do we do this to one another?
Why are we killing each other?
Why?
Why?
Neighbors pull triggers
To guns that kill.
Wars.
Wars for religions
For conquest.
Why?
So much senseless violence.
Make it stop
We've got to make it stop.
I'm begging you
Make your stand.
Damn.
Why do we do this to one another?
Why?
Why?
We're killing each other.
Why?
So much violence.
Needless violence.
People dying
For nothing.
Nothing.
Damn.
Why do we do this to one other?
Why?
Damn.
Why do we do this?

Abby, you probably remember this one. Origionally written for Memorial Day, but I think it fits this as well.

Nothing to do with writing.

2009-09-11T12:29:00.004-04:00

Hard to believe it was eight years ago, the planecrash. Still doesn't seem real and I don't think it ever will for me. . .

...

2009-09-11T07:47:00.005-04:00

I meant to write a very long post right now, but when I sat down to type, my muse deserted me. It's insisting that I work on a scene that should have been done months ago, and refuses to help with the nice long blog post I had planned. So, you'll end up with a shorter one and I"ll post the longer one when I get my muse back.

Writers are always able to think up an excuse not to write, in fact we're kinda famous for it. We should be making breakfast, getting the paper, feeding the cat, doing homework, mowing the lawn, searching for mushrooms, cleaning the house. . . the list goes on and on. It's any wonder we're able to write at all. But we manage, thankfully.

And, that's about all I've got, thank you for letting me waste a few minutes of your day.

Something to think about for today.

2009-09-09T11:59:00.004-04:00

"It's not a matter of right and wrong - It's a matter of what I can, and cannot get away with."

Something to think about. . .

Writing goals

2009-09-08T19:33:00.004-04:00

3.....2.....1.......lights, and we're on!
"Writing goals, are very important - providing, you actually keep up with them. That's the hard part." The girl points to a notebook. "The really hard part. You think it's going be easy, and then - " she slams the notebook hard on the table. "And then, life happens. You no longer have enough time, you lose interest, whatever. Or, you're one of the lucky who can actually keep a writing goal, not get discouraged by setbacks and succeed. I envy you."

Quote

2009-09-08T17:01:00.004-04:00

"A writer is working when he's staring out of the window."
Burton Rascoe

What do you think?

Plots

2009-09-05T14:35:00.006-04:00

Plots, I spend night after sleepless night working on one, get to perfection, and start writing - only to have it fall apart. So I mope for a few days/months, throw things at my personal assistant (see About Me for details) , try to work on the story without a plot, and give up in disgust. After spending a fairly sleepless week or two working, I come up with a "better" plot, start working - three weeks/a couple months later, I have to scrap it, because it makes no sense, I've lost interest or it stinks. I mope, I become miserable, I start working again.

And the cycle continues for months. . .

Sounding familiar yet?

'ello.

2009-09-04T16:56:00.008-04:00

The girl looks around the blog, pokes head into closet.
"Wow. Big place, we can put the desk in that corner, the chest over there, by the window. . . Oh, hello." She waves, smiling. "Don't mind me, I'm just setting up shop. What shop? Why, I 've moved in. If you want, dig through that chest, I know I put the chocolate pot somewhere. . .

"We're all mad here."

I think it was the Cheshire Cat what said that, or something along those lines. It fits.

Welcome, by the way. Now if you don't mind, I'm off to do some exploring. . . "