JamesSavik

Awe TR, You know we still luv ya! :read2: :headbang: :geek: :bigsmurf: :brilsmurf: :joker: :clown: :smurf: :dog: :love4:

Welcome to the Pecman! :director: :cheers: I always look forward to your comments in the writers workshop!

I just finished this story and wanted to say again how much I loved it. If you haven't read it, it is tough but it is worth it!

:crybaby: >>> This is a great story! I haven't cried like this since I read Comicality's My Only Escape. Like that story, it's a happy cry. -JS :geek:

There is no doubt that Dom is a top-drawer author. Of his stories, I like the Log Way the best.

It's really off to a good start. I'm looking forward to more. :geek: :dog:

I'm not really a "dog person". Messy, smelly things dogs are. They make my cat hiss. However, the Aussie Shepherd from across the street is about the coolest dog that I've ever seen. This isn't him in the picture below- just a represenative of the breed. Nipper is black, white and brown and a little bigger than is average for the breed. He's an real athlete; muscular but agile able to change direction in mid air to catch a frisbee. Nipper is so smart, it's kinda scary. He's a very handsome animal with boundless energy that wants to run and play all the time. :dog: If I dare show up without a frisbee, he herds me around the yard with nips and nudges. He plays a little rough, makes me feel a little bit like a human chew toy but thankfully he pulls his bites. He belongs to a family that doesn't pay much attention to him. Their loss. He's a great dog. I wish people would remember that those cute puppies grow up to be dogs that need attention too. This kind of dog thrives on attention and, without it, they get in trouble. Not that Aussie Shepherds are BAD dogs- that's NOT the case! They are just too smart to leave to their own devices to amuse themselves. They'll herd the wrong person or play too roughly with someone. They are great dogs, just play with them! They need the attention and the exercise will do you good. :geek: the is not speaking to me

I agree with you guys- 3 hours in jail is a far cry from 3 months. There is just no good reason to make a change like that in the material facts of a memoir or work of non-fiction.

Oprah turned on one of her favorite authors Thursday, attacking James Frey, author of A Million Little Pieces for taking liberties with the truth in a book billed as a "non-fiction memoir". In the book, Frey claimed that he had spent 3 months in jail when in fact, he never spent more than a few hours. He also claimed to have had root canals administered with no Novocaine. Apparently Frey's true story of drug addiction and recovery has been substantially embellished and exaggerated. In his defense, he did say that names, places and events had been changed to to protect the privacy of 3rd parties but the story is essentially TRUE. This controversy begs a few Questions of our authors: When does fictionalizing a story cross over the line? Is James Frey covered by dramatic license or is he a liar, liar pants on fire?

I think you are a tiger.

The only thing worse than the Abdomen-Weasel of Insecurity Might be Abdomen-Tasmanian Devil of Insecurity

Having read Kayden, I missed Ryan's gem One Life. Thanks to Dude who always seems to post a great pick of the week. Well done to Ryan for an excellent story. The use of songs in the story was pretty cool. It turned me on to Simple Plan. :geek:

Wibby shoots, and scores! :p Short pieces are really tough. Every word has to be in the right place, doing just the right thing to make it work. Well done Stout Scarab! You should blow off your hiatus more often. :geek:

Bravo Graeme! =D> Although I'm sad that the story is complete, NB has been a great ride! I think that New Brother should be the next Brokeback Mountian. It would make a GREAT script! NB definitly deserves a spot on the top shelf! -JS :geek:

There is a considerable distinction between literary and commercial fiction. Commercial fiction is designed and directed at mass market appeal. Consider King or Clancy: their work tends to be action oriented, fast paced and event driven rather than character driven. The Stand is about a horiffic plague. Red Storm Rising is about WWIII breaking out in Europe. Characters affect the plot but do not drive the plot. There is a "Big Event" and characters react to it. For this type of fiction, a fast start and a fast pace are absolutely necessary. In terms of movies think Independence Day or the Hunt for Red October. In Literary fiction the pace is considerably different. Time is taken to develop characters, description, setting scenes and tone. The inner life, motivations and emotions of characters is explored as well as their actions. Think about Jane Austin or Faulkner: their novels are completely character-driven: the Sound and the Fury and Pride and Prejudice simply wouldn't exist without their charcters! In terms of movies think of The Outsiders or Casablanca. Can you even imagine either one of them without thinking of Pony-boy or Rick? There is no hard and fast rule that says that you can't have have novels or movies that bring the best of both worlds: The Long Kiss Goonight is a thrilling movie but it still features well developed and complex characters. The comment I made about grabbing the reader from the very beginning is based on a book for authors called The First Five Pages: or How to Stay Out of the Rejection Pile. This advice is aimed at first time authors trying to get their book published. The point is well taken for any author however it all depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Some readers are lazy and want their cookies without having to work for them. This is the MASS MARKET. Other readers are discriminating and will be willing to stick with a story if it looks promising.

Beginnings are critical for stories. You've got to grab the reader and draw him into the world of your story. In fact many publishers say that a manuscript is sold by its first 5 pages. Why? Publishers have stacks of manuscripts- the competetion is brutal. He wants an excuse to drop that story and move on to the next one. If your opening isn't strong, then it will be a rare reader that will stick around for the middle or the end. Bginnings are espically important to the genra of science fiction. It is the beginning that sets the ground rules for the universe in which the story takes place. The beginning introduces characters and concepts important for the story. It also sets the tone and the tempo for the rest of the story. Oh yeah- :cheers: Welcome Harrod! :sunny: -JS :geek:

Add one more reader Ube. I may not always comment but I always read Beautiful Soul.

WBS: I like the details about the settings very much. F/T has another hit on his hands to be sure :) Yes- Chris is a master of descriptive setting and tone. Those of us of a certain age feel like we were there because we were.

No quite- redneck logic always involves a logical construct with a dawg, truck or mamma at its core. eg. If'n you don't have a dawg, drive a truck or love yo mamma, then you must be one of those commie, pinko homos. This is the key distinction between Redneck logic and gomer logic. The two are quite often confused.

Three dogs are sitting in cages at the vets: a Scottie, a Cocker Spaniel and a Black Lab. The Lab asks Scottie, "What are you in for?" The Scottie sighs and says, "I humped my Mistress's leg and now she's having me neutered." The Lab says, "Tough break guy." He asks the Cocker, "What about you?" The Cocker says, "I kept poking the Poodle next door now they are having me neutered." The Scottie says, "Tough break kid." Then he turns to the Lab and asks, "How about you big fella?" The Lab says, "Well, my Mistress was naked, bending over the tub running her bathwater and I couldn't help myself. I jumped right on her." The Cocker says, "Awe man. I guess you're getting neutered too?" The Lab says, "No. I'm just here to get my nails trimmed." ========================================= Bob noticed that Lisa came into the office Friday morning looking very down. Being a good friend, he grabs some coffee and brings it to her desk. "Morning Lisa, you look like you're not feeling so hot this morning so I brought you some coffee." Lisa looks up and says, "Thanks Bob. I do feel like hell." Bob asks, "What's wrong?" "It was Ladies night at the club last night and my girlfriends drug me along. There were like these fifty cent Kamikazes and, Oh God I got wasted. The last thing I remember about last night is laying in my back yard blowing chunks." Bob says reassuringly, "Awe Lisa, we've all been there girl. Don't get so down on yourself." Lisa says, with tears in her eyes, "You don't understand. Chunks is my dog."

Truth If I tell you the truth, would you hate me? Would you interrogate me? Would you tolerate me? Would you suffocate me? Would you segregate me? Would you repudiate me? Would you pontificate to me? Would you see through me? Would you understand me? Would you stand against me? Would you stand beside me? Would you stay? Would you go? Just back off? Or go with the flow? If I laid my soul down bare, Would you still care? Would you still be there?

Story Structure Architect Victoria Lynn Schmidt Within these pages you will find 5 dramatic thought-lines, 6 conflict types, 21 genres, 11 master plot structures, 55 master dramatic situations, and several research guidelines. -from p. 4 What is it with Ms. Schmidt? Like a Teutonic master librarian cataloger, she is hell bound to organize, categorize, bend, fold, staple and mutilate the entirety of dramatic fiction. How useful is this book? Frankly, as useful as you want to make it. There is good stuff in this book. It is not going to blueprint your plot for you but it does give you tools to build your own. One thing that I resist is the formula. Sure- there are formulas that work. Clancy has one. So does Spielberg and they are fantastically successful. However, if you read enough of these books by formula, you can see the x, y and z of it all. Thankfully, while this book could be used to construct a literary formula, it is more useful as a reference. Part 1: Drafting a Plan How to Use This Book The 5 Dramatic Thoughtlines The 6 Conflicts The 21 Genres Part 2: Building the Structure How to use the 11 Master Structures The Roller Coaster The Replay Fate The Parallel The Episodic The Melodrama Romance The Journey Interactive Metafiction The Slice of Life Part 3: Adding Stories Introducing the 55 Dramatic Situations Supplication & Benefaction Deliverance & Sojourn Vengeance for a crime & Rehabilitation Vengeance taken for kindred upon kindred and Appearance of a new kinsman Flight & Pursuit Di aster & Miracle Falling Prey to cruelty & Becoming Fortunate Revolt & Support Daring Enterprise & the Healing Journey Abduction & Reunion Enigma & Invention Obtaining & Letting go Enmity of kinsmen & Hero of kinsmen Competition and Concession Adultery & Fidelity Madness & Genius Imprudence & Caution Crimes of love and Sacrifice for Love Slaying of a Loved One & Conviction Self-sacrifice & Self-preservation Discovery of dishonor & discovery of honor Obstacles to Love & Unconditional Love Conflict with a God & Supernatural Occurrence Mistaken Judgment & Intuitive Judgment Remorse & Empathy Loss of a loved one & Rescue of a loved one Odd Couple & Fish out of Water Part 4: Research My Rating: *** :geek:

45 Master Characters: Mythic Models for Creating Original Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt I'm not sure that I buy Ms. Schmidt's theory of archetypes. It sounds a lot more like standard character stereotypes 101. Is this book useful? Maybe, however I don't give it high marks. Good characters don't really fill any one of MS. Schmidt's 45 something profiles. They are a composite of several. If this book is useful for anything, it makes you think about the complexities of various personalities. I did NOT buy MS. Schmidt's Theories about "the feminine and masculine journey's". I would call them the formulas for mediocrity. I. Getting Started 1. What are Archetypes and Why should Writers use Them? 2. How to Use the Archetypes II. Creating Female heroes and Villains 3. Aphrodite: the Seductive Muse and the Femme Fatale 4. Artemis: the Amazon and the Gorgon 5. Athena: the Father's Daughter and the Backstabber 6. Demeter: the Nurturer and the Over-controlling Mother 7. Hera: The Matriarch and the Scorned Woman 8. Hestia: the Mystic and the Betrayer 9. Isis: The Female Messiah and the Destroyer 10. Persephone: The Maiden and the Troubled Teen III.Creating Male Hero's and Villains 11. Apollo: the Businessman and the Traitor 12. Ares: the Protector and the Gladiator 13. Hades: the Recluse and the Warlock 14. Hermes: the Fool and the Derelict 15. Dionysus: the Women's man and the Seducer 16. Osiris: the Male Messiah and the Punisher 17. Poseidon: the Artist and the Abuser 18. Zeus: the King and the Dictator IV. Creating Supporting Characters 19. Introduction to Supporting Characters 20. Friends 21. Rivals 22. Symbols V. The Feminine and Masculine Journey 23. Introduction to the Archetypal Journey 24. Plotting the Feminine Journey 25. Plotting the Masculine Journey My Rating: ** 1/2 :geek:

I find it ironic that it is easier for most of the country to see Bareback Mountian than Brokeback Mountian.

You are rigtht Dude, Freethinker is a great writer. If you like this one, you'll love Courage and Passion.