Naiilo

they probably got it from the same site... yeah.... that sounds about right... -N

I like it. What are the fireflies representing? It doesn't sound like this poem is just a quick chronicle of firefly life during the summer... -N

Ya'll jist don know. If'n ya ever heard real Kay-jon, yoh earz wood lock up. If'n ah ree-calls raht, reel Cajons cahl eet Aqadianne (Acadian). unintelligible cajun accent> -Naiilo

http://www.thinkgeek.com/pennyarcade/swag/6baf/ Now you can correct your writer friends without even speaking!!!! -Naiilo

If you don't use google yet, you should. I doogle googles all the time, it's a fantastic tool. The google people just put out a new feature: google scholar... it seems like a good thing. http://scholar.google.com/schhp?hl=en&tab=ws&q= -Naiilo

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Here's a nice little clip I recieved via junkmail: A man escapes from prison where he has been for 15 years. He breaks into a house to look for money and finds a young couple in bed. He orders the guy out of bed and ties him to a chair. While tying the girl to the bed he gets on top of her, kisses her neck, then gets up and goes into the bathroom. While he's in there the husband tells his wife "Listen, this guy's an escaped convict, look at his clothes! He probably spent a lot of time in jail and hasn't seen a woman in years. I saw how he kissed your neck. If he wants sex, don't resist, don't complain, do whatever he tells you. Satisfy him no matter how much he nauseates you. This guy is probably very dangerous. If he gets angry, he might kill us. Be strong honey, I love you." To which the wife responds "He wasn't kissing my neck. He was whispering in my ear. He told me he was gay, thought you were cute and asked me if we had any Vaseline. I told him it was in the bathroom." "Be strong honey, she said. I love you!" he he -Naiilo

Rules are needed, but, like you, I think they should be ignored when appropriate. The techniques, guides, and suggestions present in writing manuals and like devices give writers new tools to work with and sometimes improve upon what a writer has also written. As one of my good writer friends says: "It doesn't matter how good you think you are, you can always improve." -Naiilo

Hmmm, doesn't look like anyone would like to contribute...Oh well, that doesn't matter. What does matter are these links I found: "Writerisms and Other Sins" http://www.cherryh.com/www/advice.htm "Strong vs. Weak Characters" http://www.cherryh.com/www/charac.htm "Pre- and Post-1900's Language" http://www.cherryh.com/www/antique1.htm Pretty neat, huh? I haven't read any of his novels, but what she(*EDIT*-Thanks blue!) says makes sense. -Naiilo

::falls down laughing:: Fantastic! My family lived in northern Louisiana during my 6th grade year. Oh man, I remember when we'd first gotten there we could barely understand some of the town's inhabitants (my rents are from CA and have lived in the southwest most of thier lives). I remember one day my little sister, who was in preshool at the time, came home very upset because the other kids kept addressing her as 'all (read: ya'll) when she kept telling them her name! We had to explain to her that they weren't calling her a different name, but that it was a different word for "you" (it was hard to explain to a four-year-old). I don't miss the southern language, but I do miss the southern food. Thanks for the reminder of my year in the swamp jamessavik. -Naiilo

A friend of mine recently sent me this link from the Penny Arcade webcomic. I would insert the image, but I don't want to use all of thier bandwidth. http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php3?date...005-02-09&res=l You may or may not find humor in it, but I thought the look on the guy's face was priceless. -Naiilo

Congrats AJ, or should I say Mr. Mod? -Naiilo

Ghostwriting seems like a term applied to a document, rather than pieces and sentances in a document. This is what a google I doolged came up with: ******* ghost?writ?er (g?st'r?'t?r) n. One who writes for and gives credit of authorship to another. ******* So, I suppose that if you were to write a large section of a story, or an entire story, and give it to another as thier work then you would be a ghostwriter. Suggesting specific changes, such as in dialogue, though I wouldn't see as the same...especially if you were replacing terms and such. Hmmm, what do you guys think about this? As far as ghostwriting being a part of editing, I am willing to bet that in larger documents it is. In smaller documents and other things like the serialized stories it seems that ghostwriting would be less common. Another thing to think about is that authors will often change things even after an editor had combed it. That's all i have to say on it for now... -Naiilo

It seems that with this being a writing forum, we should have a list of useful reference texts and books for writers. Please post your recommendations and maybe we can collect them together into a sticky or FAQ-type post. My recommendations are: -?The Elements of Style? ?Latest Edition- by William Strunk Jr., E.B. White, Roger Angell >>>>>This one has helped me become a better writer just by reading it. It was a recommendation from a friend of mine four years ago. Cheap and worth it. ][][][Removed][][][ -Any Style Guide. Style guides such as MLA, AP, and so on help writing. They tend to be for more professional situations, but who is to say that you won?t pick up a thing or two from a style guide to improve your already wonderful skills? -A good dictionary and thesaurus (same publisher for consistancy). Well, that?s all I?ve got for now. Add what you think is appropriate. -Naiilo

Hiya Blueski! My condolences to you. Sometimes events take place that we aren't prepared for. It is unfortunate, but if you remember all the times you spent with that person as good times (not necessarily happy times) it passes with an easier touch. Be well and best wishes, ~Naiilo

Yes- It is an original. Off the cuff as it were. I have a question for you: "Why do you write?" Have you watched TV lately? They *paid* some smuck to write that slop! I know I could do better with my compter tied behind my back. Cool beans on the poem being original. As for watching TV, I don't usually watch it. Rots the mind with mostly useless drivel (*EDIT*I had misspelled it, but wbms corrected me. Thanks wbms, I end up spelling things phonetically most of the time, so sometimes my spelling gets a bit mixed up.). -Naiilo

Dear Mr. Rocks For Brains:* Excuse me, BUT Mr. Jar-Jar Binks made an appearance in Episode 3, thereby making SURE it will never be above average. If Jar-Jar had a cameo in Citizen Kane, they'd recall the Oscar™ it won. Surely, your apology and retraction are forthcoming. -- wbms, who like Jar-Jar almost as much as root canal. * I'm kidding, really. Just because that obnoxious playtoy of Lucas' showed up in Episode III doesn't mean the movie is devalued. Sure, Jar-Jar is annoying. Yes, I experience pain when I hear his voice , but his appearance in Ep 3 was expected and it didn't do any real damage, now did it?? No apology, no retraction. So there! ha ha ha! -Naiilo

Is this an original? It made me chuckle a bit the first time reading it. Well, it was either the poem or the fact that it was 3am, not sure which. -Naiilo

It's funny, when I first read the "TPTB" in blue's message I thought of Barney, TBPD (The Big Purple Dinosaur). Man, I guess I need to quit hanging out with my nieces so much. -Naiilo

Hmmmm, as much as I might regret saying this... The Star Wars Episodes I and II were both pretty bad, although I don't think that Episode III would be as good as I think it is without them. -Naiilo

Well- that's good to know. I wish I'd have known it before I had flooded that poor guy's box with the same PM. I bet that was a shock to see! -Naiilo

Okie Dokie. So... another movie that sucked- "Signs". It was alright until the completely bad ending. I don't want to spoil it for anyone that hasn't seen it, but come on! Why did the ending have to suck so much?! -Naiilo

I recently picked up "The Devil's Dicitonary/Cynic's Wordbook" by Ambrose Bierce. It's quite the hilarious read. Since this is the Editor's Desk, i see it only fitting that we define what exactly an editor is. Mr. Bierce has this to say of editors: "EDITOR, n. A person who combines the judicial functions of Minos, Rhadamanthus and Aeacus, but is placable with an obolus; a severely virtuous censor, but so charitable withal that he tolerates the virtues of others and the vices of himself; who flings about him the splintering lightning and sturdy thunders of admonition till he resembles a bunch of firecrackers petulantly uttering his mind at the tail of a dog; then straightway murmurs a mild, melodious lay, soft as the cooing of a donkey intoning its prayer to the evening star. Master of mysteries and lord of law, high-pinnacled upon the throne of thought, his face suffused with the dim splendors of the Transfiguration, his legs intertwisted and his tongue a-cheek, the editor spills his will along the paper and cuts it off in lengths to suit. And at intervals from behind the veil of the temple is heard the voice of the foreman demanding three inches of wit and six lines of religious meditation, or bidding him turn off the wisdom and whack up some pathos. O, the Lord of Law on the Throne of Thought, A gilded impostor is he. Of shreds and patches his robes are wrought, His crown is brass, Himself an ass, And his power is fiddle-dee-dee. Prankily, crankily prating of naught, Silly old quilly old Monarch of Thought. Public opinion's camp-follower he, Thundering, blundering, plundering free. Affected, Ungracious, Suspected, Mendacious, Respected contemporaree! -J.H. Bumbleshook" Seeing as I am only a beginning writer, I don't think I have an adequate taste yet for defining the word, but I know that many of you are experienced enough to have a personal definition of 'editor'. Please share. Without defining what it is we are talking about, how on earth are we going to understand each other? -Naiilo

hmmm, not an M. Night Shyamalan flick, but I did go to screening of "Lemmony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events". Sure it was free, so I couldn't complain too much, but the movie itself is an 'unfortunate event'. I can't believe they tried to jam three books worth of story into one movie. The rootbeer and m&m's were tasty, and it was free, but I did feel cheated for time afterward. -Naiilo

no, i have not been reading that decontructionalist stuff. I happen to be a fan of circular logic. It's a fun way to play with conversations. Unfotunately many people I meet can't keep up. The only person so far to best my logic verbally is my best friend, and only then because he is so stubborn. -Naiilo