tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.comments2014-01-02T13:03:41.748-08:00<center>Garry’s Writing Blog</center>Garry G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10413895048743576038noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-30184887106002402872014-01-02T13:03:41.748-08:002014-01-02T13:03:41.748-08:00Hi, I really liked your Otherwhere story and well....Hi, I really liked your Otherwhere story and well......I have a couple rather weird questions about it:<br /><br />1. I felt really bad for the weasel messenger when he was crying. Since you're his creator and all, how do you think the weasel would react if I hugged him and licked those tears running down his snout and whiskers with my tongue to comfort him? I know this question sounds weird and all but keep in mind that I'm a furry (as in furry fandom) type of guy and I kind of have a "thing" with kissing/licking the tears of crying "anthros".<br /><br />2. I know the weasel is nameless but if you gave a little character development to him, what would his name be/what would you name him? <br /><br />I hope these questions don't weird you out TOO much. Anyway, I used to have a weasel fursona back when I was a teenager before I switched to a coyote fursona so I guess that's why I have gotten attached to your weasel messenger character. Well that and I have a soft spot for vulnerable characters. I also have Asperger's Syndrome so I can kinda get fixated on things....KurtmanJPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14517564190177198257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-82126297253197616022013-08-27T11:33:30.633-07:002013-08-27T11:33:30.633-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05738528513205661062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-44145857852925477972013-02-23T03:51:33.287-08:002013-02-23T03:51:33.287-08:00Thank's Julia,
I am trying for all the things...Thank's Julia,<br /><br />I am trying for all the things you mentioned. The twist being that this is told in a pseudo-fairytail world perhaps reminiscent of Wonderland but with more adult undertones, twists and turns.<br /><br />P.s. NOT 'Shades of Gray' adult, my wife would kill me ;)Garry G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10413895048743576038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-62753241015172038082013-02-20T12:38:18.018-08:002013-02-20T12:38:18.018-08:00I like the cover. Very artistic. I think it is an ...I like the cover. Very artistic. I think it is an introspective book. I imagine something insightful, something that deals with the human soul, the kind of book I would like to read.Julia Honeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08497316179340178624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-52262617405271310262013-01-09T21:21:01.590-08:002013-01-09T21:21:01.590-08:00I was thinking about this too recently! I am a dua...I was thinking about this too recently! I am a dual citizen of the US and UK and I'm uniquely endowed with both natural accents having learned to speak in the US, and then been in the UK between ages 3 and 12. Most of my characters speak in english accents because the world I've built is largely based on the folklore from the area I grew up in, and european historical themes. I have some characters that I think would be way more interesting with scottish accents, however, and I would love to learn how to write a dialect effectively. I can just about hear an accent in my head when I read your writing. :) I'd love your help!ameliagierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06969825676453603852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-33181111466507592912012-11-24T19:54:54.005-08:002012-11-24T19:54:54.005-08:00I get it. But, everybody feels that way. I still f...I get it. But, everybody feels that way. I still feel that way every week when I send my story to my group (though, less and less). I've come to accept that I can never guess what they'll like/dislike and regardless it's just a great service to have some other opinions/editors look at the story/chapter before you send it off to a publisher. And the online semi-anonymous thing just doesn't provide that personal pressure of having people in your life harassing you to produce something every week. JKAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06803670271920839776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-64446365753390682832012-11-23T01:48:03.999-08:002012-11-23T01:48:03.999-08:00Hello ,
I do, or did, regularly do the Duotrope t...Hello ,<br /><br />I do, or did, regularly do the Duotrope thing, and have gotten a couple of acceptances through markets found there.<br />I must admit I’ve never had any strong strategy for ‘getting published.’ I did/do have some fuzzy-logic ideas of ‘proving’ my writing by getting some short-stories accepted and paid for ether on-line or in print, which I have to a limited degree, then putting some PD/self-published stuff out there on the main e-book market and reader sites, just to gauge people’s reactions. This I have also done. The reactions ran the gauntlet of ‘Better than Alice in Wonderland’ (although I don’t believe for a second that it was, this was a big compliment to me as that is one of my favourite classic books) to ‘Utter rubbish, not worth bothering with.’ There’s nothing like readers’ comments to bring you b back down to earth.<br /><br />The only thing I haven’t really ever done is talk face-to-face with other people in a similar position to me, or with ‘proper’ established writers. Writing will always be a hobby to me, but of course I (like everyone else) would love to see that hardback with my name on it.<br /><br />I’ve long ago gotten over the confidence hurdle to show my work to people for reading face-to-face; and for critique, somewhat anonymously, over the Internet; but I’m still not sure if I could hand my dog-eared manuscript over to another writer, face-to-face, in a group setting and say ‘I did this.’ Is that strange?<br /><br />I need to do something to get back on the little read/writing-horse...<br />Garry G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10413895048743576038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-82823738492141994862012-11-22T21:44:41.989-08:002012-11-22T21:44:41.989-08:00I think the first step is writing/reading consiste...I think the first step is writing/reading consistently. The key to that is maintaining enthusiasm. And, for me, the key to maintaining enthusiasm is finding a group of other writers to encourage (peer pressure) you with goals and deadlines. For example, I have a group of three friends and we meet exchange a new story every Wednesday and then meet up on Saturday to discuss/critique. The group has lots of great advice for me, but the main thing is that it gets me to write something new every week. It also keeps me excited. We're all trying to publish all the time and we sit around and talk shop (strategies for publishing, which anthologies are accepting submissions, etc, etc). <br /><br />Every once in awhile I do hire a real pro for a critique. I usually go to Gary Braunbeck. He's a very very well-published horror author who offers critiques at reasonable prices (like $60). If you're interested in him, you can reach him through his website: www.garybraunbeck.com<br /><br />But, really, the key is to just write and write and write. It's kinda impossible not to get better if you practice. <br /><br />Work on polishing stories, then haunt duotrope.com looking for the right editors/publications to submit your work to. JKAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06803670271920839776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-25150716892398472132012-03-20T05:08:14.680-07:002012-03-20T05:08:14.680-07:00Hi there, just popping in from Goodreads... You ha...Hi there, just popping in from Goodreads... You have a great blog :)<br /><br />I'm your newest follower!<br /><br />Here is my blog to check out: <a href="http://bookenslaved.blogspot.com.au" rel="nofollow">Book Enslaved</a>Jussy Whohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04401263350393924404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-61727366863812384292012-03-13T20:26:16.653-07:002012-03-13T20:26:16.653-07:00I agree. Having a grammar license does not a story...I agree. Having a grammar license does not a storyteller make! :DAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15901684621715980573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-54340531852648136192012-03-13T17:47:10.721-07:002012-03-13T17:47:10.721-07:00No, not everyone can become a writer. You've h...No, not everyone can become a writer. You've hit just about every argument I've used. Most people don't write to tell stories, they write because they think they can get rich and they think it's an easy cash cow. <br /><br />It isn't.<br /><br />Good luck with your writing!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14849835587452669592noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-67713490243915617852012-03-03T17:39:20.424-08:002012-03-03T17:39:20.424-08:00I'm not sure what counts.
One theory is that a...I'm not sure what counts.<br />One theory is that a lot of extra hits come from spam posts, and sometimed Google clears them out.<br /><br />Still, it seems a big drop all of a sudden, just to be spam.Garry G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10413895048743576038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-85145939584367523482012-03-03T16:26:03.013-08:002012-03-03T16:26:03.013-08:00I check out every post you make via Google Reader....I check out every post you make via Google Reader. I don't know if it counts as page clicks or no.Dale Dayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09040236779328386342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-90774490843936371092012-02-02T16:39:21.483-08:002012-02-02T16:39:21.483-08:00I think it's something you ether want to do or...I think it's something you ether want to do or not, just like (normal) writing!Garry G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10413895048743576038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-36449996735120227452012-02-01T19:14:30.298-08:002012-02-01T19:14:30.298-08:00My friends had to drag me kicking and screaming to...My friends had to drag me kicking and screaming to blog. I'm still not sold on it, but I do it.Dianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13752019877440100530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-80904929831173395842012-01-06T03:43:27.706-08:002012-01-06T03:43:27.706-08:00Hello Julia,
I agree it’s a rather curios, not to...Hello Julia,<br /><br />I agree it’s a rather curios, not to say worrying, thing that seems to be happening lately...<br />More so over the past two to three years I’d say. And it’s not just happening with “show don’t tell.” Is seems that les people are critiquing the story and more are critiquing the writing, if that makes sense. Every one is being told to write very correctly, in a world/market where the biggest sellers are not particularly written in this ‘correct’ style.<br /><br />So what gives?Garry G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10413895048743576038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-57783866308455809402012-01-05T10:01:51.709-08:002012-01-05T10:01:51.709-08:00Garry, every published story I've read lately ...Garry, every published story I've read lately and that I greatly enjoyed had LOTS of telling, so I am convinced that the "show don't tell" advice is over-rated and abused. The overuse of this piece of advice is killing the new writers' creativity. So thanks for this post. I have been thinking about this issue for a while because I noticed that every published story that I like has a lot of telling, not just showing. If stories were only about showing, then we'd be better off watching movies.Julia Honeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08497316179340178624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-43698380180179546672012-01-05T06:27:47.341-08:002012-01-05T06:27:47.341-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Julia Honeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08497316179340178624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-60984045321419552882011-09-29T04:25:01.123-07:002011-09-29T04:25:01.123-07:00I went to change this comment down to a simple ...I went to change this comment down to a simple 'thank you' but I seem to have lose the whole thing!<br /><br />I know what you mean. I want to be nice to people for taking the time, even when they aren’t complimentary. My first thought is that I’ve not written ti well enough for them to understand, and that is obviously my flaw not theirs.<br /><br />But unfortunately there are trolls out there. And I have had one or two reviews tat are obviously trolling :(Garry G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10413895048743576038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-9303881522340423892011-09-11T12:28:54.052-07:002011-09-11T12:28:54.052-07:00Replying to reviews in retail outlets seems like a...Replying to reviews in retail outlets seems like a bad idea to me. For one thing, to be blunt, I always find it almost smells of desperation (i.e., the author is cruising around the internet carefully looking for every mention of them). <br /><br />It also can easily turn bad if it becomes a remotely disagreeable dialog. If you respond to things that look 'nice', then some trolls might say, "Oh, I see he's watching,let's see if I can get a reaction" (and yes, they do have 'review trolls' on places like Amazon).<br /><br />Given the interface between author and reader isn't usually one where readers expect to have a one-on-one dialog with the author about their opinions over the work, I'm not really sure it adds much value, in responding. There's certainly no expectation that an author go around personally thanking everyone on the internet who gave them a thoughtful review, so it's not like it will be parsed as "rude" if you don't, but if you get in the habit of responding then it suddenly could.J.A. Beardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13866515198865656164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-77159479327380107202011-09-10T21:31:36.749-07:002011-09-10T21:31:36.749-07:00I don't know. I'd still steer away from re...I don't know. I'd still steer away from replying to reviews unless it's just a "thank you". Like you said, you can never know how people might misinterpret.Ryan Sullivanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11093880801598251933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-78244720794188307162011-07-27T18:15:55.820-07:002011-07-27T18:15:55.820-07:00Helping a young writer is an important endeavor, b...Helping a young writer is an important endeavor, but many of us are focused on advanced problems and have forgotten how to help a novice get from A to B. <br /><br />I try to find something positive to say, but have to admit I don't usually like to critique young writers. I spent some time teaching high school--that was enough. However, there are wonderfully talented exceptions.Carol Ervinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07393054678399745832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-33950131490815452552011-07-27T12:35:25.375-07:002011-07-27T12:35:25.375-07:00I think you are right. It is difficult to judge. U...I think you are right. It is difficult to judge. Ultimately I try to keep with the basics when dealing with a new writer. I'll look at grammar, spelling, and word choices. I do not focus right away on Character development or subplots. But I will let them know about point of view and if anything doesn't mesh well along their plot line. If they submit it again to me to critique I'll give just a bit more each time.Summer Rosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08122694893668693244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-76196713779803271862011-07-27T07:54:05.959-07:002011-07-27T07:54:05.959-07:00My biggest problem is that I find myself interject...My biggest problem is that I find myself interjecting my own style in my critiques. That's a bad habit, but it's just so hard to separate valid criticism from how I would do a particular passage.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154649561836238014.post-66324609502051179392011-07-27T02:48:17.205-07:002011-07-27T02:48:17.205-07:00Very true! Critiqueing a beginner can be so tough...Very true! Critiqueing a beginner can be so tough. Another reason for this could be because it can often be more difficult to express what works than what does not. I find this to be true when critiqueing writing at any level, from beginner to experienced.<br /><br />I think it is essential to share what works as well as what doesnt, and not just to spare the writer's ego or to "sugar the pill", but because often a writer will do something effective without being aware of it. Pointing out why something works can be a great learning experience too.<br /><br />It can be tough to do this without sounding patronising though.<br /><br />A technique I use is to focus very much on my own response. So instead of saying "avoid using so many adjectives" I say "I found it difficult to read this sentence because there are so many adjectives - it slows the action down."<br /><br />As much as possible, I try to justify my criticisms and not just refer to the "rules".<br /><br />I also like re-writing sentences as examples, but I know many people find that offensive so I'm not sure whether that is really such a good idea!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com