Need some Book Writing Advice - Page 2

Date: Thursday, 09/Jul/09, 4:52 PM | Message # 16

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Quote (eboyd)

dude, a book is anything from a textbook to a novel. i think you are referring to a novel. there are different levels in this category. there's the novel, clocking in at the longest length (about 500 plus pages), a novella which is the second longest (about 250- +/- 500 pages) and then the shortest is the short story (clocking in at around 100 or so pages). there are different writing techniques for each because length does dictate a lot but you still need to be equally descriptive in each. the reason is if you paint a vivid enough picture the reader can literally put him/herself into that scene and they will feel your story a lot more.

Is there anyway to practice writing?

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Date: Thursday, 09/Jul/09, 5:07 PM | Message # 17

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Quote (Lord_Meth)

Is there anyway to practice writing?

yeah, it's called writing. lol!

nah, but seriously, my professor used to always assign some unique yet vague exercise for us every class and we could do whatever length we wanted. most people wrote like 3 pages each week. i'll give you an example of a topic he'd have us write on:

"describe a scene in vivid detail that covers a VERY short period of time (like 2 seconds)."

and so you would take that and create an entire story line within the space of "like 2 seconds" that would stretch out for like 5 pages.

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"True poetry can communicate before it is understood"

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Date: Thursday, 09/Jul/09, 5:11 PM | Message # 18

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Quote (eboyd)

"describe a scene in vivid detail that covers a VERY short period of time (like 2 seconds)."
and so you would take that and create an entire story line within the space of "like 2 seconds" that would stretch out for like 5 pages

I heard of that technique before
We read a story like that in English class..It was this guy whose paper flew out his windown and onto a nearby ledge. So he goes out the window to get it and the story is like.....40 pages of him getting his paper and getting back to his apartment but in his time in took only 7 minutes
So the author dragged everything out

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Date: Thursday, 09/Jul/09, 5:23 PM | Message # 19

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Quote (Lord_Meth)

yeah, that's just one style though. there are many different styles that we toy with.

you should read some of the short stories i read senior year like Fredrich Nietzsche's "No Exit." crazy shit, but a good example of good writing that is also philosophical.

erikboyd60@hotmail.com

"True poetry can communicate before it is understood"

-T.S. Eliot

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Date: Thursday, 09/Jul/09, 5:24 PM | Message # 20

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Quote (eboyd)

yeah, that's just one style though. there are many different styles that we toy with.
you should read some of the short stories i read senior year like Fredrich Nietzsche's "No Exit." crazy shit, but a good example of good writing that is also philosophical.

From the books Ive read Im more into the Thriller genre
Im a big fan of Christopher Pike..u heard of him?

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Date: Thursday, 09/Jul/09, 5:27 PM | Message # 21

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yeah, but i've never really read his shit nor have i really cared to get into it. not me thing. whatever you like you like though. i'm not knocking it.

erikboyd60@hotmail.com

"True poetry can communicate before it is understood"

-T.S. Eliot

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Date: Thursday, 09/Jul/09, 5:27 PM | Message # 22

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Quote (eboyd)

yeah, but i've never really read his shit nor have i really cared to get into it. not me thing. whatever you like you like though. i'm not knocking it

wat type of genres are your more into?

Sick With It

Date: Thursday, 09/Jul/09, 5:32 PM | Message # 23

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Quote (Lord_Meth)

wat type of genres are your more into?

it's not so much genres that i like when reading as it is writing styles. i like James Joyce, i loved Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle", "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley was quite good... i've noticed i like a lot of weird stories, especially with underlying philosophical messages like the one i mentioned. also, i've been meaning to read more Sartre. oh, and "Day of the Locusts" by Nathanael West was damn good too.