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Author Topic: How to write  (Read 15402 times)

The Good Reverend Roger

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Re: How to write
« Reply #45 on: December 02, 2009, 03:52:56 pm »
Quote from: nurbldoff on November 19, 2009, 10:31:26 am
Kurt Vonneguts tips for writing short stories:


   2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
 

WTF?  That only happened ONCE in Vonnegut's novels, God Bless You, Mr Rosewater.  Other than that, his characters in his *novels* were all pathetic losers.  They were still great books, but I didn't root for anyone.

His short stories are another matter.  Harrison Bergeron was a direct parody of Ayn Rand, but I still liked the character.
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McDonalds, if you think about it, is the PERFECT example of life/lifestyles in the late 20th/early 21st century. Pink slime shaped like chicken nuggets, giant lawsuit-happy corporations suing people for using the prefix "Mc" no matter what the circumstances, marketing aimed at small children (Ronald, etc) to form life-long associations with the product, and the abysmally-effective "I'M LOVING IT" marketing ploy aimed at maintaining that association into the person's adult life...With the advertisement showing skinny, attractive people while in reality the AVERAGE customer is 45 pounds overweight.

All style, no substance almost-food sold to brainwashed masses. It's AMERICA™, in a white paper bag.

M. Nigel Salt

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Re: How to write
« Reply #46 on: December 02, 2009, 06:03:42 pm »
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 02, 2009, 03:52:56 pm
Quote from: nurbldoff on November 19, 2009, 10:31:26 am
Kurt Vonneguts tips for writing short stories:


   2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
 

WTF?  That only happened ONCE in Vonnegut's novels, God Bless You, Mr Rosewater.  Other than that, his characters in his *novels* were all pathetic losers.  They were still great books, but I didn't root for anyone.

His short stories are another matter.  Harrison Bergeron was a direct parody of Ayn Rand, but I still liked the character.

Those tips ARE for short stories.
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High Speed Proctoscope Pilot of Your Near and Painful Future.

“I’m guessing it was January 2007, a meeting in Bethesda, we got a bag of bees and just started smashing them on the desk,” Charles Wick said. “It was very complicated.”

“People get used to anything. The less you think about your oppression, the more your tolerance for it grows. After a while, people just think oppression is the normal state of things. But to become free, you have to be acutely aware of being a slave.”
― Assata Shaku

The Good Reverend Roger

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Re: How to write
« Reply #47 on: December 02, 2009, 06:35:57 pm »
Quote from: The Right Reverend Nigel on December 02, 2009, 06:03:42 pm
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 02, 2009, 03:52:56 pm
Quote from: nurbldoff on November 19, 2009, 10:31:26 am
Kurt Vonneguts tips for writing short stories:


   2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
 

WTF?  That only happened ONCE in Vonnegut's novels, God Bless You, Mr Rosewater.  Other than that, his characters in his *novels* were all pathetic losers.  They were still great books, but I didn't root for anyone.

His short stories are another matter.  Harrison Bergeron was a direct parody of Ayn Rand, but I still liked the character.

Those tips ARE for short stories.

I didn't read that part.  There was nobody to root for. :(
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Quote from: Doktor Howl
McDonalds, if you think about it, is the PERFECT example of life/lifestyles in the late 20th/early 21st century. Pink slime shaped like chicken nuggets, giant lawsuit-happy corporations suing people for using the prefix "Mc" no matter what the circumstances, marketing aimed at small children (Ronald, etc) to form life-long associations with the product, and the abysmally-effective "I'M LOVING IT" marketing ploy aimed at maintaining that association into the person's adult life...With the advertisement showing skinny, attractive people while in reality the AVERAGE customer is 45 pounds overweight.

All style, no substance almost-food sold to brainwashed masses. It's AMERICA™, in a white paper bag.

M. Nigel Salt

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Re: How to write
« Reply #48 on: December 02, 2009, 06:40:23 pm »
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 02, 2009, 06:35:57 pm
Quote from: The Right Reverend Nigel on December 02, 2009, 06:03:42 pm
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 02, 2009, 03:52:56 pm
Quote from: nurbldoff on November 19, 2009, 10:31:26 am
Kurt Vonneguts tips for writing short stories:


   2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
 

WTF?  That only happened ONCE in Vonnegut's novels, God Bless You, Mr Rosewater.  Other than that, his characters in his *novels* were all pathetic losers.  They were still great books, but I didn't root for anyone.

His short stories are another matter.  Harrison Bergeron was a direct parody of Ayn Rand, but I still liked the character.

Those tips ARE for short stories.

I didn't read that part.  There was nobody to root for. :(

 :lulz:
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High Speed Proctoscope Pilot of Your Near and Painful Future.

“I’m guessing it was January 2007, a meeting in Bethesda, we got a bag of bees and just started smashing them on the desk,” Charles Wick said. “It was very complicated.”

“People get used to anything. The less you think about your oppression, the more your tolerance for it grows. After a while, people just think oppression is the normal state of things. But to become free, you have to be acutely aware of being a slave.”
― Assata Shaku

Hoopla

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Re: How to write
« Reply #49 on: December 02, 2009, 07:27:44 pm »
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 02, 2009, 03:52:56 pm
Quote from: nurbldoff on November 19, 2009, 10:31:26 am
Kurt Vonneguts tips for writing short stories:


   2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
 

WTF?  That only happened ONCE in Vonnegut's novels, God Bless You, Mr Rosewater.  Other than that, his characters in his *novels* were all pathetic losers.  They were still great books, but I didn't root for anyone.

His short stories are another matter.  Harrison Bergeron was a direct parody of Ayn Rand, but I still liked the character.

You think Harrison himself is a parody of Ayn Rand?  Or the story itself?

I definitely got the impression that Vonnegut agreed with the character of Harrison, myself... maybe I missed the point.
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"I contradict myself?  Very well then, I contradict myself; I am large - I contain multitudes."  -Walt Whitman

The Good Reverend Roger

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Re: How to write
« Reply #50 on: December 02, 2009, 07:28:48 pm »
Quote from: Hoopla on December 02, 2009, 07:27:44 pm
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on December 02, 2009, 03:52:56 pm
Quote from: nurbldoff on November 19, 2009, 10:31:26 am
Kurt Vonneguts tips for writing short stories:


   2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
 

WTF?  That only happened ONCE in Vonnegut's novels, God Bless You, Mr Rosewater.  Other than that, his characters in his *novels* were all pathetic losers.  They were still great books, but I didn't root for anyone.

His short stories are another matter.  Harrison Bergeron was a direct parody of Ayn Rand, but I still liked the character.

You think Harrison himself is a parody of Ayn Rand?  Or the story itself?

I definitely got the impression that Vonnegut agreed with the character of Harrison, myself... maybe I missed the point.

The story itself.  Bergeron is a sympathetic character, but the world he lives in is DEFINITELY a parody of Rand's jabberings.
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Quote from: Doktor Howl
McDonalds, if you think about it, is the PERFECT example of life/lifestyles in the late 20th/early 21st century. Pink slime shaped like chicken nuggets, giant lawsuit-happy corporations suing people for using the prefix "Mc" no matter what the circumstances, marketing aimed at small children (Ronald, etc) to form life-long associations with the product, and the abysmally-effective "I'M LOVING IT" marketing ploy aimed at maintaining that association into the person's adult life...With the advertisement showing skinny, attractive people while in reality the AVERAGE customer is 45 pounds overweight.

All style, no substance almost-food sold to brainwashed masses. It's AMERICA™, in a white paper bag.

Hoopla

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Re: How to write
« Reply #51 on: December 02, 2009, 07:35:09 pm »
hmm, you may be on to something here... I never thought about it that way... I always took it as a jab at the "feel goods" who try to make sure everyone is equal and nobody's feelings are ever hurt.

Looks like I got some thinkin' to do!  This is gonna hurt.
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"I contradict myself?  Very well then, I contradict myself; I am large - I contain multitudes."  -Walt Whitman

The Good Reverend Roger

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Re: How to write
« Reply #52 on: December 02, 2009, 07:37:00 pm »
Quote from: Hoopla on December 02, 2009, 07:35:09 pm
hmm, you may be on to something here... I never thought about it that way... I always took it as a jab at the "feel goods" who try to make sure everyone is equal and nobody's feelings are ever hurt.

Looks like I got some thinkin' to do!  This is gonna hurt.

The totally over-the-top enforced mediocrity was a hallmark of Rand's storylines.  Harrison Bergeron was just an endgame version of that (where you had to be physically and mentally, rather than just economically, handicapped).
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Quote from: Doktor Howl
McDonalds, if you think about it, is the PERFECT example of life/lifestyles in the late 20th/early 21st century. Pink slime shaped like chicken nuggets, giant lawsuit-happy corporations suing people for using the prefix "Mc" no matter what the circumstances, marketing aimed at small children (Ronald, etc) to form life-long associations with the product, and the abysmally-effective "I'M LOVING IT" marketing ploy aimed at maintaining that association into the person's adult life...With the advertisement showing skinny, attractive people while in reality the AVERAGE customer is 45 pounds overweight.

All style, no substance almost-food sold to brainwashed masses. It's AMERICA™, in a white paper bag.

Hoopla

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Re: How to write
« Reply #53 on: December 02, 2009, 07:47:38 pm »
Christ, you're right.  What an idiot I am.
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"I contradict myself?  Very well then, I contradict myself; I am large - I contain multitudes."  -Walt Whitman

The Good Reverend Roger

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Re: How to write
« Reply #54 on: December 02, 2009, 07:50:36 pm »
Quote from: Hoopla on December 02, 2009, 07:47:38 pm
Christ, you're right.  What an idiot I am.

Naw.  Almost nobody I know that's read the story has made the connection.
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Quote from: Doktor Howl
McDonalds, if you think about it, is the PERFECT example of life/lifestyles in the late 20th/early 21st century. Pink slime shaped like chicken nuggets, giant lawsuit-happy corporations suing people for using the prefix "Mc" no matter what the circumstances, marketing aimed at small children (Ronald, etc) to form life-long associations with the product, and the abysmally-effective "I'M LOVING IT" marketing ploy aimed at maintaining that association into the person's adult life...With the advertisement showing skinny, attractive people while in reality the AVERAGE customer is 45 pounds overweight.

All style, no substance almost-food sold to brainwashed masses. It's AMERICA™, in a white paper bag.

Hoopla

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Re: How to write
« Reply #55 on: December 02, 2009, 09:43:39 pm »
Ever seen the episode of Donahue she was on? 

She was rather amusing for a nutbar.
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"I contradict myself?  Very well then, I contradict myself; I am large - I contain multitudes."  -Walt Whitman

Hoopla

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Re: How to write
« Reply #56 on: December 09, 2009, 07:43:10 pm »
Ok, protip on how to kill a conversation... bring up Ayn Rand being amusing in ANY sense.

Noted.
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"I contradict myself?  Very well then, I contradict myself; I am large - I contain multitudes."  -Walt Whitman

Freeky Queen of DERP

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Re: How to write
« Reply #57 on: December 13, 2009, 06:51:58 am »
Quote from: Hoopla on December 09, 2009, 07:43:10 pm
Ok, protip on how to kill a conversation... bring up Ayn Rand being amusing in ANY sense.

Noted.

(Crickets chirp)
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Hoopla

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Re: How to write
« Reply #58 on: December 16, 2009, 06:58:48 pm »
Yup, you hear that sound? 

It's the sound of a cricket riding a tumbleweed.
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Re: How to write
« Reply #59 on: January 03, 2010, 08:48:42 pm »
some one make that image
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