kinetickyle

...but, this seems like a good way to get started here.

Well, I did 6 years in the US Navy and now I'm a sophomore majoring in journalism at the University of North Texas. While in the navy, I served as the USS Reuben James' correspondent for the Hawaii Navy News. I'm currently working on a book comparing the Battle of the Bulge to the Tet Offensive. I've written a few short stories that have never been published, but I prefer to write non-fiction. The largest influences on me as a writer are Jack Kerouac, Hunter S. Thompson, and Stephen Ambrose.

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cdm

Welcome.

The only non-fiction I write, other than technical, is some true crime things I was involved with, and a ghost story ditto.

There is a tremendous difference in journalism and such writing. I tend to exaggerate my own involvement (such as where I make it sound like I solved the crime things, but that was true, and then partly, in only two of them).

In short, I would make a terrible reporter, but seem able to handle fact-BASED stuff enough to make it entertaining.

The forum can use a more fact-directed journalist, that's certain, so, again, welcome!

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maitaman
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kinetickyle

Thank you for the welcome. I hope I can contribute to this forum, as well as learn from it.

I think all good storytellling is derived from some form of fact, whether it's the basis for the story or just true human reactions to a situation. While journalism is mainly the account of facts (the 5 W's and 1 H), I don't think it's far from fiction. Much like Jack Kerouac did in all of his writing, you can just take the facts and embellish them a little. Then you've got a very real feeling form of fiction. What I'm saying is that it doesn't matter if you're writing fiction or non-fiction, a good writer has to pay attention to the details.

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crazylegs

welcome kinetickyle ...

You said : "...you can just take the facts and embellish them a little..."

I agree. Or you can embellish them a lot. But fiction, in essence, is manipulated memory. Even if you don't realise it while you're writing, what you write is based on memory.

Kitten Courna

Suddenly I wonder at what I remember...

Details are mervelous, and welcome to forum. I think you've got a unique outlook, Kintickyle. Can't wait to see some of your stuff.

...I read Ambrose I think, but I'm not sure what it was...I never was great at citing sources....

-Kitten

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kinetickyle

Well, I have an article posted in two parts in the non-fiction section and I have one of my rare works of fiction posted on Lit.org...

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cdm

[quote=" Even if you don't realise it while you're writing, what you write is based on memory.[/quote]

Great Hoovah! Have you read anything I've written?! That's enough to scare ten centimeters from my growth!

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maitaman
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kinetickyle

But, don't you think emotions and reactions come from memory? I don't think a believable character can be written without relying somewhat on the memory of your own experiences. Then again, I could be wrong...I do prefer to write non-fiction.

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"It's not the years; it's the mileage."

-Indiana Jones

cdm

I write about 70% SciFi and horror. It is (the SciFi) based on future projection and extrapolation -- and I just got a great idea for a title! "Memories of Futures Past" -- or has that been used?

Now, can I come up with a story? I won't use time travel, feeling it is purely fantasy, not SciFi -- but I do use some fantasy -- but I have to work that into scientific possibility, so time travel is out.

Where was I? Writers are a weird lot.

Oh. Characters. I build them on characteristics and extrapolation. The terms used are, of course, remembered words, but that makes every thought we have dependent on memory, thus influenced by memory, which is the basis of the psychology courses I took.

OK. The answer: Characters are built on memory, but scenarios are built on imagination. The characters are designed through a process of synthesis. A piece of this one added to a piece of that one, or that one, but with this or that lacking.

They are built on memories of examples cited more than on experience. I can have a memory of READING about such a characteristic without having a memory of the characteristic, such as an insane rage, which I have no memory of through experience, but I have memories of seeing it in movies, TV, and reading about it.

This could get complicated to the point I write in run-on sentences if I'm not careful to limit my thoughts to what is needed at this time and place, do you think?

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