View Profile: popsprocket - Writing Forums - writers' forums, creative writing workshops, challenges and reviews.

Today, 03:51 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread Is it wrong to inform the reader what music the narrator is listening to etc? in Writing Discussion

From a publishing stand point, the real problem with that kind of thing is that pop culture references date a title. In 10 years time anyone...

7 replies | 25 view(s)

Today, 03:42 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread Write -> Learn the rules or Learn the rules -> Write in Writing Discussion

You should probably also understand that many of the rules for writing that you see floating around don't make a tonne of sense until you actually...

10 replies | 48 view(s)

Today, 02:17 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread Write -> Learn the rules or Learn the rules -> Write in Writing Discussion

Firstly, a big congratulations on finishing a project like that. Especially on your first attempt. Secondly, the rules are more like guidelines. ...

10 replies | 48 view(s)

Yesterday, 03:08 PM

popsprocket replied to a thread Using italicizd and bolded words in Writing Discussion

I prefer to use italics sparingly. It's just a personal preference, really. If I can give something the intended meaning using context than I'd...

7 replies | 84 view(s)

Yesterday, 06:03 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread What's the last movie you watched? in The Writers' Lounge

Star Trek Into Darkness last night. It's definitely a movie of some kind. That's about all I can say on the subject.

2842 replies | 50364 view(s)

Yesterday, 02:46 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread The Boy and the Abyss [451 words] in Fiction

There wasn't a lot of thought went into writing this to be honest. But I can tell you that it's short and direct on purpose. Imagine living out the...

9 replies | 135 view(s)

05-23-2013, 12:34 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread The word 'I'' in The Writers' Lounge

When writing in first person don't forget that your character can observe things without referring to themselves (as the example above suggests)....

7 replies | 86 view(s)

05-22-2013, 05:04 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread I have an Idea. in Writing Discussion

Yeah, a team of editors was my thought too. I probably wouldn't charge people to subscribe to an author because you really narrow who will be...

6 replies | 108 view(s)

05-22-2013, 04:16 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread I have an Idea. in Writing Discussion

Sounds like a fine enough idea, but I'd imagine it would work better as a website concept than as an app... despite the popularity of apps. So...

6 replies | 108 view(s)

05-22-2013, 01:33 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread what to do? in Writing Discussion

Sounds more like they mean you can't use parts of the websites verbatim. Which would go without saying under regular copyright laws. Using the...

3 replies | 45 view(s)

05-21-2013, 07:41 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread If you won the lottery... in The Writers' Lounge

I'd set up a publishing company then reject everything that comes my way just for kicks.

35 replies | 309 view(s)

05-21-2013, 05:37 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread Just a vent in The Writers' Lounge

Such a well tempered vent. Sounds like your mum doesn't quite get the point of writing. Or she's pulling your leg?

14 replies | 160 view(s)

05-21-2013, 05:35 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread Is it a bad idea to plan your setting comprehensively before... in Writing Discussion

Yes. It sounds like a bad idea. You should make your world slot into your story, rather than the other way around. That's not to say that there's...

17 replies | 196 view(s)

05-20-2013, 02:54 PM

popsprocket replied to a thread Building a Universe in Writing Discussion

Yep, I agree with Cadence. You can make up a world all you like, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get any good stories out of it....

17 replies | 163 view(s)

05-20-2013, 05:37 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread Let's get a driving pet peeves thread going... in The Writers' Lounge

People who drive more than a few under the limit in good conditions. If you have driven past three different signs that post the road as a 70km/h...

41 replies | 393 view(s)

05-19-2013, 04:55 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread My Protagonist is a horrible human being. in Writing Discussion

I'd let the readers root for his friends instead. It's a gradual thing, but they come to see that the protagonist is a bad guy and the people around...

10 replies | 147 view(s)

05-18-2013, 01:17 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread Novels that don't use quotation marks in The Writers' Lounge

I read a series of light novels starting with The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya wherein the main character is usually left without quotation marks...

10 replies | 147 view(s)

05-17-2013, 04:56 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread What Television Shows Are You Currently Watching? in The Writers' Lounge

Currently watching Veronica Mars. When it was airing I wrote it off as a girl's show, but I was looking through some funny quotes from it and...

264 replies | 2364 view(s)

05-16-2013, 08:03 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread Writing Advice from Thirty Published Authors in Writing Discussion

Okay, I'll admit I didn't make it all the way through that, but there's a few good ones in there. I particularly enjoyed the truth in that one...

25 replies | 335 view(s)

05-15-2013, 12:19 PM

popsprocket replied to a thread How To Write Consistently? in Writing Discussion

This is another matter of practice. The more you write outside of the academic context, the easier it will be to go back to it. Three years worth of...

15 replies | 166 view(s)

05-15-2013, 01:30 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread The Importance of Naming in Writing Discussion

My titles usually come from somewhere in the text and they're usually a part of a phrase that I like - maybe 2-3 words tops. Character names on...

17 replies | 178 view(s)

05-13-2013, 05:12 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread Taglines? in Writing Discussion

It's good as a tagline, but I think you're missing something that gives it a bit of 'I-must-buy-this-immediately' punchiness. Not having read the...

11 replies | 100 view(s)

05-12-2013, 08:04 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread What Television Shows Are You Currently Watching? in The Writers' Lounge

Da Vinci's Demons Not for the purists who would cringe at the thought of someone taking history and turning it into a drama, but an extremely good...

264 replies | 2364 view(s)

05-10-2013, 07:16 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread An Epiphany on Opening Scenes in Writing Discussion

I don't have any problem setting a tone. I think my real issue is that I put too much thought into trying to create an opening scene that raises...

17 replies | 283 view(s)

05-10-2013, 12:55 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread An Epiphany on Opening Scenes in Writing Discussion

No, I don't expect it to apply across the board, but it can often be horrifying to just cut out large chunks of your work. Considering doing so may...

17 replies | 283 view(s)

05-08-2013, 11:20 AM

popsprocket started a thread An Epiphany on Opening Scenes in Writing Discussion

So it hit me today when I did it twice for two separate stories I'm working on, but the best way to write an opening is to follow my scene list for a...

17 replies | 283 view(s)

05-08-2013, 01:30 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread From where do you draw your inspiration? in The Writers' Lounge

My ideas come from my characters who come from my themes which come from just about anything I see/read/experience.

34 replies | 366 view(s)

05-07-2013, 10:00 AM

popsprocket replied to a thread Short Term Corpse Preservation in Research

It's only fantasy in so much as being set elsewhere than Earth. No magic elements at all, so there's no help there. I think I'll just go with some...

11 replies | 102 view(s)