Bigsoccer Writers Thread

[Aimer, Northend Diva]

i write in my livejournal

http://www.livejournal.com/users/aimercat

[irvine]

Originally posted by jamison


Bloom called this the anxiety of influence. If it makes you feel better, Jack Kerouac had the same problems early on with Hemingway. Then again, some people hate Kerouac, so don't read too much into it.


I'm not too worried about it. I never wrote like Hemingway, and all reading him did was cause me to have a kind of parallel soundtrack in my brain as I wrote. One track would work out how the story would go, the other would constantly perform Hemingway's version. I did the same thing with Joyce for a while, then with Kafka, then with Salman Rushdie.

Bloom's better idea is the "strong misreading," in which a writer suffering from anxiety of influence gets command of it by executing a poem that answers not the older writer's concerns, but the younger writer's version of the older writer's concerns. I think one of the examples he talks about is Wordsworth's Prelude as a kind of reaction/answer to Paradise Lost. An interesting idea.

To the folks who were talking about finding time to or not being able to write, I sympathize. I've got 11-month-old twins and a full-time job. Writing time comes out of sleep time, but you have to do it.

[NorthGoalGang]

I did a lot more writing pre-30's, especially in/directly out of college. I spent some time as a stringer for a couple of newspapers, but it wasn't that much fun to me. I took a seminar for playwrights during my last few college years, which helped my writing greatly, especially writing dialogue, as well as the knowledge that I write better scenes than my professor. Unfortunately, the time constraints of the working world have really robbed me of time to write regularly. I want to start journaling again, because I find it really helpful in my process. I love that Lester Bangs/Hunter S. Thompson style of writing.

Most of my writing the last few years have been lyrics for songs.

[Footix]

I think you guys would be amazed at how many reasonably well known writers, musicians, actors, and other artists post on BigSoccer...

[irvine]

Tease.

Originally posted by Footix
I think you guys would be amazed at how many reasonably well known writers, musicians, actors, and other artists post on BigSoccer...

[Footix]

Not a tease, just fact.

For a message board about sport, there are some remarkably well spoken/written posts here on a regular basis.

I've always thought it is unfortunate that the USA can't sustain a well written, intelligent soccer publication. Matchday gave it a shot, but was a bit before it's time. Soccer America is terribly uninteresting. Aside from the Metro's sporadic The 'Stars & Beyond and the Rev's defunct Pictures Of Chairman Mao, MLS 'zines flat-out suck.

Maybe it's just me and my circle of soccer buddies, but I feel like we're a bit more sophisticated than most baseball or hockey fans, and I wish there were some sort of soccer media that reflected that.

OK...you writin' nerds can get back to yer yappin.

[Michael K.]

Good conversation here....much I want to add, but first I've gotta finish the rough version of my site (w/ some writing), which should be up today...hopefully.

[NorthGoalGang]

Originally posted by Michael K.
Good conversation here....much I want to add, but first I've gotta finish the rough version of my site (w/ some writing), which should be up today...hopefully.

I've always thought of getting some like-minded people together and doing a website with original articles and writing, just for fun. There's a website, and I wish I remembered where it was, but it was this guy doing CD reviews. His reviews were very detailed essays that really hit the nerve of how and why music fills your life. I'd love to do something in that ilk. I should probably improve my HTML skills...

[fiddlestick]

Originally posted by jamison


If you have one, I think you eventually find your own voice.

That was my original problem, my voice is too verbose. Kneejerk reaction-imitate the least verbose style (Hemingway). Now I'm comfortable being a wordy bastard. Hope an audience someday will be as well.

NGG-journaling has always been great for me to "hone my chops." Plus its fun to look back at stuff I wrote in HS and revel in what a weenie I was.

[fiddlestick]

Originally posted by fiddlestick


what a weenie I was.

See, inadvertant alliteration. I'm good.

[whirlwind]

Originally posted by skipshadyFrustrated writer here.
I can come up with decent dialog, I can create characters around themes, but I can't come up with a coherent storyline to save my life.
Any tips?
Hats off to anyone who's actually written a complete novel, especially if you've gotten published.

One site I hit a lot because it has a collection of useful first-timer articles is Holly Lisle's site:

http://www.hollylisle.com/

Then click on "Writers" for the list of articles.


Originally posted by NorthGoalGang

I've always thought of getting some like-minded people together and doing a website with original articles and writing, just for fun. There's a website, and I wish I remembered where it was, but it was this guy doing CD reviews. His reviews were very detailed essays that really hit the nerve of how and why music fills your life. I'd love to do something in that ilk. I should probably improve my HTML skills...

I'm a professional web designer. (Portfolio at my site listed below.) Let me know if you need a hand.

http://www.whirlwindproductions.com

[Dr. Wankler]

Originally posted by irvine
Where can I find your poetry, Doc W.?


I used to be pretty regular (5 or so years ago) with second-generation Language school zines due that I found due to very loose connections with people associated with people associated with the SUNY Buffulo Poetics program (where I never, ever went), but that ended when I offended my contemporaries with an essay saying that we all sound like the literary equivalent of cover bands. That didn't go over well, and some of those people can really hold a grudge.

I also had good luck with Exquisite Corpse (before it went on-line and I lost contact with a lot of folks) and there's the Chiron Review in Kansas that I like a lot (mostly stand-up poetry, but it doesn't suck too often). And poems allegedly forthcoming in the New York Quarterly, which for all I know is defunct or something.

Those of you who are into various manifestations of popular culture might want to check out my friends E-zine, the new issue of which is due any time now...

http://www.habitsofwaste.wwu.edu

I have a review under my screen name, and an interview with novelist Alex Shakar and an review of Our Band Could Be Your Life under my non-screen name.

[jamison]

Originally posted by fiddlestick
Plus its fun to look back at stuff I wrote in HS and revel in what a weenie I was.

I wrote for my HS newspaper too, and I was a weenie. I think I was the only editorial writer in our history to have 2 editorial editors. I still don't think it was meant as a compliment.

My weenie-ness ended the day I got the assignment to cover a kid in our school who was murdered, and I had to write the front page story. I went to his funeral, interviewed his friends, talked to his teachers (along the way realizing that I knew the guy- he sat behind me in Physics a year earlier and we used to hang in the same group in gym class). Horrible story (killed by a drug dealer who just got out on bail after the kid called the cops because he saw him dealing drugs). I think it was the first time I realized what pressure was (not trying to sound brave here, honestly). Most people never read the paper, but when a kid dies (even in a school of 2800 where no one really knows more than 5% of anyone), it's news. I think my Journalism ended with that story (I did a good job with it, but it was too "heavy" a thing for a 17 year old to be thinking about).

[Jacen McCullough]

Here's an idea; I was scanning through Yahoogroups the other day looking for a Writing Workshop mailing list. Most of the ones I found were either defunct or populated by a bunch of teeny-bopper 2nd grade poetry types. Would anyone here be interested in getting a Creative Writing workshop together? Basically a place where writers could post their work, get feedback and revise etc. I'll look into it some more, and if there's interest, I'll set something up.

JMac

[Jacen McCullough]

I was bored, so I set up the Yahoo groups list before I knew if there will be any interest. For those interested in the idea, it's located here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WCWorkshop/


I think if we all promote it and start it off with some decent activity, it could be pretty big!

JMac

[olckicker]

What does everyone think of the Writer's Market series? The books, especially Poet's Market, are good sources but the information can be overwhelming.

My biggest writing problem is obsessing and, possibly, overwriting. I'm still working on stories and poems that I started 5 years ago.

[Michael K.]

Originally posted by Jacen McCullough
I was bored, so I set up the Yahoo groups list before I knew if there will be any interest. For those interested in the idea, it's located here:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WCWorkshop/


I think if we all promote it and start it off with some decent activity, it could be pretty big!

JMac

I'm pretty crap at workshops - a definite handicap when you're trying to do a creative writing masters...but I'll give it a shot.

[Jacen McCullough]

Originally posted by Michael K.


I'm pretty crap at workshops - a definite handicap when you're trying to do a creative writing masters...but I'll give it a shot.


Just out of curiosity, but where are you doing your Masters? I'm looking to do my graduate work in creative writing as well, but not too many schools seem to have a program. The one I found (and love) is at the University of Maryland, but with the success of the Terps hoops team, they have become VERY strict in who they admit. (due to the increased interest.)

JMac

ps: Workshops are easy if we get enough people. Nobody is going to shred anything to pieces, I'm sure, and on the giving of advice end, I don't think anyone is expecting someone to be the big expert in all areas. We might have people that are grammar freaks that could point out grammatical weaknesses. We might have people that just post what they liked and didn't like. Whether the feedback is used or not; it's always valuable.

[Jacen McCullough]

Originally posted by olckicker
What does everyone think of the Writer's Market series? The books, especially Poet's Market, are good sources but the information can be overwhelming.

My biggest writing problem is obsessing and, possibly, overwriting. I'm still working on stories and poems that I started 5 years ago.


I get the same way with overwriting sometimes. The best thing to do is to get a VERY detailed outline in place before you start to write the piece. I used to just start writing with a vague idea of what I wanted to do, and, inevitably, I'd come up with something different and "better" halfway through. As for Writer's Market, it is a very useful tool, but not exactly for a beginning writer. I got one back in 1999, before I started writing seriously (at the oh so ancient age of 19!). Basically, it told me how to submit polished work, and at the time, I had no polished work, and I wasn't capable of creating any at that point.

JMac

[phats_away]

from what i understand there are a ton of post grad creative writing schools. i know my schook (georgia state u) has masters and phd. and of course there's iowa...