Introduce Yourselves

[cslarsen]

Hello everyone. My name is Chris and I'm a write-aholic. It's been three days since my last writing. Ok, all fun aside. I've been writing for many years, most of which have been technical books and magazine articles for IBM. Recently I've published some fantasy books (Magic Krystal Series is one of them), and have had fun with my website (www.cslarsen.com). I'm hoping to help and learn with the rest of you in this book club. And one thought to think: The act of writing is an adventure of learning and sharing about an adventure of learning and sharing.

[FeyCreations]

Greetings all!
Books are a big part of my life, from my own collections to two of my jobs, writer and librarian. I've published several short stories in the fantasy realm, ranging from romantic to dark fantasy and am in charge of the sci-fi/fantasy section in the library.
I'm looking forward taking part in this group, there seems to be a wide spectrum of personalities to make it all the more interesting.

[LindaE]

Hello everyone,
Thank You Marta for running this workshop!
I'm Linda and currently live in Wisconsin. I have been an avid reader since my mother first introduced me to the public library back in the late 60's (and now I've aged myself - oh well). My favorite science fiction authors are H.G. Wells, Poul Anderson, Isaac Asimov, Mary Doria Russell, Connie Willis and Robert Heinlein. I've also read tons of earlier short story collections (70s/80s), but the authors names escape me now (although some of their concepts still enthrall me). I've also (recently) read Tolkiens Lord of the Rings and found it fascinating, and Diana Galbaldons first in the Outlander series.
I write poetry, mystery and science fiction and have more manuscripts-in-progress and story ideas on loose leaf paper than I can keep track of. I need to master the kmbits (keep my butt in the seat) rule and practice the f.o.c.u.s. mantra (follow one course until succesful). Hopefully I'll learn some good ways to do just that during this workshop because I have two science fiction manuscripts-in-progress that I really want to finish.
I enjoy writing science fiction because it gives one a certain freedom to explore the 'what if' questions about technology, the worlds potentially 'out there somewhere', the world around us and the world inside us. I would try my hand at fantasy if I could concoct an idea that is totally different from what current fantasy novels seem to be about, but so far I haven't had any 'aha' ideas.
I'm looking forward to this workshop!
L

[demann]

I love words. I've always loved words. Words are the sword of modern times, so I thought I'd take a stab at it. hehehehehe!!!

I could say I've wanted this (to be a writer, I mean) "all my life" and such, and it HAS been in the back of my mind for quite some time, but I've never been really serious about it until recently. I think I tell good stories.

I sat down a few months ago and pushed out a story that I'd started waaaay back when I was a baby Airman in the USAF. I've since retired and needed a job, so here I am. I am now writing whenever I get the inspiration, and have actually finished three shorts and begun a novel that will (if it's good enough for publication) probably be at least three books, and maybe as many as ten, depending on what they tell me to write about them.

Oddly enough, other than a rough outline, I really have no idea what will come out on the screen when I write.

I have been a SFF fan for as long as I can remember, and that's where I my stories are taking me.

I have submitted one of my shorts (titled "51st State" ) to a major competition and am hoping for a shot at the big time

I think readers make the very best writers, and I love to read. I have also recently realized that writing is hard work!!

Good luck to me and all of you hopeful writers out there...hopefully we'll all be famous writers someday!!

D

Message Edited by demann on 01-29-200701:36 PM

[abkitsme]

I am Amelia McHenry. I am a mother of 2 and have recently had a shift in focus to the creative. I am a voracious reader and appreciate well written stories though my favorite genre is Fantasy. Pretty much anything with Wizards, Dragons, Sorcery, etc catches my eye.

I started a Fantasy story in 2002 and have plunked away at it when it screams to be heard. I can't say that I've always wanted to be a writer but my path seems to be heading in that direction.

I have started a writing course and look forward to the knowledge that I will gain from it. Through this Book Club I also hope to gain the confidence and skill to pursue a writing career.

[ESBurt]

Hello All,

My name is Eric Burt, I am 33 years old and have four beautiful girls. I spent the last 10 years in the Army and still can't seem to get away from post. I got a job out there as an excuse to keep myself close to the military without actually having to still be in.
I took have been nursing a desire to write a novel for some time now. However, I always have a different excuse for why I can't sit down and do it. I am joining this group so I can persue that life long tickle of a dream. To strengthen my typing skills I have a program that will help me learn to touch type. That hopefully will increase my speed on the keyboard. We'll see how that goes(as I look at my fingers).
I took this class last year and because I have A.D.D or something I never finished the class. I am looking forward to the 5th of Feb to get the ball rolling again. I look forward to bouncing ideas and such.

-Eric

Message Edited by ESBurt on 01-29-200707:24 PM

[book_worm]

Hi everyone! My name is Marlee, I'm 18 years old and live in sunny Southern California. I am an avid reader, and have always loved reading books. I've read many different genres but have found that Science Fiction & Fantasy are my favorite. I like SF&F best because it's a different world that I can just jump into and explore. I have mostly prefered the magical and fantasy books compared to the mundaneness of other non-fantasy books. Some of my favorite fantasy authors are: Sherwood Smith, Lilith Saintcrow, Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison and Karen Chance.

Since I was a kid I've started to write stories. I say started because I could never finish the darn things! It always starts out with me having a really good idea for a novel in my head and I have to get it down on paper or the computer. But I havn't been able to finish them, for whatever reason. I have many stories that have just a few chapters or pages to their credit and then it cuts off, undone. I'm hoping that with some help I can finish my stories that I have started to write and write new ones with all the ideas bouncing around in my head.

I really look forward to learning, writing and helping!

Message Edited by book_worm on 01-29-200705:24 PM

[BVBob]

My name is Bob and I live in Ohio. I have some stories in my head that I have been trying to get out, with limited success. I have read a variety of authors; Asimov, Heinlein, Tolkein, King, Crichton, and Rowling. I also have an interest in history and religion. And I like to cook. The stories that I want to write are fantasy for younger readers. Maybe I've been inspired by JK Rowling.

[Seldes_Katne]

If you’re a fan of fantasy author Barbara Hambly, you might recognize my user-name. I’ve been using “Seldes Katne” all over the Internet for the last eight or nine years, partly because the character and I share the same occupation (we’re both librarians, and you could argue that we both work in a Citadel of Wizards, depending on your opinion of libraries). I’ve used it for Harry Potter boards, Star Wars boards, comic book boards, and several other places. It also looks like a “real” name, so I can go by “Seldes” instead of an abbreviation.

I have been writing off and on for most of my life, starting with a three-sentence “story” I wrote in first grade called “Chicken Little and the Easter Bunny”, and continuing on to the present. I’m proudest of the fact that I’ve written a 127-page (permanently unpublished) Star Wars novel, but I’m mostly a short story writer; novels are a lot of work, and I don’t really have the time right now.

I have been reading science fiction and fantasy novels for over 30 years. I discovered Sherlock Holmes, Lord of the Rings, and Star Trek all within months of each other when I was in seventh grade. (It was a banner year!) There isn’t enough room to list all of the books and series I’ve read, although I’ve hit the highlights, like Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders, Isaac Asimov’s robots and Foundation series, LotR, Narnia, James A. White’s Sector General novels, various comic books and graphic novels, and a lot of novels and series aimed at children and young adults.

What I would like from this forum: I’m mostly interested in just talking with other authors about writing in this particular genre. Most of the people I work with don’t read science fiction or fantasy (in fact, I did seasonal work in my local Barnes and Noble over Christmas, and the head of the Juvenile department followed me around one afternoon and took notes on the books I pointed out, because she said she knew nothing about SF and wanted to be able to recommend things to kids and parents). I don’t know anyone who actually writes science fiction or fantasy, except for authors I’ve met online. At the moment, I have no burning need to publish anything, but I’ve spent the last few years writing what’s known as fanfiction, and it might be nice to write something original for once.
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[llindsay]

Hi! I'm Lindsay.
I live in a suburb of Minneapolis in Minnesota. ( Yes, it is currently VERY cold here!) I enjoy reading and writing just about anything. Like most aspiring writers, I do a lot more reading than writing, but plan on buckling down and getting a bit more serious about writing daily.
I am currently reading the Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. I enjoy Niven, Brin, Orson Scott Card, David Eddings, Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin. I also love Mary Renault and Stephen King, oh.. and Dorothy Parker. Wow.. I think I could go on and on.
I look forward to seeing how this forum progresses.

[angelfly72]

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Seldes_Katne wrote:
If you’re a fan of fantasy author Barbara Hambly, you might recognize my user-name.

Another Star Wars fan! I just finished reading Barbara Hambly's "Children of the Jedi" and "Planet of Twilight". I thoroughly enjoyed them. I would like to ask your opinion of something that has nagged at me a bit. I lurked on the Star Wars official web site, and it appears to me that the fans seem to prefer the male Star Wars authors. Timothy Zahn and Kevin Anderson are great writers, but I enjoyed Barbara Hambly and Vondra McIntyre's entries into the Star Wars Expanded Universe, also. I'm not trying to be controversial because I believe women can write sci-fi just as well as men. It's just that some fans' perception seems to be that the female authors' work isn't as good as the males. Any thoughts about that?

Angela Shortt

[Seldes_Katne]

Hello, Angela. Great question! If you don't mind, I'm going to reply via Private Message, rather than here on the boards, because when I get wound up, I really talk a lot and I don't want to drag this thread off topic. And because the question of gender perception among readers and writers might end up being an official topic later on these boards, so I don't want to jump the gun.

Glad to see yet another woman who's a Star Wars fan! Look for a PM from me in the next day or so.


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[Houde]

Hello, my name is Houde, and I'm from Boston MA.

Ever since I was a kid, I loved to read, and started writing a few years ago about a fictional country on a small board. About two years back I started a project called Blairwood, Vermont, which is about kids and experiments done to them.

Seldes directed me to this board from another where I write a bunch of small time stories, nothing major, just to make people laugh. Hopefully, one day, Blairwood will see some time in the limelight

[galenem]

I opened the B&N e-mail expecting to be invited to read, not write. This caught my eye and I found myself taking one more step and one more step. Being terribly non-commital, I checked the suggested books from the library and promised myself to think about it. Well, tonight I opened Writing Science Fiction & Fantasy. The next thing I knew, it was an hour later and I was standing next to a chair at the kitchen table, still reading. It seems that, if you're really good at this, maybe you can see the future. What a thing to try! Sign me up.

Gale

[Tisah]

Hi, my name is Tonya, and I live in balmy North Dakota. I have always loved reading and writing, and I used to write quite a bit. Now I have four jobs and I seem to have lost the kick in the pants I need to actually write during my free time. 'Whenever I get the urge to write, I lie down until it passes', to paraphrase a quote I once read. I prefer to read sci-fi/fantasy, and I mostly write fantasy.
At the moment, I have several ideas that I am trying to get onto paper, one of them an almost-started novel. The three or four chapters I do have are now backstory that may or may not make an appearance in the actual book, so I don't count them anymore. I hope that this discussion will get me past the 'lying down until the urge passes' stage.
Tonya

[anne2]

Hi all,

I'm Anne. I live in Illinois, near Chicago. I work with computers and people. My job is pretty stressful so I write for fun - I'm a bit of a workaholic. Sometimes I get stuck and can't write. Sometimes, I write poetry. I have no idea where it comes from, but it appears.

I have written in the SF and fantasy genre previously. Sometimes I write science fantasy, sometimes fantasy; sometimes it could be anything - all while I'm trying to write science fiction. One day, I will get there. I have a few science fiction ideas that I'm working on from time to time.

Science fiction is so interesting to me, that I momentarily forget all those reasons I can't write, and I just do it. It feels pretty good. I'm still writing primarily on inspiration. I would like to get to a point where I can write more freely.

Over the years I've read a lot of science fiction and fantasy. Currently, I’m currently reading a novel by Vernor Vinge called A Deepness in the Sky. It seems pretty good. I like Pat Murphy(starting with the Adventures of Max Merriwell), and Thomas Pynchon( V, Gravity’s Rainbow, The Crying of Lot 49), Douglas Adams (especially the Dirk Gently stories), Phillip K. Dick(everything) and Marta Randall (all of them, including the ones that have yet to be written).There are more.

I’ve been trying to figure out how to start my own subgenre. I just need some new thoughts….

With this course, or in the course of this book club, I'd like to find that inspiration that will help me get writing again. I hope to be challenged and inspired. I hope to meet new people and find common ground in our goals.

Message Edited by anne2 on 02-01-200708:33 PM

[sengaeriel]

My name is Kelly, and yes, I'm a Star Wars fan, too. I've been reading the novels since 1991. I'm also interested in writing science fiction. I'm the same way about the SW books. My fave book is by Kathy Tyers (guess the book).

[Bonnie824]

To one degree or another. I am a school psychologist, working full time, with two grown (and one nearly grown) kids. I have no intention of writing a book, or changing careers, but do want to learn to write better fiction. I made a New Years Resolution to "do something creative every week" for self and spiritual growth.



I use to love writing fiction, and still love reading it, but have gotten into the habit of just writing what needs to be written- I do a lot of report writing at work- and not writing just for the catharsis of it. What I like to read is fiction, romance, fantasy, and science fiction hybrid stuff. I have tons of fantasies and made up stories in my head, I'd like to learn to get on paper (or screen really) better.

Message Edited by Bonnie824 on 02-03-200711:23 AM

[bjbrewster]

Nice to be here rubbing shoulders with such a hopeful and energetic crowd. Looking forward to learning much about how each of you defines sci-fi today. I'm old school. 50's 60's. In those days, it was ray guns and bug-eyed monsters...mixed with the promise of intelligence. But just when the intelligence peeped over the horizon, along came fantasy. Fact was replaced with feelings. Women replaced men, as practitioners and protagonists. For sure, I and my characters need to get more in touch with our more sensitive side. As well, my female characters need greater depth...but, alas, never will I be a woman...worlds ot tomorrow without end.

bjbrewster

[Talon_Radden]

hi my name is Claire, and I, unlike most 13 year olds am trying to write a fantasy novel. Oh! and uh, i'm dislexic which kinda makes it a little harder. Sorry if I a made any grammaticle errors!



"Because there is no where safer then inbetween the pages of my heart."