Getting to Know You

[Brandi_R]

Awhile back, our introduction thread disappeared. I think it’s about time we had another one.

New to the Writer’s Room? Introduce yourself here. A long time contributor? Reintroduce yourself or share something about yourself that we don’t already know. Interested in learning more about everyone in the Writing Room? Post your questions here. Any "getting to know you" business can happen here.

I’ll kick things off . . .

I’m Brandi Reissenweber, the Writing Room moderator. I’ve been moderating the Writing Room for several years, all the way back to the days when this space was Barnes & Noble University. I’m a writer and a teacher. My short fiction has appeared in or is forthcoming from Willow Springs, The Briar Cliff Review, Phoebe, and other literary journals. I was a James C. McCreight Fiction Fellow at the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and a Writer-in-Residence for The Jack Kerouac Project of Orlando, where I lived and worked in the house where Jack Kerouac wrote The Dharma Bums. I'm currently at work on a novel.   

I’ve written quite a bit about the craft of creative writing. I authored the chapter on Characterization in Writing Fiction. I’ve also published articles on writing in Poets & Writers and The Writer Magazine and I write a bi-weekly question and answer column for The Writer Magazine’s website. I’ve taught creative writing extensively in the classroom setting—at New York University, University of Wisconsin in Madison, the Graham School at the University of Chicago, Illinois Wesleyan University, and Gotham Writers’ Workshop—and in other settings like hospitals and homeless centers.

I’m thrilled to be moderating the Writing Room. Welcome to everyone in our group—both new and seasoned members! I look forward to learning more about each one of you, continuing our lively discussions about writing, publishing, and the writers’ life, and, of course, reading your work.

[YeLLoWmisT]

Hi guys... I just wanna know what your nationalities are. To start with, I'm a Filipina, living of course in Philippines. And you?

[TiggerBear]

Are you asking our country or our genetics?

[Morigami]

lol I think she wants both xD

[Morigami]

So are we like going to tell who we are? And what we do on the writing room? Whatever I'm just going to do it xD Hi =D Name is Alexis Joubert (Jew-burt, not! Jow-bear. I'm French so yeah it's a French name) and I am 15. I love YA paranormal and paranormal fantasy also love horror movies and awesome rock band music. I not really a people person but that's okay lol I am just a normal girl that wishes to some day become a Author =) I live in MA and have a huge family =P I also have 3 dogs, 2 lizards, 1 fish, 2 frogs, and a cat named Kitty =D (I was 2 when I got the cat. It was the only name I could say at the time xD)

Right now I have only a few threads on here but the one I really like that I made is called New Era. It's a story I am writing at the time and I just finished Chapter 1 for everyone to read and I think I will be also posting Chapter 2, as well. I also like to write poetry but for me it has to be really good if I want to post it.

[crzynwrd4lf]

I don't think I've really introduced myself at all on the boards so here goes...

My name is Kayla Goodenough (pronounced just how it looks, good enough) and I am twenty two years old. I first started writing in seventh grade English class mostly just poems and a few short short stories here and there. As I began to really delve into reading and experience the many authors perspectives and imaginations, I began dreaming of one day becoming a published author myself. I am far from reaching that life goal but I continue to write my poems and stories and hope one day to have something worth publishing.

I have a horrible fear of others reading my work-- I'm not afraid of them not liking it, I'm scared silly that it won't make an impression at all neither positive or negative. I'm hoping to try to get up the courage to post something here on the boards, hopefully.

[Capuchin]

DWM, 6'4", Brown eyes, Brown hair (what there is of it (I'm not officially bald (yet))). Personality like a Teddy Bear (completely stuffed). Born in the Year of the Snake.

I became a published author in the fifth grade when my teacher sent an essay of mine to a Sunday supplement. I got $5 for it. The assignment was to write about the 'why' of something. My "The Why of Girls" explained that after God created beautiful flowers, awesome mountains, and the thought-provoking night sky, He realized there was nothing funny, so He created girls so we would have something to laugh at.

More than a dozen of my science fiction and fantasy short stories have appeared in print and online. My work has been nominated for a couple of awards but never won anything. I never send a picture for the bio -- although I don't actually share the aboriginal belief that photographs steal a person's soul, mine is so precariously perched I don't take chances.

I sold my first novel in 1978, but the publisher folded before printing it (because they had the bad taste to buy stuff like mine?), and the manuscript has been lost.

It took from 1998 until 2003 for me to write another novel and from 2003 to 2008 to edit it down for serious submission. I'm shopping for an agent, but since my synopsis-writing skill is nonexistent, I don't have much hope.

In 2007 I received what is probably the best thing for a writer -- they put a bit of bull in me. Technically, it's a 'Bovine Pericardial Heart Valve.' Because of the twisted way my life works, I never had the pain, angst, or feelings of mortality one normally associates with open heart surgery. I went to the ER because my leg was numb, a few hours later I was being shaved for surgery, and I woke two days later feeling fine. The nurses suffered far more than I did.

The worst thing about the incident is that my decades of smoking, drinking, and general debauchery hadn't had any effect -- it was a congenital flaw. In fact, if I had led a pristine life, it would probably have failed earlier and with more serious consequences (my first son died of the same thing when he was 19).

I was given the nickname 'Capuchin' more than thirty years ago when someone called me a gorilla. His girlfriend disagreed, and by the time the girls got finished comparing notes, they decided I was either a big Russian bear or a cute Capuchin monkey. For some reason, the monkey moniker stuck.

Sorry this has been so long, but while there may be no excuse for me, I certainly take a lot of explaining . . .

[Flowering]

My name is Justin, and am a 17 year old seniour in highschool.

As a child, I was highly delluded by my parents, and my teachers. Whatever I did, it was great, or masterful to them. I dont feel bad when my teachers made a suprised face when I could read at a higher level than they expected, because it made me feel like I was actually good at reading. 

I always felt I was a good writer, and used it as a vehicle for letting out my feelings. I would always write about my life in little computer journals, but stopped it because my brothers had no sense of respect toward other peoples privacy. I wrote poems as well, and my grandmother thought they were amazing. Another delusion that made me even more confident in myself.

But after a long period of time, I simply stopped writing. School, teachers telling me what to do, and the lack of privacy my writing held.  

After about five years I started reading more. I read stories of writers and novelists acomplishing there dreams, and something in me just clicked. I just felt like that thats what I wish I could do. Thats somthing I wish I was doing.

So, I had to revive the writer in me.

Although, I'm still very delluded, and I am not, in any sense, a great writer at all, who when he types somthing, almost always regrets it. But by now, I am much more enthusiastic, more driven now than ever. I write about everyday (not lately, need break ) )

But regardless, it is what I wanted to do, perhaps even always wanted to do as a child. I dont know why I stopped, and I wish I hadnt. At least I am still continueing now, and I'm not giving up. In my mind, I discovered a few things about my life. 1. If I'm gonna live, its not going to be a model of someone else. I'll do things how I want to do them.  2. The only enemy in life is attitude of thinking you have an enemy. So therefore, the only force capable of lowering me is myself.

So now, here I am, a writer trying to find his roots agian. And this club is fabulous by the way!

[redheart52]

My name is Jess and I am 17 (give it three days and i will be 18) and also a senior in highschool.

I always loved books even as a child. In the 1st grade i didn't talk much so teacher thought i didn't know how to read and write. Well, that changed once they made me read aloud. +.- I was ahead of the other children.

In 7th grade i wrote an entire book that was a length of a 5 subject notebook. The thought of being a writer never occured to me. I was just having a good time with my imagination.

I am currently writing a book and i am about 11 or 12 chapters into that. I also have another book that i put on hold that has about 16 or 17 chapters. (I stopped it once i realized that i could do better. Don't worry... i will go back to it someday.)

In the fall i will be going to Western Connecticut State University to major in English and get a bachlors degree in Creative Writing.

.... My dream is to publish a book. My dream is to be a writer. I also want to work at Random House Publishing and be an Editor.

[Kat-NE]

I'm Katherine Easter and I'm 23.  I am currently in my last year of college (please, oh please let it be this time) and I am a journalism major.  I never really gave writing much thought growing up, I just loved to read (I'm mainly a fantasy or fiction reader, but I have been known to read other genres).  When I first got to college, I wanted to go into video productions because of my other love (movies!!), but I was always insecure in the choice.  So naturally, within a year I had changed my major to journalism (I'm horrible with a camera anyway) and started writing articles.  I like the writing process but I'm not much for the interviewing and I have never been a very aggressive person in getting information.  I would love to get into book publishing and just become an editor, because I like commenting on other people's writing.  I guess I'll always have this board if it doesn't work out.

I am also working a book that has been rolling around in my head for almost a year now, I just don't have much time to write it.  No one knows I'm writing one, and for anyone on the board who does know me:  Hey, how's it goin and keep your mouth shut, I mean it.  I doubt anyone here knows me personally, but just taking precautions.  I feel like my writing is my own and if I told people, they would try to tell me how to do it, because they always do.  Even if they mean well, I misjudge my own work enough, I don't need someone else bringing it down. 

You guys say whatever you want about it though .

[kellybeans]

My name is Kelly Danckert, and I'm sixteen. You can usually find me in the Harry Potter thread or Teen Reads.

Two of my favorite things to do are drawing and writing. I know this sounds really nerdy, but what I love to do after finishing a painting is to write a story about it. I know a lot of writers say that they want their books or their stories to be published, but that's not for me. I love to share my art with people, but I write for myself, and myself only. I mostly do that to encourage creativity in my friends or famil. When I show them a work art, why would they want to read my story about it when they can think of one themselves? I'm also terrified of people reading my writing...maybe if I work up the courage to do so, I'll share one of my stories on the boards =).

[becke_davis]

Oh man, now I feel REALLY freaking old. My kids are older than most of you. Well. ALL of you.

I love poetry. It was my first form of self-expression, but I later moved on to non-fiction and fiction writing. I still love poetry. I think it satisfies something inside us that can't be expressed in other ways, except maybe in the lyrics of a song.

Background? Well, I was born and raised in the U.S. According to my genealogy research, my family hails from France, England/Scotland/Ireland and maybe Switzerland. Possibly Wales, but no proof of that one. But we've been in the U.S. since before the first census in 1770.

Like Brandi, I've been at BN.com since the online university days. I blog here at Garden Variety and I moderate the Mystery book club board.

[BillyBannister]

Hi. My name is Jeremiah LaPlante. I just wanted to joijn to share my story ideas and get some new ones.

[Capuchin]

becke_davis wrote:

Oh man, now I feel REALLY freaking old. My kids are older than most of you. Well. ALL of you.

Except me. In typical oneupmanship, my grandson is older than most of the other posters. (I would rather not give my age because it's not the years, it's the miles that are important. Also, the number is a little scary.)

[becke_davis]

LOL! I know what you mean about the scary numbers! I bow to your superior age-ness, although I bet I'm not far behind.

[Brandi_R]

You're cracking me up on the age talk. I adore this Writing Room for its diversity--and good humor.

[becke_davis]

Brandi_R wrote:

You're cracking me up on the age talk. I adore this Writing Room for its diversity--and good humor.

It's a fun place, Brandi. You should sneak over to Mystery sometime and check out the First Look Party Central thread. It is totally off-topic, but a lot of people hang out there. People *ahem* my age, that is!

[Capuchin]

Brandi_R wrote:

You're cracking me up on the age talk. I adore this Writing Room for its diversity--and good humor.

At my age, you have to take things with good humor or you'll glum yourself into the grave.

Besides, I've always been a very funny fellow (but looks aren't everything).

One thing that always makes me laugh is when people say they'll write a book when they retire. My most productive years, writing-wise, were when I had two jobs and was remodeling my house. Now that almost all day, every day is "free" I spend far less time hacking away since there's always going to be time to do it tomorrow.

[H-Butterfield]

My name is Heidi and I am 22 years old. I moved a 1000 miles from home after graduation to go to college in north central Montana where I knew absolutely no one. I will be graduating in May with a degree in Secondary Education English. So I will be teaching English to middle school or high school kids. Its kinda freaky when all of them are taller than you (I'm only 5'4" by the way.)   I started writing when I was in 3rd grade and I wanted to be a writer for a long time but for a while that dream fell off the deep end. Thankfully I have been inspired to become a writer after a wonderful creative writing class made me write again. I have won a couple writing awards from the college but nothing huge. Anyway I seriously hate writing about myself, I always feel self-centered when I do. I really enjoy the writing room because I can bounce ideas off people and get feedback.

Thanks,

HB

[Brandi_R]

becke_davis wrote:

Brandi_R wrote:

You're cracking me up on the age talk. I adore this Writing Room for its diversity--and good humor.

It's a fun place, Brandi. You should sneak over to Mystery sometime and check out the First Look Party Central thread. It is totally off-topic, but a lot of people hang out there. People *ahem* my age, that is!

Will do, Becke!