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Author Craft / Re: What's the rule or your preference on writing numbers?
« on: June 03, 2013, 04:07:35 PM »
I was taught numbers in a conversation get spelt, numbers of an item get written as numbers.
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77
Author Craft / Re: Maybe an English degree is a must?
« on: June 03, 2013, 04:05:48 PM »And then again, you see genre writers like Gregory Benford and Alison Sinclair who are working academic scientists, and I am a working scientist with strong love for writing and aspirations to write professionally myself.
Fair point, especially with classic sci fi authors. Coming back to this thread with a different mood&energy level, I do think I'm being over-general to the point of being incorrect with my first point. For instance, most ex-music majors go into the sciences. Allegedly, the most common double major attached to music is math. There is most definitely NOT a clear demarcation or caste system segregating scientists from being artists of any medium. Besides, different stages of life, etc. Hell, Borodin was a chemist first, composer second.
I'm willing to entertain the idea that I might not be using the most commonly accepted definitions though. For instance, I consider most performers interpretative craftspeople-not creators(though actors are closer to creators than musicians, in my opinion). The creators are the authors/composers.
I will stand behind my second point though. Writing is a skill. It has to be practiced. Practicing violin for 3 hours a day doesn't make you a better writer, it makes you a better violinist. Manipulating spreadsheets doesn't make you a better writer, it makes you better at manipulating spreadsheets. Creating something on a canvas doesn't make you a better writer, it makes you better at expressing yourself on a canvas. So if you want to become a better writer-write. And what degrees are most likely to encourage, enable and require that you do so?
You've obviously never played DnD
Most of the people I've geeked out with have been terrible writers, and interested in manipulating the rules, not creation. I think there's a difference there. It can be a creative outlet though, definitely. The more avid, creative players I know don't geek about science. Especially on the DM side. But personal anecdotes are not representative of society as a whole, etc.
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Author Craft / Re: Your Pet Urban Fantasy Cliche Peeves
« on: May 13, 2013, 01:16:55 AM »Given a society of immortals, it doesn't strike me as implausible, really. Supposedly part of the reason WWI was so pointlessly bloody was that the commanders tried to fight it like nineteenth-century wars, with a set of tactics that were on their way out even in the American Civil War. Now multiply that by lifespans four or five times as long (like Dresdenverse wizards) or thousands of years long or practically forever (vampires).... Also, a fast pace of innovation is really more the exception than the rule, taking human history as a whole.
That's tactics, not adoption of technology.
Quote
The bigger problem to me is, in a lot of UF settings where the supernaturals have theoretically been around for ages, why did they ever let humans develop technology? The Dresdenverse has a powerful human organization which doesn't depend on technology for its power (the White Council), but lots of settings don't. If the supernatural world is mostly werewolves and vampires and maybe faeries ... it should still be ruled by those beings, and humans would never have gotten a chance to develop technology.
Oh, and the muses just struck.
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Author Craft / Re: Your Pet Urban Fantasy Cliche Peeves
« on: May 12, 2013, 01:07:27 PM »
FWIW it's an absolute beeyotch to come up with a close-combat weapon better than swords - and then you run into the Everyone And Their Auntie Is An Expert problem telling you that they Know Olympic Sabre Fencers Who Would Mincemeat Your LaserHalfStaff/PlasmaAssegai Wielder. With A Spoon.
I actually do know somebody who fenced in the olympics. Multiple olympics, even. He did Epee though.
I'm more referring to the stories where it's 'all out war for survival!' And the front line troops bring spears? At least give them a muzzle loading rifle with a bayonet or something.
You know, like they used 300 years ago. When cavalry carried pistols with their sword.
edit: I should say that while swords are fun, I subscribe to the Indiana Jones School. As does the olympian above, lol.
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Author Craft / Re: Your Pet Urban Fantasy Cliche Peeves
« on: May 11, 2013, 03:39:51 AM »
I dislike how traditional/outdated/slow to evolve some things are. Swords being the primary weapon of (non-magical)conflict, etc.
Soooo...not very many characters should be able to manage it so consistently?
I find it no less plausible than holding down a full-time job, a happy marriage, a complex and busy social life, several fairly active internet presences, a couple of other incidental hobbies, and still having time to write a new chapter or do equivalent amounts of other writing-related stuff about 85% of weeks (and catch up before or after the weeks that's not possible.)
Soooo...not very many characters should be able to manage it so consistently?
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Author Craft / Re: Maybe an English degree is a must?
« on: May 10, 2013, 01:17:48 AM »
Off the top of my head, Elizabeth Moon has degrees in history and biology. None in English.
I think you see so many authors with English degrees because somebody in love with literature and a creative bent isn't likely to go after a science degree. Moon excepted.
Going one step farther, you get better at writing by writing, not doing lab report math.
Yeah, music degrees aren't hard, just work. Gotta put the time in practicing, that is all. IF you've got the talent to start with. Very very very few people fail their recital(fail the recital, no degree-no matter what your grades are). You pretty much figure out if you can hack it well before then. I'd imagine the other arts are the same.
I think you see so many authors with English degrees because somebody in love with literature and a creative bent isn't likely to go after a science degree. Moon excepted.
Going one step farther, you get better at writing by writing, not doing lab report math.
It may sound odd coming from me (I was not far from becoming a permanent student), but degrees mean nothing in and of themselves. What matters is innate ability + study (be it guided or otherwise, as long as it's done intelligently and fully) + practice. Yes, those often occur among those who choose advanced study in the field, but it's not a MUST-have.
Yeah, music degrees aren't hard, just work. Gotta put the time in practicing, that is all. IF you've got the talent to start with. Very very very few people fail their recital(fail the recital, no degree-no matter what your grades are). You pretty much figure out if you can hack it well before then. I'd imagine the other arts are the same.
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Site Suggestions & Support / Re: Question about the Warnings
« on: February 26, 2011, 03:40:05 AM »One of my first bosses once told me, "You can screw up as many times as you possibly can and I won't have a problem. Just never screw up the same way twice."
I had a conductor say something similar after the tenor section screwed things up royally, the exact same way, two rehearsals in a row.
"It's okay to make mistakes We're all human. We all make mistakes. But next time, make a different mistake."
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Author Craft / Re: Location Location Location
« on: July 13, 2010, 09:45:11 PM »Coffee
New Age Hippies
Coffee
Everywhere is a one way street
Coffee
Space Needle
Coffee
Ferry across the bay
Coffee
Permanent Indie Music Scene
Coffee
It never rains, and never shines, but always drizzles
Coffee
Really good and eclectic food
Coffee
Holy Bajeebus Fish Market
Coffee
The big silver music museum
Coffee
I think that covers most of it.
This is true.
The amount of coffee shops in Washington is staggering.
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The Bar / Re: Regarding the chatroom
« on: June 24, 2010, 07:47:22 PM »
You mean TT is alive and well somewhere? 
*Goes on a quest*
*Goes on a quest*
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Site Suggestions & Support / Re: Policy Changes: How do you feel?
« on: June 23, 2010, 06:04:01 AM »
RE: Bans, transparency:
http://www.forumopolis.com/showbans.php
Not always the best descriptions. And the modding in general is a bit more active and transparent there(though that's definitely a touchy subject there, too) IMO.
But that page does tend to alleviate a lot of concerns, and 'huh? what's going on?' posts.
http://www.forumopolis.com/showbans.php
Not always the best descriptions. And the modding in general is a bit more active and transparent there(though that's definitely a touchy subject there, too) IMO.
But that page does tend to alleviate a lot of concerns, and 'huh? what's going on?' posts.
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Site Suggestions & Support / Re: MacAnally's itself
« on: June 03, 2010, 07:52:19 PM »I agree with Curly, but that's my liberal heart. What if you deleted the flame post so it isn't out there forever for re-hash?
People send PM's to figure it out, or just ask in the thread and are informed.
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Site Suggestions & Support / Re: MacAnally's itself
« on: June 03, 2010, 07:29:18 PM »Wait, you mean this place was sopposed to be structured? Aw man.
I liked having Mac's as a catch all, and the angst corner as a catch all with passion.
Personally, I don't like having everything so segmented and organized. Makes me confused if I have a borderline topic that might fit in a couple spots. Or I might miss something I would be interested in because somebody else did, and thought differently than me in where to post.
I also prefer the board to chat. Chat is transitory and is much more of a time commitment, along with being less forgiving if you want to take a second to think. I think chat is nice to have(even if the client being used isn't the most robust), but I don't think that it should be touted as a substitute for anything.
But really, I like threads better. For example: The Chuck Norris jokes irrationally annoy me an extreme degree. So much of the time, chat is absolutely useless to me. I can choose to not visit a chuck norris thread with no penalty in community participation. Not so in chat.
Sorry about the double post. Didn't realize it was posted the first time. Leaving this one since I had added a bit.
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Site Suggestions & Support / Re: Mods for the Chat
« on: June 03, 2010, 06:58:53 PM »
Being able to join multiple channels would be kind of nice.
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Site Suggestions & Support / Re: MacAnally's itself
« on: June 03, 2010, 06:50:52 PM »Wait, you mean this place was sopposed to be structured? Aw man.
I liked having Mac's as a catch all, and the angst corner as a catch all with passion.
Personally, I don't like having everything so segmented and organized. Makes me confused if I have a borderline topic that might fit in a couple spots. Or I might miss something I would be interested in because somebody else did, and thought differently than me in where to post.
I also prefer the board to chat. Chat is transitory and seems like a commitment. I think chat is nice to have(even if the client being used isn't the most robust), but I don't think that it should be touted as a substitute for anything.
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Author Craft / Re: Writing craft toolbox ideas...
« on: December 31, 2009, 08:28:20 PM »I don't think David Weber has figured this out yet, and he's on his 5 billionth book. He gets going on weapons construction and it becomes a technical dissertation.
Do you know why you never ask an engineer to explain something?
(click to show/hide)
(It works for anybody with a science degree, really)