Creative writers among us?
Cardimon, Craig
In the spirit of the post "musicians among us," I would love to know if
there any creative writers here.
I am an aspiring creative writer - I am trying to write a novel - and
was wondering if anyone else was trying to do the same or similar.
We can take this off-list as soon as I get a reply or two.
I just want to see how much company I have.
-- Craig
Wanda Phillips
I, too, am an aspiring creative writer. I think, oddly enough, that my work
as a technical writer has improved my creative writing. I find, also, that
having the creative writing outlet has made my sense of ownership clearer. I
am not so freaked by changes to my technical writing and have less of a need
to cherish those words crafted to explain concepts that I barely understand
myself.
Wanda
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--
Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ
from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even
incapable of forming such opinions.
Albert Einstein
Dori Green
to turn one of my living room walls into a plotting and notes erasable
whiteboard for my creative writing.
One of my guilty pleasures of escapist fiction has always been the end
of the world novel (Alas, Babylon; The Mote in God's Eye; The Stand) --
the more realistic, the better. My tech writing experience is letting
me get deeply enough into the details of my own effort in this genre to
have literally made the hair on the back of my sister's neck stand up.
Heh, heh, heh! A good start! She doesn't scare easily!
I'm also working on a little thriller. Feer mah powrz!
I can't think of any tech writer I've ever known who didn't admit to
having a fiction book idea in the back of their brain somewhere. I
think I'll do an informal poll at tomorrow night's STC gathering!
Dori Green
Beth Agnew
workshop style classes that tear your work to shreds before your eyes,
while you must sit close-mouthed and graciously accept the criticism.
Lots of fun! I've published some short stories, and have always been
working on a book or seven, as well as scripts and what not. My creative
side usually comes out in the marketing writing that I do in additional
to technical communication. When prospective TechComm clients/employers
see my fiction degree, they wonder, so I explain that it is very helpful
when writing about products in development.
--Beth
Beth Agnew
Professor, Technical Communication
Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology
Toronto
Sam Beard
Yep, I write fiction and poetry. I've had a short story published, as
well as several poems. I haven't done any submitting as of late
(particularly since I've had a 9 month old daughter hanging around! Time
seems to REALLY fly, for SOME odd reason these days!), but might start
trying to submit some things again next year. New Year's resolution,
mayhaps?
Samuel I. Beard, Jr.
Technical Writer
OI Analytical
979 690-1711 Ext. 222
sbe...@oico.com
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+sbeard=oico...@lists.techwr-l.com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+sbeard=oico...@lists.techwr-l.com] On Behalf
Of Cardimon, Craig
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 9:31 AM
To: Techwr-l
Subject: Creative writers among us?
I know, the heading of this post made me laugh, too.
In the spirit of the post "musicians among us," I would love to know if
there any creative writers here.
I am an aspiring creative writer - I am trying to write a novel - and
was wondering if anyone else was trying to do the same or similar.
We can take this off-list as soon as I get a reply or two.
I just want to see how much company I have.
-- Craig
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Julie Stickler
>When prospective TechComm clients/employers
> see my fiction degree, they wonder, so I explain that it is very helpful
> when writing about products in development.
Hee hee, when I was a newly minted technical writing intern, one of
the old hands at the office used to get up from the lunch table every
day and proclaim, "Well, I'm going back to my fiction writing."
Julie
Christophe...@emerson.com
played guitar and mandolin for (er) several decades, I am also lucky
enough to have been a contributing editor and columnist for Flatpicking
Guitar Magazine for the past 10 years. I get to satisfy both cravings at
one time. Life is good!
Chris Thiessen
Tane' Tachyon
The last time Terry Pratchett was touring in my city, the guy in
front of me in the autograph line had this exchange with him:
"I wanted to tell you that you've been a great influence on my work.
I'm a professional writer too, I write software manuals."
"Oh, so you write *real* fantasy."
--
Tane' Tachyon = tac...@tachyonlabs.com = http://www.tachyonlabs.com/
jmcc...@cwjamaica.com
for children and one picture book, but ahven't found the
nerve to start shopping them around. In teh process of
writing two novels.
Jessica
Sarah L Blake
as a writer of children's books.
Sadly, I don't write as good as what she does :)
-----------------------------------------
Sarah Blake
Technical Author
exony
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Jessica Weissman
through a non-Nanowrimo novel. Lots of research for the novel, to save
my eventual fact-checker some effort.
Incidentally, is there anybody on the list who lived in Egypt before
1957 or so? I have a couple of questions for you.
- Jessica
Dori Green
talk to me, I remind them that I also write fiction and I'll be happy to
make something up but then they'd have to live with whatever my fertile
imagination provides. They still grumble, but they sit down with me.
Dori Green
col...@lexmark.com
> there any creative writers here.
>
> I am an aspiring creative writer - I am trying to write a novel - and
> was wondering if anyone else was trying to do the same or similar.
It's not quite fiction in the usual narrative sense, but I've been
involved in roleplaying game design for about a decade now, and have a
fair amount of word count in print (in, admittedly, a very small market).
ObTechComm, the experience in writing game rules has had some strong
parallels to the process documentation work I've done in my regular jobs,
and vice versa.
- C.
Brad Whittington
www.fredtexas.com). Became a technical writer last year.
Also musician. Guitar and harmonica.
doodah
brad
Pamela Denchfield
of my dear "ex" in-laws. Tasks include phone interviews, overseas
flights, and lots of research.
--Pamela Denchfield
Bill Kerschbaum
skits, and I play guitar & write songs. All amateur -
haven't had the guts to get anything published, but
I've dreamed about it. Don't play guitar or sing well,
but I have a good time of it.
OH!! Almost forgot. I got a dishonorable mention for
the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest this year:
http://www.sjsu.edu/depts/english/2007.htm (Romance
Category)
My brother is a tech writer who is also an amateur
musician and songwriter.
-Bill Kerschbaum.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page.
http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs
Ron Wilbanks
> My degree is in fiction writing, and I'm a veteran of the brutal
> workshop style classes that tear your work to shreds before your eyes,
> while you must sit close-mouthed and graciously accept the criticism.
I have been down that road before and it's a very painful one! One person
imparticular, would just tear everyone's work apart, with what he called the
"Dance of the Red Pen," and he was down right brutal about it. He would use
so much red ink that my paper looked it had been at the scene of a homicide
when he finished.
I can remember he would often go on tangents about the book he was writing
on spritual beer, or his endless thirst for it. We often found his writting
very dry and lacking in emotions. However, he was the one who made the
recommendation on your final grades, so we had to follow his guidance.
I love to write short stories, and entered special writing contests where
you are limited to 250 or 500 words. What a challenge it is to convey your
creative side in a set number of words. It really reminds me of Haiku, but
allows you to use a lot more syllables than is possible in that distinctive
form of Japanese poetry.
Happy Holidays!
Ron
Tim Mantyla
Did you ever read "Knock" by Fredric Brown? One of the greatest sci-fi
stories of all time, based on a story only two sentences long. It begins:
"The last man on Earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock at the
door..."
As for creative tech (trech? trek?) writers...I once wrote a Star Trek
(original series) parody titled "Last Flight of the 'Prise." Didn't submit
it anywhere...I'm not sure I finished it anyway.
I've for a long time wanted to be a professional comedy writer...and soon
I will be, with my own blog on it. Ha-hah! Feer MAH powrz, too...Austin!
"Yeah, baby!!!"
As for thrillers...I write song parodies, too. One parody on Michael
Jackson's "Thriller," goes: "It's Phyllis Dillerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Diller
night!"
In the meantime, I satisfy my political, ecological and creative urges
with blasts against the "misunderestimated" Rush Dubya (Darth) Cheney
misadministration here:
I don't get why Craig was laughing at the heading of his post. Explain?
I think any writing helps other writing...it all uses an organizational,
analytical, communication process that is creative to some extent.
Tim Mantyla
---------Dori wrote to TECHWR-L:
Joseph Armstrong
When I first entered college I began studying journalism. After discovering the impracticalities of the field, along with my lack of the required passion for it, I made the jump to technical communications, in which I hold my degree.
While I don't regret the decision, I've followed a very twisted path since my graduation some years ago. I've worked in the field of online marketing in Canada, taught English in Japan, and now I find myself employed as a technical writer in Israel. The thing is, the vast majority of the writing work I've done hasn't even been technical in nature, but marketing communications material.
I don't mind this a great deal as it is a nice exercise for the creative writer in me, but I fear its becoming apparent that I'm not sure I can really be considered a technical writer.
Joe Armstrong
"...yet he knew how to make madness beautiful."
-Byron
>Message: 6
>Date: Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:31:28 -0500
>From: "Cardimon, Craig" <ccar...@M-S-G.com>
>Subject: Creative writers among us?
>To: "Techwr-l" <tech...@lists.techwr-l.com>
>Message-ID: <19C7D9BC73C7914BAB5...@Delmar2.m-s-g.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>I know, the heading of this post made me laugh, too.
>
>In the spirit of the post "musicians among us," I would love to know if
>there any creative writers here.
>
>I am an aspiring creative writer - I am trying to write a novel - and
>was wondering if anyone else was trying to do the same or similar.
>
Sharon Burton
restaurant reviews.
I've also written one humorous piece last summer that was published as
well. I'm
very proud of that one because while I can do stand up comedy, writing humor
was new.
For more info, check out www.ieweekly.com and search on "sharon". I'll be
writing more in the new year.
sharon
John Cook
I've written many stories and have sold two in the last year, *Stealing the
Rose*, a sci-fi story based on an actual exchange I had with a security
guard where I work, and "The Reconstructed
Man<http://www.wayfarersjournal.com/cook.htm>,"
a story that explores some of the grey area between science and faith. It's
also something of an homage to Alfred Bester, winner of the first Hugo award
for best sci-fi novel.
I'm also Overlord (founder / chief cook and bottle washer) for Ray Gun
Revival <http://raygunrevival.com/index.html>, a free biweekly space opera /
golden age sci-fi e-zine that I develop in InDesign CS3. We publish short
stories and serialized longer works. I'm currently 18 chapters into a
serial novel called *The Adventures of the Sky Pirate*, and add a new
chapter every month. I'm currently halfway done with that, and am having a
great time reintroducing space opera to a new generation.
I'm currently halfway through a darker short story called "Thirst of the
Revenant," a cyberpunk noir android vampire story. I'm hoping to get it
into Coach Culbertson's Coach's Midnight Diner annual book. Coach is too
cool, and I love what he's doing with his project. Their latest compilation
was the Jesus vs. Cthulhu
edition<http://www.reliefjournal.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=6&zenid=5d375539a8e7887b251a7e74238814db>and
I knew right away that I just
*had* to place something with Coach.
I agree with the idea that my technical writing helps my creative writing,
and vice versa. I can't imagine writing one and not the other, although if
somebody offers me enough money to focus on just one of the two, I'd be
willing to make the sacrifice. ; )
John Cook
Technical Writer / Help Author
john dot cook at gmail dot com