TCS: The Authors' Corner Volume 1 Issue 5 - PLEASE READ

[Nom]

 

Volume 1

 

Issue 5

 

 

 

News:

 

Due to the temporary departure of ratchet573, I will be taking over management of The Authors Corner indefinitely. Hopefully ratchet will be back in a few weeks, and until then you can expect the paper to continue as normal.

 

 

 

Actually, I hope that there will be some changes. We really do need others to contribute. That is why next week I hope to include one of the users of the Varrock Library as the author spotlight. If you would like to be featured, please write a paragraph, or two, or however many is necessary to address how you write, why you write, when you started writing, and anything else you would like to talk about. PLEASE DO THIS! We would love to hear more about you!

 

 

 

Debate Question Winner:

 

Due to lack of responses, there is no winner of last weeks debate question. Hawkxs and myself were the only ones to respond, so thank you hawkxs. See the end of the paper for this weeks question.

 

 

 

Author Profiles: George R.R. Martin

 

 

 

 

Most if not all of you probably have not heard of GRRM. This is a real shame, because he is arguably the most skilled writer on the market today. Unfortunately you probably havent read any of his books either. He has worked on many projects, not only books but television shows as well, including the new Twilight Zone, but is best known for his fantasy epic A Song of Ice and Fire. The first novel, A Game of Thrones, was published in 1996, and the fourth and most recent, A Feast for Crows, in 2005. A Dance with Dragons, the fifth of a projected seven (after the series was extended from a trilogy) is slated to be released sometime this year after numerous delays.*

 

 

 

Martins storytelling is notoriously dark and brutally unforgiving to his characters. The common writing phenomena of invincible heroes and Mary-Sues are virtually nonexistent; to date, eight point-of-view characters have been written out of A Song of Ice and Fire. No character is same from the pen of GRRM, and because each of his characters is unique and real, readers can easily form attachments that may be unmercifully severed. This may put some readers off, but in my humble opinion it makes the story that much better.

 

 

 

Speaking of story, it is heavily influenced by the Wars of the Roses, being basically a war of succession that has developed to a far greater scope as the series continues. I cannot recommend this series enough. One word of caution: can be very, very sexually explicit. Not for young readers. Other than that, there are no reasons I can think of for anyone not to read ASoIaF. While youre at it, check out some of GRRMs other works as well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover art for the first five books. (A Dance with Dragons has yet to be released.)

 

 

 

*A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons were originally planned to be one novel under the title of the latter, but it grew too large and was split. Because of this, ADwD was expected to be released in 2006. To the great frustration of fans, it has been delayed numerous times.

 

 

 

Reading Material:

 

 

 

Chronicles of Gielinor: The Story of Ellani by civie

 

 

 

The Verse Train II by issy2 - Participate please?

 

 

 

Untitled by mr_dude160

 

 

 

Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis

 

 

 

 

And a poem by yours truly:

 

 

 

Looking down from a high place

 

Upon a world without a face

 

A thing of nightmares permeates

 

Those not dreaming cannot wake.

 

 

 

Debate Question: What do you look for in a book? What makes it worthwhile to read? Why do you read in the first place?

 

 

 

Next Week: Something unconventional.

[Hawks]

Generally in a book I look for a) something by an author I like/is well known B) something in a genre I like (sci-fi/fantasy) and/or c) has been recommended by a friend. My friend's mom is a elementary/middle school librarian so she gives me a great book every once in a while. I do enjoy teen romance novels... Yes I do love the Twilight series.

 

 

 

Something worthwhile to read is something, no matter what genre, that draws me in and makes me want to keep reading. Brisingr is a wonderful example of something that's NOT worthwhile for me to read, yet I read it because I wanted to find out how it ended. (btw, it didn't :evil: ) I also find that before I read all of the ones my local library has, the Hardy Boys series was worth my while, they were interesting and they span a variety of situations.

 

 

 

I read because I have too much time and there's so much out there worth reading. Currently, I'm at a loss for books to read as I haven't been to the library recently, and I'm not one to go buy a book at random from a bookstore. However, I've got some hockey ones on hold that will hopefully prove useful reads.

 

 

 

Also, I'd like to recommend a couple of books: Graceling by Kristin Cashore (great fantasy action, geared towards teens but still a great read), anything by Ted DekKer, and The Tales of Beadle the Bard (J.K. Rowling) if you haven't read them yet and you enjoyed Harry Potter.

 

 

 

And I'd enjoy being featured but I'm not much of a writer... :roll: However, this has worked in the past in the FL: have a sort of PM interview with the person... I could do that, I've just got nothing in particular I can think of to talk about.

[Harakiri]

Just dropping by to see your version of the paper! Really nicely done!

 

 

 

I was actually looking at those books at the library, but they were really friggin long. Though brutality and violence and sex and main characters getting killed makes me really wanna try them...

 

 

 

Anyways, I guess I'll answer your question while I'm here.

 

___________________________________________________

 

I usually look for a good story that does not seem to cliched and if it is, it is in a good way. I love action, thats just what I need in a story to keep me glued is tons of great action scenes.

 

Its worthwhile to read because in books, you get a more three dimensional version of the characters than in most movies or television.

 

I read because theres nothing else to do during school :lol: . And also, there was a time in my life when I had no TV or computer in my room so I had to make due with reading. Then I got obsessed with reading, and its actually the reason my grades sucked so bad through fifth, six, and seventh. The work was too easy, and I was always stuck reading a book I could not get out of.

 

I figured a way to read without screwing with my grades, and now that the works harder I have more of an incentive to work (I got straight A's...first time in my life).

 

Also, all the reading was what gave me the drive to be an author...

[Hawks]

Next issue coming when?

[Nom]

Oh crap.

 

 

 

Lo siento mucho . . . Last week both ratchet and I were busy so we held off for a week. And then I dropped the ball and completely forgot about this week's.

 

 

 

I have President's Day off, which is Monday, so maybe there will be an emergency issue. If not there should be one next Friday as planned.

[Harakiri]

I'll do this weeks and post it tonight.don't worry about it.I will do a double issue since we missed last weeks.

[Kilo]

(oops late)

 

 

 

I'll read any book a friend recommends to me. As long as the characters are treated correctly, so no I don't believe I would like Dumbledore up there.^

 

I think if the characters of a novel are raped, and maltreated then the book isn't worth burning. If the book ends the same way it starts I don't find it worthwhile unless it leaves a moral truth. I know I'm old fashioned, but whoever said that was bad?

 

 

 

When I look at a book, I want to see something new, and original. I hate books that are unmistakeable rip offs of other books. Stephen King,Haruki Murakami, and George Orwell all span different genres. The only genre I don't look into as much is nonfiction. If I'm going to read I might as well escape somewhere, why would I read about reality? I live in reality I know what it's like I don't need it explained. I'll figure it out as I go along.

 

 

 

*Burns my soapbox*

[llamster]

Mostly I like books to be entertaining in some way. Humor, suspenseful/action-packed plot, and the like. For a book to be worthwhile to me it would have to make me want to read on, to flip the next page.

 

 

 

I love the comic strip.

[aquariusman]

I will generally read any kind of book. Or at least start reading. Fantasy, mystery, science fiction, teen fiction, non-fiction; all of them genres I have enjoyed. I generally like a more humorous tone to the books I read, whether it be sadistic or light, I do not care. Most of the books I read do however tend to be in the Fantasy genre. The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan is among my favourites, although after being recommended A Song of Fire and Ice by N0M a few weeks/months ago, I am loving A Game of Thrones. Another of my favourites is Catch Twenty-Two, a wonderfully sadistic book about a WWII bomber pilot.

 

 

 

I think it is really hard to define what makes a book worthwhile to read,but I'll try. For me, so long as a book is able to absorb me in its universe, teach me something, make me think differently, or just have some impact on me in general, I will say it is worth the time to read. If I walk away from a book the exact same as when I picked it up, something is not right.

 

 

 

Now, I read for many reasons. School, self-interest, boredom, or to fuel a self-interest. School is self-explanatory, as is boredom, but I think I need to differentiate between self interest, and fueling a self-interest. What I mean by self-interest is that I read just because I love reading. Fueling a self-interest generally applies to non-fiction for myself. I am deeply interested in the sciences, so I tend to read more than a few books and articles on chemistry, physics, and computers.