Literature

[Dupin]

Today (or at least the day before this current night - it's 5 AM) I had a birthday. Got some new books:

 

-The Stranger - Camus

-The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoevsky

-Dracula - Bram Stoker

-2nd Chance - Patterson

 

I'll probably go buy the two books I wanted that I didn't get [stephen King's The Gunslinger (Dark Tower I) and Red Dragon by Thomas Harris] sometime this week.

 

Unfortunately, I've still got about ten half-finished books on my bedside table, plus books for school, so I don't know if I'll be starting the new ones any time soon.

[Satenza]

Whoever bought you Camus and Dostoevsky has good taste.

[Dupin]

That would be me :P Or at least, those are what I asked for. I doubt my family knows much about Camus, but we do have plenty of Dostoevsky.

[Saru Inc]

Today (or at least the day before this current night - it's 5 AM) I had a birthday. Got some new books:

 

-The Stranger - Camus

-The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoevsky

-Dracula - Bram Stoker

-2nd Chance - Patterson

 

I'll probably go buy the two books I wanted that I didn't get [stephen King's The Gunslinger (Dark Tower I) and Red Dragon by Thomas Harris] sometime this week.

 

Unfortunately, I've still got about ten half-finished books on my bedside table, plus books for school, so I don't know if I'll be starting the new ones any time soon.

 

Happy birthday!

 

 

----------

 

I found some interesting short stories I've been reading.And I've been writing my book again, after a 4 month hiatus.

[Skull]

Speaking of the aforementioned creative writing class, I need to do some work for mine. My grade continues to drop, which isn't good since it's at something like a 23% right now. It's a great class, I just can't be creative that often. I don't know how anyone could be, for me I can only write when I get inspiration.

[Mr_Adam]

Speaking of the aforementioned creative writing class, I need to do some work for mine. My grade continues to drop, which isn't good since it's at something like a 23% right now. It's a great class, I just can't be creative that often. I don't know how anyone could be, for me I can only write when I get inspiration.

 

Try getting inspiration from music - that always feels like a good source to me.

 

 

I read the first Sandman volume by Neil Gaiman. The writing is good, not sure about the story... does it get a lot better? People seem to like it a lot.

 

 

Also, I wrote this for MY creative writing class, if you wanna check it out :razz:

http://forum.tip.it/topic/278158-i-couldnt-think-of-a-title-that-didnt-sound-dumb/page__pid__4530918#entry4530918

[Dupin]

Happy birthday!

Thanks.

 

Speaking of the aforementioned creative writing class, I need to do some work for mine. My grade continues to drop, which isn't good since it's at something like a 23% right now. It's a great class, I just can't be creative that often. I don't know how anyone could be, for me I can only write when I get inspiration.

I feel the same way about all writing. It's no fun when it's forced, and I hate feeling like the things I write will be judged and analyzed.

[aeternitatis]

I have about 5 poems to write before Oct. 12, and I'd like to write a really nice one for my girlfriend (1 year coming up)... Hmm.

[Lateralus]

Speaking of the aforementioned creative writing class, I need to do some work for mine. My grade continues to drop, which isn't good since it's at something like a 23% right now. It's a great class, I just can't be creative that often. I don't know how anyone could be, for me I can only write when I get inspiration.

I feel the same way about all writing. It's no fun when it's forced, and I hate feeling like the things I write will be judged and analyzed.

 

Writers force themselves to write. The whole notion of 'writing when inspired' is the naive dream of a novice. Writing pages and pages of crap is essential.

[Sam]

Reading To Kill A Mockingbird in English class at the moment, should be interesting :thumbup:

[Dupin]

Speaking of the aforementioned creative writing class, I need to do some work for mine. My grade continues to drop, which isn't good since it's at something like a 23% right now. It's a great class, I just can't be creative that often. I don't know how anyone could be, for me I can only write when I get inspiration.

I feel the same way about all writing. It's no fun when it's forced, and I hate feeling like the things I write will be judged and analyzed.

 

Writers force themselves to write. The whole notion of 'writing when inspired' is the naive dream of a novice. Writing pages and pages of crap is essential.

I don't disagree at all. It's pretty close to impossible to live off writing on inspiration, unless you're already rich. But that doesn't mean I have to enjoy it.

[Bows]

Reading To Kill A Mockingbird in English class at the moment, should be interesting :thumbup:

You'll like it, I'm sure of it.

 

Anyway, I'm reading a book called An Empire of Wealth. I'm not sure if I mentioned the book in this thread or not, but it's a history of the US Economy. I'm into Economics so this should be rather interesting. I'll be sure to post anything interesting I find in it here.

[aeternitatis]

Reading To Kill A Mockingbird in English class at the moment, should be interesting :thumbup:

 

The only thing I didn't like were the Southern accents and such. Good book though.

[Saru Inc]

Speaking of the aforementioned creative writing class, I need to do some work for mine. My grade continues to drop, which isn't good since it's at something like a 23% right now. It's a great class, I just can't be creative that often. I don't know how anyone could be, for me I can only write when I get inspiration.

I feel the same way about all writing. It's no fun when it's forced, and I hate feeling like the things I write will be judged and analyzed.

 

Writers force themselves to write. The whole notion of 'writing when inspired' is the naive dream of a novice. Writing pages and pages of crap is essential.

 

 

Eggsactly.

 

 

Writers who write a lot sit down, force themselves to write, and write write write. One popular tactic is to just write til your hands are about to fall off (by hand that is). I once did that, just wrote 12 pages of whatever popped into my mind, about 3 pages were song lyrcs, and then there were television commercials, cliche phrasings, Bible verses, names of books, and at the end? Some things I actually like. Now note this was all dispersed, not saying I wrote only song lyrics for 3 pages, then switch over, but when I pulled it all together.

 

 

The biggest problem with the creative mind, is the procrastination that is attached at it's hip, there's no escaping it. So you must defeat it, waiting til your inspired is good for eulogies, and that's about it.

[Range_This11]

I'm thinking about starting Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Anyone read it?

[Dupin]

I'm thinking about starting Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Anyone read it?

I have read it, and it was awful. That said, it's considered a classic by many people and you shouldn't change your mind based on the opinion of some random kid on the internet. Either way, it's worth reading just so you know about it when some "Libertarian" starts pulling quotes out of it as evidence in philosophical discussions.

 

Why it was bad:

1. The story was awful

2. It was 1000+ pages of small text, and about five of them said anything relevant to the story

3. The characters were silly and one-sided

4. The wordage was mediocre at best

5. The ideas behind it were ridiculous and inane, and anyone who tries to cite it as evidence for anything will end up running into a brick wall when Rand takes a sudden turn.

6. I basically saw it as an anti-communist fear-mongering right-wing 1000-page propaganda pamphlet that helped the God-fearing Republicans regain confidence after the fall of the Soviet Union.

 

I don't cite examples because I don't want to ruin the story for anyone who actually might enjoy it.

[das1330]

I'm thinking about starting Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Anyone read it?

 

I thought it was a good book. While rather long and plodding it is certainly better then the drivel most other similar (contemporary) philosophers have published.

 

 

Personally I am currently reading On the Origin of Species and the Koran. Both are proving to be quite...enlightening; each in their own way.

[Skeptical]

I tried to read The Great Gatsby.... and nearly fell asleep a chapter in. It was so boring that I didn't even want to read it. Yes, he's a great author: the dialogue "felt" quite realistic, but in the end my determination to read the classics failed.

 

Currently, The Shock Doctrine, by Naomi Klein, the author of No Logo. Good book so far, and it has created my newfound passion of reading the World News page, and then comparing it to the business section. Freidmanites frighten me more than ever.

 

I intend to begin my reading of Chomsky next: any advice on where to begin, or does it not matter?

[Alg]

I tried to read The Great Gatsby.... and nearly fell asleep a chapter in. It was so boring that I didn't even want to read it. Yes, he's a great author: the dialogue "felt" quite realistic, but in the end my determination to read the classics failed.

You really aren't missing much. Most of the 'classics' that they give to high schoolers aren't that good. That's still better than Catcher in the Rye though.

 

As for the topic... Just finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, need to find something new.

[Skeptical]

I can't help but wonder: who decided that these were classics? I'm not sure if it's just a matter of opinion, but I don't think that the majority are much superior to just a random snap-shot of non-detective/romance novels at any point in time.

 

Although I can't help but wonder if I'm wrong.

[Saru Inc]

Usually they help define, or refine a genre. I'd imagine...

[Dupin]

Holy cow.

http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/scores/top#books-last30

 

You can find pretty much every classic in here. At a glance, I saw Kafka, Twain, Poe, [bleep]ens, Verne, Hugo, Dumas, Wells, Machiavelli, Dante, Stoker, Thoreau and Joyce. They're all free, just click the title and click "HTML" and it opens it in your browser with no download or fee.

 

I found this place when my English teacher assigned a short story and told us to just read it on there. It was "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", and I thought it was pretty good. If not worth going out of your way to read, it's definitely worth the time, considering how easy it is to get stuff there.

[Saru Inc]

old site is old.

 

 

I've never been big into classics.

[Shiny]

Can someone reccommend me to some classics. Short list of what i've read and enjoyed (or not enjoyed).

 

Of Mice and Men

The Grapes of Wrath (didn't like)

The Catcher in the Rye (didn't like, I mean, the kid is a complete [wagon], and I feel no likeability or connectedness to his freaking teenage angst. Well written, and I was compelled to finish it.)

To Kill a Mockingbird

Huckleberry Finn (Didn't overly enjoy)

Lord of the Rings :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

The Hobbit

Lion, Witch + Wardrobe

 

Anymore worth reading? I need about 3.

[Satenza]

I'm thinking about starting Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Anyone read it?

 

I thought it was a good book. While rather long and plodding it is certainly better then the drivel most other similar (contemporary) philosophers have published.

 

Lol. To cite Ayn Rand as better than most other contemporary philosophers is insane. !