❛ the lazy writers ❜

[winged-backpack]

How has being a writer changed you as a reader?

To be honest, it hasn't really changed at all. I do occasionally think about what the circumstances might have led the author to write a particular book. The thing that's really changed me as a reader completely is my English GCSE/A level because they encourage us to go deeper into the meanings of the novels. Mainly the symbolism and overriding themes in the book, and I find myself doing it outside of my classes with even the most trivial books

[DeMaizu]

Have you ever written anything so creepy that you actually scared yourself?
Ehdebufagjrkng. I dunno. I don't really write horror, or just creepy stuff in general. *shrugs*

How has being a writer changed you as a reader?
Um . . . I'm not exactly sure. I think I'm still the same kind of reader I was before, except now I'll sometimes be like "I wonder if maybe that would sound better if they said this instead" or "That's not how I'd write that" or "What on earth is going on?"
. . . . . Actually, scratch that last one, I used to do that before I started seriously writing.

[Ranger of the North]

Have you ever written anything so creepy that you actually scared yourself?
Once. Late at night. In the dark. I wrote this:

xxxxxCruel winds swirl around the hut, shaking it to its foundations.
xxxxxDark shadows flicker just out of eyesight; sinister howls twist through the snow-filled air, carrying naught but promises of violence.
xxxxxA single, glowing window, filled with firelight illuminates the deep snow outside, daring to stretch across and tickle the nearest gnarled, black-hearted trees with warm golden fingers.
xxxxxShadows lurk in the places where no light reaches. Hulking figures from the vast, unexplored corners of the Earth.
xxxxxWe are under attack. I feel no fear, though: Light shines brighter in the dark. If all the demons in Hell rise against us, I shall fear no evil, for The Light cannot be overcome.

How has being a writer changed you as a reader?
I notice grammar/spelling errors way more often, and it takes turns between irritating and amusing me xD
It's also made the structure of books a lot more interesting; I have fun spotting prepositional-phrases and all that XD is that bad
As my knowledge and experience has grown, though, I've found some books that've really annoyed me with how badly they're written, which is sad...

[Greenleaf]

How has being a writer changed you as a reader?
I tend to notice and mentally correct little errors I see in fanfiction/online published stories, like grammar errors or word choices that could maybe fit better in place of the one used. I think anyone who's been immersed in an art/subject for a long while notices little errors or tendencies like these that casual spectators wouldn't really notice otherwise, like artists noticing anatomy mistakes/colour schemes or musicians identifying off-tune notes or rhythm changes.

Have you ever written anything so creepy that you actually scared yourself?
Too many times, lol. Being an occasional horror writer with a mind-numbing fear of horror can do that to you. I've written things like this and this that scared the living daylights out of me (even now I'm glancing over my shoulder reflexively, lol.)

What is the first story you remember writing?
A series of "memoirs" about skiing and stuff that I dictated to my parents to write down.

Then the first story I wrote myself was called The White Buffalo and is probably still sitting in a journal somewhere around here, lol.

The first short story that got me a prize was this fable-type thing about how the world was created by a huge dragon. The first story I entered to the Scholastic competition was The Hunter, and the first fanfic I wrote was called Mission Impossible that I wrote for Club Penguin when I was ten/eleven, lol. That, as well as the subsequent second and unfinished third story in the "trilogy", are actually still on my first fanfic account. The good old days.

[krahen]

Have you ever written anything so creepy that you actually scared yourself?
Not really?? I've written death scenes and such but they never scared me, maybe because I was focused more on the sad/emotional content rather than the unsettling or "creepiness" factor... if that makes sense?

How has being a writer changed you as a reader?
I guess I can appreciate character development more now that I know how hard it can be to do that!

Code: Select all

[b]What were the early influences on your writing and how do they manifest in your work?[/b]

[TheSongOfTheStars]

What were the early influences on your writing and how do they manifest in your work?
Heheh. There was this book my mom read to me when I was a little kid. I think it was called 'Mice of the Herring Bone' and it was about two mice who accidentally stowed away on a pirate ship. I loved it. Read them over and over. I think that fueled my like of the whole 'talking animals' thing or at least convinced me it was a perfectly acceptable thing to write about.

The Hobbit told me a story about a terrified little creature who still did the right thing and pretty much a leader of the much more experienced dwarves simply because he kept his head about him. It was all around encouraging and it introduced me to dragons.

Another one would probably be Guardians of Ga'Hoole. I loved how nicely 'real' the world seemed, the author took great pains over the particular species of owl names, where they lived, how they flew, what they ate. But she also created a fantastic history and legend to fill up the background. The individuals where all unique and believable. The only thing I didn't like was that I grew out of it too fast. It was a series for younger kids but it set standards for many of the similar books I read.

And Redwall. The perfect length, but as I continued to read I found that each book was better enjoyed individually rather than trying to look for an over arching story. It made me want a series of long books, well made, with the same characters.

Finally Lord Of The Rings. Just how beautiful and tied together it was made me want to write something like it.

As a side note, one of the reasons I want to write (I think) is that I'm not satisfied with many of the books on my reading level. Either everything relies on magic in some way or another, or the story probably isn't a fantasy. Talking animals aren't taken seriously enough. And everything feels too short. No one wants to try and write a good long series in a well fleshed out world with good characters and a sensible plot.

[WHEN'DHEGO?!?!]

What were the early influences on your writing and how do they manifest in your work?
Almost every show/youtube reviewer I've watched/thing I've read influences my writing and always has.

[The Worst Username]

What were the early influences on your writing and how do they manifest in your work?
I don't know if this counts, but I have two very important people who influenced me as a person and a writer:

-I knew a very, very eccentric old woman when I was younger. She spoke--and still does speak--fluent Italian, cares about the environment more than anyone else I've ever met, is a people person, likes to read mystery novels, makes crafts constantly, and is more invested in her faith than most people I know, including my parents. In short, she offered me a very unique perspective on the world. She tends to manifest herself as a character in my stories, and I almost always think of her when considering theme.

-My uncle is also a huge influence. Like the old woman, he's terribly eccentric; no one I know likes either of them for whatever reason. He's read more books in the past week than anyone else in my family has in her or his entire life. This uncle also cares about the environment, and he's also terribly intelligent. He keeps lots of cats despite being allergic to them, writes music, and he was the first person I know of in my whole family to leave the church. Just as with the old woman, he's offered me a beautifully strange perspective, and I always use him as inspiration for one thing or another.

[Silver Pandorica]

What were the early influences on your writing and how do they manifest in your work?

I was exposed to reading at an early age. My dad has told me he's not a very good reader and he doesn't enjoy it very much, and he wanted me to be very good at it. He did a good job, because frankly, I don't know what I'd do without it! I used to read all the time, really late into the night. The first time I checked out a Harry Potter book, I read the entire first one the day I got it. I love fictional worlds. I love to just lose myself inside of them. And then...I discovered writing. I'd never really considered writing my own story. So I tried it and found it was a lot of fun. I've always liked creating things. I've tried lots of different mediums: painting, drawing, sculpting, filming, etc. Writing I can add to that list as well, but I'm much more consistent with it. I write all the time, even if I'm not making any progress. I suppose I just really enjoy it, and when I'm really feeling the characters, I think that makes my writing better. Like yesterday I was crying about something that really just...broke my heart, and then I decided to start writing a background/history for Confound Nexus for whatever reason. It was a destructive and devastating backstory, and it just flowed better since I was already sad. So my emotions definitely play into my writing, as well.

Also, Percy Jackson (best ten books I've ever read in my life), Harry Potter, and The Maze Runner have had very big impacts on me. I tend to write in the genres I like to read in, and that usually falls under fantasy or dystopian/post-apocalyptic. Those books have hugely inspired what I write and the way I think when writing them.

[winged-backpack]

What were the early influences on your writing and how do they manifest in your work?

I was taught to read at a very young age. My mum tells me I was reading at primary school level by the time I was 4. That's had a big influence on me because it's meant that I've read a lot more books and got a lot of inspiration from different genres and authors.
JK Rowling was definitely the first huge influence on me. So much so that I like to reread the harry potter books at least once every two years sp that I don't forget the thing that really got me into reading longer novels. Anyways, her writing style did have a big influence on my own, and I like to take the time to analyse her writing and its effect on people, so I can apply that to my own writing and try to live up to that standard.

More recent influences have been Stephen King and my English teacher. Stephen King's books are so gripping from the get go, I find them difficult to put down! But my English teacher is probably my biggest influence currently because he always encourages us to be creative and write our own stories and poems, and he'll never say no if we want him to look them over to see what he thinks. I treasure his advice a lot and I do make changes where he sees appropriate, as long as I agree obviously ^^

Sorry long post ^^'