Describe your way of looking at things fictionally

[A_Non_Ymous]

There are a multitude of styles and approaches and favorite sorts of subjects present in PX-1, which I believe an excellent thing. Too much of the same thing breeds monotony, and I'm an impatient person in certain respects: I like variety. I find Perdix's way of going about things and looking at things (in terms of fiction) not too distant from my own; similarly, those of mordenkainen and L'Etranger. Carter's approach isn't the one I employ, but I appreciate it for what he does with it. (I really want to see Carter do a story in Burroughs-style paste-up technique, since I think he could handle it with aplomb, and produce something startling.)

Nevertheless, it would be interesting to get a statement for what you think constitute the principal features of stuff you write.

Here's a sample from me: I like irony, and like to look at characters very closely, and examine them with an eye towards the things that make apparently ordinary people really seem outrageous on close inspection. And you know, people are ENDLESSLY weird. The world around us, for that matter, is (to quote J. B. S. Haldane) "stranger than we can imagine." All the same, people try to act as if this strangeness doesn't exist, and lead their lives as if everything is rational, normal, and under control. Ha. I enjoy putting characters in an exteme situation to watch that illusion break down.

That probably constitutes the fictional Weltanschauung. Concerning similarities in viewpoint, rumors that Perdix, mordenkainen, L'Etranger, and I were separated at birth are just rumors, and we plan to refute them systematically at the next family reunion. :lol:

I've also got a weakness for doing verbal elaboration for its own sake. I try to make every sentence do its job, yet mean a bit more than it means on the surface. This leads, on occasion, to a lot of verbal filigree for the pleasure of just writing. Dee, Perdix, and I all seem to suffer from this characteristic to some degree. Call it a mannerism. If we pull it off, it's not a flaw as such. If we don't pull it off, it can seem mannered, at best.

Anyone else care to step forward and say something about their own work, as if they were an outside observer?

LSN

[Anonymous]

Re: Describe your way of looking at things fictionally

I've also got a weakness for doing verbal elaboration for its own sake. I try to make every sentence do its job, yet mean a bit more than it means on the surface. This leads, on occasion, to a lot of verbal filigree for the pleasure of just writing. Dee, Perdix, and I all seem to suffer from this characteristic to some degree. Call it a mannerism. If we pull it off, it's not a flaw as such. If we don't pull it off, it can seem mannered, at best.

Personally, I just like to hear myself talk. I want prose to work for me, and I especially like to hide secondary references which are often veiled insults or self-congratulatory pap. From time to time, this method produces an abundance of useless bombast. I often include others in my failings because it's the only way for me to feel included. Call it a fault. Sometimes I can come off as intellectual; mostly I just come off as a pompous jerk.

[HawkLord]

This is a very interesting question actually. It is strange to look at your own work from an objective point of view.

Personally, I think my style is actually very varied and changing, probably because I am young and always improving. There are some things which run common through all of my stories though. Themes are a big part of my writing. In many (though not all) of the stories I try to write, they attempt to discuss a main theme. Usually these have something to do with current day society, and some of the coming problems we will have to face, probably because I mainly write near future science fiction. For example, two of my stories that on first glance would appear very different (though I appreciate that you probably haven't read them!), "Prelude to the Chimera War" and "The Family Business", are linked by the fact that they discuss similar themes. The former is about racial and class problems, while the latter discusses the problems of poverty and prostitution (which relates quite a lot with class and race). In writing style, the two are very different, although they both employ the first person narrative.

Recently I have been thinking about making every word count, and not wasting words at all, which leaves prose that can often be very figurative hard to read, as my English teacher discovered to her sorrow (she told me I used too many metaphors and poetic language in "Prelude to the Crimson War"). One of my weaknesses, I think, is dialogue. I find it very hard to do dialogue well and often end up with something that appears somewhat lame. Imagery is very important for me when I write, and that has come along an awful lot since I wrote "Implant". In fact, it is very interesting for me to study the differences between my different pieces.

In terms of content, as I noted earlier I tend to focus a lot on problems in society, but my stories can also be very introspective and I tend to relate a lot of what I write to my own life. That said, most of the actual plots are very far from anything I have directly experienced!

If I use humour, it tends to be rather bleak, especially in my short story "The Family Business", and in a new story currently in the works with the working title "Who Am I?"

Well, that was a good chance to reflect on my own particular style, and I think I learned a little about what I need to improve on. Look forward to reading how other people view their work! Again, this was a great question for a thread.

[xidrep]

LSN! Are you budding off again, hydra-like?

[A_Non_Ymous]

Yes, and I'm also getting a good laugh from the person whom I know posted the "guest" post above. Really, they should consider using a different IP address if they want to do an anonymous personal attack. :lol:

LSN

[Whiskers]

This post has taken a very nasty turn due to my own incompetence. It was not my expectation or understanding that mods could see IPs. Until I've resolved how to make a moderator that cannot see IPs, there'll be no moderator in this forum.

My apologies to the anonymous poster. LSN: your're discretion is desired by me. I advise you both to keep your obvious personal issues, personal. Both members are welcome to remain. I hope you will do so.