Say Hello

[Ramsey]

My name is Andy Stamer and I've been signing up for quite a bit of these forums lately, since the great Chris Dwyer told me it would be a good place to get to know others who are into the black arts ... I mean creative arts.

I'd like to say I'm a simple Midwesterner, but that wouldn't say much about myself. I'm not from a farm, but a small city called Davenport, IA, but I'm now a son of the great state of Mass, living right outside the Boston area. I'm trying to become a nihilist, but not sure how I feel about that. I kinda' don't care.

I've been packing material away like a rat for the last 10 years, and I'm finally getting around to spewing all the mental build up on the world.

I've lived a life where I've made every possible mistake and always choose the wrong path, but it works for me. It gives me great material, though living it sometimes sucks.

I'm working on my first novel, while consecutively working on two others. Its great because they are all different themes: one is dark and fairly noir, another is a depressing love story, and the last is a fun romp around Balmore City.

Music plays an important part for me in the creative process ... sometimes just to get set up in the right mood.

I'm glad to be here and hope to get creative input, as well as the hope to move along in the production process.

RamseyTand

[JasonKane]

Good to meet you-- always enjoy adding another name to the ranks. Things have been a little quiet around here as of late; we tend to have dry spells in the surface areas of the site during the summer months when people, I assume, are out running through sprinklers; but the workshop area (under lock and key) has always got something going in it in some capacity.

We've met a lot of awesome writers through this site, and through various others that share the same sensibility; Chris has been by from time to time, and a lot of the people you might meet here can be spotted elsewhere in our creative "neighborhood."

If you feel like sharing anything you've written, or are looking for feedback/suggestions, or just have some random musings, I'm sure you can find the appropriate heading. The Workshop area is password protected, so if you ever wanted to jump into a more hands-on environment outside of prying eyes, let one of the admins know (Justin or myself) and we can hook you up.

Otherwise, please feel free to post/ramble at your whim.

So: you're writing three novels at once, did I read that correctly? I think I tried something like that once; one was completed, and two sort of spontaneously combusted. I've been focusing on short fiction a lot recently whie editing (perpetually) my first novel, which has become not so much an exercise in productivy as a nasty addiction; like self-surgery.

I'm liking the short work. It's fun. It's quick, and intense, and does not require elaborate plotting, which feels a bit constricting.

Anyway, again, good to have you, and look forward to some conversation.

[JustinHolt]

Welcome, Andy. Don't let the dusty halls around here scare you. Like most other things, you seem to find the best things once you clean around a little bit.

Props (am I the first person since 1994 to say that?) to Chris to recommending you. Hopefully though, you don't share in his revelry for the Red Sux. Granted, your pursuit towards nihilism would lend itself to the heart and soul of the so-called "Nation." But still, there's hope that some out there are better than that.

Either way, glad to see you around these parts, and best of luck with the progress of your novels. If there's ever a question you should have, feel free to ask.

[Ramsey]

It's good to be here and welcomed so warmly. I was trying to see what was in the writer's workshop and couldn't figure that one out; guess I jumped the gun a bit. I'd definitely like to do some workshopping as that tends to help the creative chemistry.

I've been doing a fun 100 word, microfiction contest over at The Velvet that is proving to be fun, and its been good at distracting me.

And yes, I am working on at least three things at once. That is mostly because I have parts already written ... that is to say I get bored easily and do side projects to get away from other projects. I'm just glad that I was finally able to sit down and say, "My free time will be spent dreaming in far off places," or at least it will be spent doing something constructive.

I'm used to writing many things at once because I worked for a weekly newspaper, and have done a lot of other writing professionally. Now it's time to find my voice outside of journalism, though I'm still trying to do that. It's a good thing I like to write.

It's good to be here and I hope you'll send me a password for the workshop.

[JasonKane]

You should have a password in your PM inbox shortly. Let us know if any problems!