[Viv]

By the way, this thread is giving me lots of ammo for beta-hunting in the future. If I want to know whether my characters are acting emotionally consistently, shall bug Sind. For historical accuracy and details, it's Hathor. BB for creative writing things like story arc (and Silm stuff). Oh yeah, I'm making a list.

[sindohte]

Goodness me, it sounds like a twisted version of Santa Claus is Coming to Town


You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why

Viv needs a beta today!

She's making a list
She's checking it's twice
Gonna find out who is going to read her stuff
So gets your red pens ready today

Viv needs a beta today!

[Viv]

Sind, that was postively poetic. I rather like "The Twisted Santa Claus" moniker.

[miriel361]

And me? What about me? Jobwise, I've covered just about everything. I'm a professional multitalent and I really don't want to be more precise than that.

Writing is my outlet. Writing is my sanity. Writing is my sanctuary.

I just do the best I can.

[NancyBrooke]

[Panneth]

I am/will be a physicist. I don't really think there's anything more different from creative writing than faffing around with numbers and Maths all day long. Mind you, I do tend to be a bit creative with my data analysis and they make us write one essay a year...

[Andreth]

I spent many unpleasant years running a radiology department and part of that was being responsible for making sure that mistakes in the medical documents were caught, and cleaning up all the doctors' correspondence. And let me tell you, it's not only doctors' handwriting that's terrible. Just because they know how to perform a gastroduodenojejunostomy doesn't mean they know how to spell it.

A good majority of them are horrible with grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc., so I'm now conditioned to automatically look for mistakes in anything I read. Of course, that doesn't mean I can catch my own mistakes. It severely detracts from my enjoyment of a story if there's multiple spelling or grammar mistakes - to the point that I can't get into a story that's got a lot of mistakes in it, even if the story itself is interesting.

As far as my writing, I thought that once I quit working I would have lots of free time to write. Now that I'm staying home all the time I have even less free time than I did when I was working! I'm thinking about going back to work just so I can have some spare time again. Go figure.

Anna

[SpaceWeavil]

Profession-wise, I am not entirely sure what I am. I started out training in technical theatre and stage management, and did a smattering of radio scripting at that time, but after I graduated I only did a few theatre jobs before I settled into my one long 'career', which was as a tour guide in London. I suppose that has been the biggest influence on my writing, as I am a history freak, and when not writing LOTR I am also a London freak and I like going into intricate detail when describing places. I think it's something to do with seeing things in places that usually would be ignored or missed, but which make the place unique in some way - I like to try and create the same sense with made-up places, get Imladris as real as Westminster, and so on.

Also through that job though I did an awful lot of people watching, both with the characters I worked with and the customers, and that has helped me write a great deal, to get a 'human' quality to characters, if you know what I mean, and get dialogue etc. sounding very real and solid. I was also able to indulge one of my favourite hobbies through guiding - foreign languages, which was one thing that always attracted me to Tolkein's works.

I have also though been a ticket inspector on the railways, and sold greetings cards for about three weeks and hated it. Now I am doing absolutely nothing, as I have just passed my exams on my pre-entry course so that I can go back to university, and from September onwards I will be reading law. That's why I'm not sure what I am at the moment.

I think it's realism for me, when I write. That's what I try to achieve more than anything. One of the nicest comments I've had from a reader, a while ago now, was that she read my story and felt as if she was actually there. That's when I know I got it right.

I would also say attention to detail, only I just invested in a copy of the Unfinished Tales today, having finally found some funding, and discovered something I didn't know about one of the characters that has kinda mucked up the end of one of my stories [chapter now duly pulled to make amendments ] So I shan't say I have a great eye for detail....

Jess

[Hathor]

Oh, I love London history. I just love the fact you can walk around the whole city and find something to di with history. A recent trip with some friends involved frankly overexcited bouncing in a sort of "Lookit! Lookit! Charles I stood trial here! Squee!" type thing. I'd love to be able to study there, but unfortunately I can't afford the mammoth prices. I'm going the other way, and I'm off to Scotland instead...

See? History geek.

[SpaceWeavil]

Aha! Someone else who thinks the same as me! That’s what made me take the job in tourism in the first place – the idea that someone would pay me to wander around the city I love and just talk to people about it. I miss it so much since I moved to Scotland, but I am now learning Glasgow’s history, and if I do I might end up with a side-job there. I knew I had to live in London ever since I went there with a school trip and lived there for five years, throughout college and once I’d graduated. I’m hoping to go down during summer, but with the amount of money I just spent on Lord of the Rings toys today, I doubt if I can still afford it.
Jess

[Panneth]

[BittenBuggy]

Native Londonites

Its just too bloody expensive, that much is true. But most of Britian is like that - they rob you blind with taxes.

[SilverMoonLady]

Hence the 4th of July, I suppose
j/k

[BittenBuggy]

No its true!

Taxes and all that bloody tea! Its enough to make you sick.

[SpaceWeavil]