TheTreeRex's Desk ~ Free Writing

[TheTreeRex]

Hello everyone.

I'm offering free pieces of my writing! biggrin Yaaaay! I am dealing with writer's block, so I'm looking to help some people out in my slump.

What I DO NOT Write:

*Fan-fictions
*Poetry
*Romance
*Sci-Fi
*Stories including lesbian, gay, or bisexual characters
(I'm not looking to offend anyone, I'm just not used to writing stuff like this. I'm no good xD)

Writing Sample:

Here is a sample, so you can see what you're getting.

Warm salty breezes swept across the beach and the restless ocean. Large waves crashed against one another, foam and salt spraying skywards to mix with the air. The ocean raged on, as if provoked by some bad ilk, beneath a hazy gray sky. Sheets of pale clouds rolled in from the horizon, masking the sun and its warming rays from the coast.
A bright red ship sail struck out against the grim colors of the sea. A large silver crown, wreathed in spikes and thorns reared against the red canvas, crying a clear message to all who laid eyes upon it.
Sagral the Sea King was coming.

Extract from my book, The Sea King

To see more of my work, check me out at http://storybird.com/members/TheTreeRex/

Although my writing is free, I accept all forms of donations!

Thanks, and I look forward to writing for you!

[edyluewho]

even if you say you're not looking to offend anyone, you are still doing so when you say you will not write stories including characters of their sexual orientation, because you "don't feel comfortable" writing about them. that's incredibly homophobic/biphobic.

[TheTreeRex]

edyluewho

even if you say you're not looking to offend anyone, you are still doing so when you say you will not write stories including characters of their sexual orientation, because you "don't feel comfortable" writing about them. that's incredibly homophobic/biphobic.

Ok I'm sorry, I'm not good at it, due to lack of experience I guess. I really, honestly don't mean to offend anyone, and I'm truly sorry if I did. That's just not my kind of writing style.

[edyluewho]

TheTreeRex

edyluewho

even if you say you're not looking to offend anyone, you are still doing so when you say you will not write stories including characters of their sexual orientation, because you "don't feel comfortable" writing about them. that's incredibly homophobic/biphobic.

Ok I'm sorry, I'm not good at it, due to lack of experience I guess. I really, honestly don't mean to offend anyone, and I'm truly sorry if I did. That's just not my kind of writing style.

it's not even a writing style. you're acting like characters with any sexual orientation other than heterosexual aren't considered normal or "comfortable enough" to write about. they're like any other character. their sexual orientation doesn't define them. lgbtqiap people aren't some sort of wild and unknown factors that could make or break your writing. they're people.

[TheTreeRex]

edyluewho

TheTreeRex

edyluewho

even if you say you're not looking to offend anyone, you are still doing so when you say you will not write stories including characters of their sexual orientation, because you "don't feel comfortable" writing about them. that's incredibly homophobic/biphobic.

Ok I'm sorry, I'm not good at it, due to lack of experience I guess. I really, honestly don't mean to offend anyone, and I'm truly sorry if I did. That's just not my kind of writing style.

it's not even a writing style. you're acting like characters with any sexual orientation other than heterosexual aren't considered normal or "comfortable enough" to write about. they're like any other character. their sexual orientation doesn't define them. lgbtqiap people aren't some sort of wild and unknown factors that could make or break your writing. they're people.

Look, I already said I'm not trying to offend anybody, so I don't know why you're acting defensive. If you were gay all your life, that was everything you believed in, and you were asked to write about two straight characters, it would be a little foreign. It wouldn't feel right, it wouldn't feel natural to you. All I'm saying is that I'm not comfortable writing it. I don't mean that it's bad, and it makes me uncomfortable, I mean it's not something I'm good at. Everybody has their limits, and it's completely normal. I never said gay people were bad, or were freaks, and I won't ever. I am genuinely sorry I offended you. I changed it on my original post, so hopefully it won't come across as anything negative.

[Turnilk]

Couple of things:

There are several threads in this forum to help with writer's block. Have you looked at them and/or tried them? If yes, did they help at all?

How are we to help you exactly? It almost seems like you'd like requests for you to write something, but it isn't exactly clear if that is what you want.

I don't know how you can "give away" pieces that you write. A free short story is nice and all, but it makes me think of plagiarism for some reason. Like if you gave your piece away and someone used it in their own work thinking you gave it to them so its fine to use. Not sure why my thoughts went right to that.

EDIT: Forgot to ask: due to the listing of things you don't write, should I assume you mostly stick to fantasy and fiction?

And even though you weren't looking for it, a tip: if you want to write a non-straight character, write a straight character, then change their sexual orientation. With or without romance, there is very little difference. I am sorry to pick at it, but a person's life, interests, personality, and whatever else you can think of does not revolve around who they are attracted to. By saying you aren't good at writing such characters or are uncomfortable with it, it makes it seem as though that is the one facet of a character that you are focusing on, and it shouldn't be. Since you also say you don't like writing romance, it shouldn't be that big of a deal or focused on anyway.

I do like the example you provided. You paint the picture of the scene very well.

[TheTreeRex]

Turnilk

Couple of things:

There are several threads in this forum to help with writer's block. Have you looked at them and/or tried them? If yes, did they help at all?

How are we to help you exactly? It almost seems like you'd like requests for you to write something, but it isn't exactly clear if that is what you want.

I don't know how you can "give away" pieces that you write. A free short story is nice and all, but it makes me think of plagiarism for some reason. Like if you gave your piece away and someone used it in their own work thinking you gave it to them so its fine to use. Not sure why my thoughts went right to that.

EDIT: Forgot to ask: due to the listing of things you don't write, should I assume you mostly stick to fantasy and fiction?

And even though you weren't looking for it, a tip: if you want to write a non-straight character, write a straight character, then change their sexual orientation. With or without romance, there is very little difference. I am sorry to pick at it, but a person's life, interests, personality, and whatever else you can think of does not revolve around who they are attracted to. By saying you aren't good at writing such characters or are uncomfortable with it, it makes it seem as though that is the one facet of a character that you are focusing on, and it shouldn't be. Since you also say you don't like writing romance, it shouldn't be that big of a deal or focused on anyway.

I do like the example you provided. You paint the picture of the scene very well.

Well, I guess when I would write something for someone, maybe it would inspire me. I'm pretty bored with what I originally write, so I thought it would be fun to try new things.

Thank you for asking about the "giving away pieces of my writing" thing. No, I don't intend to give whoever I write for the right to use it in their writing. I just meant I was giving away stories. I probably should've been more clear, hmm?

Lastly, thank you for asking nicely about my not wanting to write about bisexual characters. I will tell you the truth, as to why I'm not looking to write it. I'm a Christian, and I am straight as well. It's not something I typically believe in. Now, please don't think this offensive, because I'm not anti-gay, and I don't think people who are attracted to the same gender are something different than normal humans. I didn't want to write about bisexual characters because it's something that I don't believe in, and something I wouldn't feel comfortable doing. I'm really sorry if anything I said was offensive. Hopefully you will understand a little better why I chose to exclude that. smile

[Turnilk]

TheTreeRex

Well, I guess when I would write something for someone, maybe it would inspire me. I'm pretty bored with what I originally write, so I thought it would be fun to try new things.

Well.... If you want a small bit of "inspiration", I made the picture that is in the spoiler below after a funny back and forth with someone on the forums. I don't have anything else to use him for, so if you want you can use him to write a story. Or not. Its a weird (and possibly creepy) picture.

TheTreeRex

Thank you for asking about the "giving away pieces of my writing" thing. No, I don't intend to give whoever I write for the right to use it in their writing. I just meant I was giving away stories. I probably should've been more clear, hmm?

Sounds just like putting your work up on the internet for anyone to read. That is a fairly common thing as far as I've seen. Could be the "giving away" phrase that threw me off. Made me think of someone giving another person a gift or giving a free item or something. Although the similarities to posting your work online are there, its not quite the same thing in my mind.

TheTreeRex

Lastly, thank you for asking nicely about my not wanting to write about bisexual characters. I will tell you the truth, as to why I'm not looking to write it. I'm a Christian, and I am straight as well. It's not something I typically believe in. Now, please don't think this offensive, because I'm not anti-gay, and I don't think people who are attracted to the same gender are something different than normal humans. I didn't want to write about bisexual characters because it's something that I don't believe in, and something I wouldn't feel comfortable doing. I'm really sorry if anything I said was offensive. Hopefully you will understand a little better why I chose to exclude that. smile

Odd phrasing things that I can't get past and need to pick at:
-- There were no questions in the paragraph I wrote regarding you not wanting to write non-straight characters. It was a tip with some other information as well as a little bit of opinion.
-- You believing or not believing in something that is part of reality doesn't make that thing any less real.
-- What is or isn't "normal" is highly subjective. For example, lets say you visit a different country and the people wear very different clothing than you do. What would be "normal" to those people are their clothing and you would be the oddball, while to you the native people would be the oddballs because they aren't wearing the clothes you would see as "normal".
-- If you mean "normal" as in "isn't like the majority", you'd be right. However, that would open you up to a slew of other things using that same exact reasoning. Example: "___ isn't the majority race, therefore they aren't normal" <-- bad reasoning.
-- Referring to someone or something as "not normal" generally isn't a compliment, and can even be used as an insult if said in a certain way.

I choose to blame my nitpicking on the people coming to this forum looking for critiques and then get mad when they get them, which makes me nitpick like crazy. Its happened enough for me to just not turn it off. Watching tv is a nightmare...

Back to the topic, plenty of published authors write in their comfort zones, so I can't say that you are wrong to do so. However, I think it is good practice to write what we are uncomfortable with at least once in a while. The idea behind it being that it will either make you a better writer, or get you used to writing that particular thing, possibly both.

I can't say whether or not including lgbt folks would make a work better, since that isn't what good or bad is based on (and shouldn't be). I don't think everything should go nuts with diversity, since it could end up screwing up the story, but I don't think locking off options for yourself is a good idea either. Though I'd encourage you to leave all options open whether or not you are comfortable with them, the final say in what you will write is up to you.

[TheTreeRex]

Turnilk

TheTreeRex

Well, I guess when I would write something for someone, maybe it would inspire me. I'm pretty bored with what I originally write, so I thought it would be fun to try new things.

Well.... If you want a small bit of "inspiration", I made the picture that is in the spoiler below after a funny back and forth with someone on the forums. I don't have anything else to use him for, so if you want you can use him to write a story. Or not. Its a weird (and possibly creepy) picture.

TheTreeRex

Thank you for asking about the "giving away pieces of my writing" thing. No, I don't intend to give whoever I write for the right to use it in their writing. I just meant I was giving away stories. I probably should've been more clear, hmm?

Sounds just like putting your work up on the internet for anyone to read. That is a fairly common thing as far as I've seen. Could be the "giving away" phrase that threw me off. Made me think of someone giving another person a gift or giving a free item or something. Although the similarities to posting your work online are there, its not quite the same thing in my mind.

TheTreeRex

Lastly, thank you for asking nicely about my not wanting to write about bisexual characters. I will tell you the truth, as to why I'm not looking to write it. I'm a Christian, and I am straight as well. It's not something I typically believe in. Now, please don't think this offensive, because I'm not anti-gay, and I don't think people who are attracted to the same gender are something different than normal humans. I didn't want to write about bisexual characters because it's something that I don't believe in, and something I wouldn't feel comfortable doing. I'm really sorry if anything I said was offensive. Hopefully you will understand a little better why I chose to exclude that. smile

Odd phrasing things that I can't get past and need to pick at:
-- There were no questions in the paragraph I wrote regarding you not wanting to write non-straight characters. It was a tip with some other information as well as a little bit of opinion.
-- You believing or not believing in something that is part of reality doesn't make that thing any less real.
-- What is or isn't "normal" is highly subjective. For example, lets say you visit a different country and the people wear very different clothing than you do. What would be "normal" to those people are their clothing and you would be the oddball, while to you the native people would be the oddballs because they aren't wearing the clothes you would see as "normal".
-- If you mean "normal" as in "isn't like the majority", you'd be right. However, that would open you up to a slew of other things using that same exact reasoning. Example: "___ isn't the majority race, therefore they aren't normal" <-- bad reasoning.
-- Referring to someone or something as "not normal" generally isn't a compliment, and can even be used as an insult if said in a certain way.

I choose to blame my nitpicking on the people coming to this forum looking for critiques and then get mad when they get them, which makes me nitpick like crazy. Its happened enough for me to just not turn it off. Watching tv is a nightmare...

Back to the topic, plenty of published authors write in their comfort zones, so I can't say that you are wrong to do so. However, I think it is good practice to write what we are uncomfortable with at least once in a while. The idea behind it being that it will either make you a better writer, or get you used to writing that particular thing, possibly both.

I can't say whether or not including lgbt folks would make a work better, since that isn't what good or bad is based on (and shouldn't be). I don't think everything should go nuts with diversity, since it could end up screwing up the story, but I don't think locking off options for yourself is a good idea either. Though I'd encourage you to leave all options open whether or not you are comfortable with them, the final say in what you will write is up to you.

Ok, thank you! :3 I will certainly take what you said to heart. I will rewrite this up a bit, leaving more options open as you suggested. Thanks

[edyluewho]

TheTreeRex

Look, I already said I'm not trying to offend anybody, so I don't know why you're acting defensive. If you were gay all your life, that was everything you believed in, and you were asked to write about two straight characters, it would be a little foreign. It wouldn't feel right, it wouldn't feel natural to you. All I'm saying is that I'm not comfortable writing it. I don't mean that it's bad, and it makes me uncomfortable, I mean it's not something I'm good at. Everybody has their limits, and it's completely normal. I never said gay people were bad, or were freaks, and I won't ever. I am genuinely sorry I offended you. I changed it on my original post, so hopefully it won't come across as anything negative.

uh, no. i wouldn't feel uncomfortable about writing two heterosexual characters, because they would just be like any other character. as i've stated before, their sexual orientation does not define who they are as a person. i don't see how you can "not be good" at writing characters with differing sexual orientations when sexual orientations do not matter in the long run. it depends on the character, on the other substance you put into them. they are like any other person, and you stating you can't write anything with such characters like this is suggesting you think they are not like "normal" people, and that is disgusting.

[TheTreeRex]

edyluewho

TheTreeRex

Look, I already said I'm not trying to offend anybody, so I don't know why you're acting defensive. If you were gay all your life, that was everything you believed in, and you were asked to write about two straight characters, it would be a little foreign. It wouldn't feel right, it wouldn't feel natural to you. All I'm saying is that I'm not comfortable writing it. I don't mean that it's bad, and it makes me uncomfortable, I mean it's not something I'm good at. Everybody has their limits, and it's completely normal. I never said gay people were bad, or were freaks, and I won't ever. I am genuinely sorry I offended you. I changed it on my original post, so hopefully it won't come across as anything negative.

uh, no. i wouldn't feel uncomfortable about writing two heterosexual characters, because they would just be like any other character. as i've stated before, their sexual orientation does not define who they are as a person. i don't see how you can "not be good" at writing characters with differing sexual orientations when sexual orientations do not matter in the long run. it depends on the character, on the other substance you put into them. they are like any other person, and you stating you can't write anything with such characters like this is suggesting you think they are not like "normal" people, and that is disgusting.

I'm really getting tired of having to explain things to you. Is having limits so horrible that you keep posting ugly things about it? Bisexual people typically complain about being harassed by anti-gay people, so why am I being harassed when all I set was a limit? I never said bisexual people aren't normal, or they are bad. So why are twisting my words so that I am? I'd appreciate it if you would stop telling me things you've said three times already. I already apologized, what else do you need?

[SilverRinehart66]

edyluewho

uh, no. i wouldn't feel uncomfortable about writing two heterosexual characters, because they would just be like any other character. as i've stated before, their sexual orientation does not define who they are as a person. i don't see how you can "not be good" at writing characters with differing sexual orientations when sexual orientations do not matter in the long run. it depends on the character, on the other substance you put into them. they are like any other person, and you stating you can't write anything with such characters like this is suggesting you think they are not like "normal" people, and that is disgusting.

Dude, seriously, lay off and get over it. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to write certain things and you getting all butt-hurt over it isn't going to change anyone's mind. If you don't like it, don't pay attention to the thread. Just leave it alone...

[TheTreeRex]

SilverRinehart66

edyluewho

uh, no. i wouldn't feel uncomfortable about writing two heterosexual characters, because they would just be like any other character. as i've stated before, their sexual orientation does not define who they are as a person. i don't see how you can "not be good" at writing characters with differing sexual orientations when sexual orientations do not matter in the long run. it depends on the character, on the other substance you put into them. they are like any other person, and you stating you can't write anything with such characters like this is suggesting you think they are not like "normal" people, and that is disgusting.

Dude, seriously, lay off and get over it. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to write certain things and you getting all butt-hurt over it isn't going to change anyone's mind. If you don't like it, don't pay attention to the thread. Just leave it alone...

Dude, you're awesome. Thanks for sticking up for me! x3

[Maltese_Falcon91]

Sorry. I'd take you up on that offer, but the only thing I've really got going on right now is a science fiction visual novel/fleet simulator thingy.

[Turnilk]

edyluewho

uh, no. i wouldn't feel uncomfortable about writing two heterosexual characters, because they would just be like any other character. as i've stated before, their sexual orientation does not define who they are as a person. i don't see how you can "not be good" at writing characters with differing sexual orientations when sexual orientations do not matter in the long run. it depends on the character, on the other substance you put into them. they are like any other person, and you stating you can't write anything with such characters like this is suggesting you think they are not like "normal" people, and that is disgusting.

I can agree that claiming to not be good at writing characters with aspects to them that is so small, but telling someone they must write an all inclusive piece, is not so great an idea. If someone told you to write something you didn't entirely feel comfortable with, would you listen to them? Would you listen to them if they became pushy about it?

In a previous post I encouraged TheTreeRex to try and leave all possibilities open and write something she may be uncomfortable with once in a while because it may help improve her writing in those areas or simply over all. If she wants to take the suggestion I made and go with it, fine. If not, fine. At the end of the day though, trying to force her or shame her into writing something will not have positive results one way or another.