Sorry if this seems out-of-place or random in a space such as this where most entries are stories or great works of art while this is just the mad ramblings of a high-schooler.
I have a dream. Well, I've had several.
One of these days, the world's logical balance will topple over, replaced with the fiction-turned-nonfiction we've always dreamed of. Just as the days past when people couldn't imagine a cure for ailments we've no knowledge or worry of today, we can only articulate, through the use of multimedia, our hopes, dreams, and worries of the future.
This brings a question to mind.
I've heard a lot of people question the almost exponential progress of human technology between the 1700s to the 2010s - some claiming it was simply the combination of resources, great minds, and lots of perseverance, some claiming aliens taught us this new technology for undisclosed but constantly inferred reasons. The question I have for both parties is "regardless of the origins of our progress, where are we headed? With so many different routes to choose, some of which collide horribly with others, where exactly are we headed?"
I've been thinking of trying my hand at science fiction or fantasy writings because they seem to be the best way to communicate my various ideas on where the world's headed - after all, it appears science fiction, while it doesn't declare the future, inspires people to make one of their own, and I'd like people to make a safe future in my vision.
This is an issue, as frankly I don't believe in - or, at least, I would like not to - aliens, ghosts, or any extraterrestrial, existentially-altered beings. I consider myself a logical individual capable of reassuring himself the world won't end in nuclear devastation on a daily basis. This, however, fades when another factor - the point of this whole rant - is put into play: imagination.
As I am still well in the age of adolescence, I find my imagination takes hold over my thoughts and actions moreso than pure, unadulterated logic and reasoning. This leads to my constant rather disdainful and annoyingly unnecessary habits, namely teaching myself how to watch people's behavior patterns and thought processes as to catch any outcasts before it's too late, constantly trying to improve my syntax and vocabulary to optimize the articulation of my fears and desires with pencil and paper, and having recurring dreams of a world taken over by human hybrids formed as a result of someone's imagination being taken seriously enough that a combination of resources, perseverance, and great minds led to its fruition.
In short, I'm in a state of internal distress as of late, and thus I wrote Irrationality - Monday in an attempt to try to get rid of the feeling of having to be the hero in a world where anyone could be a hero. I feel as if me trying to write stories from the point of view of characters whose traits are developed and not established so that they stray from my personal bias isn't doing much but driving me insane.
The world progressed because someone's imagination was manifested. Pure and simple.
However, this doesn't explain to me who's imagination got the manifestation treatment. If a person as insignificant as I were to imagine and think long and hard enough about something - I mean really let it encompass my every mannerism and aspect of my existence - will I be next in line to have my thoughts put into physical form? So many questions, and I have no answers, because answers are logical, and you can't apply logic to a question of the imagination.
Thus, I have a simple request. - well, a series - that, upon being answered, would severely reduce the stress on my mind so I can write how I want to. Tell me:
How's the format of my writing?
Is my vocabulary good enough?
Should I try to write more centered around myself first, or around the various combinations of character traits possible?
In general, how can I hurry up and convey my personal fears of the future so they stop bothering me so much?
Points:
Time spent:
IP address:
Canary word: Present
Possible AI signals:
Original Text:
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Well. I'm familiar with some of your work, so I might as well answer this while I can. Of course, I'm not going to review this like the average work, so I'll just be clear and concise, yes?
1) How's the format of my writing?
Brief Answer: Unique.
Longer Answer: You're a very experimental person, and can use many different styles to address the audience. This might be good. This might also be bad. You just need to be able to tell when something is working and when something isn't working. You also have to recognize that structure is important, regardless of how experimental your work is. Every vertebrae must have its skeleton, no matter how weird that skeleton might look. But you also have to remember that, no matter what, you need to stand for all your works--do not regret what you've done. Improve upon it. Make a failure into a success story.
2) Is my vocabulary good enough?
Brief Answer: Yes.
Longer Answer: I've read Making A Difference...How? And it struck me the sort of work an eloquent individual would make. The voice of Mr. Briggs is very much adult to me, and in that manner no childish words came into play. But that's not the real issue here. Vocabulary isn't as important, especially in the internet age. Back then you might've memorized synonyms, but now any ordinary Joe can look up synonyms on Google. It's how you use your vocabulary that counts, and so far I haven't seen anything under your belt that seems dissonant to the message you're sending. If you can tell the difference between "I chuckled" and "I guffawed", or "I struck him" and "I punched him", you're fine.
3. Should I try to write more centered around myself first, or around the various combinations of character traits possible?
Brief Answer: Both.
Longer Answer: You're an intuitive person, I can tell. You might be afraid of repeating things if you only write about things that you want to write about, but no matter what, if your characters are completely different from you, you won't be able to write them properly. The human mind is more vast and empathetic than you think it is--for example, I'm not an asshole (openly, at least). But I can write assholes if I want. And I'm not humorous, either. But I can still write humorous characters. This is because those characters still share some traits with me, whether its their fears or strengths or insecurities, and I can still relate to them in that regard. Once I relate to them in one element, I can move on to other elements, as well. So start with finding yourself in every piece, and then spread out.
This is just a fun thing I do, but I like to imagine characters as myself if I had taken a different route in my life. Like the Butterfly Effect, or the parallel universes theory. It's much more fun and easy to imagine, at least for me.
4. In general, how can I hurry up and convey my personal fears of the future so they stop bothering me so much?
Brief Answer: You don't.
Longer Answer: There's no way of getting rid of fear. I will always be afraid of death and you will always be afraid of the future. Denying it will do you no good. What you can do is accept your fear as a part of you, and use it to your advantage, just like you would any other character trait. Fear can be a powerful writing tool--heck, just look at Stephen King's writings. Or any horror writer, really.
Good luck,
--Elliot.
I find this to be a very impressive bit of rambling. Very reminiscent to my own thoughts... only, I guess mine are a little more optimistic.
To answer your last few questions:
The format of your writing is great.
Why? Because I can slip into it easily. I don't have to back track on your sentences to understand their meaning, and there weren't any walls of text to scare me away.
Your Vocab. is great in that I don't have to break out a dictionary to understand any of the words you have used, and yet your word choice is dynamic and mature.
I can't really answer you third question so I would just say go with what is most natural and enjoyable for you.
The best way to hurry up with writing is to take your time and be consistent. Write a little bit every day, read something every day, brainstorm and study everyday. It is the same with building a house. If you rush, you will run into problems with quality, so focus instead on consistency.
Of course, you are already a fine writer, so just get writing!
I am excited to see what you come up with. ^.^