Writers Chiang Mai

[Leethom]

Meets weekly at Khun Mor - Nimmanhaemind, Soi 17

For more info, goto www.wordpowr.com

[Leethom]

Dude. If you write, wanna write, have thought about writing, this is the place to go. A fun think-tank that has helped me immensly with feedback and ideas where and how to take my stories. Good stuff. I couldn't pay the group back enough. And you know what ? A good group of friends there too. I've heard n been inspired by all styles of writing and the meetings leave me ready to go back and write more. It gives me momentum. I'll be back in CM next week after 2 mo's lost in USA. Can't wait to be back putting on my writing cap.

-Realthaideal

[roger1999]

Are there any songwriters in that group? I need some original songs.

[TantraMantra]

Are there any songwriters in that group? I need some original songs.

I'm not yet in the group but it's something I would join when I'm in CM soon. I have a lot of original songs/lyrics many styles.

Not yet with music though I have the tunes in my head. What style are you looking for?

[Flatouthruthefog]

Are there any songwriters in that group? I need some original songs.

I'm not yet in the group but it's something I would join when I'm in CM soon. I have a lot of original songs/lyrics many styles.

Not yet with music though I have the tunes in my head. What style are you looking for?

You pinpoint a major concern I have about any and every group such as this.

You have ORIGINAL material, whether it be songs/lyrics/short stories/novels/plays/ sceenplays etc etc. Well done. Really!! You are RARE!

When Cugnot invented the world's first self-propelled vehicle, he built it and sold it (to the French government as a mobile gun platform). Shakespeare had his plays performed, promptly, in public. They both achieved very well-deserved earnings from their genius. The historic list is endless.

They did not go out one midweek night and parade their genius, free, in front of the multitudes, so that someone could scoop up their talent, run off and make a million.

If I was creative and felt I deserved a reward for it, I'd go to a publisher or a pukka agent. I wouldn't parade my skills in front of Tom, Dick or Harriet who might well rush off, rip me off, and make a fortune on my back.

Call me a curmudgeon if you will (and you will), but I've learned over the years to be less trusting.....

[WarpSpeed]

Are there any songwriters in that group? I need some original songs.

I'm not yet in the group but it's something I would join when I'm in CM soon. I have a lot of original songs/lyrics many styles.

Not yet with music though I have the tunes in my head. What style are you looking for?

You pinpoint a major concern I have about any and every group such as this.

You have ORIGINAL material, whether it be songs/lyrics/short stories/novels/plays/ sceenplays etc etc. Well done. Really!! You are RARE!

When Cugnot invented the world's first self-propelled vehicle, he built it and sold it (to the French government as a mobile gun platform). Shakespeare had his plays performed, promptly, in public. They both achieved very well-deserved earnings from their genius. The historic list is endless.

They did not go out one midweek night and parade their genius, free, in front of the multitudes, so that someone could scoop up their talent, run off and make a million.

If I was creative and felt I deserved a reward for it, I'd go to a publisher or a pukka agent. I wouldn't parade my skills in front of Tom, Dick or Harriet who might well rush off, rip me off, and make a fortune on my back.

Call me a curmudgeon if you will (and you will), but I've learned over the years to be less trusting.....

I agree with this, I've had a book in my head and on some computer pages for some time now. I know it would be a real winner it's space and humanity science fiction genre but with a realistic, modern twist that blends both the past, the present and the future.

I have the creativity to conceive the material and the plot but admittedly not the skills to structure it so that it becomes that prized best selling novel with future screen play potential..

I've jotted down several pages and have most of it laid out and know how it should go but I'm not a "writer" so it lacks that touch to make it stand out and I don't want to attempt doing it myself as you never get a second chance to make a good first impression and it's too good a plot to waste trying which leaves me stuck..

I've even protected with WGAE in the states by registering the plot and concept but really want to get it published but like I said it's not to that quality yet though with the right co-writer it certainly could be but I'm concerned with sharing it, really sucks..

[TantraMantra]

Are there any songwriters in that group? I need some original songs.

I'm not yet in the group but it's something I would join when I'm in CM soon. I have a lot of original songs/lyrics many styles.

Not yet with music though I have the tunes in my head. What style are you looking for?

You pinpoint a major concern I have about any and every group such as this.

You have ORIGINAL material, whether it be songs/lyrics/short stories/novels/plays/ sceenplays etc etc. Well done. Really!! You are RARE!

When Cugnot invented the world's first self-propelled vehicle, he built it and sold it (to the French government as a mobile gun platform). Shakespeare had his plays performed, promptly, in public. They both achieved very well-deserved earnings from their genius. The historic list is endless.

They did not go out one midweek night and parade their genius, free, in front of the multitudes, so that someone could scoop up their talent, run off and make a million.

If I was creative and felt I deserved a reward for it, I'd go to a publisher or a pukka agent. I wouldn't parade my skills in front of Tom, Dick or Harriet who might well rush off, rip me off, and make a fortune on my back.

Call me a curmudgeon if you will (and you will), but I've learned over the years to be less trusting.....

I agree with this, I've had a book in my head and on some computer pages for some time now. I know it would be a real winner it's space and humanity science fiction genre but with a realistic, modern twist that blends both the past, the present and the future.

I have the creativity to conceive the material and the plot but admittedly not the skills to structure it so that it becomes that prized best selling novel with future screen play potential..

I've jotted down several pages and have most of it laid out and know how it should go but I'm not a "writer" so it lacks that touch to make it stand out and I don't want to attempt doing it myself as you never get a second chance to make a good first impression and it's too good a plot to waste trying which leaves me stuck..

I've even protected with WGAE in the states by registering the plot and concept but really want to get it published but like I said it's not to that quality yet though with the right co-writer it certainly could be but I'm concerned with sharing it, really sucks..

I've worked as an artist/painter for 20 years. I went through a songwriting phase and accumulated over 100. I'm told many are excellent. I'd like to see someone make use of them without giving up copyright. I also have a novel that I hope to edit and complete while in CM hence my interest in the writers group. I don't do everything for money but things I do for fun often become lucrative.

[orang37]

The weekly meeting of "Writers Without Borders," which I've attended often, in the last four years, has been a fun and uplifting place to share creative work and thought.

It is a group where people read out loud from printed copies of their material, or from their computers: written copies are not available. Although I often make the choice, if someone asks me, to give them a copy of something I read: but, that's a matter of individual choice.

The variety of material presented is often quite amazing: from non-fiction writing to screenplay material, to continuing chapters of long novels-in-progress, to short travel pieces, to short stories: to classic "Farangs bounce off Thailand" stories of dislocation and surreal experiences in the land of Amazing Smiles From comedy to post-modern-fiction-surreal, from English comedy-of-manners, to mystery-thrillers with a tinge of the supernatural.

Creativity is "contagious," praise be, and being around others who are being creative, and having others willing to listen to your own expressions of creativity, whether in fiction, or non-fiction, is stimulating, and reinforcing for your own artistic work.

Getting feedback about your work, particularly (I have found) from people that may not share at all your own particular literary background and areas of interest can give you a literally "novel" perspective on your own work, that can be invaluable, and that can really help you hone your skills.

The rather paranoid idea expressed here that people are going to "steal" some great creative idea you have is really quite silly. Perhaps those who expressed this idea might consider that there are really very few original ideas, on the most macrocosmic level, in fiction: and I suggest you educate yourself as to what a "trope" is, perhaps starting here: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/GenreTropes

I also would like to correct the bizarre statements about Shakespeare made on this thread: there is every evidence that he was not only playwright, but also actor, producer, and intimately involved with the other great literati, and noble patrons of same, of that so remarkable era that gave us in literature, Lady Pembroke, Mary Herbert (nee Shelley), wife of Lord Pembroke, one of Shakespeare' patrons: "one of the first English women to achieve a major reputation for her literary works, translations, and literary patronage," Ben Jonson, John Milton, Christopher Marlowe. In music Thomas Tallis, Thomas Morley. In architecture, Inigo Jones, And on ... and on.

The idea that Shakespeare worked in some form of "cultural isolation" is a contradiction of the very "zeitgeist" of that era. Shakespeare was not only widely read in the fiction, and non-fiction, of his times, he used it in his work, often as a very complex sub-text. A good example: the mention in the Three Witches scene in MacBeth which is an indirect reference to the true story of the first farang visitor to Chiang Mai, a member of the Honorable Company of Tailors of London, who set off with two others, and walked across India, finally coming (alone) to Chiang Mai from what is now Myanmar. Returning home to London years later, he finds he was assumed dead, and his wife re-married. And the book about his travels was written that contains the name of the ship the three original travellers sailed in, which is referenced in MacBeth.

In any case, I suggest you visit the WWB and check it out yourself; see how it fits you.

Bring an open mind, an open heart, and a willingness to listen: you will be rewarded, I guarantee it

best, ~o:37;

[WarpSpeed]

The rather paranoid idea expressed here that people are going to "steal" some great creative idea you have is really quite silly. Perhaps those who expressed this idea might consider that there are really very few original ideas, on the most macrocosmic level, in fiction: and I suggest you educate yourself as to what a "trope" is, perhaps starting here: http://tvtropes.org/...ain/GenreTropes

You know I hear this sort of rubbish all the time and yet someone keeps coming up with new material and as well there was a former chairman of the US patent office at the turn of the 20th century who said that everything had already been invented and your statement sounds very much like his sort of blinkered perspective..

JFYI Personally I don't need to go and listen for writing ideas, I already recognize the literary shortcomings and no ideas or tips are going to change that some people have a literary talent and some don't just like some can race cars and some can barely drive to the grocery store and no amount of tips are going to change their talent. But having said that just because you don't how to present the material in an entertaining, best seller format doesn't mean you can't have the original idea and in fact not being a "writer" can sometimes give you a perspective in creativity due to disparate life experiences that many writers may lack...

This is why I need a co-writer but I'm not about to randomly divulge my thoughts and plot to an open room of writers who, yes, may have a plagiarizer amongst them and being more then one person present how would you be able to even take any action once the cats out of the bag? I think if you really had something of your own you had that much confidence in you'd too take the same position of suspicion and care with whom you share it with. At least you should if you don't, that's your foolish prerogative....

[orang37]

Well, Mun WarpSpeed, you just continue festering in your paranoia and grandiosity, while the rest of us enjoy sharing and reinforcing each others' creativity in a warm and convivial atmosphere

But, you have shown such strength, in the preceding response, in the mode of discourse known as "ad hominem argument," I suggest you emphasize that in your great work forthcoming: play to your vocation for that.

Underneath the obviously emotionally disturbed content of your response I sense a great anguish: an echo, perhaps, of Milton's great cri de couer in his Sonnet on His Blindness:

"When I consider how my Light is Spent,

Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,

And that one Talent, lodged with me useless,

Though my Soul more bent

To Serve therewith my Maker and provide ..."

... not the complete sonnet, obviously, and quoted from memory, so may be a bit off ...

~o:37;

[realthaideal]

Point is, if you've never been, you don't know. Get down, read a short something, or nothing at all. I bet you'll be amazed at the amount of talent and creativity in that room. And at the ability to build on, properly align your structure, or write more based off of the commentary you receive. It's a great community where people share and contribute to each other. And though I'd humbly say that I'd gone in there knowing I'd had some talent for some types of writing, I grew and grew thanks to feedback and inspiration in there hearing new material and styles. Beyond that, it turns out that most people 'know' they've got the best greatest idea this side of the Andromeda galaxy, yet when they start to read bits aloud in front of the group it becomes quite clear that words or ideas are murky, or cliche, too many, too flowery, characters not compelling enough, missing something, the plot is not progressing at the right speed, is confusing.... and on and on and on. Keep the ideas up in your head and it doesn't exist. Try n write it all on your own and you might produce something only 50-80% of what it could be.

Plenty of people who are professional writers have passed through that group. Some of us have become professionals as a result of our experiences in the group. I also have several of my best friends in town and around the world from that group - and boy what an eclectic background mix we all are ! I am soooo thankful for the free, trusting, creative space it provides, and the leadership of Lee who steers the ship. We don't all always agree with the dynamics of the meetings, and the group has its quirks, but again, I'm ever-grateful !

You never been, you don't know, you're missing out.

Anybody ever tell you that moving to Thailand was dangerous ? And that it's primitive over here ? (They)Without ever having been here. It's alot like that.

It's not for everybody, but for those it works for, it's a great night out, NOT in a bar, and a chance to think and laugh and socialize around a hobby/passion/ notion you could be a writer too. Go check it out and find yourself welcomed !

[WarpSpeed]

Well, Mun WarpSpeed, you just continue festering in your paranoia and grandiosity, while the rest of us enjoy sharing and reinforcing each others' creativity in a warm and convivial atmosphere

But, you have shown such strength, in the preceding response, in the mode of discourse known as "ad hominem argument," I suggest you emphasize that in your great work forthcoming: play to your vocation for that.

Underneath the obviously emotionally disturbed content of your response I sense a great anguish: an echo, perhaps, of Milton's great cri de couer in his Sonnet on His Blindness:

"When I consider how my Light is Spent,

Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide,

And that one Talent, lodged with me useless,

Though my Soul more bent

To Serve therewith my Maker and provide ..."

... not the complete sonnet, obviously, and quoted from memory, so may be a bit off ...

~o:37;

Oh Christ!! Get over yourself doc... ....

[WarpSpeed]

Point is, if you've never been, you don't know. Get down, read a short something, or nothing at all. I bet you'll be amazed at the amount of talent and creativity in that room. And at the ability to build on, properly align your structure, or write more based off of the commentary you receive. It's a great community where people share and contribute to each other. And though I'd humbly say that I'd gone in there knowing I'd had some talent for some types of writing, I grew and grew thanks to feedback and inspiration in there hearing new material and styles. Beyond that, it turns out that most people 'know' they've got the best greatest idea this side of the Andromeda galaxy, yet when they start to read bits aloud in front of the group it becomes quite clear that words or ideas are murky, or cliche, too many, too flowery, characters not compelling enough, missing something, the plot is not progressing at the right speed, is confusing.... and on and on and on. Keep the ideas up in your head and it doesn't exist. Try n write it all on your own and you might produce something only 50-80% of what it could be.

Plenty of people who are professional writers have passed through that group. Some of us have become professionals as a result of our experiences in the group. I also have several of my best friends in town and around the world from that group - and boy what an eclectic background mix we all are ! I am soooo thankful for the free, trusting, creative space it provides, and the leadership of Lee who steers the ship. We don't all always agree with the dynamics of the meetings, and the group has its quirks, but again, I'm ever-grateful !

You never been, you don't know, you're missing out.

Anybody ever tell you that moving to Thailand was dangerous ? And that it's primitive over here ? (They)Without ever having been here. It's alot like that.

It's not for everybody, but for those it works for, it's a great night out, NOT in a bar, and a chance to think and laugh and socialize around a hobby/passion/ notion you could be a writer too. Go check it out and find yourself welcomed !

But don't you have to have an interest in doing something like that? You see that's great but I don't, nor the time, I just have a very creative project I know would be a best seller in the right hands (not mine admittedly) but little desire what-so-ever (or for that matter confidence, not in the plot but in my ability to present it well) to do the actual writing but merely being the creative director so to speak.. This is not a new concept, many people have inspirations all the time and commission or partner up with "writers" be it ghost or otherwise to do the actual writing without having an actual interest in the process..

If I had the spare cash I'd love to hire a credentialed co-writer to bring it to life but that's a pipe dream at the moment, shame too as I hate to see such delectable fruit rot on the vine as it were..

I don't need critics telling me I should do this or do that to make it better for readers or to get it published, I know it falls short in that regard but it's like squeezing blood from a rock if you don't have it you just don't have it.. I know what I want it to look like but to get it there is a painful and time consuming effort my life does not afford me at the moment, whereas a talented professional or even maybe a first rate amateur might make all the difference..

But good for all those who may want to join in, I still wouldn't expose my unprotected work to a room full of potential competitors who may be seeking new inspirations and material for their own benefit and have the experience and connections to take it places I wouldn't be able to while leaving me behind in the process..

[Thakkar]

The rather paranoid idea expressed here that people are going to "steal" some great creative idea you have is really quite silly. Perhaps those who expressed this idea might consider that there are really very few original ideas, on the most macrocosmic level, in fiction: and I suggest you educate yourself as to what a "trope" is, perhaps starting here: http://tvtropes.org/...ain/GenreTropes

You know I hear this sort of rubbish all the time and yet someone keeps coming up with new material and as well there was a former chairman of the US patent office at the turn of the 20th century who said that everything had already been invented and your statement sounds very much like his sort of blinkered perspective..

JFYI Personally I don't need to go and listen for writing ideas, I already recognize the literary shortcomings and no ideas or tips are going to change that some people have a literary talent and some don't just like some can race cars and some can barely drive to the grocery store and no amount of tips are going to change their talent. But having said that just because you don't how to present the material in an entertaining, best seller format doesn't mean you can't have the original idea and in fact not being a "writer" can sometimes give you a perspective in creativity due to disparate life experiences that many writers may lack...

This is why I need a co-writer but I'm not about to randomly divulge my thoughts and plot to an open room of writers who, yes, may have a plagiarizer amongst them and being more then one person present how would you be able to even take any action once the cats out of the bag? I think if you really had something of your own you had that much confidence in you'd too take the same position of suspicion and care with whom you share it with. At least you should if you don't, that's your foolish prerogative....

I would love to read your book, someday.

As I'm not getting any younger, I pray you find a cowriter soon.

I hope also that you've left a copy of your great idea with a trusted friend who, god forbid, in the event of your unexpected demise, will see to its fruition, assigning proper credit as due. It would be a shame for the world to be deprived of your one (so far as we know) genius concept of great originality. 

Good luck.

T

[realthaideal]

Thakkar has an optimistic point. At this point only the one holding the secret knowledge of this idea can examine and judge it. But he did say he registered the concept somewhere already, so that's part of it - for protection and maybe 1/2 a step topwards someday making it exist.

And btw.... there is an author in the group with many years of experience writing screenpalys and novels. And he's helped several people put together their novels, guide them on how to get them written - whether you're gonna be the typist or not. For others, he's helped format already-written works for release as e-books, and with another right now is developing a rom-com screenplay with a talented local lady known more for her singing than her writing.

But an idea in the head...... these are a dime a dozen. Until it's real and in front of someone, it's not yet invented, alive, set free. At the moment it's just vapors.

[orang37]

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun RealThaiDeal,

Looking forward to your return to Amazing T ! The "Stone Age" has been extinct from the WWB for far too long, in your absence, and many smiles have been, possibly, lost without being able to hear from your man, "Roger"

Your comments here reminded me of that great tragedy for American literature where, eleven years after John Kennedy Toole's suicide at age thirty-two, in 1969, his incredible novel, "Confederacy of Dunces," was finally published, and for which he posthumously won the Pulitzer Prize in 1981: http://en.wikipedia....eracy_of_Dunces

What a loss: imho he might have been another Pynchon, another Vonnegut, another Barth. I am sure Robert Gottleib, then at Simon and Schuster, who rejected the novel after one revision after another by Toole, was filled with great regret over this in his later years.

alas, ~o:37;

[BusyB]

Do you guys welcome tourists?

[roger1999]

Point is, if you've never been, you don't know. Get down, read a short something, or nothing at all. I bet you'll be amazed at the amount of talent and creativity in that room. And at the ability to build on, properly align your structure, or write more based off of the commentary you receive. It's a great community where people share and contribute to each other. And though I'd humbly say that I'd gone in there knowing I'd had some talent for some types of writing, I grew and grew thanks to feedback and inspiration in there hearing new material and styles. Beyond that, it turns out that most people 'know' they've got the best greatest idea this side of the Andromeda galaxy, yet when they start to read bits aloud in front of the group it becomes quite clear that words or ideas are murky, or cliche, too many, too flowery, characters not compelling enough, missing something, the plot is not progressing at the right speed, is confusing.... and on and on and on. Keep the ideas up in your head and it doesn't exist. Try n write it all on your own and you might produce something only 50-80% of what it could be.

Plenty of people who are professional writers have passed through that group. Some of us have become professionals as a result of our experiences in the group. I also have several of my best friends in town and around the world from that group - and boy what an eclectic background mix we all are ! I am soooo thankful for the free, trusting, creative space it provides, and the leadership of Lee who steers the ship. We don't all always agree with the dynamics of the meetings, and the group has its quirks, but again, I'm ever-grateful !

You never been, you don't know, you're missing out.

Anybody ever tell you that moving to Thailand was dangerous ? And that it's primitive over here ? (They)Without ever having been here. It's alot like that.

It's not for everybody, but for those it works for, it's a great night out, NOT in a bar, and a chance to think and laugh and socialize around a hobby/passion/ notion you could be a writer too. Go check it out and find yourself welcomed !

But don't you have to have an interest in doing something like that? You see that's great but I don't, nor the time, I just have a very creative project I know would be a best seller in the right hands (not mine admittedly) but little desire what-so-ever (or for that matter confidence, not in the plot but in my ability to present it well) to do the actual writing but merely being the creative director so to speak.. This is not a new concept, many people have inspirations all the time and commission or partner up with "writers" be it ghost or otherwise to do the actual writing without having an actual interest in the process..

If I had the spare cash I'd love to hire a credentialed co-writer to bring it to life but that's a pipe dream at the moment, shame too as I hate to see such delectable fruit rot on the vine as it were..

I don't need critics telling me I should do this or do that to make it better for readers or to get it published, I know it falls short in that regard but it's like squeezing blood from a rock if you don't have it you just don't have it.. I know what I want it to look like but to get it there is a painful and time consuming effort my life does not afford me at the moment, whereas a talented professional or even maybe a first rate amateur might make all the difference..

But good for all those who may want to join in, I still wouldn't expose my unprotected work to a room full of potential competitors who may be seeking new inspirations and material for their own benefit and have the experience and connections to take it places I wouldn't be able to while leaving me behind in the process..

Maybe consider the option of doing a screenplay instead of a novel? Some people find it a bit easier.

[BookMan]

Point is, if you've never been, you don't know. Get down, read a short something, or nothing at all. I bet you'll be amazed at the amount of talent and creativity in that room. And at the ability to build on, properly align your structure, or write more based off of the commentary you receive. It's a great community where people share and contribute to each other. And though I'd humbly say that I'd gone in there knowing I'd had some talent for some types of writing, I grew and grew thanks to feedback and inspiration in there hearing new material and styles. Beyond that, it turns out that most people 'know' they've got the best greatest idea this side of the Andromeda galaxy, yet when they start to read bits aloud in front of the group it becomes quite clear that words or ideas are murky, or cliche, too many, too flowery, characters not compelling enough, missing something, the plot is not progressing at the right speed, is confusing.... and on and on and on. Keep the ideas up in your head and it doesn't exist. Try n write it all on your own and you might produce something only 50-80% of what it could be.

Plenty of people who are professional writers have passed through that group. Some of us have become professionals as a result of our experiences in the group. I also have several of my best friends in town and around the world from that group - and boy what an eclectic background mix we all are ! I am soooo thankful for the free, trusting, creative space it provides, and the leadership of Lee who steers the ship. We don't all always agree with the dynamics of the meetings, and the group has its quirks, but again, I'm ever-grateful !

You never been, you don't know, you're missing out.

Anybody ever tell you that moving to Thailand was dangerous ? And that it's primitive over here ? (They)Without ever having been here. It's alot like that.

It's not for everybody, but for those it works for, it's a great night out, NOT in a bar, and a chance to think and laugh and socialize around a hobby/passion/ notion you could be a writer too. Go check it out and find yourself welcomed !

But don't you have to have an interest in doing something like that? You see that's great but I don't, nor the time, I just have a very creative project I know would be a best seller in the right hands (not mine admittedly) but little desire what-so-ever (or for that matter confidence, not in the plot but in my ability to present it well) to do the actual writing but merely being the creative director so to speak.. This is not a new concept, many people have inspirations all the time and commission or partner up with "writers" be it ghost or otherwise to do the actual writing without having an actual interest in the process..

If I had the spare cash I'd love to hire a credentialed co-writer to bring it to life but that's a pipe dream at the moment, shame too as I hate to see such delectable fruit rot on the vine as it were..

I don't need critics telling me I should do this or do that to make it better for readers or to get it published, I know it falls short in that regard but it's like squeezing blood from a rock if you don't have it you just don't have it.. I know what I want it to look like but to get it there is a painful and time consuming effort my life does not afford me at the moment, whereas a talented professional or even maybe a first rate amateur might make all the difference..

But good for all those who may want to join in, I still wouldn't expose my unprotected work to a room full of potential competitors who may be seeking new inspirations and material for their own benefit and have the experience and connections to take it places I wouldn't be able to while leaving me behind in the process..

You are not really a writer then are you? A writer does the writing.

Perhaps you are an ideas man, but the world is chock full of these. Chock full of people who are sitting on that original genius idea but just need someone to do the writing!

That is part of it all though. The ability to create an idea and also the ability to express the idea through words.

I have met literally scores of people like yourself claiming to have the next great seller within their head. If only they had the time or resources to get it out!

[orang37]

Do you guys welcome tourists?

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun BusyB, Well, I dare not speak for, or generalize about, the diverse collection of unique individuals who haunt the WWB ... but, yes, people come (and go) who (to quote from the same sonnet by Milton I previously quoted from), "only stand and wait." In my experience they are always welcome ... unless they come to the group with some commercial agenda, or disrupt the group.

We've had people attend whose primary artistic medium is painting, rather than writing; and some people regularly attend who are gifted in both the visual arts, and the literary arts, or the art of writing clear expository prose in the service of biography, travel-writing, etc. Their contributions, in terms of comments on others' writings, are often, in my experience, uniquely valuable.

So, please, come by, and check it out.

best, ~o:37;

[TantraMantra]

Point is, if you've never been, you don't know. Get down, read a short something, or nothing at all. I bet you'll be amazed at the amount of talent and creativity in that room. And at the ability to build on, properly align your structure, or write more based off of the commentary you receive. It's a great community where people share and contribute to each other. And though I'd humbly say that I'd gone in there knowing I'd had some talent for some types of writing, I grew and grew thanks to feedback and inspiration in there hearing new material and styles. Beyond that, it turns out that most people 'know' they've got the best greatest idea this side of the Andromeda galaxy, yet when they start to read bits aloud in front of the group it becomes quite clear that words or ideas are murky, or cliche, too many, too flowery, characters not compelling enough, missing something, the plot is not progressing at the right speed, is confusing.... and on and on and on. Keep the ideas up in your head and it doesn't exist. Try n write it all on your own and you might produce something only 50-80% of what it could be.

Plenty of people who are professional writers have passed through that group. Some of us have become professionals as a result of our experiences in the group. I also have several of my best friends in town and around the world from that group - and boy what an eclectic background mix we all are ! I am soooo thankful for the free, trusting, creative space it provides, and the leadership of Lee who steers the ship. We don't all always agree with the dynamics of the meetings, and the group has its quirks, but again, I'm ever-grateful !

You never been, you don't know, you're missing out.

Anybody ever tell you that moving to Thailand was dangerous ? And that it's primitive over here ? (They)Without ever having been here. It's alot like that.

It's not for everybody, but for those it works for, it's a great night out, NOT in a bar, and a chance to think and laugh and socialize around a hobby/passion/ notion you could be a writer too. Go check it out and find yourself welcomed !

But don't you have to have an interest in doing something like that? You see that's great but I don't, nor the time, I just have a very creative project I know would be a best seller in the right hands (not mine admittedly) but little desire what-so-ever (or for that matter confidence, not in the plot but in my ability to present it well) to do the actual writing but merely being the creative director so to speak.. This is not a new concept, many people have inspirations all the time and commission or partner up with "writers" be it ghost or otherwise to do the actual writing without having an actual interest in the process..

If I had the spare cash I'd love to hire a credentialed co-writer to bring it to life but that's a pipe dream at the moment, shame too as I hate to see such delectable fruit rot on the vine as it were..

I don't need critics telling me I should do this or do that to make it better for readers or to get it published, I know it falls short in that regard but it's like squeezing blood from a rock if you don't have it you just don't have it.. I know what I want it to look like but to get it there is a painful and time consuming effort my life does not afford me at the moment, whereas a talented professional or even maybe a first rate amateur might make all the difference..

But good for all those who may want to join in, I still wouldn't expose my unprotected work to a room full of potential competitors who may be seeking new inspirations and material for their own benefit and have the experience and connections to take it places I wouldn't be able to while leaving me behind in the process..

Who knows, you might meet the co-writer of your dreams.

[Lobo4819]

Maybe I missed it, or perhaps I'm just too pragmatic, but other than the address of the meeting place, nothing was said about dates or times. If I were better at these sorts of things, I guess I could just divine it. Tried scanning all the posts, but maybe I missed it. Or is it an ongoing, 24/7 meeting at that address?

[WarpSpeed]

The rather paranoid idea expressed here that people are going to "steal" some great creative idea you have is really quite silly. Perhaps those who expressed this idea might consider that there are really very few original ideas, on the most macrocosmic level, in fiction: and I suggest you educate yourself as to what a "trope" is, perhaps starting here: http://tvtropes.org/...ain/GenreTropes

You know I hear this sort of rubbish all the time and yet someone keeps coming up with new material and as well there was a former chairman of the US patent office at the turn of the 20th century who said that everything had already been invented and your statement sounds very much like his sort of blinkered perspective..

JFYI Personally I don't need to go and listen for writing ideas, I already recognize the literary shortcomings and no ideas or tips are going to change that some people have a literary talent and some don't just like some can race cars and some can barely drive to the grocery store and no amount of tips are going to change their talent. But having said that just because you don't how to present the material in an entertaining, best seller format doesn't mean you can't have the original idea and in fact not being a "writer" can sometimes give you a perspective in creativity due to disparate life experiences that many writers may lack...

This is why I need a co-writer but I'm not about to randomly divulge my thoughts and plot to an open room of writers who, yes, may have a plagiarizer amongst them and being more then one person present how would you be able to even take any action once the cats out of the bag? I think if you really had something of your own you had that much confidence in you'd too take the same position of suspicion and care with whom you share it with. At least you should if you don't, that's your foolish prerogative....

I would love to read your book, someday.

As I'm not getting any younger, I pray you find a cowriter soon.

I hope also that you've left a copy of your great idea with a trusted friend who, god forbid, in the event of your unexpected demise, will see to its fruition, assigning proper credit as due. It would be a shame for the world to be deprived of your one (so far as we know) genius concept of great originality.

Good luck.

T

Yeeeeesss!................... Sarcasm!........Always an inspiration and to be well appreciated, a top motivator you are , a real good reason to attend and open ones self up to others of your ilk..

JFYI I guess you were so focused on your sarcastic answer anxious to get in your dig that you overlooked my first post on the topic that explained my work so far is protected by WGAE.. Or........................ You aren't privy to WGAE???

[WarpSpeed]

Point is, if you've never been, you don't know. Get down, read a short something, or nothing at all. I bet you'll be amazed at the amount of talent and creativity in that room. And at the ability to build on, properly align your structure, or write more based off of the commentary you receive. It's a great community where people share and contribute to each other. And though I'd humbly say that I'd gone in there knowing I'd had some talent for some types of writing, I grew and grew thanks to feedback and inspiration in there hearing new material and styles. Beyond that, it turns out that most people 'know' they've got the best greatest idea this side of the Andromeda galaxy, yet when they start to read bits aloud in front of the group it becomes quite clear that words or ideas are murky, or cliche, too many, too flowery, characters not compelling enough, missing something, the plot is not progressing at the right speed, is confusing.... and on and on and on. Keep the ideas up in your head and it doesn't exist. Try n write it all on your own and you might produce something only 50-80% of what it could be.

Plenty of people who are professional writers have passed through that group. Some of us have become professionals as a result of our experiences in the group. I also have several of my best friends in town and around the world from that group - and boy what an eclectic background mix we all are ! I am soooo thankful for the free, trusting, creative space it provides, and the leadership of Lee who steers the ship. We don't all always agree with the dynamics of the meetings, and the group has its quirks, but again, I'm ever-grateful !

You never been, you don't know, you're missing out.

Anybody ever tell you that moving to Thailand was dangerous ? And that it's primitive over here ? (They)Without ever having been here. It's alot like that.

It's not for everybody, but for those it works for, it's a great night out, NOT in a bar, and a chance to think and laugh and socialize around a hobby/passion/ notion you could be a writer too. Go check it out and find yourself welcomed !

But don't you have to have an interest in doing something like that? You see that's great but I don't, nor the time, I just have a very creative project I know would be a best seller in the right hands (not mine admittedly) but little desire what-so-ever (or for that matter confidence, not in the plot but in my ability to present it well) to do the actual writing but merely being the creative director so to speak.. This is not a new concept, many people have inspirations all the time and commission or partner up with "writers" be it ghost or otherwise to do the actual writing without having an actual interest in the process..

If I had the spare cash I'd love to hire a credentialed co-writer to bring it to life but that's a pipe dream at the moment, shame too as I hate to see such delectable fruit rot on the vine as it were..

I don't need critics telling me I should do this or do that to make it better for readers or to get it published, I know it falls short in that regard but it's like squeezing blood from a rock if you don't have it you just don't have it.. I know what I want it to look like but to get it there is a painful and time consuming effort my life does not afford me at the moment, whereas a talented professional or even maybe a first rate amateur might make all the difference..

But good for all those who may want to join in, I still wouldn't expose my unprotected work to a room full of potential competitors who may be seeking new inspirations and material for their own benefit and have the experience and connections to take it places I wouldn't be able to while leaving me behind in the process..

Maybe consider the option of doing a screenplay instead of a novel? Some people find it a bit easier.

Well a sensible answer without malice for a change, how refreshing...

I had considered it to be honestly but again the formatting has to be soo specific to gain attention and the content still needs a "writers" touch of structure and creativity to polish it off so time is not wasted in the process when so little is available..

[WarpSpeed]

Point is, if you've never been, you don't know. Get down, read a short something, or nothing at all. I bet you'll be amazed at the amount of talent and creativity in that room. And at the ability to build on, properly align your structure, or write more based off of the commentary you receive. It's a great community where people share and contribute to each other. And though I'd humbly say that I'd gone in there knowing I'd had some talent for some types of writing, I grew and grew thanks to feedback and inspiration in there hearing new material and styles. Beyond that, it turns out that most people 'know' they've got the best greatest idea this side of the Andromeda galaxy, yet when they start to read bits aloud in front of the group it becomes quite clear that words or ideas are murky, or cliche, too many, too flowery, characters not compelling enough, missing something, the plot is not progressing at the right speed, is confusing.... and on and on and on. Keep the ideas up in your head and it doesn't exist. Try n write it all on your own and you might produce something only 50-80% of what it could be.

Plenty of people who are professional writers have passed through that group. Some of us have become professionals as a result of our experiences in the group. I also have several of my best friends in town and around the world from that group - and boy what an eclectic background mix we all are ! I am soooo thankful for the free, trusting, creative space it provides, and the leadership of Lee who steers the ship. We don't all always agree with the dynamics of the meetings, and the group has its quirks, but again, I'm ever-grateful !

You never been, you don't know, you're missing out.

Anybody ever tell you that moving to Thailand was dangerous ? And that it's primitive over here ? (They)Without ever having been here. It's alot like that.

It's not for everybody, but for those it works for, it's a great night out, NOT in a bar, and a chance to think and laugh and socialize around a hobby/passion/ notion you could be a writer too. Go check it out and find yourself welcomed !

But don't you have to have an interest in doing something like that? You see that's great but I don't, nor the time, I just have a very creative project I know would be a best seller in the right hands (not mine admittedly) but little desire what-so-ever (or for that matter confidence, not in the plot but in my ability to present it well) to do the actual writing but merely being the creative director so to speak.. This is not a new concept, many people have inspirations all the time and commission or partner up with "writers" be it ghost or otherwise to do the actual writing without having an actual interest in the process..

If I had the spare cash I'd love to hire a credentialed co-writer to bring it to life but that's a pipe dream at the moment, shame too as I hate to see such delectable fruit rot on the vine as it were..

I don't need critics telling me I should do this or do that to make it better for readers or to get it published, I know it falls short in that regard but it's like squeezing blood from a rock if you don't have it you just don't have it.. I know what I want it to look like but to get it there is a painful and time consuming effort my life does not afford me at the moment, whereas a talented professional or even maybe a first rate amateur might make all the difference..

But good for all those who may want to join in, I still wouldn't expose my unprotected work to a room full of potential competitors who may be seeking new inspirations and material for their own benefit and have the experience and connections to take it places I wouldn't be able to while leaving me behind in the process..

Who knows, you might meet the co-writer of your dreams.

That's another possibility that has not been lost on me, so as I was saying earlier, which most ignored, it's a good concept for those who share the aspiration of being a writer, at the moment that's not me and never likely will be in that context I already have a full life's plate, so I'm being lambasted for expressing that..

[WarpSpeed]

Point is, if you've never been, you don't know. Get down, read a short something, or nothing at all. I bet you'll be amazed at the amount of talent and creativity in that room. And at the ability to build on, properly align your structure, or write more based off of the commentary you receive. It's a great community where people share and contribute to each other. And though I'd humbly say that I'd gone in there knowing I'd had some talent for some types of writing, I grew and grew thanks to feedback and inspiration in there hearing new material and styles. Beyond that, it turns out that most people 'know' they've got the best greatest idea this side of the Andromeda galaxy, yet when they start to read bits aloud in front of the group it becomes quite clear that words or ideas are murky, or cliche, too many, too flowery, characters not compelling enough, missing something, the plot is not progressing at the right speed, is confusing.... and on and on and on. Keep the ideas up in your head and it doesn't exist. Try n write it all on your own and you might produce something only 50-80% of what it could be.

Plenty of people who are professional writers have passed through that group. Some of us have become professionals as a result of our experiences in the group. I also have several of my best friends in town and around the world from that group - and boy what an eclectic background mix we all are ! I am soooo thankful for the free, trusting, creative space it provides, and the leadership of Lee who steers the ship. We don't all always agree with the dynamics of the meetings, and the group has its quirks, but again, I'm ever-grateful !

You never been, you don't know, you're missing out.

Anybody ever tell you that moving to Thailand was dangerous ? And that it's primitive over here ? (They)Without ever having been here. It's alot like that.

It's not for everybody, but for those it works for, it's a great night out, NOT in a bar, and a chance to think and laugh and socialize around a hobby/passion/ notion you could be a writer too. Go check it out and find yourself welcomed !

But don't you have to have an interest in doing something like that? You see that's great but I don't, nor the time, I just have a very creative project I know would be a best seller in the right hands (not mine admittedly) but little desire what-so-ever (or for that matter confidence, not in the plot but in my ability to present it well) to do the actual writing but merely being the creative director so to speak.. This is not a new concept, many people have inspirations all the time and commission or partner up with "writers" be it ghost or otherwise to do the actual writing without having an actual interest in the process..

If I had the spare cash I'd love to hire a credentialed co-writer to bring it to life but that's a pipe dream at the moment, shame too as I hate to see such delectable fruit rot on the vine as it were..

I don't need critics telling me I should do this or do that to make it better for readers or to get it published, I know it falls short in that regard but it's like squeezing blood from a rock if you don't have it you just don't have it.. I know what I want it to look like but to get it there is a painful and time consuming effort my life does not afford me at the moment, whereas a talented professional or even maybe a first rate amateur might make all the difference..

But good for all those who may want to join in, I still wouldn't expose my unprotected work to a room full of potential competitors who may be seeking new inspirations and material for their own benefit and have the experience and connections to take it places I wouldn't be able to while leaving me behind in the process..

You are not really a writer then are you? A writer does the writing.

Perhaps you are an ideas man, but the world is chock full of these. Chock full of people who are sitting on that original genius idea but just need someone to do the writing!

That is part of it all though. The ability to create an idea and also the ability to express the idea through words.

I have met literally scores of people like yourself claiming to have the next great seller within their head. If only they had the time or resources to get it out!

I agree it is, and yes who writes biographies and why? Why do screen plays have several writers listed? Why do birds suddenly appear?..................... Er um sorry I digress...Seriously though why is there a term for a ghost writer and so on.. If they didn't exist then there would be millions of stories that never get out.. Writers don't always have the inspiration but instead have a singular talent it to put to words and make it entertaining to the masses that the originator of the material may lack or the time to do it.. That makes neither party ignorant nor lacking it just makes a partnership/team that is ultimately successful..

[WarpSpeed]

Thakkar has an optimistic point. At this point only the one holding the secret knowledge of this idea can examine and judge it. But he did say he registered the concept somewhere already, so that's part of it - for protection and maybe 1/2 a step topwards someday making it exist.

And btw.... there is an author in the group with many years of experience writing screenpalys and novels. And he's helped several people put together their novels, guide them on how to get them written - whether you're gonna be the typist or not. For others, he's helped format already-written works for release as e-books, and with another right now is developing a rom-com screenplay with a talented local lady known more for her singing than her writing.

But an idea in the head...... these are a dime a dozen. Until it's real and in front of someone, it's not yet invented, alive, set free. At the moment it's just vapors.

Hence my frustration and conundrum ... Yes WGAE (Writers Gild of America East) But that's as far as I've gotten to this point as my life just caved in around me and.........Well and it's a long boring story that comes down to not enough time, nor uninterrupted privacy to focus and spend the long, taxing hours it takes me to put it down.

For those who wouldn't know as it's not something I loudly proclaim in a room full of strangers on a regular basis, but I'm also afflicted with mild dyslexia, I had to diagnose on my own since I'm from another generation and struggled with my entire life so in my case writing is literally a painful process, even if not necessary, as exercise, which is a therapy I realized by participating on forums like this one.. Doesn't at all mean I wouldn't have something very entertaining to share and enjoy seeing in print..

[orang37]

Maybe I missed it, or perhaps I'm just too pragmatic, but other than the address of the meeting place, nothing was said about dates or times. If I were better at these sorts of things, I guess I could just divine it. Tried scanning all the posts, but maybe I missed it. Or is it an ongoing, 24/7 meeting at that address?

Every Thursday, starts at 7PM at the Khun Mor restaurant on Nimmanheiman Soi 17, which is about 75 meters down the soi (going east) from Nimmanheiman. The group meets in a large private room. Didn't the link provided by the initial message from LeeThom give you that information ?

best, ~o:37;

[roger1999]

Well a sensible answer without malice for a change, how refreshing...

I had considered it to be honestly but again the formatting has to be soo specific to gain attention and the content still needs a "writers" touch of structure and creativity to polish it off so time is not wasted in the process when so little is available..

I know of one company in LA (and there must be more) that will take improperly formatted scripts and format them properly. You will likely find them with a google search. They might even help you find a co-author. The re-formatting is not too expensive (maybe $300, I forget.) The co-author option would probably cost a lot more. Again you have the problem of having to share your idea with a stranger, but I guess that correct legal mechanisms can be put in place.

[WarpSpeed]

Well a sensible answer without malice for a change, how refreshing...

I had considered it to be honestly but again the formatting has to be soo specific to gain attention and the content still needs a "writers" touch of structure and creativity to polish it off so time is not wasted in the process when so little is available..

I know of one company in LA (and there must be more) that will take improperly formatted scripts and format them properly. You will likely find them with a google search. They might even help you find a co-author. The re-formatting is not too expensive (maybe $300, I forget.) The co-author option would probably cost a lot more. Again you have the problem of having to share your idea with a stranger, but I guess that correct legal mechanisms can be put in place.

Well thanks for your tips and sincere inspiration. If it is in that price range that is doable but I haven't seen anything listed for anything near that low it usually runs into several thousands in everything I've investigated in the past.. If they are affiliated in any way with WGAE or WGAW then they are to be trusted and likely in good standing as they'll respect the codes, legal and moral ethics of the guild so in that case not a problem.