Who do you write like?

[bbbamI]

Since some of us like to write, why don't we post a snippet of a story we have written.

I'll go first....be gentle....



Surrounded by flat land littered with scrub trees and ragweed, stood an asylum for the criminally insane. The building used to be a high school, but most of the population had moved west into town where the educational facilities were more modern. A fuss was raised when the state chose the abandoned building for its new purpose, but due to only grumbling and no action, the state won.

The budget was limited, so not much remodeling was done. The classrooms were made smaller to accommodate the patients and the offices were refurbished for the staff. Anyone passing by couldn’t help but get an uneasy feeling when they happened to glance at the hospital. The immediate impression would be that of not wanting to look at an accident, but the urge was still there. Curiosity set in, followed by repulsion and embarrassment. There would be one new patient added today; another ‘lost’ soul floating above sanity.

Shuffling up the ice covered, brick sidewalk, Brian was keenly aware of the shackles on his hands and feet. The frigid January wind chilled him to the bone, causing him to wheeze when he breathed. Two burly, tired looking men walked on either side as they guided him up the steps into the entrance. Once Brian stepped into the waiting room, he felt as if he were on display. He suddenly felt overwhelmingly small and frightened. The room was so large, that comprehending all those faces was impossible. They all looked the same. He thought about the jury that accusingly stared at him like black eyed crows. The few people in the courtroom including his lawyer all had the same face. He closed his eyes while the guards took the shackles off his wrists and ankles, and felt his body and mind embrace the freedom. Maybe today wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

After Brian’s papers were scrutinized, he was led to a room on the second floor where once again he was checked for anything that might be harmful, to him or others. The search was certainly not pleasant, but the hands were softer than the cold steel that once touched him. From there he was taken to his room where he would spend the rest of his natural life....

[Avalon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI Since some of us like to write, why don't we post a snippet of a story we have written. I'll go first....be gentle....

I'd say you're very talented.

[kumquat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo I'm beginning to suspect a RAG (random author generator).

Just when I was thinking you may be onto something, I cut and pasted an portion of a Cory Doctorow book into the site. It said the writer wrote like Cory Doctorow.

[bbbamI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avalon I'd say you're very talented.

Thanks Avalon.....

My imagination shifts to the macabre; I'm a Stephen King fan.

[rescueme]

Kurt Vonnegut (BTW, looks like me, too )...

[Meadbh]

bbbamI is indeed very talented!

On the subject of Grammar, I am OCD. Since "like" is a preposition (What is a Preposition?), and since "a preposition is not a good word to end a sentence with", and since the author whose writing style we emulate is the indirect object of the verb "write", perhaps the title should be:

"Like whom do you write? "

[Purron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI My imagination shifts to the macabre; I'm a Stephen King fan.

That makes two of us. The site indicated I write like Edgar Allen Poe. Don't know if it's true, but I was fastinated with Poe from a early age.

Quoth Purron: "Nevermore"

[M Paquette]

Huh?

It says my non-technical writing is in the style of Dan Brown, and my technical commentary is in the style of Cory Doctorow. Then again, Doctorow's stuff uses the same funny tech stuff as in most technical writing, and both Brown and Doctorow write long, rambling sentences, so perhaps, all in all, the site is accurate in a very generic sort of way.

Or not.

Edit: This post gets "I write like Cory Doctorow"

[Meadbh]

bbbamI has given me an idea. Let's start a story thread! We could try one of those collaborative pieces, with each person adding a few paragraphs. It could get quite hilarious!

Who wants to begin?

[Nodak]

I tried some technical writing and it came back like Arthur C Clark. Then some random other writings came back Edgar Allen Poe. A weird combination.

[bbbamI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meadbh bbbamI has given me an idea. Let's start a story thread! We could try one of those collaborative pieces, with each person adding a few paragraphs. It could get quite hilarious! Who wants to begin?

I'll play, but I have to warn you...I write macabre and X rated stories.

Someone else needs to start as I'd like to see the writing style.

[rescueme]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI Someone else needs to start as I'd like to see the writing style.

It was a dark and stormy night...

[bbbamI]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rescueme It was a dark and stormy night...

Oh NO!!!! Ima skeert now! ........

[Purron]

A siamese cat peered out of the window onto the unkempt garden below. He raised his head and sniffed the breeze then suddenly dashed out of the room as though he caught a sent of impending doom...

Or maybe it was the sound of a can of Fancy Feast being popped

[samclem]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Meadbh bbbamI has given me an idea. Let's start a story thread! We could try one of those collaborative pieces, with each person adding a few paragraphs. It could get quite hilarious! Who wants to begin?

Collaborative Writing Assignment

Quote:

"At first, Laurie couldn't decide which kind of tea she wanted. The chamomile, which used to be her favorite for lazy evenings at home, now reminded her too much of Carl, . . . " "Meanwhile, Advance Sergeant Carl Harris, leader of the attack squadron now in orbit over Skylon 4, had more important things to think about than the neuroses of an air-headed asthmatic bimbo named Laurie with whom he had spent one sweaty night over a year ago."

[Meadbh]

Runaway

Drenched and shivering, Megan huddled in a doorway. At this time of night, the bus would not arrive for another twenty minutes at least, and in this area, crime was rampant. Through the rain, a solitary car appeared at the intersection and drove slowly down the deserted street. A john looking for tricks. Megan stood very still in the dark vestibule. The john passed and quiet reigned again, punctuated only by the sound of the driving rain. Megan began to sob as it all came rushing back: the sound of the door being kicked in, the gunshots, her father’s scream, and the gush of blood as he fell. She was alone now, and hunted.

[traineeinvestor]

Some results:

1. an extract from a novel I am writing: Cory Doctorow (whom I had never heard of)

2. the last post from my blog: Cory Doctorow (with apologies to Cory Doctorow)

3. the legal disclaimer which gets added to the bottom of all my work related e-mails: Cory Doctorow (with further apologies to Cory Doctorow!)

4. an email from a wine merchant during this year's en primeur campaign: James Joyce

5. an extract from "A Princess of Mars": Edgar Allan Poe

6. an extract from "The Mysterious Affair at Styles": Raymond Chandler

RAG is right.

[W2R]

My technical/scientific writing is like Arthur C Clarke. Does this mean that my scientific writing is not so much science as science fiction?

For casual writing (an old post from this forum), my writing was like James Joyce.

Who knew?

[bbbamI]

Runaway

It was a dark and stormy night...

A siamese cat peered out of the window onto the unkempt garden below. He raised his head and sniffed the breeze then suddenly dashed out of the room as though he caught a sent of impending doom...

Or maybe it was the sound of a can of Fancy Feast being popped.

Drenched and shivering, Megan huddled in a doorway. At this time of night, the bus would not arrive for another twenty minutes at least, and in this area, crime was rampant. Through the rain, a solitary car appeared at the intersection and drove slowly down the deserted street. A john looking for tricks. Megan stood very still in the dark vestibule. The john passed and quiet reigned again, punctuated only by the sound of the driving rain. Megan began to sob as it all came rushing back: the sound of the door being kicked in, the gunshots, her father’s scream, and the gush of blood as he fell. She was alone now, and hunted.

There were two eyes on her; eyes glowing in the dark, head turning to the side fixating on the prey. Lips glistened as the tongue moved slowly across the mouth in anticipation of what may lie ahead. The only sound was the rain, a distant rumble of thunder and the steady, quickened heartbeat of the victim and the spectator.

[CuppaJoe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bbbamI ....I'm a Stephen King fan.

Thank you, I write like him; have only read one of his books, "Ur." Now if I could only find a publisher.