One Wish

PPartisan · 03-23-2012, 09:12 PM

If you had one wish for a piece of kit that you feel would improve your writing, that could be real or imaginary, what would people ask for?

I'd definitely go for one of those memory wipe devices they have on Men In Black. I'm a heavy editor and re-writer, so it's tough for me to go back and read something I've written as if I'm approaching it for the first time. It would be invaluable if I could just finish something, have a flash of the good stuff then go back and read it again with fresh eyes.

Phaeal · 03-23-2012, 09:22 PM

I'll take the Imperius Curse.

I finish book. I pick the publisher I want for it. I call the publisher, Imperio my way to the head honcho, and say, "Imperio, publish this MS for a million dollar advance, then throw all your weight behind it. K, thanks!"

Failing that, I'll take a super-comfy, super-ergonomic desk chair custom-designed for me.

Devil Ledbetter · 03-23-2012, 09:25 PM

I want a cozy little writing cottage.

GFanthome · 03-26-2012, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Devil Ledbetter

I want a cozy little writing cottage.

....by the water.

And an endless supply of money so I didn't have to waste my days working in a job that I only do to pay the rent and eat. Said cashola would also come in handy when I start my own publishing company.

swgamble · 03-27-2012, 02:03 AM

A Villa on the coast of France and winning lottery ticket for enough money that I could live comfortably and just read and write.

readitnweep · 03-23-2012, 09:27 PM

I'm 46. I wish I could get another 20 years tacked on to my life so I'd have more time to read everything I want to read and write all things I want to write and still have time for everything else because I keep feeling I'm running out of time, given the current projected life span. I need another 100 years or so - or another life to read and write everything.

Hansey · 03-23-2012, 09:44 PM

I'm 41. I have a degree in Creative Writing that I wasted by working in banking from the time I graduated from college in 1992 until just a few years ago. I did a little bit of collaborative writing about ten years ago but then fell out of practice again.

I want a time machine so I can go back to 1992 and actively work on my craft (even if it means doing it in my spare time while I'm also working). I really hate myself on a daily basis because I can see that the skills that I know I used to have have completely deteriorated from disuse. I feel like I've wasted half my life.

Jessianodel · 03-23-2012, 09:47 PM

Something to stop time so I can sit and do everything I have to do without being interrupted and having a million things on my list. Yeah stopping time would be nice...

randi.lee · 03-23-2012, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jessianodel

Something to stop time so I can sit and do everything I have to do without being interrupted and having a million things on my list. Yeah stopping time would be nice...

Best answer ever-!

Ralyks · 03-23-2012, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PPartisan

If you had one wish for a piece of kit that you feel would improve your writing, that could be real or imaginary, what would people ask for?

I'd definitely go for one of those memory wipe devices they have on Men In Black. I'm a heavy editor and re-writer, so it's tough for me to go back and read something I've written as if I'm approaching it for the first time. It would be invaluable if I could just finish something, have a flash of the good stuff then go back and read it again with fresh eyes.

I would love a memory wipe. But what I most need is uninterrupted time.

crunchyblanket · 03-24-2012, 12:22 AM

A cottage by the sea, preferably in Hawaii. And a set of straps to keep my arse in my bloody chair.

gothicangel · 03-24-2012, 12:37 AM

A world-authority on Roman history to stand over my shoulder as I write, telling me when I make a historical error.

Ketzel · 03-24-2012, 12:54 AM

A full time housekeeper/cook who is also trained in massage, and the money to afford the salary.

flapperphilosopher · 03-24-2012, 02:38 AM

I'd take invisibility, so I could eavesdrop and people-watch as much as I want! That or a time-machine... I write stuff set in the past a lot and I'd looooove the ability to go and observe for myself rather than rely on the observations of others.

Pikabuddy · 03-24-2012, 05:23 AM

Someone to constantly (as in, I can ask multitudes of questions without annoying him/her) help me with the monstrous world of writing...I've just started the long journey from first draft to bookstore shelf.

wanzulfikri · 03-24-2012, 05:50 AM

If I could have one wish then I would like to have a tool that can make me read faster and better.

WriteMinded · 03-24-2012, 06:50 AM

I'll have a photographic memory, please.

jencarpy · 03-25-2012, 05:17 AM

a time machine. to bring me back the 20 years I've wasted visiting and supporting somebody else's dream while not putting pen to paper for myself.

hopefully somebody who is 21 will read this wish and it will ring true to them to stay their course. 40 comes sooner than you think.

SomethingOrOther · 03-25-2012, 05:57 AM

A time machine. To bring me back the 20 years I've partially wasted watching a bit too much recreational TV (more so when I was younger) and playing a bit too many mindless video games and having silly fears.

Hopefully somebody who is 1 will read this and it will ring true to them to stay their course. 21 comes sooner than you think.

goldmund · 03-26-2012, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SomethingOrOther

A time machine. To bring me back the 20 years I've partially wasted watching a bit too much recreational TV (more so when I was younger) and playing a bit too many mindless video games and having silly fears.

Hopefully somebody who is 1 will read this and it will ring true to them to stay their course. 21 comes sooner than you think.

In your a bit caustic parody there is a deep wisdom I can't really pinpoint.

WriterDude · 03-26-2012, 01:08 AM

Something that could synchronise all those moments where I am inspired and simply have to write, with those moments that I have a free minute or two to do some writing.

SomethingOrOther · 03-26-2012, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldmund

In your a bit caustic parody there is a deep wisdom I can't really pinpoint.

That's not what it is at all. The idea of a one-year-old reading AW on their own amused me.

Niiicola · 03-25-2012, 06:57 AM

I'd like for cleaning fairies to visit my house at night so I wouldn't have to waste precious writing time.

RobJ · 03-25-2012, 01:45 PM

Something that could take your thoughts and transfer them directly into the document on the computer without all that manual typing and stuff. You'd have sort of a conversation with the document in your mind, adding new stuff, revising it, moving chunks around or deleting them just by thinking about it. No hands, no talking, just thinking. But it would be intelligent enough to catch specific, directed thoughts rather than every random thought you had.

And every six hours or so, as a background task, it would order fresh pizza delivered to your door, along with a couple of bottles of Pete's Wicked Ale.

While you're scoffing the pizza and supping the ale it would read the text back to you.

pandaponies · 03-25-2012, 07:53 PM

Shit, any ideas I have pale in comparison to all of these.

I will take RobJ's thought recording machine, the time-stopping machine, and ABSOLUTELY the memory-wiper! *bites nails* If I had to pick just one? Probably the time-stopper. I'd get SO much more done if I had more hours in a day.

03-23-2012, 09:12 PM	#1
PPartisan <><'ing for compliments Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: UK Posts: 297	One Wish If you had one wish for a piece of kit that you feel would improve your writing, that could be real or imaginary, what would people ask for? I'd definitely go for one of those memory wipe devices they have on Men In Black. I'm a heavy editor and re-writer, so it's tough for me to go back and read something I've written as if I'm approaching it for the first time. It would be invaluable if I could just finish something, have a flash of the good stuff then go back and read it again with fresh eyes. __________________ Want to see more of my writing? <www. WERDPRESSED.wordpress.com>

03-23-2012, 09:22 PM	#2
Phaeal Whatever I did, I didn't do it. Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Providence, RI Posts: 8,255	I'll take the Imperius Curse. I finish book. I pick the publisher I want for it. I call the publisher, Imperio my way to the head honcho, and say, "Imperio, publish this MS for a million dollar advance, then throw all your weight behind it. K, thanks!" Failing that, I'll take a super-comfy, super-ergonomic desk chair custom-designed for me. __________________ SUMM0NED (Coming from T0R, 2014) Real magic becomes real trouble when Sean summons the wrong familiar -- the big, toothy one with a taste for the neighbors. And so it goes...

03-23-2012, 09:25 PM	#3
Devil Ledbetter Come on you stranger, you legend, Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: you martyr and shine. Posts: 7,614	I want a cozy little writing cottage. __________________ "Dude, sucking at something is the first step toward being sort of good at something." --Adventure Time A Heartbreaking Choice

03-27-2012, 02:03 AM	#5
swgamble New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 30	A Villa on the coast of France and winning lottery ticket for enough money that I could live comfortably and just read and write. __________________ Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov

03-23-2012, 09:27 PM	#6
readitnweep practical experience, FTW Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Shrieking in my own shack Posts: 291	I'm 46. I wish I could get another 20 years tacked on to my life so I'd have more time to read everything I want to read and write all things I want to write and still have time for everything else because I keep feeling I'm running out of time, given the current projected life span. I need another 100 years or so - or another life to read and write everything. __________________ Here's the typewriter I used for my first novel - in the 6th grade.

03-23-2012, 09:44 PM	#7
Hansey She who distributes the cookies Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Seattle Posts: 80	I'm 41. I have a degree in Creative Writing that I wasted by working in banking from the time I graduated from college in 1992 until just a few years ago. I did a little bit of collaborative writing about ten years ago but then fell out of practice again. I want a time machine so I can go back to 1992 and actively work on my craft (even if it means doing it in my spare time while I'm also working). I really hate myself on a daily basis because I can see that the skills that I know I used to have have completely deteriorated from disuse. I feel like I've wasted half my life.

03-23-2012, 09:47 PM	#8
Jessianodel Blessed by the AW Gods Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: The Control Room Posts: 1,239	Something to stop time so I can sit and do everything I have to do without being interrupted and having a million things on my list. Yeah stopping time would be nice... __________________ Cuando despertó, el dinosaurio todavía estaba allí. - Augusto Monterroso Thanks for the avatar Mac! My Dragons = Awesome! BLOG

03-24-2012, 12:22 AM	#11
crunchyblanket the Juggernaut of Imperfection Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: London's grey and pleasant land Posts: 4,517	A cottage by the sea, preferably in Hawaii. And a set of straps to keep my arse in my bloody chair. __________________ I blog/I tweet/I write [insert witty signature here]

03-24-2012, 12:37 AM	#12
gothicangel Toughen up. Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Outer Brigantia Posts: 6,651	A world-authority on Roman history to stand over my shoulder as I write, telling me when I make a historical error. __________________ "I re-read therefore I understand" - Descartes "Imagination only comes when you privilege the subconscious" - Hilary Mantel

03-24-2012, 12:54 AM	#13
Ketzel Of the big heart Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 875	A full time housekeeper/cook who is also trained in massage, and the money to afford the salary.

03-24-2012, 02:38 AM	#14
flapperphilosopher writing like it's 1927 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Canada Posts: 540	I'd take invisibility, so I could eavesdrop and people-watch as much as I want! That or a time-machine... I write stuff set in the past a lot and I'd looooove the ability to go and observe for myself rather than rely on the observations of others. __________________ "Writers aren't exactly people... they're a whole bunch of people trying to be one person." -- F. Scott Fitzgerald My blog, connecting with people of the past through their photographs: The Passion of Former Days Last edited by flapperphilosopher; 03-24-2012 at 05:57 AM. Reason: It just occurred to me I need a time machine.

03-24-2012, 05:23 AM	#15
Pikabuddy A Whelp of a Writer Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Desk Posts: 277	Someone to constantly (as in, I can ask multitudes of questions without annoying him/her) help me with the monstrous world of writing...I've just started the long journey from first draft to bookstore shelf.

03-24-2012, 05:50 AM	#16
wanzulfikri New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Malaysia Posts: 15	If I could have one wish then I would like to have a tool that can make me read faster and better.

03-24-2012, 06:50 AM	#17
WriteMinded Derailed Join Date: May 2010 Location: Above Paradise in California Posts: 1,997	I'll have a photographic memory, please.

03-25-2012, 05:17 AM	#18
jencarpy figuring it all out Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 57	a time machine. to bring me back the 20 years I've wasted visiting and supporting somebody else's dream while not putting pen to paper for myself. hopefully somebody who is 21 will read this wish and it will ring true to them to stay their course. 40 comes sooner than you think.

03-25-2012, 05:57 AM	#19
SomethingOrOther Official AW Carnivorous Pony Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 1,037	A time machine. To bring me back the 20 years I've partially wasted watching a bit too much recreational TV (more so when I was younger) and playing a bit too many mindless video games and having silly fears. Hopefully somebody who is 1 will read this and it will ring true to them to stay their course. 21 comes sooner than you think. __________________ Current WIPs Baby Pictures of Famous Dictators: (571,056/780,000) Invasion of the Complaining Chickens (Geriatric Fiction): (1,124,641/1,520,000) Hardonasaurass Rex (Dinosaur Erotica): (215,919/285,000) Some Dude I'm Kidnapping: (Trunked) This is my blog. I'd like you to read it. Thanks! (It has nothing of value right now, so don't bother.) [Most recent update: 5/11/13]

03-26-2012, 01:08 AM	#21
WriterDude Proud Dad: Again Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Right where I should be Posts: 296	Something that could synchronise all those moments where I am inspired and simply have to write, with those moments that I have a free minute or two to do some writing.

03-25-2012, 06:57 AM	#23
Niiicola Plotting Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 710	I'd like for cleaning fairies to visit my house at night so I wouldn't have to waste precious writing time.

03-25-2012, 01:45 PM	#24
RobJ Banned Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 2,682	Something that could take your thoughts and transfer them directly into the document on the computer without all that manual typing and stuff. You'd have sort of a conversation with the document in your mind, adding new stuff, revising it, moving chunks around or deleting them just by thinking about it. No hands, no talking, just thinking. But it would be intelligent enough to catch specific, directed thoughts rather than every random thought you had. And every six hours or so, as a background task, it would order fresh pizza delivered to your door, along with a couple of bottles of Pete's Wicked Ale. While you're scoffing the pizza and supping the ale it would read the text back to you.

03-25-2012, 07:53 PM	#25
pandaponies practical experience, FTW Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 309	Shit, any ideas I have pale in comparison to all of these. I will take RobJ's thought recording machine, the time-stopping machine, and ABSOLUTELY the memory-wiper! bites nails If I had to pick just one? Probably the time-stopper. I'd get SO much more done if I had more hours in a day. __________________ WIP #1: pre-editing quarantine - 102k

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