any authors here?

[Lardlad95]

i personally am planning to become a writer (i have written several short stories, a play, and a screen play)i have attempted novels but new Ideas always pop in. since my conversion to socialism i have been wanting to write political fiction. i'm in the thought process of one novel that denounces the direction the US is headed in and shows how manipulative this country has become.

are there any authors here? I just want to know what it takes to write a good novel, especially one about politics.

[Sasafrás]

I'm also an aspiring writer, though I'm looking more towards magazine journalism and not necessarily freelance, but I think I'd like to write books in order to inform people about cultural and social issues that they may not typically think or care about. The key to writing is making sure that what you write interesting, I'm sure you know that, and if you want to write a novel about politics, make it something that people wouldn't want to throw away or return to the book shop as soon as they read the first page of it. Political fiction is very interesting as is historical fiction. Everyone loves fiction, and most people want to know about politics and history; Why not mix the two? Someone good to read, even though he's American and he writes about boring political figures from the past, is Gore Vidal. He wrote a historical fiction novel called "Burr" (About Aaron Burr, one of the most complex and intriguing figures in American history) and it was a really interesting book, even though I didn't really read the whole thing. He's got other books too. As someone who aims to write fiction about politics, you could get some really good pointers from Vidal & his writing style.

[Lardlad95]

I am into history however I find that historical fiction takes far more research than Political fiction. I seriously dont want to have to go through all of that

[Xvall]

I write stories! I made a prolouge to a fictional epic about the globalization of the United States leading to a world of industrialized capitalism.
- Drake Dracoli

[Lardlad95]

a world of capitalism? Thats the scariest thought in the world

it would make a great horror book

[suffianr]

I'm a freelance writer, and my newest article just got published on a site for young Malaysian writers. Please read it, if you have the time, and tell me what you think!

Here's the site: www.suaraanum.com

The title of my article is "Will We Ever Learn?" and my name is Suffian Abdul Rahman.

Cheers.

[PunkRawker677]

Suffianr,

That was an excellent essay, and it really touched me. Thanks for posting the link. With your permission, i would like to print that out and show it to friends of mine who are of Malaysian desent, and i will with no doubt give all credit towards you, the respectable author.

Back to the point of the thread!
I cant consider myself an "author", just an "aspiring author". I enjoy writing mainly about politics, mainly non-fiction but i would like to explore political fiction - a twist on Tom Clancy. But right now i concentrate on informative essays, and school lectures.

[man in the red suit]

I am an author, sort of. Comrad punk rawker is helping me edit my stuff. which reminds me that i have more chapters in which I have completed. I should mail them to him soon.

(Edited by man in the red suit at 3:37 am on June 4, 2002)

[suffianr]

Thanks, Punk Rawker677, at least someone's read it!

Please get other people to go to the site...because that site is probably the closest thing that most young Malaysian writers will ever get to voicing their expressions...In my country, the mainstream media are subjected to strict laws of control, such as the Printing & Publications Act (1984), which requires all print media to obtain permits and to renew them every month. Renewing a permit requires an approval of content from government officials.

We also have the Internal Security Act (ISA), which basically gives the government absolute power to detain any number of people for any period of time.
And you thought the NKVD was cool...

Writers probably fill up more bunks in jail than Molotov-cocktail welding rioters or controversial gay people. (Not that I have anything against gay people, Malte).

We need sites like www.suaraanum.com because there's just no other option, than to sit at home and read state-sponsored journalism and watched censor- filtered television, which, like filtered water, tastes clinical and foul.

Btw, where are you from?

[PunkRawker677]

I'm from the U.$.
Unfortunatly, yes. I will definitly email the link to that page to everyone i know who would like to read it! I'm glad people are breaking away from the chains in your country! The situation there seems horrible, and has a terrifying Orwellian touch to it. Its saddening to hear these stories sometimes but without them change can never come... the ISA in your country sounds like the Patriot Act in the United States, or even the new FBI guidelines! scary!

[PunkRawker677]

MITRS - Yes!! lol.. i dont know your email adress!!! I have been trying to contact you for a couple weeks and i havent seen you online in so very long. Email me so i can have your email adress - its [email protected]
Thanks

[peaccenicked]

I have been writing all of my life. I have had a few poems published and many articles accepted by left papers. I have also contributed articles to journals.
I have also been a member of three writers groups. Most of my friends are authors of more note than myself.
I am writing a script on a documentary against stigma .
Once it is finished I am going to try an see how I can get it viewed on the net.

[Maaja]

I am a translator. I've translated a book 'Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo' by Christiane F. and at the moment I am translating a book about a Tibetan girl who's been a political pisoner since she was 8 years old!


;)

(Edited by Maaja at 12:18 pm on June 9, 2002)

[Fabi]

'Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo' .. Just correcting typos and mistakes.. ;) i know, i am a smartass, sorry.

i am in the process of reading suffian's essay...