How should I go about this?

Discussion in 'Writers Forum' started by pineapple, Mar 13, 2006.

  1. pineapple

    pineapple Member

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    Hi everyone
    I write loads and loads of stuff that seems pointless to me, mainly because there is no central idea, I just ramble on... But anyway I have a real idea now. It's no doubt been done and done again, nonetheless I want to pursue it. What I'd love to do is somehow compile a recount of people's experiences when they were young (around my age...teens)...but I don't quite know how to go about it. Does anyone have any ideas? I want to get people's experiences down on paper and I want to do it in a manner which captures their personalities and their interpretations rather than mine.
    Any ideas will be appreciated.
    Thanks, pineapple.
     
  2. Tigerbeam

    Tigerbeam Member

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    If people like anything, it's talking about themselves. I'm sure a lot of people would be willing to tell stories about their adolesence to people they've just met. Also, if you want to get their veiws and impressions, I'd make sure to record what they say. It's easy to make mistakes when remembering something, and if you listen to what they say over and over again, you'll get a much clearer impression of what they mean.
     
  3. pineapple

    pineapple Member

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    Yeah you're right about people enjoying talking about themselves...And that's a good idea about recording stuff people say.Thanks!
     
  4. SpliffVortex II

    SpliffVortex II Banned

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    Lather was thirty years old today,
    They took away all of his toys.
    His mother sent newspaper clippings to him,
    About his old friends who'd stopped being boys.
    There was Harwitz E. Green, just turned thirty-three,
    His leather chair waits at the bank.
    And Seargent Dow Jones, twenty-seven years old,
    Commanding his very own tank.
    But Lather still finds it a nice thing to do,
    To lie about nude in the sand,
    Drawing pictures of mountains that look like bumps,
    And thrashing the air with his hands.

    But wait, oh Lather's productive you know,
    He produces the finest of sound,
    Putting drumsticks on either side of his nose,
    Snorting the best licks in town,
    But that's all over...

    Lather was thirty years old today,
    And Lather came foam from his tongue.
    He looked at me eyes wide and plainly said,
    Is it true that I'm no longer young?
    And the children call him famous,
    what the old men call insane,
    And sometimes he's so nameless,
    That he hardly knows which game to play...
    Which words to say...
    And I should have told him, "No, you're not old."
    And I should have let him go on...smiling...babywide.
     
  5. demosthenes

    demosthenes Member

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    SVII, you really should credit the author when posting things like that.
     
  6. drumminmama

    drumminmama Super Moderator Super Moderator

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    and stay on topic
     
  7. SelfControl

    SelfControl Boned.

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    Best advice: if you haven't already, get a tape recorder.
     
  8. stickyrice

    stickyrice Member

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    Yo--This subject never gets tired because popular culture changes so rapidly. Go for it. My only suggestion is have a theme . It could be general which is harder
    for example What "teens" (your word) think about the five top social issues as defined by gallop polls. Or make it specific _-Teens opinions about (same sex marriage/intrusion by governemtn on internet/etc).
    Also, are these "teens" in the world, on this web sight, at your shcool? You need to identify your sample.The sample could be the kids who work at fast foods resturants or etc.
    I want to read it.
    s
     
  9. Mr. Natural

    Mr. Natural Hip Forums Supporter HipForums Supporter

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    Hiya, hippies!

    Er, uh, ... if I can combine, paraphrase and fracture —

    1. You must know your craft — the skill that is writing.
    2. You must write, and you certainly should write what you know.
    3. You must keep on writing until you find an audience/market.
    4. You must either please your audience/market, or marry well.

    Pineapple — take a look at Studs Terkel to see one great way it can be done.

    Seeya in the neighborhood,

    — Johnny
     
  10. Oz!

    Oz! Hip Forums Supporter HipForums Supporter

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    um... about a billion teens are doing the same thing, for themselves, on blogspot/myjournal/myspace etc etc.......... might be a good place(s) to start yer research.
     
  11. pineapple

    pineapple Member

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    Ok well all the suggestions have been great! Thanks heaps... I've kinda started but what I wanted was actual recounts from people sitting in front of me, like one on one, having a conversation... But I haven't been able to find anyone yet, so this project is probably gonna die. Thanks again for the help though!
     
  12. Gypsy_girl

    Gypsy_girl Member

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    Hope it's going well, Pineapple, and first thing I thought of was interviewing people; how abou ts some of your friends, or try posting on a forum and get poeple to write in with their experiences?
     
  13. pineapple

    pineapple Member

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    I didn't say, but I think I'm going to try to stick to one on one physical conversations, that seems to make it more authentic. I've been kept pretty busy lately, but if I can achieve this project I'll definitely post some more info on these forums.
     

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