My name Steve Rossiter, 20 years old, living in Wilmington, North Carolina. I"ve lived here most of my life. I go to a business, medical, and technical college here in wilmington, and getting a degree in microcomputers...

I've been dreaming up stories for as long as I can remember. My imagination has always been my best friend. After I read Ender's Game in the 7th grade, many moons ago, I knew I wanted to be a writer. That's why I am a member here at hatrack... I want to discuss interesting ideas and methods of writing and gain new insight and improve my skills.

I'm quite insane in my view that writing is a craft and every word writing on a page is also a part of a techique. No word is on that page without a purpose, plan or reason.... Being strong in English and sentence structure is a good start, but crafting good stories has nothing to do with that.. I'm a terrible speller and, in my opinion, a good critiquer.

I like to write fantasy and science fiction, but I'll ready anything that is different and well written, and interesting.

Love you all, and I can't wait to meet you newbies.

My name is Pasi Niskanen, I'm 21 years old and I live in Sweden. I've lived all my life here, but my parents are finnish in case anyone was wondering why I have a finnish name, although I guess that most of you here wouldn't know the difference between swedish and finnish (except the few swedish words in Speaker for the Dead, the names of Ender's students). And I've been surfing the net ever since 1995 when I started high school and saw my first PC and instantly fell in love with it I guess that my (hopefully) good knowledge of english language is because I used to chat and MUD way too much, and read almost only english books all the time, because most of the books I want to read never get translated to swedish, the market for SF and fantasy isn't that big over here. But my local small bookstore has a great selection of english SF and fantasy so I'm not complaining
Other than that, I'm a full-time philosopher (read: unemployed), and I have wanted to become a writer as long as I can remember, I really don't know what would have been the first book I read that got me wanting to write myself, but I did spend the most of my childhood with my nose buried in a book I guess the reason I haven't really tried any writing myself yet (except what I had to write for school and so) is because the more books I read, the more it makes me realize I could never write anything *that* good Maybe I should start reading more crappy books to actually realize I'm good at writing... hmmm, I eat way too often at Mcdonald's, and I love listening to Pet Shop Boys ( go ahead and laugh )
And the best SF writer is still Isaac Asimov but of course he is closely followed by OSC, but I don't think that any living human could ever surpass the greatness of Asimov's books

I live in Wyoming, USA, the armpit of the world I swear. It's freezing right now and we're under like a foot of snow. It snows in July here sometimes and when it's not snowing then everywhere you look it's brown, brown, brown. I took Spanish all the way through high school and college and my goal is to move to Costa Rica once I'm rich and famous. I studied there in college and it's everything I love all in one peaceful little country.

One last note, I am very, very un-PC. Raised fundamentalist Christian background, own several guns, hunt avidly, annoyingly obsessed with moral decay...you get the picture. Despite all that, I attempt to keep an open mind and I do not actively engage in judgmentalism when I can recognize it in myself.

I enjoy getting to know you all (by way of your opinions I mean.) Thanks for the entertainment...oh I meant enlightenment, of course.

Jessi

I'm 25, I have a Bachellor of Fine Art with an emphasis in painting, a minor in music, and a job as a secretary. I've been writing since I was 8 and I love it! I have so many ideas in my head that are aching to be written, paintings waiting to be given life, but I have a hard time balancing my three loves (art, music and writing) and the job that pays for my bread. So my loves invariably get dropped from time to time.

That's how life goes, I've heard.

I have this distinct feeling that my art could support me, if I could only take that flying leap and spend all my time working on it instead of being a secretary. But I really don't know, and I'm not brave enough to try yet.

My real name is Michael Scott Hayes, but almost everyone knows me as Scott. I'm 27, and currently work as an audiologist in Portland, Oregon, U.S.A., where I have lived since the age of 10. I've been interested in writing since I was very young, starting with a poem that I wrote at the age of 5 or 6 which was published in the local paper in Florida. I'm severely-to-profoundly deaf, which lead some to predict when I was first diagnosed that I would never learn how to read or write beyond a fifth-grade level. So pleased to prove them wrong. I started getting into short story writing seriously in 1989, and went on a seven-year hiatus starting in 1993. I'm now returning to it, starting work on what I hope will be my first novel. Writer's block is not my usual enemy: I'm a world champion procrastinator, so it'll be interesting to see if I can finish this thing before the end of the year.

My favorite authors, fiction and non-fiction, are OSC (natch), John Irving (A Prayer for Owen Meany ranks as one of my absolute all-time favorite books), Terry Pratchett (his Discworld novels absolutely kill me), Douglas Adams, Isaac Asimov, Dan Simmons, Neal Stephenson, P.J. O'Rourke (very, very funny non-fiction writer), Daniel Boorstin, Dava Sobel (her books Longitude and Galileo's Daughter are two of the most engaging and lively history books I've read) and Jonathan Lethem. I like Tolkien as well, for while I did enjoy The Lord of the Rings, I love even more his masterpiece The Silmarillion, which is the only book I've read that when I finished the last page, I immediately turned back to the first page and read the whole thing again. Honorable mention goes to Michael Ende, whose novel The Neverending Story I had the good fortune of encountering at the age of 11, and it changed forever my view of the potential power of books. Never mind the movie, (which is an adequate, if flawed, adaptation) it only covers the first half, and it wasn't even the most interesting half of the book. I still have my copy from when I was 11, and re-read the book at least once a year...still seeing things in it with each new reading that I hadn't noticed before.

I'm 28, living in the Midwest, and a community planner by education and profession. I love reading and writing science fiction and fantasy, have since I can remember. My favorite authors include Neil Gaiman, Harlan Ellison, Stephen King, (do I have to actually say OSC?).

I've always considered myself a writer, though it's only been within the last year that the serious bug has bitten. I have set a goal to have at least one thing published this year. In my new fervor, I have been scouring the web trying to find a few good writing communities -- you can imagine my excitement at finding Hatrack River.

I'm looking forward to the inspriation, motivation, and infrequent (but necessary) kick in the pants that can result when people of like passions get together to share. It feels good to be here (and I've only just arrived).

Ciao!

JP

I've been writing all my life in one way or another, but lately I've realized that writing is really something that I want to focus on. It's the ONE thing that I can't seem to be happy without doing. And yet for the last few months I haven't been doing any at all! Let alone anything else halfway productive...I'm sure many of you have gone through similar blue funk periods. No energy. No motivation. No nothing...

I'm 23, living at the moment on the Northwest slice of the US. I'm a dot com whore and a graphic designer. Apart from OSC, who I didn't even REALIZE had a fan following until I ran across this site(!), a few of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy writers are Octavia Butler, Isaac Asimov, Douglas Adams and Tolkien (of course). Other favorites include Maxine Hong Kingston, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Italo Calvino, and Milan Kundera.

When you're a consummate lurker, posting makes you nervous. As if...oh no! People know I'm here now!!

I'll be 24 this Saturday. I grew up in Portland, Oregon, moved to Beaverton, spent a few years in Tempe, Arizona, then came back to Beaverton. My life is about THAT eventful.

Typing is about the most exciting thing I engage in, except only my relationship. I've been all over the net in forums, but I am very interested in this site.

To be honest, the first Card book I had ever read was _How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy_. It was the first moment I truly wanted to write. It was masterful. After that, I immediately bought _Ender's Game_ and read it in eight hours. From there it was a run of OSC books as well as many others.

I picked apart the stories. The way they were exposed. The stylisms the authors' had used. I was very arrogant, tossing aside books I had no patience for, studying only that which I deemed as well written (I hope that all that effort may someday pay off).

What I found to be the best stories were the stories that had something to say. They felt honest and right, sparing no thought or irony. I abandoned all my plot developing tools and reached back within myself for something I wanted to say. I had to be myself. It seems obvious now-a-days.

I started out as an actress in school, and loved it! I had had a very rough childhood and acting (and reading) allowed me to express myself through imagination, in a way that was denied to me at home. I got married right after high school so my schooling stopped and the babies began. I kept acting through church and because the pool of people to draw from was small, I added directing, producing and coaching to my list. With all the children it was difficult to arrange babysitting with my husbands work schedule, to enable me to get out for rehearshals. Then I discoverd radio commercials for the local radio station! What fun that was! till they closed...

So now I am using muscles I have been reluctant to excercise due to my lack of schooling. Writting! I admit to loving it and have several ideas and such in my mind...but I am slow at it. Because I am wrestling with a lack of good writting tools like sentance structure, spelling, grammar..etc (due to trying to survive during that time in my life when the rest of the world learns those things) it's like trying to run with an extra 100lb .....too much jiggles! If you can believe it I am much better at now than I was when I started (9 yrs ago). Between having and nursing babies...("too much day with not enough nap" was the mantra of my fatigue)I am just now waking from the fog with energy!!!!! Sorta like a garden hose, attached to a fire-hydrant!

You will see lots of me, because I am planning on using you shamelessly to glean what I can since I cannot get out to school right now. My turn will come, but saying yes as I did so long ago to having children means saying no to others for now, because they need to be my first responsibility. But that doesn't mean I should stop growing or stretching where I am!

I got my name from the punk/metal vocalist Glenn Danzig, but he is not my favorite musician. That honor belongs to Iron Maiden, whose songs have inspired me quite a bit.

Dreaming of Desolation,

kwsni

i write the two extremes -- comic YA fantasy (a la Patricia C. Wrede), and depressing-as-crap post-apocalyptic sci-fi. anyone else think there were way too many dashes in that sentence?

i have multiple neuroses, including the fact that i speak to and about my characters like they're real people (they are! they are!), and most definitely, my HUGE problem is falling in love with my heroes. does that happen to anyone else? i even fell for one of my evil dudes once, but that's another story . . .

Lol, my other post doesn't describe me all to well, (I was probably shy, but not any more!) So I'll add a little...

Anyway, I'm trying to write more and reading OSC's Character and Viewpoints really made me decide to start writing seriously. My primary interests are Fantasy and Science Fiction, but I have no doubt that one day I'll expand my horizons

I write at work all the time, but it's not fiction. In fact, I've only written 4 short stories in the last 21 years and have never attempted a novel. I just don't think I have enough to say to sustain a novel, although half of my short stories have tended to be long-ish.

I live in Florida and am in one of the Hatrack writer's groups.

And my user name comes from the character I play in a Medievale Faire every February. Her name's Cupcake and she wears a corset-like bodice. She's a blast to play.

I like to read more than I write (mostly out of fear and laziness, I confess). I also act and sing. So I'm as much extrovert as introvert, I guess.

I hope you folks will provide me an occasional kick in the arse to put my ideas on paper, as well as food for thought.

good luck from a two day old newbie for what it is worth,

I am 15, but started to have a passion for writing at the age of 11, after reading Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. He is the author that has most influenced me, but others that have are Frank Herbert, OSC(as others have said), Terry Brooks, and Stephen Lawhead.

I write for the High School newspaper and I would like to finish a novel sometime soon. It seems I am the third youngest person at the moment, but I guess I didn't realize how old some of the people were. I am looking forward to hearing all of your opinions as I will stay on this site for as long as I can.

As always

My favorite author is Greg Bear followed by OSC. Favorite books are Anvil of Stars and Lost Boys.

My real name is Lucas. I'm 20 and do networking support for Microsoft, although I'm an Macintosh dork at heart. I live in Tucson, AZ and don't know what direction I want my career to go in next. Maybe some hardcore network security? I have always had an interest in writing, but have suppressed it due to whatever excuse I think up at the time of procrastination. I don't plan on making writing a profession. The one chance I have to write for food is that we never know exactly who we'll be next.

Well, it's time to jump in the fog and battle my way through the gigantic water molecules of frustration (bad metaphor). See you all in the message boards!

I'm 16, waiting for my lisense. I'll be driving with an instructor starting next week, and then after two weeks of driving, I'll get my blue slip, and then later I'll be a lisensed driver. I won't have a car, though. Oh well, no biggie.

About my writing...I have mostly written Star Trek stories, but I've been told they're pretty good. The reason I've done Trek is because I'm a giant fan, and the characters have already been created. I just put them into situations and try to keep them to their character. I've lately been doing my own original characters in both Trek and non-Trek sci-fi stories. My goal as a writer is to write a storyt before I graduate from high school, a story which depicts teenagerdom as it truly is. I hate reading books or watching TV shows where the only thing teens care about is looks and being popular. It's completely unrealistic. I want to write a story that tells the way high school really is and entertains at the same time.

My real name is Mike Substelny. My UserName is a nickname that I have been using all over the Internet for many years, chosen because I drive a DeLorean. Seriously.

I am 36 years old and have a Masters of Science in Industrial Engineering. I teach college engineering classes and also work as a consultant. I have a special academic interest in Artificial Intelligence, though I seldom find work in that exciting field.

Two or three times a year I write nonfiction articles that are published in magazines (specialty publications that you have never seen).

I also write humor. Whenever you find yourself laughing at my writing, I will always insist that I planned it that way.

Years ago I wrote a series of science fiction comedy screenplays. While I do not intend to continue that series, the experience was quite valuable to me and my posts to the forum may make references to that project.

I only recently discovered OSC, and reading Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead has rekindled my desire to write more fiction.

Lets see I drive a 7 series BMW, black.

I am female but write agressive stories with strong main characters who don't do well with being pushed around. I also add a hint of humor and a lot of self discovery and comentary on the human condition with 9ut being obvious.

Fits I guess.

Anyway, I started (seriously) writing very recently (~6 months). My feedback so far has been very positive and encouraging, and I've gotten tons of useful advice from people, and I hope to have returned the same.

BTW, Locke, how do you do it? You must read at like 4000 words a minute or something...

Anyway, hoping not to be too much of a nuisance.

As long as people behave themselves and are considerate of the others here, I don't think we'll ask anyone to leave.

I've got a year left of college, studying Electronic Engineering Tech.

I'm not only a prose writer, but a poet. Right now I'm going to school and I'm writing.

I first came across Orson Scott Card in the 8th grade...not by way of Ender, though. I knew I wanted to write science fiction and fantasy after I'd read stuff by Anne McCaffrey in the 6th grade. But in 8th grade I saw his book "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" and I still have that book.

I didn't know anything about the Ender books until my Junior year in high school.

I always seem to do things backwards.

Besides writing I love music, law, basketball, and many other things.

I also do "beta-reading", which is when I read over someone's story and send them comments. So if you've got a sci-fi/fantasy story, chuck it my way (frostjaunt@hotmail.com).

My favorite ice cream is vanilla. My favorite song of the moment is: "My Madonna" by Dexter Freebish. My favorite movie is: "The Green Mile". My favorite TV show is: M*A*S*H

And that's enough about me!

-Meg

****
Somtimes you have to pull down your pants and slide on the ice
- Sidney Freedman
M*A*S*H

*****

I have been here for over a year, in the pasts months its been a real on and off again thing. Oh well. Things change. Its still nice here though, its tough as nails finding an educated discussion around me. It feels so good to hear people talking about something I can relate to!!

Most of you know me. And if you dont, you should. And if you question that, I say...why not?