Reading Excuses - The Self-Maintained Resource Board

[aeromancer]

I mentioned this in the Lounge and @Silk OK'd the thread, so I'm starting this here.

The members of Reading Excuses are quite a diverse bunch. Diverse in a lot of contexts. This thread's context is in terms of skills sets. There's a lot of components to good writing, frankly too much for any one person to do all of it. That being said, this thread is for the various members of RE to post there various skill sets and specialties, offering to help writers with advice on components that make up good stories. In other words, a thread for RE members to offer up their help.

If you have a specialization, like say world-building, character arcs, familiarity with the nuances of sub-genres, linguistics, anything that you've felt help your writing come alive, and you want to help forward this community, post here. Post what you can do, what you're good at, how you might help, and how people can contact you for that help. There's a lot of people on these forums and a lot of skills between us. And even non-forum members, this forum does exist for the whole of the Shard, so feel free to offer help or to ask for it.

I'll try to unofficially curate this list using my topic post, in case the thread gets a bit too cluttered. 

Now, for this to work well, there are going to need to be a set of guidelines, open of course, to suggestions.

• Respect: Common courtesy goes a long way. No one likes their opinion being ignored. When having discussions, please treat other people with the same respect you'd like to be treated with.
• Help is Offered, but not Guaranteed: A lot of us are busy in our spare time. When we post here, we are saying that we'd help, but please understand if people lack the ability to do it urgently.
• Be Realistic: Both ways. As of now, there's no hard caps to anything, but requests should be realistic, as well as offers. Don't offer the moon, and don't ask it.
• Links to Externals: This isn't actively discouraged, but the idea of this thread is to incorporate the human element within these discussions, using interactions. Pointing to a set of online resources is a good start, but it'd be nice if this could be something more.
• Keep It Simple: If we have a nice list of skills, that's very easy to look through. A cluttered list, not as much.

Sample Post:

I'm aeromancer. I specialize in worldbuilding based around hard science or Sanderson's Laws compliant magic systems. In addition, I've made a study of game theory, so I'm always up for discussing games or systems surrounding those. The easiest way to contact me about them is to use the AMA page in my signature or PM me directly.

[shatteredsmooth]

Hi! I'm shatteredsmooth (or just use my actual name, Sara, because I'm bad at this whole use usernames and avatars on the internet thing). I'm always up for talking about the writing and editing process. As a writing teacher, tutor, and fiction writer, it's something I've researched and experimented with. I'm good at helping people figure out what strategies might work for them. 

I have an MA in English with a concentration in Medieval and Renaissance Literature. I've forgotten more about Beowulf than the average person ever wants to know. I used to be able read in Old English. I used to want a PhD in Beowulf studies (surprisingly, I'm content as career adjunct as long as I'm writing and publishing fiction). The knowledge I've retained might be useful if you are looking for feedback on historical fantasy set in medieval or renaissance England. 

I'm also open to discussing non-binary genders and metal illness -- things I have experience with as opposed to an official academic background. 

The best way to reach me is through Twitter DMs. I'm @shatteredsmooth. 

[Severian4Scadrial]

9 minutes ago, shatteredsmooth said:

I've forgotten more about Beowulf than the average person ever wants to know. I used to be able read in Old English. I used to want a PhD in Beowulf studies

NICE

I may be contacting you when my worldbuilding strays north-westwards. There's some Anglo-Saxon types out there about to come marauding, and when I do get there I'd love help making a society like that somewhat realistic (or just with names -- all my "barbarian" names thus far are just ripped out of old Gothic and Frankish royal lists, and they all end with "ric" or "bert!")

[Eagle of the Forest Path]

Hi, I'm Eagle of the Forest Path, but I'll answer to "Eagle" (or even "Hey, you!" in a pinch). I sort of epitomize "Jack of all trades, master of none", so I'm usually good if you want someone to bounce ideas off of, less good if you're looking for pointed knowledge (ready and willing, but hold off on the able until I've read this non-fiction book, and maybe that other one, too).
Like aeromancer, I'm predominantly a world-builder using Sanderson's Laws compliant magic systems, though hard science comes with more difficulty.

I will admit specifically to some skill in the following subjects:

• Heraldry (aka Coats of Arms) - Basic to intermediate knowledge
• Typography - Intermediate knowledge
• Spices - Intermediate knowledge (wide margin of error on this rating)
• Sailing - Notions, trending to basic knowledge (but I've got good people!)
• Languages: English, French, Dutch, some Latin, and a very little bit of Ancient Greek

@Severian4Scadrial: try this link for your naming problems.

[Blessed peace]

Hi, I'm Blessed Peace. If you want to know about Hebrew and/or Jewish stuff (history, traditions, names, really everything) and/or the Middle East.

Feel free to PM me.

[Mandamon]

I guess I should add to this...

I've done a lot of work with Worldbuilding over the years, so I could say I have some experience in that. I also have a good grasp of etymology related to Latin and Greek, which I use to help create a lot of the in-world names and naming conventions I use.

I'm a mechanical engineer, so I know physics and science as well as more esoteric machine operation and construction.
I've practiced martial arts since 2003, and I have a lot of experience with traditional karate, as well as how the human body moves (connected with my mechanical engineering knowledge). I occasionally run panels at cons about how to write/research fight scenes.

Tangentially to writing, I've been on three Writing Excuses cruises, and I've learned a lot about networking for writers and have a large community of fellow writers I know. My spouse and I also run the alumni portion of the WX scholarships for the cruise every year, so if you want any more information on that, let me know.

Coincidentally, they just posted the scholarship entry form for this year:

https://writingexcuses.com/2019/01/16/writing-excuses-retreat-2019-scholarships/

I would HIGHLY recommend anyone who can to either go on the cruise or apply for a scholarship. There are 4 available this year, if you don't have funds to pay for a cruise. I self-published my first book about 6 months after my first cruise, and I now have 5 books self-published and a sixth coming out from a small press later this year. I can 100% say this cruise is the reason I'm writing as much as I am now.

Feel free to PM if you need something.

[Robinski]

I am fifty-two years old (so, I've got a lot of life experience); a chartered civil engineer specialising in transportation for over 30 years (so I have a lot of technical and professional experience in construction, transport planning, development, etc.) and was director and owner (for 10 years, until Christmas!) of an engineering consultancy employing forty-four people (so, I have a lot of experience working with, managing and directing people). I worked for (and continue to consult for) the same company for 32 years (so you may also talk to me about loyalty, commitment and bloodyminded determination - the costs and the benefits ).

I have been writing on and off for over thirty-five years, but seriously and consistently for the last ten. I have completed six novels and a number of short stories, novellas and novelettes; well over a million words written, critiqued, alpha read and edited multiple times. As a white, middle-aged male, the greatest and humblest pleasures in my membership of the Reading Excuses group has been the broadening of my world view thanks to the patience of a particular few of my fellow members. I think I was openminded when I joined, but I cannot calculate the immense value of what I have learned on this forum about diversity, gender and sexuality. It has improved my writing tremendously, and broadened my perspective as a person, I think.

To summarise, I think where I can offer a (hopefully) valuable perspective on the following:

- technical elements, particularly relating to construction and engineering;

- distinctive and interesting character development;

- grammar (because I love grammar and language, and I love that there are rules, and that they make sense and that, if you follow them, your work will just be easier to read,  honestly, it will!)