# One of the few places liars are tolerated



## Plasticweld (Mar 16, 2014)

Of coarse I am new to the forum, taking a break from working on a short story and looking for an excuse to let my mind breath. I am not a writer, I wish I were. I managed to gradate at the very bottom of my class from what is considered a good school. While the craft of writing and actually using the written word is rough on my part, I do fancy myself a story teller. While some here; from what I have read can, use some pretty imitative adjectives. I strive for an economy of words that sets the tone or gives you the vision without overdoing it.  Please pardon my lack of proper punctuation, or sometimes even the most common forms of proper grammar.  I am just personally elated that there is an auto spell check that makes me appear as though I am somewhat literate.


I have often wonder why in the same society we both honor the liar in one segment of society while condemning him in the next. Take your average story teller who can put his wildest fantasies on paper and in book form. We make them someone to look up to and respect. For someone who has mastered the art of story telling around the office or at a social gathering they are looked down on. Tell a good story on the witness stand and go to jail.  Good fiction like good stories always mimic the truth I do the best I can to blur the lines of both.  Your thoughts   Bob


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## Gavrushka (Mar 16, 2014)

Welcome to WritingForums, plasticweld, and I've news for you; you _are_ a writer!

In this community there are people of all abilities, and we're all evolving with each new word we commit to paper or screen. - Grammar and spelling will come, and your story telling will be all the better as a result. It takes time, and I'm five years down the road to literary competence, and there's still quite a trek in front of me. - But it's an awesome and enjoyable journey and, contrary to what many people may feel, the life of a writer is not solitary, as sites like this prove.

Yes, we venerate the liar who creates a fictional world for us to enjoy, but it is a lie we expect and accept for it is the best weapon a creative mind possesses. - The difference with those who utter fictional words on the witness stand, is they are designed to be portrayed as a truth, with a real-world impact on the lives of others, or themselves. - A creative mind, misdirected, is a dangerous thing.

There's a couple of links to site resources in my sig, so feel free to check them out, but feel free to ask questions too. - When you've made ten posts, you'll be able to start a thread featuring an excerpt of your own work if you so desire.

Whatever you decide to do, have fun doing it.


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## Nickleby (Mar 16, 2014)

[h=2]"One of the few places liars are tolerated"
[/h]as opposed to legislative bodies, where lying is outright encouraged....

I don't consider creative writing to be lying as such. It doesn't present itself as factual, and any lessons you take from it, you should consider false until proved true in your own experience.

Welcome to Writing Forums.


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## Plasticweld (Mar 16, 2014)

I have to ask? If my reality is not yours, does it make me a liar? The best stories I have ever read have sucked me in with the premise that they were true. All of the real dangerous people in history as Gavrushka suggest are creative liars or as Nickelby suggests politicians. I am working on a story that intentionally miss leads the reader. I am trying to fabricate in the eyes of the teller, a villain which is a villain only in his eyes; not in reality. I pose the question trying to figure out how to walk the line between truth to the reader, truth to the character. Looking back at history I am trying to find the type of villain who scared  us the most and why.


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## A_Jones (Mar 16, 2014)

Plasticweld said:


> Of coarse I am new to the forum, taking a break from working on a short story and looking for an excuse to let my mind breath. I am not a writer, I wish I were. I managed to gradate at the very bottom of my class from what is considered a good school. While the craft of writing and actually using the written word is rough on my part, I do fancy myself a story teller. While some here; from what I have read can, use some pretty imitative adjectives. I strive for an economy of words that sets the tone or gives you the vision without overdoing it.  Please pardon my lack of proper punctuation, or sometimes even the most common forms of proper grammar.  I am just personally elated that there is an auto spell check that makes me appear as though I am somewhat literate.
> 
> 
> I have often wonder why in the same society we both honor the liar in one segment of society while condemning him in the next. Take your average story teller who can put his wildest fantasies on paper and in book form. We make them someone to look up to and respect. For someone who has mastered the art of story telling around the office or at a social gathering they are looked down on. Tell a good story on the witness stand and go to jail.  Good fiction like good stories always mimic the truth I do the best I can to blur the lines of both.  Your thoughts   Bob



Dude....... .... Dude.... how aren't you a writer?   Look at your introduction.   I mean is the lying you are referencing not actually your second paragraph but the fact that you said you are not a writer, but you are??  Im so confused now. 

Ok so you graduated low, if that is indeed true then here is the opinion of a 3.5 gpa BA English grad of what you just wrote.  
"I strive for an economy of words that sets the tone or gives you the vision..."  Words man, words.  They are beautiful.  They are thoughts strung into image.  And there are images that work well and images that dont.  Its all about making thoughts as pretty as we can.  And you introduced yourself quite eloquently. "Economy of words"  exactly.  Exactly!


How are you not a writer?

There, my friend, is the lie.


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## Plasticweld (Mar 16, 2014)

Very astute of you A Jones did you pick up on the miss spelling of the word graduate. Kind of adds emphasis. I can not post a story until I have ten posts yet I did   Thanks for the warm welcome to the site


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## A_Jones (Mar 16, 2014)

HAHA I called it.  You cant pull the 'I cant write' with me.  Haha.  liar!


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## thepancreas11 (Mar 17, 2014)

Dear Plasticweld,

Do you have a passion for writing? Are you willing to put in the time, reading, critiquing, and having your pieces critiqued in return? If you answered "yes" to both questions, then, you're a good writer in the making at the very least. You've made the effort to come here, haven't you? That's the kind of determination you're going to need going forward. I've heard a phrase tossed around forums and twitter that goes something like this: "There's a word for persistent writers: Published." Just keep plugging away.

I've also heard a quote out there that says, "Fiction is truer than fact." Now, I might have taken that from a yahoo answers post (at least I think that's where I got it), but I am a firm believer in that little phrase. There's nothing that strips humanity more bare, nothing that exposes human nature and the realities of the world than good fiction, not even history books. It's not so much a lie as it is a bent truth.

Toodles!
thepancreas


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## Grizzly (Mar 17, 2014)

Well, literature is known as "truthful lies."
Anyway, welcome to the forum. I'm Griz, pleased to meet you. Hope you like it here!


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## J Anfinson (Mar 17, 2014)

Ah, but see there's a difference. As a reader I ask--no, beg to be lied to. I'd use a book for a doorstop if it was the boring old truth without any bells and whistles. Not that a good yarn can't have elements of truth within, but it's a whole lot more entertaining if I'm taken for a wild ride and you let me decide what truths to take from it.

Welcome to WF.


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## Blade (Mar 18, 2014)

:hi:Welcome to the forums.

All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they actually happened and after you have finished reading one you feel that it all happened to you and after which it all belongs to you.

Ernest Hemingway.


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## PiP (Mar 18, 2014)

Welcome, Plastic. I'm sure you'll blend in with our creative community just fine


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## Greimour (Mar 18, 2014)

Welcome to the forums Pweld.

Your statement; 'I am not a writer' made me smile. I was thinking the same thing about myself recently. I lost passion for it a while ago due to certain circumstances, but as the passion reignited recently, I found myself no longer able to visit my 'happy place' and see the images to convert into words. For this reason, I opened a word document and wrote:

"I am not a writer."

I stared at those words for several minutes before continuing:

*I am not a writer,* he finally typed after becoming frustrated with the repeated blinking of the accursed insertion point cursor. Though now its incessant blinking followed a statement, it did not alleviate any of the insurmountable stress of an impeding deadline. Staring as he did at the existence of the one sentence he'd always feared, his mind began to clear and at last, a smile twitched the corners of his lips.
*I am not a writer, to be sure, but... at the end of this - perhaps I will at least have the courage to try my hand at becoming one.*
Finally he smiled. Keeping the statement as a header of his page. 
All undue stress gone his imagination relented, unlocking a world beneath his fingertips. There may only be a week until a first draft had to be submitted, but no longer did the task daunt every waking minute. The story had begun!

And so that is how I found my happy place again. Though I am struggling with different aspects of writing from before, I expect that perseverance will eventually pay off. 

Oh, there is no deadline either, I just wrote that because I was entering imagination/creativity mode. 
There is something else too.. the moment you *write* : "I am not a writer" the statement immediately becomes obsolete. That is my opinion. Telling a story makes you a story teller, writing makes you a writer. Writing a story potentially makes you an Author... but as long as you write then a writer you be 


Greimour.


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## Plasticweld (Mar 18, 2014)

Thanks for the input. I am surprised that I already recognize some of you from your writings already. I am an avid reader for someone who can not spell or use those fancy little dots that are supposed to be pauses and quotes.  I remember reading something from Stephen King; in one of his interviews that always stuck when asked a fan who was a would be writer, what the key to success was. " Writers Write" Stephen replied. I pretty much fall into that category, I do just write. For many years I ran a business that depended on me convincing would be customers over the internet that we were the company they wanted to use and that we could be trusted. No easy task over the internet. I have found that people turn you on or off in the blink of an eye, they determine right away if you are down to earth or not. The wrong impression is triggered with just one wrong sentence. I have spent some time here reading and have clicked on many of the posts in different sections to get an idea of some of the writing styles and topics. I started my intro in this section with the announcement that I am not a writer but a story teller. After reading many stories here I am amazed at those that have the mechanics down but not the story. There were two many that after the first paragraph had me asking "Who Cares" concerning what I was reading. While I would love to be a good writer I would much preferably be  a great story teller. One aspect of this site that excites me is that it is one of the few places where you can tell a story, read a story. Most of the places where you can visit such as Facebook or other social media sites there is an abundance of people who cut and paste, forward or manage one or two sentences. I have grown weary of such sites and am looking forward to honing my skills, observing how it is done and not done by others. Looking foreword to reading some of the stories from each of you that have welcomed me here. Bob


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## W.Goepner (Mar 18, 2014)

Plasticweld,
I Love it! I have the undisputed honor of meeting a fellow Misdirected word user as my self. No disrespect meant. Of course the course of action should not be confused with the coarseness of sandpaper as I so often do myself. Please do not take my critique as bad criticism. I too constantly rely on the auto spell checker and find myself wishing for a grammar fixer that can tell me, "Which made, maid the bed so I can make it up to them." (LOL Yes I intentionally did that.) Some times I see things quite comical and in such tend to offend. I hope I avoided that this time.

In truth I enjoy the honesty of a fellow writer, that can see their own mistakes and make those mistakes work for them. I through rereading my own 370 page writing five times. Have found errors that would make any one of my English teachers, Die of shame if not turn over in their graves and... Well use your imagination. 

In interest of your comment of the liars. How can I put this??? A good work of fiction will bring the viewers, readers, and listeners into a world of such imagining that they might be ashamed of themselves for it. Why! Because, simply, it can arouse the feelings of reality and focus them into the body. A quickening of the heart when the unknown approaches from behind. The quickening of the breath as the object of their fears face them. Or the peace and tranquil feeling of the touch from a mother or father that consols the errant child which became lost in the crowd. Lies or truth. Fact or fiction. They are the writers gift of words.


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## W.Goepner (Mar 18, 2014)

Blade said:


> :hi:Welcome to the forums.
> 
> All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they actually happened and after you have finished reading one you feel that it all happened to you and after which it all belongs to you.
> 
> Ernest Hemingway.



Hey Blade. I never knew Hemingway said that but I am glad he did. Thank you for the quote. It helps.


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## Plasticweld (Mar 19, 2014)

W.Goepner We may be of kindred spirit!  I was told by an English teacher in high school that kids who can not spell are often far more creative than those that can spell. Her reasoning was this. Someone who can spell, choses the word and goes on with the thought. Someone who can not spell a word often has to rewrite the sentence using a word they can spell. This process of figuring out how to express your thoughts using only limited vocabulary; aid in creative way you express yourself.   

In this society we heap tons of un-deserved respect on actors who are experts liars . A good actor creates his own reality, his own set of truths that are true to the character. What is real is sometimes not even important.  When was the last time you heard of some celebrity waying in  on  topic like they had some expertise in it because they played the role in  a film. Why would we even listen to someone who makes a living bending and distorting the truth. We do because we love to be lied to. 


I love to tell a story that is so close to the truth that it is hard to discern where the fact and the fiction blend in and out of each other and are impossible to separate. I  learned a long time ago a white lie is far more harmful and deceptive than an out right lie. A shade of the truth deceives more than a bold face lie. I will go for deception every time as a writer if I can get away with it. Anyone here can be a journalist, you just have to write the truth. It maybe a way to make a dollar as a writer but is certainly not anywhere and much fun as being deceptive


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## Yfig (Mar 19, 2014)

Hi Plastic liar 
Have you heard of the house of lies ?
It is somewhere on this forum .... you'll probably find some room for you in it !


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## Kepharel (Mar 19, 2014)

I always considered the test of lying was to promote a deceit with the intention of misleading; to hide the truth.  Making things up so that other parties, in full knowledge of the fiction, are thereby entertained is why writers are tolerated.


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## Blade (Mar 19, 2014)

Yfig said:


> Hi Plastic liar
> Have you heard of the house of lies ?
> It is somewhere on this forum .... you'll probably find some room for you in it !



Here: http://www.writingforums.com/thread...y-second-short-story)?highlight=house+of+lies


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## Yfig (Mar 19, 2014)

Blade said:


> Here: http://www.writingforums.com/thread...y-second-short-story)?highlight=house+of+lies



I was effectively thinking to this one and also to a more virtual one where all liars are taking some good time lying to themselves


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## Blade (Mar 19, 2014)

Another angle on this. There is a quote from Nietzsche that goes, "Convictions are a greater enemy of the truth than lies." The point being that something that is held to be true, a conviction, if not so will contaminate your thought processes and ultimately your whole world view. A lie on the other hand is external and can be found out, or in the case of fiction, assumed.:tranquillity:


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## Plasticweld (Mar 20, 2014)

I am off to the house of lies "Yeah that's it"   In my best Jon Lovits impression.Thanks for the link.

 I am still figuring where in the forum I fit in, I write a lot of political satire, biographical stuff, with some fiction once in awhile. Currently working on a fiction piece that is of course just a shade away from the truth. Doing the best I can to fool the reader in to assuming things to make the ending all come together


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## Pandora (Mar 20, 2014)

Welcome, storyteller, I love a good tale, looking forward to yours, Plasticweld.


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## IvyRuth (Dec 20, 2014)

Focusing on lying and story telling...

It makes no difference to the story, and generally to the natural story teller if it was a bus or a truck that barreled down the street smashing cars and scaring old ladies wearing pink lace uunderware. Its the drama that counts. The people that call this omission of attention to getting the facts correct have little care for good story crafting. Generally they prefer to point out the factual flaws than focus on the emotions and fun. 

But while sustaining that type personality, I must be cautious in my storytelling to alway , every single last time beviligent to tell the real truth when telling the human reaction to that careening wild buffalo coming down the street. 

We have to be liars to weave a good story with the right amount of exaggeration and emphasis. We have to be scrupulous in detailing the human condition. 

For example: "With sweat, suntan lotion and sand in her eyes the overweight housewife continued to pump out push ups."  

This is the basic opening line of a book. It is bullpucky. A navy seal or army green beret or Rocky Balboa might continue doing push ups with sand in his eyes.  I wouldn't. It hurts! Neither would a normal housewife.  From the opening line of the book I didn't trust the author. 

Guess what? The overall book suffered from a general lack of credibility. 

Faster then light FTL is cool. Not real so therefore a lie, but cool. What happens during the trip is where the truth, or the feeling of truth is needed.


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## Deleted member 56686 (Dec 21, 2014)

Howdy Plasticweld.

Well since you're introductory thread has been reawakened let me not be the first to welcome you to the forums. :hi:

Once you get ten posts outside of word games and procrastination central you will be able to post your own creative works as well as choose your own avatar and signature.

So.... Oh I see you already have ten posts :scratch:. Okay then you can... You have an avatar? man you work quick. And a signature too? Who are you? :grin:

So I guess you've already posted your own stories too? Oh I see you have a hundred of them. :-k

Hey.... wait a minute..... you'e not be. You've been here longer than me :santa:

Oh well, welcome to the forums :grin:


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## Plasticweld (Dec 21, 2014)

You are way too funny!!!

I just set my time machine back 8 months, that is the other option to waiting to post and up date your avatar.  I think in all fairness you could mention this to the new members.

It is going to be very obvious to everyone that you also used your time machine, how else did someone who joined 4 months after me have more posts?


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## Deleted member 56686 (Dec 21, 2014)

I saw this in the activity screen and thought what the... :rofl:


I couldn't resist


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## Plasticweld (Dec 21, 2014)

mrmustard615 said:


> I saw this in the activity screen and thought what the... :rofl:
> 
> 
> I couldn't resist



Kind of like looking back on the first day of school.  A mix of warm memoires and "Did I really say that,"  It also makes me appreciate all the members here for the help I have received.  It should also be an inspiration to new members, that if the membership will help an old goof ball like me, they will help anyone.  I also look back at the introduction and realize that all those warm welcomes and the kind words were not just cheap talk, but that all of those members who offered help, offer to read and critique my work where all men and woman of their word.  None of it was cheap or causal talk; they also became friends along the way.  Something that is truly rare now days and one of things that makes the forum so special.


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