The WC Book Club : Forum : Member intros


Member intros

10 Years Ago


See Group summary.

Re: Member intros (Epipsychologist)

10 Years Ago


Hey group.

I'm an English and Psychology major at my college, as well as head of the English Club. I've been published in my college's literary magazine and look forward to being published in an upcoming issue of a Philadelphia literary magazine, but as I'm still awaiting specifics, I won't mention which (I don't want to jinx it).

My all-time favorite authors/poets are Aldous Huxley, Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter S. Thompson, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Lord Byron, and Percy Bysshe Shelley, but I also like watching  T.V. and movies from a writer's perspective. Judd Apatow and Joss Whedon are obviously brilliant, but show like Adventure Time, Scrubs, and New Girl also catch my eye as valuable texts that we as writers can learn from.

Lastly, I would say that if I have a mission as a writer, it is to call into question the notion that everyone deserves to be heard, that all perspectives are equally beautiful and entertaining. This article essentially argues that a writer does not have to have an interesting life. The way I see it, interesting people have interesting lives, and there is enough going on in the world that I shouldn't have to sit through Virginia Woolf's dinner parties to enjoy sex and murder with Huxley (sorry to Woolf fans).

I will bring to the table a psychology perspective along with empirical romantic truths forged in the violence of my own beating heart.

Re: Member intros

10 Years Ago


Woah, well thanks for being one of the maybe two people that are actually taking this club seriously. 

Re: Member intros

10 Years Ago


13 members and only one person has introduced his or herself? Honestly?

Re: Member intros

10 Years Ago


Originally posted by Christoph Sal
13 members and only one person has introduced his or herself? Honestly?

This is pissing me off.

You invite a whole bunch of people into a "book club", present us, the new members, with a tight schedule of "group book discussions" about your favourite books, and then expect us - the invited members - to read everything, be interested like never before, just because it's got a fancy name or something?

For my member intro, I hate H.P. Lovecraft's guts(just getting that out of the way). I'm an amateur writer. I read some, not so much now that I have school, and mostly only what I can latch my sticky fingers on: Wilde, Orwell(in finnish), some horror books like House of Leaves (by Danielewski) and some other stuff.

You obviously put in a lot of effort for this. I'm just not sure why.

Re: Member intros

10 Years Ago


This bullshit normally wouldn't fly well with me (You know you can decline an invitation? What, did you accept without even reading the guidelines and looking at the schedule first? Doesn't that sound a bit sensible? Do you go to vegan dinner parties and expect to be served ribeye?). 

A) It's not necessarily my favorite book; it's just a book for discussion; my intent is to just start the club off with something easily accessible. 

B) Read everything? It's 3 pages. 

C) Book Club is a fancy name? Ok.

D) This is probably the first time you've ever read him, but that's subjective. 

E) I put a lot of effort because I want it to work. 



This is pissing me off. 

You invite a whole bunch of people into a "book club", present us, the new members, with a tight schedule of "group book discussions" about your favourite books, and then expect us - the invited members - to read everything, be interested like never before, just because it's got a fancy name or something?

For my member intro, I hate H.P. Lovecraft's guts(just getting that out of the way). I'm an amateur writer. I read some, not so much now that I have school, and mostly only what I can latch my sticky fingers on: Wilde, Orwell(in finnish), some horror books like House of Leaves (by Danielewski) and some other stuff.

You obviously put in a lot of effort for this. I'm just not sure why.
 

Re: Member intros

10 Years Ago


I just came over here to decline the invitation I received to join this club. The idea seems nice enough, but in practice it's doomed to fail. The admin of this group is obviously someone with a handful of hours of spare time a day, a luxury I cannot afford, being a Masters student in Engineering. Furthermore, after carefully reading the group's summary/guidelines, I feel that the schedules are unnervingly tight, and little flexible, and that the admin expects us to go out of our way to make this work for him, no doubt to obtain some self-gratification. Without further a-do, goodbye.

Pr.

P.S.: I actually love H.P. Lovecraft, I'm just not comfortable having plus homework on the top of the one I already have to turn in for college.

Re: Member intros

10 Years Ago


Then don't join, simple as that. Why you're still in the group I have no idea. Obviously you need to devote some time to the group, just like you would need to devote time to any other group or community you join in life. I picked you in particular because I'm amazed at your grasp of the English language. 

And, um, no? I don't have a luxuriant amount of time; I just don't procrastinate and get all my school-work done early (plus, I do have a job), and then enjoy reading in my free-time, which amounts to maybe one hour every night. The reading we're discussing today is just section 1, which would've taken you maybe 20-25 minutes to get through; and that's if you read very deliberately. 

I'd like to let you know that there is no other group of this ilk on this website. None. And the schedule IS flexible, I already helped another member out. I'm willing to make concessions so as to properly accommodate everyone.

You probably could've gotten half the reading done in the time it took you to compose the above post.   

Also, regarding your last point, I'm not doing this for any self-gratification. I'm trying to make this an intellectually stimulating community for everyone, as analyses of themes and diction and tone (which the discussions are going to be on) benefit everyone and improve literary awareness; we will be discussing techniques we can implement and use in our own writings and further endeavors. 

To reiterate, I'm willing to overhaul the schedule.  

PS. You don't have to refer to me as the "admin," you can speak directly to me. What, do you think I'm some Big Brother-type figure? 

Also, since several people have voiced complaints, I do see that the schedule is unreasonable. You'll just have to wait until the next book; for our next reading I'm going to be taking everyone into account and structuring the schedule in a way that everyone is able to get the reading done and there is ample time for discussion. I'm sorry. 

The group is going to continue with the Lovecraft reading for this month, since several members have already done it; you and others who can't get it done are excused. Or, maybe, what if I fix the current schedule? Can you send me a message outlining the type of schedule you'll find most auspicious and suitable? 

In effect, I'm trying to show that I'm not some totalitarian dictator, that I actually want for the group to succeed, that I care and WILL acknowledge the concerns of all members.