Although I'm extremely new, it wasn't hard to notice how...busy...this chamber is. I decided why not spark it by asking simply: What is everyone reading or working on at the moment or not so long ago?

I figure it's another good way to get some of my own basics out too.

I finally read Vonnegut after countless suggestions. Honestly I have no idea why I avoided his title Slaughterhouse Five if not some inner rebellion toward what's deemed popular. I don't know if I really do that though, so I'm still clueless about the avoidance. With all that said I believe it was as brilliant as it was hyped up to be. I enjoyed his casual developments and killings. I found that the smoothness of his delivery gave an aura of "whatever" in a method entirely his own. This made everything alarming and intriguing. I'll even go on to say it was one of the best I've ever read.

As far as things I'm working on? I like to write haikus on occasion . I'll give you all one about how I feel right now.

Yes, the coffee's good
and my visions are coming
Well...eventually

I'd have more, but...you see.

Welcome Lemurific. Vonnegut has been one of my favorite writers for many years. Even after his passing I was pleasantly surprised to find that two (so far) collections of previously unpublished short stories, Bagombo Snuff Box and Armageddon In Retrospect.

In Bagombo, he offered his eight rules os short story writing:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.
2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.
3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.
4. Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.
5. Start as close to the end as possible.
6. Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.
7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.
8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

My wife and I are addicted to the George R.R, Martin series A Song of Ice and Fire that the HBO series Game of Thrones (the title of the first book) is based on. We enjoy the series but the books are so much better. I've begun an appreciation of Elmore Leonard. I've read just about everything by Stephen King including the Dark Tower series. I'm hoping J.J. Connolly comes out with a third book before too long. I also enjoy some non-fiction such as by David McCullough and Richard Dawkins.