Thursday, March 20, 2008

A new poll question!

All I can think of - other than that I am doing prayers for church this Sunday - as in Easter Sunday (dun dun dun) a bit of a responsibility - not sure if I can be trusted... I find writing prayers harder than MBT, would you believe it - but otherwise all I can think of is: nominative, vocative, accustative, genitive, dative, ablative - nominative, vocative, accustative, genitive, dative, ablative - nomi...

Oh - and I formulated a new poll question for added Easter fun; just think of it as a little digital chocolate egg... or don't, as you see fit.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

I liked your poll, DM.
I voted for the pistoleer; stylish, classy and full of bravado. Saving damsels in distress wot, wot!
*sigh* I need to get out more. :P

Lankysam.

D.M. Cornish said...

What about saving the distress in damasels?

Femina said...

Man, I'm having Latin flashbacks! Hmmm... vocative. We never learned it separately (since it's the same as the nominative in most cases) so I forget it exists half the time. Dative and ablative gave me nightmares for a while. After 18 months of Latin I felt I finally had my head around the ablative (it's easy, then it's hard for a while, then it makes sense again) and then I started learning Attic Greek - in which there's no ablative. I spent a lot of time saying, "well, I'd put that in the abl--- oh."

Hmmm... I think I'll dust off my Latin books.

Unknown said...

I want to be a coachman. You get all the excitement of running from monsters and hunting monsters, but you also get to meet important people. Or at least, that's how I see it. I'm sure many of the important people in MBT are jerks, but that that only makes it more realistic.

Oh goodness, rant! Sorry,
Angie

D.M. Cornish said...

A most excellent rant!

Anonymous said...

Hi, Ive only just come across your blog today but have been aware of you're writing for a little while. Having an interest in trying to write for the young persons age group myself i frequently go to book shops and check out the children's section, (being a child carer by profession i usualy have a kid of some description in toe so i avoid any weird looks). I first saw your book on shelves back home in Queensland and have been happy to see it on book shelves over here in the UK where i am residing currently. I am finally going to get MBT and read the whole thing, having read a fair amount in my book shop browsings already. What I was interested about was your personal story and also your talent as an illistrator. I wanted to ask this: should i bother trying to draw some of the characters i have thought up, just for my own satisfaction, even though i am a pathetic drawer and would never be able to draw anything exactly like i picture it in my head?
All the best,
Shaun

D.M. Cornish said...

I think, Shaun it is a great help at times to scetch out some concept of your characters, even if is just to clarify some destinctive item or apparel.

Since the drawing is for your eyes only then the quality of the image is irrelevant, the tool iis to your grappling and discovering the character is its role. If is achieves this, then the drawing is most excellent.

I understand the urge to feel like there are wrong or right ways to go about writing a book - I think the only right ways are what ever it takes to get the text out, and the only wrong ones what ever shuts you down. Each writer has their own methods, and surely there would be as many fashions of writing as there are writers.

Write on, draw on - and I hope you like MBT...

H said...

Thank you for your kind advice, Sir. I have been having a go at the ole sketching lark for the last 2-3 hours and it's actually turned out not half bad... still pretty average, but alot better than i thought i could do. The thing i was most chuffed about was the hair, i actually go that almost exactly as i wanted, so i was stoked with that. Thanks again!!
I will let you know how i get on with MBT when i finally get the book.
Shaun

MooseGuy said...

Can I be a pistol-wielding, offensive potive-creating, bandage and goggles-wearing telepath?

It's so hard to choose!

D.M. Cornish said...

It is a pleasure, Shaun.

Be all three in one Mr Mooseguy! Go on, I'll make up a name for it.

MooseGuy said...

Yay!

Anonymous said...

Oh dear, Mr Cornish, you're making me want to pull out my old latin books off the shelf.... again. Ahh, Ecce Romani, how I miss you.

Ferd

Drew said...

I voted for Wit.
Seemed like an interesting way to go through life...
:)
Drew

D.M. Cornish said...

So Drew, and all the other would be wits: would you be a mesmerist or a strivener? (Refer Explicarium inLamplighter for claification - when it is finally released, of course. In the meantime a quick overview:

Mesmerist = subtle controlling, deceiving mind play

Stivener = powerful death dealing frission, precise "looks" of doom.)

Miss you too Ferd - have measurements for suit hire.

Stay tuned Mr Guy-of-Moose, name for

D.M. Cornish said...

... (to finish that last thought) Stay tuned Mr Guy-of-Moose, name for you pistol-wielding, skold-leer is coming.

Just so you know, a wit and skold in one is called a bane.

Anonymous said...

Were you surprised that the wits came out on top? I have to admit, though, that my choice of Fulgar just miiiight have been influenced by my fondness for Europe. *cough*

I'm new to the blog too (hi!), and I'm an embarrassingly massive fan of your work, both writing and illustration.

I thought you might like to know, especially in the light of the occasional review woe, that when my teeny tiny book club (who're all employed in mag publishing down here in Australia) got their hands on a single advance copy of Lamplighter, a huge fight immediately broke out as to who got to read it first.

I lost, but when I finally got hold of it, I completely raced through it, and really, really, really loved it (as did everyone else!).

So after all that gushing, a quick question - do you like to receive fan-art of your characters? I'd be really nervous about trying to draw the characters of a professional illustrator, mind you... but I thought for that reason I'd ask.

Thanks for putting up with all my blather. Heaps of love for your books from over here!

Drew said...

DM-
I'd like to think I'm peaceable enough to be a mesmerist but I suspect I'd end up being a stivener. Things seem to go like that... :)
And wow, are there ever permutations! A bane? Hmm... wonder if such an individual might show up in, say, FACTOTUM?
all best!
Drew

Drew said...

Sorry... strivener. Typos, always typos...

D.M. Cornish said...

Yes Arabel I am a tad surprised wits are so popular, and pistoleers too. I am hoping folks might opt for a scourge after reading Book 2, and some might even not be so keen on wits either (though this did not seem to deter Drew, all those treacles and headaches, ugh! I could not stand it no matter what it let me do... I reckon that might be Rossamund's thinking on it, too, but you'd have to ask him) As to being influenced by the great Branden Rose in your choice of teratologist, well, frankly, she would congratulate on your wisdom and you exceptional taste.

The receiving of fan art is a happy and welcome thing as far as I am concerned - I might even post any that come my way on this li'l ol' blog. If you are wondering where to send it, you'll find my email contact in my profile.

Anonymous said...

Haha, now I'll have to make good on my promise/threat (depending on how the art turns out...) and whip something up for you! That's what happens when my attempts to encourage myself to draw more succeed.

As for wits, I couldn't stand all the treacles and potions and baldness myself, so I think I'm with Rossamund and yourself on that one.

Anonymous said...

hey its giantfan long time no comment with this new poll i couldnt rember what a sagaar was so i had to go get my copy of mbt to check arfter reading it i decided i would like to be one just some question what are the diffrent styles of the saggaars and why they and lazars dont get along so well i know it sort of goes against the Explicarium but could i also be a scourge the scold type and hunt monsters while hunting for the perpetual dance?

giantfan

MooseGuy said...

No no no!

Pistol-wielding SCOURGE-leer, not skold-leer!Also, some stivener abilities would be cool...

Man, I'm like a MBT professions-glutton.

Are there any Heroes fans here?
Maybe I can be like Sylar (for those of you who don't know: I would eat people's brains to steal their abilities/talents)...

Anonymous said...

Can I be a rhubezhal with a penchant for pistols?

D.M. Cornish said...

You certainly can, go right ahead...