Articles written by Elton Gahr - Page 2

What is Helium

About me - Elton Gahr

I have known that I wanted to write for a living since I started High School and have spend the last decade attempting to do just that. At the same time I have struggled with moderate jobs and given up a lot to follow a dream.

A few months ago I got fed up

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Arts & Humanities > Arts & Humanities (Other) Is artistic skill natural or learned?: 5 of 109
We all know people that show a natural talent. Athletes who are always just one step ahead of the others. We take classes with people who understand everything a little faster than everyone else, and artists who create beauty out of nothing. Yet it is not that simple. So what is the nature of talent? Can we rely on it? Can we... More..
Hobbies & Games > Hobbies & Games (Other) Dumpster diving: An introduction to the hobby: 1 of 20
When I was a kid I always looked forward to the days when we would take trash out to the big green dumpsters. In Montana there would be places along the road with twenty or thirty of the huge green metal boxes where those who lived in the country could drop their trash. We would fill the trunk of the car with junk and then dr... More..
Hobbies & Games > Role Playing & War Games Understanding the appeal of Dungeons & Dragons: 1 of 20
Over the last twenty five years Dungeons and Dragons has slowly grown from a marginalized hobby that come out of wargamming into a major hobby which has spawned hundreds of other pen and paper role playing games as well as many computer role playing games but still after all that time there is something special about Dungeons... More..
Arts & Humanities > Thoughts on Writing Giving birth to fictional characters: 1 of 19
One of the stranger bits of being a writer is how attached you can become to people who don't actually exist. This is a vital tool for the writer, but there are also pitfalls to having your character become your friends and children. This birth of characters is a useful way to examine some great ways to create interesting cha... More..
Arts & Humanities > Ethics Is committing suicide wrong: 6 of 108
Before you can discuss the morality of suicide, you have to understand the mentality of someone who chooses it. Humans by basic nature protect their own life. This means that a mentally healthy person is generally unable to commit suicide. What this means is that, no matter what the morality or laws of suicide are our basic n... More..
Arts & Humanities > Writing Tips How to critique a short story in an online writing group: 1 of 18
Being good at critiquing is a skill and one that takes practice. No one is natural good at looking at a piece of written work and seeing how it fits together and how it can be improved, but there are ways to become better faster. The three things that will start you on the road to being truly useful are to understand what cri... More..
Arts & Humanities > Writing Tips What every writer should know: 1 of 17
There are thousands of books on writing that cover thousands of different topics and opinions but when it comes to being a writer there are only a few basic things that the writer really needs to know, the rest is opinion. These range from the most basic fundamentals of writing to some of the most important things in life.The... More..
Arts & Humanities > Thoughts on Writing Becoming a better writer: 2 of 33
Writing is a competitive environment, more so when you are trying to make money, but in the end the best writers aren't the ones who think about how to best others writers but how to best themselves. Learning to become a better writer, to be competitive with yourself is something that every writer wants but often they don't k... More..
Hobbies & Games > Role Playing & War Games Which is better: Online roleplaying games or tabletop roleplaying games?: 2 of 32
I enjoy on-line games, and have played more than my share of them. From Everquests to World of Warcraft and Warhammer on-line and they are fun, but no matter how much I have enjoyed them I have never once felt any desire to turn down a chance to play a tabletop game in order to play on-line.The most basic reason for t his is ... More..
Arts & Humanities > Writing (Other) Writing: Gift or curse? A glance at the ups and downs: 4 of 63
Many of the best writing books I have read started with what I have decided is the first rule of writing. "If you can imagine yourself doing anything else don't even consider a career in writing.". This may seem harsh or perhaps an attempt to keep out as much competition as possible, but it's excellent advice for many more th... More..