I write like...

[Kali]

I'm kinda wondering what it all means.  A piece heavy with dialogue came back as James Joyce.  One of mostly action and short-ish paragraphs came back Stephen King.  One about a nightmare with longer, more descriptive paragraphs came back as Chuck Palahniuk.  So I dunno what the heck they're using as their basis for comparison.

Edit:  We're not the only confused ones.  Here's a link to an AP article about the site.  tl;dr?  It says it bases things on word choice.

[arianne]

Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen King.

I wonder if it's sentence length they look for?

I just tried this with Lord of the Rings and It (Stephen King). Both came out correct. However, using Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol came up as James Joyce. So I guess Dan Brown writes like James Joyce. Huh. Who knew?

Entering the opening paragraphs of Storm Front yielded Billy Shakespeare. Someone should tell JB!

[tiny[but]fierce]

Entering the opening paragraphs of Storm Front yielded Billy Shakespeare. Someone should tell JB!

Niiiiiice!!!! That's so cool, lol!

[Vash the white]

Stephen king, J.k Rowling, and Dan brown

[jeno]

Heads up, guys and gals - it's a scam. 

From Jim MacDonald at Making Light

So I went to the I Write Like site, subject of the post just below, and entered this text:

    asdp0o pvpm eropms spe pebps.

And it told me I write like James Joyce.

Not even trying? Not even rational! Therefore, I asked myself, what’s the scam? So I looked at the rest of the text on the results page:

    Great job! Do you want to get your book published?

    “I have personally read through thousands of book proposals in my career as a publisher and agent. I know what these professionals are looking for—and what they are not looking for.”
    — Michael Hyatt, Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers.

    Learn how to secure a book publishing contract!

That little bit includes two links, both to the same page: http://michaelhyatt.com/products/ebook-writing-a-winning-book-proposal

Yep, it’s SEO. And they’re using social engineering to get those links wide-spread and high in the Google stats. Helpful little cut-n-paste code to put in your blog!

But wait! There’s more!

Go over to that advertised page, and you’ll find a pair of $19.97 e-books by the above-said and afore-mentioned Michael Hyatt. These books promise to tell you such insider secrets as how to “avoid the three items you should NEVER include in a fiction book proposal.” Wow, I can’t wait to find out.

So, who’s Michael Hyatt, and what is Thomas Nelson?

Do you all recall Harlequin, and their recent dip in the vanity pool? Harlequin wasn’t the first or the only formerly-legitimate publisher to go down that road with Author Solutions. No, that honor goes to Thomas Nelson. But, since Thomas Nelson is a “Christian Publisher,” no one noticed at the time. Indeed, Thomas Nelson’s journey to the dark side is even sleazier than Harlequin’s. While Harlequin created a new imprint, “Harlequin Horizons,” as their vanity brand, Thomas Nelson used the name of an existing and formerly legitimate imprint, WestBow, for theirs. Thus, anyone checking up on the publisher’s name before submitting would find a long history of reasonably-selling books by known authors.

This “I Write Like” site isn’t remotely legitimate. No, they aren’t trying; or, anyway, they aren’t trying to analyze writing samples: They’re trying to lure newbie authors to the rocks and shoals of vanity publication.

eta: if you still want to use it without the SEO code, just pull out this line - < a href = " http :// iwl DOT me " style = " color : # 333 ; background: # FFFFE0 " > < b > Analyze your writing!< / b >< / a > - at the bottom.

[arianne]

I still think it's a good gimmick to show-off to friends. As long as you tell them to ignore the ads (which most of us pretty much do anyway).

What's wrong with getting a boost from a computer telling you you write like Dan Brown? 

[Enjorous]

David Foster Wallace, H.P. Lovecraft, Stephen King...

and...

...
...
...
...
...
Stephanie Meyers...I may go kill myself now

[tiny[but]fierce]

Stephanie Meyers...I may go kill myself now

Cue the "Psycho" theme music. Yeesh.

[Vash the white]

umm, for fun, i typed it my poo and a bunch of swear phrases, and apparently i write like Stephen king

[Starbeam]

Well, he does use a lot of cusswords.

[Vash the white]

yeah, the old lady in duma key....

[Biffy Pyro]

apparently i write like

Vladimir Nabokov and edgar allan poe

[Ink Slinger]

so even knowing it's a scam...I wanted to see what random authors they'd come up with and I got...

Cory Doctorow (who? *goes to look up*)
Dan Brown
James Joyce

[Chiroptera]

I gave it a paragraph from an old biogeography report and got H.P. Lovecraft.   

[Starbeam]

Well, that seems fitting.