Are there any writers on here?

by PaulJ 31 Replies latest social entertainment

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  PaulJ

  The exercise was to write a page (notebook paper) on each of the following subjects-

  1. Garden Furniture

  2. Marilyn Monroe

  3. The Earth's Core

  4. Eagles

  5. Fireworks

  It takes about 5 minutes or so to write each one. The idea is to just go with whatever comes into your mind, even if it goes off at a tangent. One of the points it made was that if you allow go with your instincts, you will probably write memories or common associations eg. "Happy Birthday Mr President!" but you should find something there that will generally suprise you. It worked for me.
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  jgnat

  • Write daily.
  • All great art starts as firsts drafts that nobody sees.
  • Don't expect perfection on first go, you can refine later.
  • Great art, like great writing, pulls the observer in for the fascinating detail, then back for the overall effect. There is contrast and movement, laughter and tears.
  • Writing is lonely. Take time to get out among the living, because life inspires.
  • It is very hard to get published. Be persistent.
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  PaulJ

  Thanks Bryan and jgnat!

  I'm working thru a creative writing course book called "The Creative Writing Coursebook" By Julia Bell and Paul Magrs. The first thing they say is to write as much as possible even if its nonsense, so I'm doing just that.

  Thanks for the advice!

  PaulJ
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  fairchild

  There will be a book coming out this fall ("any day now" -- it's like waiting for freaking Armageddon!)

  LMAO, I SO know the feeling!!

  Hi Paul,

  Yes, I am working on my second book. In my humble opinion, there are two important things needed in order to write successfully. One is passion, the other is knowledge. Thanks to the internet, there are many places where you can learn more about the writing technique, hundreds of websites offer free critiques, but make sure you don't end up on fluff sites, where people will drool over anything you write. You don't need that. Find some sites where you can get honest critique on your writings.

  To me, writing is a way of living. I go to bed with it and I wake up with it. Or worse, when I am in the middle of writing something, I often forget to eat or sleep. Gosh, I've forgotten to go to work at times.

  With new publishing techniques developing, it has become easier for a writer to get published, but being published is not a synonym for being successful. Not many writers become successful enough to make a living out of the books they sell. Truth is, it are the publishers who make the money on our books, not us. I'll make between 50 cents and a dollar on each book sold, and this is with 60% royalties, depending on where someone buys a book (on line, book store, etc..) Once they subtract book store reductions and printing costs, there isn't much left to base the royalties on.

  A good piece of advice someone gave me once.. ask yourself.. "Why do I want to write?" If the answer is "Because I want to get published", then put your pen away. But if the answer is "Because I can't imagine not writing", then keep going, by all means.

  Writing is a good thing. It is a great hobby and can be a fine form of art. As your passion grows, prepare to give up a lot of other things, because writing takes time and effort.

  Good luck, and feel free to pm me with any questions.

  Chris
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  tall penguin

  I've been writing since I was about 8. I have a huge Rubbermaid container full of my writing, most of which has never seen the light of day. I write poetry and non-fiction vignettes from my life. In High School I won various writing awards. I actually took a children's writing course at one time. It's something I'd like to pursue in the future.
  I like to do "free writes." Writing without any agenda. Just writing on whatever comes to my mind. It's amazing some of the stuff that comes out of that process.
  tp
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  Terry

  
  I write.

  My wife and I took a writing class, but, I can't say that it was of any benefit whatsoever.

  You see, I think writing is the same as thinking; either you think clearly and artistically or you don't. Your writing follows your thinking.

  A non-artistic thinking person who tries to write artistically will resort to artifice instead of the natural expression. On the other hand, an

  artistic person who applies themselves to writing straight-ahead prose may find an imbalance toward emotionalism.

  There is no concrete axiom here.

  How you think is really the issue.

  What is your epistemology? What do you know and how do you know it? Your personal philosophy is the frame for everything you write.

  Art is about the effect on the audience, the viewer, the listener on the one side, and, about the expression of the point of view of the artist on the other.

  The two will hardly ever coincide! Why? We are what we are. We are who we are. Our nature is to be. It is our discovery process that informs US what that nature is. Should our nature turn out to be artistic, and yet, we are inarticulate in our thinking---the strenuous blockage will dominate the process of self-expression because we lack clarity.

  History is littered with damaged artists whose "self" was inarticulate. The pain of the creative process came from self-medicating that block and that pain. Alcohol, drugs, sex, destructive behavior in artists is a result of the imbalance between knowing what you are and expressing it accurately.

  I think so many men are into sports because they substitute the physical for the intellectual expression. Writing, like sports, can be either a spectator event or one of participation. But, each of us must be realistic about our actual physical (mental) attributes we bring to the game itself. A midget is not going to be a linebacker for the NFL.

  So too with art of any kind. It all begins with who we are and how we think. The rest is mere ornament.

  T.
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  PaulJ

  "Why do I want to write?"

  I've asked myself this and the reason why I want to write is because I enjoy it. Of course, Im sure most writers would like to get published, and I'd be included in them, but thats not what is motivating me. Writing, now I've decided to do it, is quite a focus. I try and write on the train on my way to and from work, plus I like to write before I go to sleep. I'm always thinking about the next chance I'm going to get to write.

  Thanks for the advice.
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  fairchild

  . I'm always thinking about the next chance I'm going to get to write.

  Lol, that's exactly the right attitude. One of the reasons why I like the art of writing so much is because it is an art which you can practice and perform anywhere. Over the years, I have developed a habit of writing in my head when I don't have a chance to sit down on my desk.

  I'd also like to give you a link to an on-line dictionary/thesaurus. I've tried several, but I like this one most of all.

  http://www.rhymezone.com/?loc=top

  ..just make sure NOT to use the rhymezone forum as a critique forum, it is about the worst on the internet, but their on line dictionary is great.
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  hillbilly

  I play at it too. I have even posted parts of a few short stories on this Board. Paul, going to a few classes is a good idea. I have a hard time getting past the developmental stage and some classes would help me with the skills I am lacking.

  Jgnat is an EXCELLENT writer...she has posted several samples here over her tenure on this board.

  Rodbar writes some poetry and dabbles in prose.

  ~Hill
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  Joel Wideman

  I also write. The actual writing is only about 10% of the work, the rest is research and preparation. It is true that you should write what you know, but that doesn't mean you can't research something enough to write about it. As for preparation, here are two examples at opposite ends: Stephen King makes a thorough outline before he starts writing, but his final work bears little resemblance to it. Peter Straub avoids writing any outline at all, though he does have a mental picture of the basic plot.
  Writers must write, but they must also read. Read everything you can. Nonfiction, fiction, classics, modern literature, your chosen genre, outside it, non-genre, everything. Join a workshop like Critters that has a variety of authors at all levels of ability. (Critters is mainly for SF, Fantasy, or Horror short stories, but sometimes novels are critiqued.) Learning how to critique other stuff gives you incite to your own writing.
  Finally, you can sign up now (until November 25th) for the annually held NaNoWriMo challenge.