Hi! So I just found this forum, (literally like 15 minutes ago) and I don't really know what to do next. I saught it out because a writing forum was mentioned in a book I was reading, and I decided that I should take advantage of their apperent existance. I'm Margo, and I'm 16. So I don't really write a lot. Sometimes I write poetry/lyrics, with the intent that I will make a song out of them, and only when I feel inspired. I love reading, poetry, and lyrics. (Especially those of Alex Turner) I want to be a writer. Not as a proffesion or anything, (maybe one day, when I'm legal) but just a hobbyist. Short stories, long stories, poems, lyrics...I want to write them all. (I didn't just wake up one day and decide this. English assignments have always been somewhat enjoyable to me, and I've been reading my entire life. I often feel very inspired by whatever I hear/read to create myself, and I've always created, just in others forms, such as drawing) I dont live in an Anglo country, so my english class is far from a grandiose learning experience, and I've also never been in any creative writing workshops. All the writing I do up till now has been learnt from analyzing lyrics I like and trying to fill myself up with as many books and influences as possible. Ok, so now we've arrived at my point. Where do I start? I want to fill my time with words, but enough listening to others, I want to make my own! My list of vocabulary words is growing, but growing mold. I don't want to just wait till I feel inspired. I want start and become inspired in the process. There are just so many things I could do but I get overwhelmed so so easily. Someone give me some direction, a routine or excersise. Or a thread with some prompts? I barely know what a prompt is. Can someone maybe just reassure me that things become more clear overtime, in the writing world? Oh also, completely unrelated question- the rules state: "This is a writing forum. Occasional use of common net abbreviations is tolerated, but excessive use of netspeak is discouraged. As a writing community, please try to keep posts high in quality."So, like, does that mean I have to write in capitals and stuff? I don't usually do that, but obviously I did it now just in case. (I don't want to get detention on my first day) Also, am I like, not supposed to say "like"? Sorry if this wasn't supposed to be so long...I've never been on a forum before. Haha. P.S. There's no spell check!!! What???
Welcome to the forum! I hope you enjoy it here. I have so far, though I'm also pretty new here. I have been on forums for quite a while though, and yes, usually it is expected that you use proper grammar most of the time. It makes the posts easier to read, not only for the people you're talking with but also anybody who might read it later. Mistakes are allowed, just as long as it's not excessive. I would try reading through some topics to get a feel for what is "correct." Also, press enter twice between paragraphs - it's easier on the eyes.
Hi Margo! Welcome to the forum, and welcome to writing. Luckily, writing is art, and art is whatever you make it to be. So aside from basic grammar, what and how you write can be very much up to you. To answer some of your questions: I think when they talk about net abbreviations, it's things like BRB, TBH, SMH, and chatspeak like "r u going 2 c hr 2nite?" because that is horrible to read and we're all writers, so we should know better. So yes, it would be in your best interest to write with capital letters and proper punctuation. After all, you shouldn't be writing in chatspeak so it's good practice for your writing anyway. You can say "like." If that is how you would speak, feel free to speak freely here! Every writer has their own routine that helps them get ideas and know what to write about. Do you have a journal? I don't mean a "Today-I-Did-This" journal, but rather a place to jot down whatever thoughts you have about life, the universe, and everything? I have an EverNote document that I throw ideas and thoughts onto sometimes. Like recently, my mom reminded me of a situation that happened in high school that made me feel sad for my younger self, and I went and wrote the feelings down. I put down phrases that come to my mind, or pieces of ideas. It helps to keep your creativity going all day. A writing prompt can be simple or more elaborate. There are a lot of fun word games in the Writing Prompts thread for shorter, simple prompts. I recently participated in one (in a local writer's group that I'm a part of) where the prompt was: "What's under your bed." Someone wrote about a murderer stashing a body under the bed. Someone else wrote about the collection of memories under the bed. I wrote about the monster who lives under there and takes me to collect dreams during the night. They all happened to be short stories, but poetry could have easily been part of it. Writing prompts can be fun exercises to keep your writing muscle limber and give you ideas to expand in your own work. The good news is, yes, writing does come easier the more you do it. And you will become more familiar with the "language" of writing, so to speak, the more you hang out here and interact with other writers. It's like stepping into a foreign country when you haven't been much of a writer before, but this foreign country is very warm and welcoming of anyone who wants to be here.
Welcome to WF, Margo! I agree with what the other two have said. We strive for a high standard when it comes to threads and posts here, but that doesn't mean that your English must be perfect. We know that the forum has members from all over the world (e.g., I am from Sweden) and that everyone has different skills when it comes to the English language. In the light of that we simply want our members to do their best and put in a little effort to make their posts understandable and enjoyable to read, rather than just being lazy and typing some incoherent and grammatically incorrect chat speak. And no, the forum software offers no spell check. There are some web browsers that do, though. Cheers! (PS. I assume you've already checked the New Member Quick Start, but I'll leave a link here just in case.)
@Lyrical Thank you for your nice reply! I don't really have a journal, but I often write poems and lyrics on my phone. My problem is that once I get it out of my system, and onto a note app, or unlucky piece of paper lying around, I never know what to do with it. Maybe this is where a physical note book could come in handy. @Komposten, thanks for reminding me about that handy quick guide. I'm going to go look at some writing prompts right now- I didn't there was a specific place for them when I made this post. Wow, everyone IS super nice here.
You can say "like," don't worry. And we certainly encourage capitalization. Easier to read! Welcome to the forum! Always fun to cyber-bump into other writers whose first language isn't English.
