Greetings, all! I'm not a professional or even serious writer by any means. I mostly write essays about nature and gardening on an open participation blog and entertain myself pretending to write the occasional short story. I actually have quite a bit of fun building the world my short stories are located in but I have no particular ambition to publish. I started the story series while taking a creative writing class in the evenings a few years ago. My teacher told me the second story was good, which I appreciated. I think so, too, though it could still use a little polishing in my opinion. I suppose you could call it straight fiction but there is the faintest thread of fantasy in it, too. It runs about 7300 words - is it something I could share here for comment or is that too long? I'm currently working on revising the first story and doing more world-building. The original version was frankly wretched. The idea for the plot was OK but the execution was horrible, the whole thing was a cliched mess. I'm ripping it apart and combining the first idea with what was going to be the third story . . . well, you get the idea. A good time is being had by all. Anyway, I've been enjoying reading this site and lurking for a while and just thought I'd say hi - hi! Sharie
Hi Sharie, Welcome to the forums, it doesn't matter who you are, where you come from or how much experience you have here. We have new writers experienced writers (I like to think myself somewhere in the middle, but I wouldn't be surprised if I'm still on the lower end of that stick), authors of self-published works and/or traditionally published works. There are also probably people from almost, if not all, cultures, religions and distance corners of the world. There is a new member guide located here for your perusal, it will give you the layout of the land around here, helping to make sure you don't get lost, or frustrated, or leave (don't do that, if you have trouble just ask). You'll find everybody is very friendly, unless you get into a debate, then things get real nasty. Everybody will be more then happy to help if you just ask. About your short story. Some people will give it a miss, others will respond, and others may tuck it away to read as soon as they have time. Once you get through your preliminary requirements, just stick it into the relevant short story section, then all you can do is wait, but you are bound to get at least a few responses. So welcome, once again, I guess I'll see you around.
Thanks for the welcome, ladies! Also, thanks for the warning about debates but my "home" forum is a national political blog and I understand about tempers and busted lips. I'm looking forward to having discussions/wrangles about writing again. The class I mentioned ran for several semesters (a continuing ed evening class) and the group of us had a lot of fun together. Our teacher eventually had to quit teaching it to write full time and we lost touch. This looks like a fun place, though!
Debates can be fun, especially when you can take a back seat and just watch things unfold, it can be hilarious if you support one of the sides but don't really want to participate. But then there are things you just have to respond to, you can't leave it alone until you do, then before you know it you're debating with a whole range of people. I don't think we've had any busted lips, made a few egos here and there and that's about all (actually that's probably not a joke ).
Oh, lord - I hear you! I posted an essay once about a a bird behavior I had observed and someone read me the riot act because I got a detail wrong about the origin of the behavior. Now, I have no problem whatsoever being corrected on factual matters. I write for that group because I like to learn about nature and we debate a great deal. He got so nasty about it, though, it was one of those times I would have preferred not to participate but since it was my diary, I felt I had no choice. Thankfully, I had some back up and several people called him on it. Don't know if any egos got busted - mine was a bit shaken.
Wow... Brutal... Very brutal... I don't correct people on things unless I know the topic, like Ancient Greece, I know a lot about that. My best friend says the wrong things just to spite me. (*waves fist* damn her)
My spouse is a WWII enthusiast and I have been known to make up facts just to see if he's paying attention. I can then claim ignorance. I pay for these little pokes by having to listen to a lecture about the Battle of the Bulge (wasn't that a kind of diet?) or whatever for the next little while. Isn't love cute? I'm off - hubby is home from trivia with dinner! Talk to you all soon!
On behalf of the staff, welcome. After you've met the workshop requirements, feel free to post your short story or an excerpt of it to the workshop. I suggest posting just a part of it and then applying the feedback you get from that to the rest of your story because you will get more comments on a ~1500 word excerpt. There's information on the workshop in our New Member Guide . See you around! -Kat
Hi, Sharie, and welcome. A lot of people are desperate to publish, and it's evident trying some of the crap via Kindle. I enjoy writing, and if one day publishing comes off, all the better. But not losing any sleep over it. In the meantime, if writing piles up, one day my estate's executors can look at my work and confirm the likelihood of an unpublished literary genius - or not.
I'm on middle ground. I want to write the book I'm writing and I want it published, but only so other people can read it. Finishing the book is the goal, being a published writer is not the goal.
Thanks, all, for the welcome! **waves like a nutter back** Re: publishing - the way I look at it, given the hordes waiting to get their writing out, my little scribblings aren't going to be high priority for anyone but me. My fiction writing is escapism, pure and simple. Doesn't mean I don't want to do it right or improve my style, though. And who knows? Maybe someday, as SwampDog said, I'll get my stuff out there but I'm not losing sleep over it.
Sometimes, goals change. My first goal was to get it out of my head! Then I wanted to make it better. Then I wanted to publish (self-publish) Then I wanted to see it in paperback ... The trouble is, once you start, it's hard to give up. My new goal is to get to the end of the second book, publish it, finish the draft of the third, look at the idea for the fourth and crack on with the non-fiction research for that other project that just won't let go ... (yep - one goal) Thanks for waving *like a nutter* back. I truly am just a tiny bit nutty!
Welcome to the forum! I'm new here as well, and am myself a new writer. I think it'd be fair to consider you a writer! My dream in life is to be published and on the shelves of a book store. However, my goal at the moment is to write something good and as cutecat22 points out, goals change! I hope they become a reality for us all
Oh, dear. I hope I didn't give the impression getting published is a bad goal. It's just not mine. I'm way too lazy for the dedication it must take to get a book out there. You folks with the drive for it have my admiration. And thanks, too - without you, I'd have nothing to read!
To be honest, that might well mean you're actually more likely to publish than some Writing critically while also writing something true to your heart - because if you're doing it as escapism and for pleasure, you aren't gonna start writing anything that's not true to you really - those two seem like the recipe to success to me! I was reading about your talk of debates earlier - I suck at debating. Don't do enough research to quote any facts, feel passionate about things I know little about so much so that I could probably talk for England, wind myself up and get my heart all pounding mad and then I get freaked out about checking new messages because I'm scared of any nasty comments I'm probably good at rhetorical speeches, being a writer and all, but debating - even if I were good at it, I don't have the temperament for it.
Know what you mean. I would get myself flustered and end up sticking my tongue out at the other debaters!
Not at all! Just because we are all writers/authors of some sort, doesn't mean we all have the same goals. Xxx
Oh, I'm with you, Mckk. I skip the debates that are liable to end up in hurt feelings. I stick with my nature group where we all know each other and are careful to keep it friendly. The political side of the blog I avoid like the plague. As you say, it can get quite heated and can degenerate into name-calling rather quickly. A shame, that - some of the topics, if people could stay objective, could be quite interesting. Thanks, cutecat22. As you say, goals can change . . . right now, I'd be happy with a first draft that didn't suck!
