Hey guys, I'm Rachel but my friends call me Rae. I'm 17 and I've been writing since I was in kindergarten. One of my biggest problems with writing is that I'm always getting new ideas for stories, but I never finish what I start. The farthest I've ever gotten in any of my stories was 7 chapters/20,000-ish words (I like writing novels, I'm not that good with short stories yet). So hopefully this forum can help me get more motivated and of course help me improve as a writer. I love getting constructive criticism on my work, no matter how harsh, so I think I've come to the right place
Welcome! I find setting aside half an hour a day, the same time, everyday, helps a lot with writing. That's what I did for NaNoWriMo
Hi Rae. Hopefully you will be inspired by what you learn here. Its a shame to reach that 20,000 word stage only to then abandon the project, so good luck in the future. It definitely sounds like there's a novel in there desperate to get out!
May be you should write short stories even if you think they are not good. At least it will give you the satisfaction of completing something, which hopefully will inspire you to complete your novel. It's a shame really to abandon after 20000 words.
Hello Rae, Welcome to the Writing Forums. The motivation to finish mostly comes from within, but developing confidence in your ability to write can contribute. Please read How to Use the Review Room before you post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here. It is worth taking the time to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog. Also, be aware that posting a piece of writing on any public site, including this one, will greatly diminish your chances of selling it for publication. Removing the writing later does not alter that fact - once posted, it is irreversibly considered published. So do not post anything more than a small excerpt of any piece you are planning to submit for publication. If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Word Games, or the Review Room, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the forum rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Review Room, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize constructive critique as a vital writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. The Review Room forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Review Room forum). Also, please use the same thread for all revisions and additional excerpts from the same piece of writing. See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
Thank you! I didn't exactly abandon it, it's more that I got uninspired to work on it this past month. I really want to continue it, so hopefully this site will help. I want to try. I've never finished an entire story before (except ones that were school assignments), so it'll probably do me good. Thanks for the advice! And I didn't completely abandon the novel, I've just been uninspired to work on it this past month. I really want to finish it, so hopefully this site will help me out
