Well @Indarican, like you I started writing with absolutely no training and no one to help me. I had zero idea how to write story, and it didn't help that my very first attempt at writing was a novel, not a short story, not a novella, but a freaking novel! It was extremely hard at first, the first chapter took me ages to finish. And there were more than few times when I became so frustrated with the lack of progress that I came very close to quitting. Oh and those times that I felt my story was not good enough, that there were so many out there better than me and I didn't have a shot in hell of ever getting my book published. But there was always a voice inside my head telling me to push forward and to believe in myself and that I was more than good enough, so I pushed forward and I wrote and I wrote; And eventually it got easier, I learned more and more about writing just by writing. Also joining this forum last year and getting lots of help and feedback from fellow writers has been tremendously helpful. Now after a couple of years, I'm very very confidant in myself as a writer and in my story, even though I've got a lot to learn still. So, what I'm trying to say is ...just write and write and write more. You'll get better and better the more you write and learn more and more and in turn the whole thing would get a little bit easier over time. Also take advantage of the great platform this forum offers you, ask for help and advice and share pieces of your writing for feedback and critique in the workshop whenever you're ready to do so. Remember that we are our own greatest enemies at times with our lack of confidence and faith in ourselves. So just believe in yourself and keep writing and don't worry about what would happen after you've finished you'r book just yet, just focus on writing it the best way you can and use any feedback you get to refine and rewrite and fine tune your writing in subsequent drafts. And believe me you're gonna do just fine
I would suggest reading some novels written about the same genre as yours and pay close attention to how they write their story. Generally I get so wrapped up in a story I am reading it is hard to notice how it is structured, but if I go back and revisit things it is easier to focus on the mechanics. When you can post a snippet of your story in the workshop don't hesitate to do so but be prepared for the criticism, it is all aimed to help you improve your writing but seeing your faults pointed out is always painful. Just shed the pain and try to understand and learn what the suggestions made are telling you.
That's the thing @tonguetied, I have read several novels and short stories that are in my genre but they always seem to differ when it comes to mechanics even in some little way. I also realize that sometimes those that have more clout as writers such as Stephen King or James Patterson can pretty much get away with murder when it comes to writing, (some times I feel like James Patterson writes in chapters in one long paragraph) but I just wish I could look at a book and say "this is the correct way to write". I definitely will be posting as soon as I get the chance, I can't wait!
You can differ all you want, just do it well. You don't even have to have clout - go through a bunch of first novels in fantasy and you can find a wide variety of approaches in them.
Hey guys! I've been away from theses forums for a long time because of the time constraints of being a new parent, but now I'm back in the saddle and decided it was about time I came back to this place. I've been entertaining the idea of actually studying creative writing. There seems to be a lot more pros than cons if I wanna be serious about this. There's actually a couple of things that scare me though : first of all, I'm going to be a francophone going to an English university. I think I'm fairly competent in English and the novels I read are exclusively in writen in that language, however, when I was about to fill that form I got struck with the impostor syndrome. What if my accent stands out? What if I make obvious mistakes? English is a beautiful language and I've dedicated a good portion of my life trying to master it as good as I can, but whenever I power on my computer to write, I find myself defaulting to French in fear of being ridiculed. It's easy to assume there are other writers on here with a situation similar to mine, so I was wondering if a couple of you could pitch in on the matter.
I say go for it and enroll in a creative writing course, you might find out some new things. English is a pretty language? Nah, there are many beautiful languages, but English ain't one of 'em.
I don't think anyone will care if you have an accent. Where is the University located? where I live every other person has an accent and its no big deal.
Go for it. Probably you're better at English than many English speakers. I took a similar course at an American college with all (American) English speakers, and trust me, not everyone was good at writing in the English language. But that's the whole point of a creative writing course. You'll get a lot of tips and people will help correct those grammar and semantics mistakes that you didn't notice. You can either be embarrassed by it or seize it as an opportunity for growth. Good luck!
It's located in Montreal. And thanks a ton everyone for the replies, you've given me the courage to go for it.
Aspire to write great things in any or all languages you know. Don't let what you know and who you are hold you back - you can achieve anything you put your mind to as long as you're fueled by your passion to write. Definitely enroll in the class. Blow them all away.
This is the only song I have heard in French. Everything else I listen to is in either Russian or German, if it is not in English.
To echo what has already been said, go for it! I took a couple of creative courses in college, and it was a good experience. I'm sure you'll learn a lot.
Dude, English is my third language and all I write is in English. So, don't feel bad for not being primarily English no one is going to care and if they do odds are they only know one language and think it's the best language (Even though they probably have the reading comprehension of a middle grader)
Pitching in too: Go for it! Sure at first it is scary and the words may need a while to get adjusted to the new language but that is soonest done soonest mended
I've never heard of this band, but the song is amazing. What kind of German artists are you into? Personally, I enjoy Alligatoah a lot.
Don't let concerns over English being your second language hinder you. If you've researched and believe the professors and coursework will improve your skills and ability, and impact your chances for success in a positive way, certainly go for it.
Chiming in with what everyone else has said, one has only to glance at Social Media to see the ways in which native English speakers butcher the tongue. As long as you have a healthy attitude towards learning and improvement you'll go far and certainly within the confines of your course, you'll stand out positively amongst your peers as you'll have a different past, different upbringing, different cultural and psychological conditioning to draw upon when shaping your fiction. In the end, Grammar and Spelling can be taught. Life can not. Consider your difference your strength and you will surely flourish.
I'm French and I study in Ireland at the moment. I took a creative writing class this semester and it was fine. I study English and sociolinguistics as a degree so I wasn't afraid of making mistakes etc. because I already know I make mistakes, and a lot of native speakers I know make even more mistakes than I do, don't have as much vocabulary as me etc. so honestly, who cares if you make mistakes ? I don't know where you live, but here the teachers are super nice, and whenever I had to read aloud for example, I would ask them if I didn't know how to pronounce a word and no one made fun of me. Most people will think it's brave to take university classes in a language that is not your native one, so I'm sure you'll be just fine . Also, what you said about wanting to write in English and switching back to French, well that's funny because for me it's the exact opposite. I started being serious about writing when I was 16, and back then I would write in french, but I felt so constrained by french grammar and writing conventions. For example, you know how in French when we write we would write " je n'en savais pas plus" whereas in real life people would say " j'en savais pas plus" , and other stuff like that, I hated that because it felt so fake, like I was pretending to be an old French noble from the 18th century or something . Whereas in English I feel so much more free, I play with language, dialects, etc. Honestly you should consider writing in English . Granted , if you're anything like me, editing will take longer because I have a bad habit of writing in English and writing in French a word I don't know and meaning to get back to it later haha, but still, it's been really fun so far .
It's a euphemism for what I do to fuel my writing. I like to drink and write. I don't get plastered to where I can't write a coherent thought, but I have between 3-6 drinks as I write. I think it makes me more honest. I don't want any sugar coating in my writing, and I'm at my most honest when I'm drinking. Not that I can't be honest sober, it's just easier when I've had a few. I like to think it bridges the gap between when inspiration hits me and getting it on the page the way I want it to sound. Maybe that's lame and an excuse, but it's part of my process and it gets me to the most creative places and the most honest. Anyone else? Or maybe you got something else that lets the writing spill out. What gets you into that zone?
Jazz music and reading/watching something really emotional. Oh and dairy products. Don't ask me why, it just does.
