Hey everyone, I was wondering if there's a community like this. I always wanted to learn about writing, but video tutorials and online courses seems too stressing for me. So I was trying to find a place where I can post my practice pieces and some people can see it and lemme know how I do. WritingForums is just perfect for this. Trying to keep it light so I don't kill this new motivation to try something new. I'll start with something small, maybe 30 minutes of writing every few days. Hopefully this continues and one day I can write something good that finally inspires me to make a story-driven game, which has been my life long goal. I'll post all my stuff in the forum and link them in my signature. And I'll try to keep it short. Can't remember last time I was this excited to join a community. Looking forward getting to know all of you. --- To keep my practice light, I try to start with some simple ideas to spark some motivation to write. I have a few in mind, and the first piece is about 2 witches trying to find a way to turn a pigeon back to human. Well, today's 30 minutes only got me 2 pages in. xD https://www.writingforums.org/threads/untitled-practice-piece-400-words.171864/
Greetings! Writing frequently will hone your skills. As you kick around phrasings to communicate a specific idea, and you find the words that work, you'll draw on that experience the next time without having to go through a long process. You'll accumulate ammunition that will become increasingly useful as time goes on. Before long the process of keystrokes will become automatic, and it will be like thinking thoughts onto the page. Some would consider two pages in 30 minutes to be a massive amount of copy. I don't know if posting items for critique on this forum will be any less stressful. There's something about handing over something you've written to someone else to critique. It's like laying your baby on someone's desk and seeing them hack away at it. I've never seen a writer who wasn't a bit rocked when they first engaged with an editor. It's an emotional experience. As with anything else, you need to keep doing it for a while before it feels natural. The main point to keep in mind is that it's your manuscript, and you can react to criticism or not. Don't assume that an opinion of someone else is more legitimate than your own. I'm already interested in the type of conversation two witches would have when trying to find a way to turn a pigeon back into a human. I'll read your link.
First, Welcome! This is a great place to learn how to write. I think the best advice I got when I started writing is to read my favorite authors, well not just read, but study what makes you like what they write. Then imitate it. I have multiple authors that I have pulled various techniques from and put them together to make my own style. When posting in the workshop, put on your rhino hide cloak. You are most likely going to get what you post tore up. But that is a good thing. The more times it is tore up in the forums, the better it will get in draft and the better you will get at writing. Don't take criticism as a personal attack, we all have the same un-ending goal to perfect our craft, so take the critiques you will receive in stride. And don't quit writing just because something you post takes a drubbing by someone on here who has multiple published works behind them.
Liang, I too am a newbie here and look forward (I think) to putting something up here for critique. I like to think I am good with negative commentary, as long as I put aside my Customer/Technical Support persona. In those places you have to be right. Here, you have to write. ;-) Looking forward to seeing what you post.
