So, generally I write poetry. But, have attempted some fiction. My friend told me that I didn't paint the scene well enough. So, tell me where does one begin ?
I think we need more details. I would suggest that you put a sample in the Review Room, but you're not going to qualify to use that yet. (There's a number of days/number of posts/number of reviews requirement.) I often feel that when a person says, "This is wrong. This is how to fix it." that the main statement of interest is "This is wrong". Except often it should be interpreted as "Something is wrong." So I'm going to suggest that your reader was not engaged/immersed in your story. That might be about setting. On the other hand, it's possible that if the situation and characters were sufficiently interesting, the setting wouldn't be an issue. There's really no general rule about how a story should start--except, usually it does need to start with character and events, and not a whole lot of scene setting.
That criticism might be a subjective point of view. Some people like to have everything described: the surroundings; the character's builds, hair, faces, the clothes they wear; etc. Sometimes it's nice to let the reader do a little of that work for you, let them engage their imaginations and see the world you're describing in their own way. Sometimes it's nice to drop the reader in the middle of a situation they cannot immediately grasp. If the problem was he didn't follow the story because you didn't paint the scene well enough, then fair enough you might have a problem there. But if it's more a question of style, I wouldn't worry about that straight off the bat. Lots of great writers have a sparse style.
Umm if that is the key I am hopeless and will never write fiction. Sorry, but for me the fact is that English class and have to pick apart a story ruined it for me.
Well, the fiction that you read by choice is unlikely to be like the fiction that you read in English class. Have you never liked any fiction?
If you really don't want to be a reader you probably really don't want to be a writer. Just my thoughts since I see the two as extremely connected.
I read some books away from school and enjoyed them . My choice however as an adult is to dive into books about business - and how to --- achieve.
AH, but you are wrong. I write poetry, quite freely actually called a natural talent. I consider it more of a ghost writing ability - but yet I know I have an almost scary talent in this writing as I can in most cases pump out something in poem form quickly after i have developed a concept to approach in text.
I'm confused now. So you can enjoy fiction? Why not read it, then? I realize that you say that you want to read business books, but if you want to write fiction, that is going to require reading fiction.
Ask yourself, then, why you want to write and what you want to write and be honest with the answers. I'm as assuming that 'achievement' is defined in these business-books as the accumulation of wealth? That's not a good prime motivation for a writer, less so now than ever.
No the achievement in the books I read is not wealth.. but more on what makes or maybe I should say what should make a large company tick,. I find it very interesting that successful CEO who do put a book together actually figure out that it takes a lot of personality skill to make a business tick. If anyone reads a Trump book - it is incredible to find out how much he uses his people skills.
Reading fiction is clearly a thing that for me brings back memories of having to tear a part a work. Not what I want to do. I would rather read to enjoy. Then of course the bigger issue maybe is that except for Shakespeare I can't find a genre that I enjoy.
If you really want to write fiction, I would suggest pushing yourself through reading enough fiction to drown out the past associations, and then continuing to read fiction. Only you can decide whether writing it is worth that price, but I really do think that it's going to be all but impossible to write it without reading it. What have you read? If it's almost all been academic, I'd guess that there are many genres you've never even tried?
My fictional reading was mostly in my young years and yes academic. As I said for me teachers ruined it - by making us pull apart a story instead of reading for the enjoyment. It was actually a College teacher that told the class if we were serious about business to read business books, at least once a month. That is when i started reading and was reading at pace of about 2 books a month. I am now 55 - feel educated beyond my years by books like "The Law of Success" , "How to Sweet Talk a Shark" that I have currently started but with no continual approach.
If--again, if--you want to write fiction, I would suggest that you start working your way to reading it. You could start with creative nonfiction as a sort of bridge between the business books and the fiction.
