Hey everyone, it's strange that I've registered on a forum such as this as I am quite private and averse to social media. I'm not a fan of Reddit culture and this place seemed quite interesting to me. I remember being four years old and certain that one day I'd be a novelist. I knew the name of my protagonist when I was six. In 2015 I completed the first draft of my novel which I started in 2012, although I soon regarded it with disgust and didn't want to approach editing the 85k mess for a long while. I got halfway through writing another novel, which is also in a first draft state of disrepair sitting at 60k and is intended to be a five-part series. I wish I had known it was easier to write in third person when I started my first project! I remember somebody at university telling me that there is no such thing as a good or a bad storyline, only quality writing. I eventually began to believe once again in the document and have been editing it with a syntax I feel to be rather unprecedented and torturous. I couldn't have possibly made things any harder for myself through aspiring to combine poetry and cohesive storytelling (I am a huge rap/hip-hop nerd) and have been at it intermittently for a good while, albeit inconsistently as hell. Really, I've lost my passion and felt like being a part of this community may be of use to me, both for insight and communication with those that harbour similar goals to me. For a long time, I have been certain that writing is my sole purpose on this planet and it has been the primary motivation/crutch in maintaining some degree of stability/purpose in my life. However, that doesn't mean that I'm editing constantly, or reading much at all. I want to hold myself accountable more and spend my time browsing here to keep my mind oriented around what my heart desires, I suppose. I know deep down what needs to be done, but I keep finding myself lacking the conviction. Guess I’m in search of the drive I once had. The main intention of my novel is to prevent suicides and demonstrate that I have worth on this planet. It is also an effort towards some form of redemption since dropping out of a law degree due to a mixture of hedonism and illness. I suppose they go hand in hand. Hopefully the narrative will make amends for my wrongs and articulate clearly the things I feel have never been truly understood about me. Writing is the only thing I have been good at. I guess I should be thankful that when my dad was alive, he encouraged me to read Stephen King books at the age of five. It's curious whether reading advanced stuff at a young age puts you at some advantage, like, I imagine the brain is much more absorbent of vocabulary during those years. I'm rambling and stimulated. I'm 25 and from the UK. I apologise if this post seems pretty self-indulgent, but that comes from writing in first person for so long. So yeah, hello. I regret not joining this forum earlier and hope to learn and make some positive relationships during my time here. I am still young and don't wish to pursue narcissistic debates and such but I will likely just enjoy philosophising about all aspects of writing, which will hopefully catalyse my motivation and interest in this craft again. I have been the smartest man in the room for too long and I feel participating in an environment such as this will be incredibly helpful to me. I feel that I have to write and complete the concepts that have plagued me over so many years. It's often not a case of wanting to and I often find myself intimidated by my own writing. I wonder if many of you feel the same when attempting to maintain your prior standards....
Welcome to the forums Malum. Don’t worry, it isn’t self indulgent to share what projects you are and have been working on. All of us have something we are doing or would like to do and hope that by sharing the burden with others through the forum, we can make it a little easier and better for it. I have been a user on reddit and other forums you’ll be relieved to know writingforums.org is a world away from that kind of adversarial and polarising environment. We are all writers (some published, others aspiring to be) so we have a great deal of learn and to learn from each other. I suspect that makes a real difference from other forums you and I may have used in the past. I hope you enjoy your time here. Feel free to make yourself at home and best of luck with your writing.
Thank you for your welcome mate. I've been a little over-enthusiastic tonight as a result of my debauchery but I've realised the fun and ettiquette of critiquing samples of writing as opposed to just parading my pipe dream. I was beginning to doubt the vibe around here but I reckon if i'm drawing those sorts of conclusions i've definitely been awake too long, haha.
Welcome Malum! I get the lack of love for social media - the further I stay away from it, the happier I feel. I'm also a new member to this forum but I'm not new to forums and hope this is one of the better ones too. What all writers do seem to have in common is that they can't resist writing, even if they may never make it commercially viable for themselves. Creating art for art's sake is a noble pursuit by its very nature.
I hope you get some sleep dude. Give this place a shot and see how you feel in a week or so. This place is quieter and more civil than most of the other forums I've been on- right now, that will suit me fine. I hope it works out for you too.
Yeah, social media brings out a feeling of insecurity for me. Just the way anybody aware of your existence can attempt to make contact with you. I like to remain in contact with those in my life that are genuine friends. At this age, i've become cynical towards many of my old acquaintances' motives. The obligation I feel to write is inescapable, but it is often more guilt inducing than it is motivational. I'm remaining optimistic about this place, have portrayed myself too zealously recently. I have been propelled into being too communicative. I'll get a full night's sleep later today. I promise. I like seeing people so consistent with their daily output in progress topics. It gives me a feeling of resilience. I've been enjoying posting here, maybe too much. My definition of normality will return soon...
