No, my name's not Petunia. I can see a lot of you are really young! I live in England and I'm nearly dead (not because I live in England). I joined just out of curiosity because I'm doing a creative writing course which is excrutiatingly boring.
Hi, It's boring because it's far too serious. There's no fun in it. It's all about gearing your writing towards what agents/editors and publishers want, finding a gap and all that rubbish. I couldn't care less about all that. :redface:
What kind of course is it? Just a general hosted one, or one at university or something? I'm doing a degree in Creative Writing, but mostly only the lectures focus on agents/editors/publishers etc. The main emphasis is on the craft of writing, experimenting with different styles, and workshopping. Perhaps you need to find a better course, or forget the course and just write
Hello Eunoia, It's a module of a degree I'm working towards in English language and literature. I think you're right there. It's the fact that it's taught as an academic course that's the problem. It all seems to be about looking for similes, metaphors, ticking the right boxes and making money from your writing. I'll write anyway. If people like what I've written, then so be it, if not, they're free to read something else, just the same as I am. What year are you doing of your degree?
Hello not-Petunia, Welcome to the Writing Forums. 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 the RPG forum for improvisational fiction. Also try 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!
