I found this forum via Google. I'm hoping some of you can help me out. I'm an aspiring author. Or that's the path I'm trying to be on, rather. You see, I have a lot of obstacles in my way. And as a result, I've almost lost my dream of being a author. I'm disabled. I lost a significant amount of my hearing and eyesight at an early age and as a result social interaction has been very difficult for me. I'm very much a loner, since I cannot communicate with people around me on their level. A few years ago, when I was in high school, I met some people on-line and became friends with them. I made my first real attempt at writing shortly after. It was a horror story created for laughs with myself and my friends as the characters. I only made it through a few chapters before it faded out. I created another story, a fully contained short story, featuring myself and one of my on-line friends, based on the Twilight Zone series. It was just for kicks, but I decided to submit it as a creative writing assignment. It won second place in a contest. At this point things get dismal. I had been battling depression for years, and it suddenly built up to such a severe point where I could rarely even talk with my friends. Eventually they faded away. And since they were essentially my only group of friends (since my disabilities make it near-impossible to build friendships in real life), I spiraled even further into depression. I've already graduated from high school. And the key problem which keeps my depression going is that I just don't know what to do with myself. College is out of the question, since my inability to socialize in high school is what caused my depression. College would be an even greater hazard. Joining the workforce is also out, as I have other disabilities beside my hearing and vision. So, the only recourse that seems available to me is to try and scratch out a career as an author. Which leads me here. The trouble is, I am not only a novice at writing, I also lost most of my creative spark. Aren't authors supposed to be people who have at least a marginal idea of what they're doing, who write bits and pieces of poetry and songs and short stories, populated with characters who interact in a convincing manner? I don't know how to write convincing characters, since my disabilities barred me from the powers of observation I assume most good writers have. I don't know how to take my many ideas (or rather, a checklist of stuff I'd like to write about) and shape them into a rough plot. I'm at a total loss. Thank you to those who read through my life story. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Welcome. As for advice.. well, give yourself say twenty minutes (or more) every day to just write, like for twenty minutes solid just write whatever you can, and if you can't think of anything to write just write exactly that and eventually you'll think of something to write about. This will help get your creative spark back. Because of your disabilities, I don't know how well you can read or listen but I'd suggest reading some fiction - short story collections or novels - and/or listening to short stories and plays on the radio. Also, regarding convincing characters, if you're able to I think just listening to a range of radio stations would help because you get callers in which you could derive a character from. And you said you had online friends, I don't know whether you still do, but what about mixing some of their qualities to form a character? Good luck!
Hi jtorrey Have fun here. I'm glad you're able to see enough to find such a great place as WF. My advice, get into this forum as much as possible. I myself have been out of society, but due to work, I had to start somewhere. This place however is very friendly. I'm sure you'll find friends soon enough. Writing advice: Keep writing if you can. Switch stories. Or procrastinate. Watch movies. Listen to music. Surf the web. Then get back to writing
Hello J Torrey, 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!
