Hi Forum members, My name says it all. I was wondering if any one here would like to help me? I'm A smart guy and a good speaker with charisma. I can always hold people attention with stories and jokes and just about anything being discussed and take the lead, Unfortunately my writing skills are horrible lets just say I skipped school to much, probably 30 percent (for the most part no regrets). I'm a very successful poker player/professional gambler so I don't use any writing skills very often. However, I do participate on a few poker forums that often have heated debates. I believe I'm well worded (at least in person) I have been told privately and publicly that what I have to say has tons of merit however, I have been often bashed by people who are considerably better writers that can articulate there thoughts way better then me. When they are clearly losing an argument they simply point out my horribly bad writing or simply make fun of it. This seems to work for them and takes away from my credibility. I have even been encouraged by many people both personal friends and professionals to write a gambling book with my story. I know they have ghost writers and such but I cant even write something that's not totally embarrassing to to show someone. So I was wondering if there is any one here with some extra time that could help me with a few Posts to start out with. something like this post, nothing serious. Ill write them up and send them to you via email then have you correct them and make suggestions. If after that we have a good relationship I would not mind sending you a few dollars or gift cards. I live in Vegas so if you like LV Preferably I can hook you up with free/comped hotel room suites, food, shows, clubs which have way more value to some. This is not big bucks or anything, So if you have big dollar signs in your eyes then shut them because remember anything I write is voluntary and not going to make me money or anything for now. Perhaps in the near future if I believe a book is a good idea then there may be good opportunity for some good money. FYI Just this alone took me over 30 min to write and it still sucks. I should include an email it's Littleblackspot at hotmailcom
i mentor writers of all breeds, so if you want to consider mentoring, drop me a line... love and hugs, maia maia3maia@hotmail.com
1)Take a free online course to improve your English 2)Improve your formatting! It's the biggest turn-off I saw in your post 3)email mammamaia and ask him for help, I can say that he's a very decent writer.
Hello Grammaticallychallenged, I am spreading a great secret that helped me and is dear to my heart. Find really successful writers that you like and transcribe their work. Type it out. That will get you used to the flow and cadence of their comma usage, paragraphing, etc., etc. I swear it is true. That is pretty much the fast track. And, no offense at all intended but, I can tell from your post that, yeah, some basic English Comp courses are in order. The good news is many famous universities (MIT) out there now have archived class content for free. You don't get the benefit of being able to ask professors questions directly or in real time but all of the class lectures, notes, and even in some cases, select papers are available for download. So it's not like you have to go to a traditional college or anything. What I think matters most is what Stephen King said, having chops and being able to convey the story. You said that you are a good story teller. So now you can learn how to convey that in language if you want. Just do it. Best of luck in all of your endeavors.... (I always encourage people to weigh my advice against my talent. You can do so by web searching Kelson's Challenge or Kelson Hargis. All of my stuff is free and easily accessible.) Kelson Hargis
GC; You may wish to check out some online freelancing websites (oDesk, Elance, even Guru, Fiverr, etc.) or even post an ad to the LV Craigslist to find someone local who would gladly trade their skill for a few bucks or the hotel suite(s) you mentioned. There's tons of starving writers out there, and many of them are very decent. If you're more interested in actually improving your own skills, then you might benefit from some mentorship or personal tutelage such as you may find from writer(s) here; but from the sound of your post, you probably just need a freelance writer. In any event, good luck with your efforts as a writer. - Alexandria de Loraine
Original poster - your post shows that your writing is not beyond hope, and in your position I'd seriously consider getting in touch with mammamaia about mentoring. That said, do you need to produce written work at this stage? Could a DVD (or even an audio CD) be a better route for you?
Let me get this straight. You are twenty-three years old, you missed about a third of your schooling, and have no regrets for your lack of education, but you are now trying to make up for what you lost? At your age, I would recommend ABE (Adult Basic Education/Night school) classes. They will do you far more good than the best of help you can find online. In other words... Go Back To School! Finish your education! Sound harsh? Yeh. Sorry, but it was meant to. You don't seem to respect the language or grammar you just want someone to help you get through. Sorry but, in my book, getting by is as bad as not trying, and you've already done that.
him/he?... with a username like 'mammamaia' and signing messages with my actual name, 'maia'?... for the record, i'm a female, mom of 7, grandmom of 19 [at last count]... but thanks for the plug and kind words, amigo... much appreciated! love and maternal hugs, maia
[MENTION=14224]thewordsmith[/MENTION] Trying to think of a harsher word for harsh... Do you think your unkind words will send the guy back to school? He's playing poker for money, sounds like he's doing ok - if he wants to continue being paid for his passion and trying to better himself in own spare time then good luck to him. For what it's worth, I think the Original Post was better worded than most pieces put up for critique around here. and Sorry but, in my book, would be better as Sorry, but in my book... - we're not all perfect.
HARSH? Oh yeah. It was intended to be. It doesn't sound to me as though he is wanting to better himself. If he were, he would go back to school. It sounds more as though he is still trying to get by without an education and asking people here to prop him up. He did, after all, state that he has "...for the most part no regrets", right? So he's not really concerned about what education he didn't get while he was skipping school. He just wants to write a book. That makes about as much sense as trying to be a race care driver without learning how to drive, or maybe climb a mountain without a clue as to ice picks, pitons, and belaying rope. I doubt seriously you would encourage your own child to do as little as possible to get through life. Skip school if it pleased. And there is no need to worry about learning how to write properly or exercise correct grammatical structure. Do what you want. You'll get by. And, if not, just be charming, there's bound to be someone to help you through. Yeh. Maybe not, huh? And, FWIW, "Sorry but getting by is as bad as not trying..." is the root sentence here. Therefore, "in my book" is the section which should be set apart by commas. Thus, the correct structure in this instance is as originally posted. But, thanks for your interest. You're right. We are, none of us, perfect. And none of us walks on water unless it's frozen.
I'm not sure about that. After about year ten/tenth grade, I began to hate school. I realised it just wasn't for me. Now, that does not mean I'm uneducated. I am now going to university (which is not at all like school), and I'm learning new things every day. But even university is not for everyone. Some people do perfectly well without an education, and settle down to good jobs and have a stable single or married life. What I'm trying to say is that there are a variety of authors out there. I am not a clever person, but there are people out there who enjoy my writing, and that's all I want out of it. Maybe that's all the OP wants, too.
Let me be the first to apologize for what this incredibly rude and thoughtless person said. As someone who received a GED, if you're convinced that formal education is the only way to make it: you're wrong. I'm studying to be a teacher, and even I know that often the classroom is not the best place to learn. Learning, whether in the classroom or out of it, should always be encouraged. Don't let people like this sneer at you and say that you 'don't respect' the language. By trying to improve, whether in your own way or in a classroom, you've shown respect for both the language and yourself. Keep at it! The world needs more people who are willing to do what you are.
Please don't. I said at the outset the words were harsh. I meant what I said. I do not readily speak harshly of others. Neither do I, out of hand, castigate people who have not attained a high school diploma - through any means regular classroom attendance or GED. The OP here, however, came off as totally unrepentant for not making the most of his opportunity to achieve an education and, in fact, sounded as though he was totally unconcerned with the fact that he struggled with grammar and such. There are many who have learning hurdles which make learning through any means a difficult task. Unfortunately, the impression I got from the OP was that he was almost bragging about that fact. Perhaps it was poorly chosen words. Or maybe it was simply his juxtaposition of bemoaning his lack of education with bragging about what an incredible bon vivant he was. In any case, my impression was that he was just looking to skate once again and, if he truly wanted to improve his writing skills he should be looking closer to home! So, again, do not apologize for me! I'm a big kid, I can speak for myself, and believe I did so. Such rancor is totally unnecessary. Thank you very much.
angry man... we have no idea as to the circumstances of the OP. Maybe his parents paid for his education and he skipped everyday, smoked his lungs out behind the bike shed. Maybe he couldn't afford a school uniform and was embarrassed to go barefoot or had to look after his sick folks and hadn't time for an education. Maybe they were killed in a cra crash and he had to bring up his younger siblings. Maybe he was just young and dumb and made huge mistakes. Maybe now he would love to go back to school but finances say different. What I'm saying is, we have no idea about this guy's personal life, he came here, to us, to help him learn - if you don't want to help then fine, skip onto the next thread but leave the guy alone - there are plenty including I, only too happy to help him out.
I was not apologizing because I thought you were sorry, I apologized because I knew you would not. To tear down someone when you don't even know their circumstances and are just making assumptions is the worst. Since when is an impression enough to justify such thoughtless words? I don't like arguing, but I can't stand back and watch someone say the kind of things you are to a person who just wants to improve.
