Hello, i'm new to posting on this forum. I'm not very technically minded and far from a litterary expert so text/net speak and technical writting terms will lead to (what might seem to you to be stupid) questions. I don't do twitter, facebook or social media and i didn't exactly excel in education but that hasn't stopped me writing. It just stops me writing in a pre set standard formula way. Knowing how to say the word and what it means doesn't mean i know how to spell the word... I guess the first thing i should do is apologies for the effort you'll make putting up with me... So what is someone who doesn't understand computers, socially interact or understand writing itself doing in an online writers forum? I think the possitve way to spin an answer is, facing new challenges. A bit like the stuff i write I'm trying to create a possitive, that is to say create a value from all the negative. Then, i can say everything that has happened in my life was a good thing... (What is fact without fiction I ask myself?)
Old school cool, eh There is a lot of great literature created before the internet and computers and stuff, so that shouldn't be a problem . Good honest stories are what it's all about. Somebody said that but I can't remember the exact quote. Stephen King sometimes mentions things about being honest as a writer, too. It's a great advice. Even if you don't like his stuff, his writing sounds very authentic. Because of that honesty thing. It has nothing to do with being a literary expert, or spelling. If you manage to be authentic in your writing, you don't need much else (there are editors for the rest ). Trying to be too "literary" often trips new writers, actually. And social media brought us a lot of non-literary spelling, unfortunately (I don't see any "off of" in your post and that's a great thing ). You're not missing anything essential. If you have your own stash of unique ideas, away from twitter and facebook, that's wonderful. Most of what you mentioned is actually a bonus, really .
Thank you. For once I'm not the odd one out with a pen & paper and a Nokia with buttons. Odd you should mention Stephen King I've had The Green Mile on my mind while I've been typing things up. I was thinking about putting one of my books out in parts, It's half finished but already a bit too long for one book. I'm not a big fan of him in terms of horror but i like the way he writes. We read The Body at school (one year i had a teacher worth turning up for) and then at the end of the year I bought The Green Mile in 6 parts. I still remember the anticipation of the next one coming out and actually focusing on reading like the world didn't exist beyond the page. Strange, I'm not the most excitable person and never really had much inspiration for the latest anything. I'd end up seeing films at some point and my music collection was out of the Woolworths 99p bargain bin once they'd stopped playing the songs I liked on the radio... Thank you for saying hello and the supportive advice, writing can be a bit too solitary and self critical at times. It's nice to have some external input.
Looking forward to your post, and welcome to the forum. I do think you will at some point need to get up to speed on a computer. It is not only important with getting words on paper, but any research is a thousand times faster than going to the library and checking out a book for every subject you would write about. You can write a novel without it as there were many before who did. I'm just saying it's much easier.
I struggle with computers because they require a certain kind of relationship, programmes are created for the generic end user. I don't know how to be what the computer requires of me if that makes any sense? My minds a strange place to be for me so I'll spare you from the full guided tour. I do use the internet like a library but i still find it hard to locate exact information at times but it is less stressful than the human interaction required in a physical library. I struggle my way through typing with 'word' and I'm starting to use the interactive capabilities of the internet. There's a certain comfort from being able to disengage in ways I can't in face to face situations. Although on most social media there is a need to respond that is excesive compared to real world interaction so I disengage completely. It's long to explain but I'm autistic and certain forms of information just doesn't build a solid construct that i can build on or refer back to. I deal with mechanical processes very easily, like building flat pack furniture or with a bike I can see all the parts. I can take it apart and put it together, I know it inside out and back to front but without that full understanding of the 'end' I struggle to even begin. I got a dog in December and we've been making progress. He drags me out for 3-4 hours a day, keeps me physically and mentally fit and introduces me to people i would never have spoken to. But all other dog owners expect of me is to speak on his behalf which is a lot easier than giving an account of myself. It's moved me from non existance, through existing in non existance, to begining to exist. I hope no one has the constructs from experience to truly understand that last sentence... The light's a little brighter everyday and every day I look forward to seeing the next.
