This is quite possibly the best introduction I have ever read. They are either trolling, or saying that they are here to broaden their knowledge of the English language and to read more widely. But even so, both hilarious and wholly confusing at the same time.
Then get outta here and find a hole to crawl into, you backwards worm! This is writers only turf. Nah, I'm kidding. Welcome aboard. Glad to have you! Writing is a monster in it's own right. It's not a challenge for everyone, I'm sure. But I have to think you've written, are writing, or want to write something; otherwise, you wouldn't be here. N'est-ce pas?
Hmmm good point. I do write in a journal from time to time. I like the intimacy and the artistry of writing by hand sometimes. It definitely makes for good practice for in-class essays too!
A writer IMO is a novellist, article publisher, plotworthy scenario maker, or generally somebody that can fill pages from a train of thoughts, creating something that makes sense to any reader. That's not me.
Thank you, Andrae Smith, correct. I've always aspired to do a respectable piece, but unfortunately I gave up on the idea. All I have are some pages of a non-linear, not chronological, nonsensical piece of diary with incomprehensible arrangements of words. After revision of what I've written, there is not much left to do for the few philosophical expansions I've penned down, can't build on it any further and I'm practically done with it. I'm not a writer.
Well, you're never gonna get anywhere with that attitude! The first thing you need to do to fulfill any aspirations in this field is stop selling yourself short. Whatever you have--however much or little, however good or bad--it's a good enough start. You'll be amazed at how much you can do when you stop telling yourself you "can't." The way I see it, "can't" is an imaginary word. There is "can" and the is "not," but "cannot" and "can't" are just things we tell ourselves. The question isn't whether or not you can, but how much you want to. You have absolutely the same amount of potential to write as anyone else here; what you lack is the proclivity. The next thing you must do is adjust your idea of what a writer is. A writer is someone who writes. If you want to be one, all you have to do is write. You don't have to write from a single train of thoughts. In fact many writers don't. They may take an idea and run with it; however, more often than not, that idea is no good on it's own. In fact, many writers have several ideas that never make it beyond a page, but a writer will write that page for all it's worth at the time. If it dies, some writers try to revive it, others move on. Why? Because there are other things to write. The question to ask yourself is, "Why do you write?" Also, "What things inspire you to write?" If you find those answers, they may point you to what you like to write. Not all writers write fiction, and even among those who do, there is much diversity. Fiction is a big umbrella you know. So chin up, buddy. If you want to write, then write something. After you've given all you can to that, write something else, and so on. All the while, study the craft for the type of writing you want to do. Build up your toolbox and practice using what you learn. We're all here to help you along the way, but you have to decide if you really want to take on the ongoing learning process and challenge that is the writing trade.
Do you want to become a writer? If so, you've come to the right place. Some of us weren't that serious about writing before we joined, so maybe you're just one of those people. The fact that you write in a diary suggests that you like writing to some degree. So while you may not think of yourself as a writer now, give it time; your opinion may change after a while. Welcome to the forum.
I have serious doubts about if it'd be a 'realistic' goal. Writing takes skill, effort, commitment. Seriously, I might have a good idea. But then I am holding back because it's 'too big'. Being an artist in general is asking yourself to be confronted with fears and being able to express them. Another thing that makes me insecure is a source of inspiration. Many fantasies are based on real life, (second hand) experience and dreams that are a combination of all the things I've mentioned. Without being all to Freudian, I might have gotten to a point where I have a good idea, but it's questionable subject for a story because I think it would not work. I have tons of idea that don't work. And I don't really know how to start small, without experience. I have the tendency to cherish my dreams in my mind but a writer will face them and refine them. I think my mind does not allow for this process, to put it simply, since what I make up will affect my inner world and subconsious, making me part of the story, altering it again, even making major parts obsolete . That's a great deal in developing a character: it's part of you, then you have to put outside you and confront with so many things. That's frightening. I have the expectation that even if I would write something like a thriller, it would be too personal and up close, as if the reader would take on a role as a therapist that evaluates my inner world. I don't go there. My stories wouldn't be that catchy to captivate a reader, and putting a person in an observer state of my perception, I guess it's better to not even talk about those things to anyone, only to cherish of what I think to be grandiose fantasies.
Why join a writers forum then declare that you don't write? Its nonsensical. Things have seriously taken a turn for the worse on this site but this takes the biscuit!
I'm afraid my impression of this thread reminds me of Kristen Wiig on Saturday Night Live portraying a woman at a cocktail party saying, "Don't make me sing. I hope you're not going to make me sing. You're going to make me sing, aren't you." "Don't make me write..."
i, too, have to wonder why you came here, if all you want to do is go on about how you don't want to write and how you can't write, ad infinitum... what do you expect to do here, if you don't want to write anything other than posts about not wanting to write? if you want to learn how to write, i mentor aspiring writers and always have time for another mentee... love and hugs, maia maia3maia@hotmail.com
A lot of writers draw from personal experience, and a lot of writers have tons of ideas that they aren't able to turn into a novel/story/whatever. So you're not alone here. If you're scared of what people might think of you or how they might evaluate your work, then publishing might not be for you (hopefully you'll change your mind about this in the future). That doesn't mean you still can't write, however.
You're getting far too philosophical. It's a story, get over it. Yes, you're an important person to the people you love and have inherent value by virtue of being a living, sentient being, but really - people who don't know you just won't care, without sounding harsh. Just have fun with the writing and then if you don't want to show it to the world, or if you do, that's your business and yours alone, and it is your choice that you can make when you're done writing. But the privilege is having that choice, and you can only have the choice if you actually write anything that people can read. Write, or don't write, it's no loss to me, but no one here's gonna persuade you to write. So, if you have the desire to write but lack the motivation, you've come to the right place. But no one can make you, even if they were to put in the futile energy to try. There's a Chinese proverb that says: Unless the bull wants to drink, even if you lead it to water, you cannot force its head down to drink.
That's the English way of putting it, and yes the meaning's the same. In the Chinese, it literally means, "When the bull does not want to drink, you cannot force its head down." So, in the version I'm referring to, it is a bull Or a cow. Same difference. But definitely not a horse.
One of my favorite Johnny Carson quips. "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't lead a horticulture." (rimshot)
