A plasterer by day, and horizontal by night. Ten days ago I decided to write. Short stories, that is, not poems. Not really in to them myself. I do like irony though . I've always loved reading but never considered actually writing anything. Then I completely surprised myself by writing a short story the other day. I was quite pleased with it so went on to write another. I'm now on to my third with a couple of others in the pipeline part of my brain. I've had a quick look round this site, and while I'm a little intimidated, I'm sure it will be my new playground. What fun it'll be to hear all the stories, jokes and gossip from the creative kids, and then get picked on by the bigger boys when I'm finally allowed to tell a story of my own Seriously though I'm looking forward to hearing brutal feedback on my babies. Pete
Hi @Petesky, welcome to the forum! Please don't be intimidated, the people on these boards are so helpful. If there's one thing I've learned is that the criticism genuinely improves your work and when you get good feedback on your ideas it also gives you a boost - a win/win situation I'd say! What sort of genre are you writing in? Looking forward to seeing you on the boards!
Thanks @Shbooblie It's more the high standard of writing that's intimidating! I'm not too worried about the criticism itself. That has to be brutally honest to be really helpful. I'm sure I can handle it. In fact I embrace it. I don't think I have a particular genre per say(is that the right expression. See, I'm already wondering about the words I'm typing, even in a forum post lol). My first story is a kind of dark romance about two pensioners, the second is a guy having a very weird day at the office, and the third is romance/sci-fi with a sprinkling of horror and comedy thrown in. So I'm a bit all over the place really. I think my writing style has developed quickly and is pretty consistent, even if the story type isn't.
Well, welcome to the Forums and the wonderful world of writing! I wish you the most luck. Writing can be fun and grueling at the same time, but I'm sure if you're into it, you will find something to hold onto during the more challenging times. I think you ma be right that the most intimidating part of writing is really the high standard. It's like how does one get that good? How does one master good from bad? OMG so many rules and conventions and expectations to learn. My best advice there is to read widely, ask questions, practice, and stay inspired Just remember 2 things: (1) for all of the rules and guidelines that you will learn, you are free to make exceptions if you fully understand the "rule" and how it works and why you're ignoring it (no guarentee people will love it, but you can try anything); (2) Unless you're trying to publish and make a living as a writer, it is most important that you enjoy the creative process--it's just a part of life.
Sounds really interesting! I really like variety, especially in short story anthologies. I'm reading one by Chuck Palahniuk and I'm really enjoying it. I'd be up for reading your stuff
Hi Petesky, you might want to reconsider your statement of style - the more words you write the more you find out what other tools there are - full stops and commas don't cover it. And each of them gives you more to play around with, not to mention sentence structure Anyway, welcome!
Thanks @Andrae Smith. I'm just writing for the enjoyment of it. I've been playing guitar and doing photography/photoshop stuff for years, and now I've discovered a whole new creative outlet. I'm looking forward to the learning curve ahead of me
