Hello from cold snowbound Northeast Michigan, where we just got hit with the first 'serious' snowfall of an agonizingly dull winter. Should be out there right now, digging out the car, but nowhere that I really must go. So, decided to finally check this out. Writing Forums appears to be a popular jumping off point for newbies, and that's what I think I want/need, duhh. Have not shared any writing since high school (very long ago), although I've been know to give good email... often too long. Seems most people just don't want to read that much in an email in this age of short attention spans. OK, so I blab too much. Lately the bug has come over me and maybe some 'serious' writing is happening. Hope to see what others are doing with this, and of course get some creative feedback if at all possible. Looks like a good place to start. ......Alex
Call me old fashioned, but when I write email, it usually resembles chapters. I can't abide things like Twitter and IM. Doesn't Twitter have a word limit? Yeah, well, if that doesn't make the case for "The powers that be" trying to make the masses dumber and less proficient with words, I don't know what is. But yes, if you're a logophile (a lover of words... not logos) then yes, writing can certainly be cathartic. It can be a good way of getting the demons out of your head and put them on a page.
Hey old fashioned... me too, writer of (painfully/inappropriately?) long emails, pretty much since the dawn of email, back in the days of DOS. Occasionally (not nearly often enough) have been told I can string words together. Gonna find out now. Twitter is still foreign to me, though I've browsed it a bit, never posted. Maybe it's too much of a challenge to be that brief (yeah there is a limit of some sort). Designed for a short attention span, one that has probably always existed to some extent, now so commonplace that one seems like some freak if you have a lot to say. Well I never told anyone NOT to say "shut up!" ...but few have even gone there, or I could have saved a lot of time wasted on deaf ears. Then again, so many are just overloaded with too much information, right? Gets worse all the time, as maybe humans are just not yet used to it and how to filter it effectively, it has all happened so quickly.
Welcome aboard! I've used writing to help me out of some dark places, so sample size of one says it didn't hurt. This is a very good place to start from square one, the community is friendly and we've got a pretty strong set of norms and rules that ensure that interactions are positive and critiques constructive. Hope to see you around the boards soon.
Thanks much, great to hear supporting words and nods! Late last night I posted my first writing, in non-fiction/memoirs, since I don't really know how to characterize the text.
Welcome to the forum—from somebody who lives in Scotland now, but who was also born and raised in northeast Michigan. Anyone here who is automatically 'put off' reading something long ...simply won't bother to read it! Those of us who like long pieces WILL read a long one, if the subject is interesting and the writing style is lively (which yours appears to be, from what you've just posted.) Probably best to ensure your writing contains frequent paragraph breaks. Solid walls of text are NOT popular here on the forum. Other than that ...fire ahead. And good luck.
Hi, Jannert -- Thanks for the comments. Being a babe in the woods here, I've no idea what is considered "long" although the pieces I've read so far have been brief. Wish I had known, as it seems one cannot edit a post, at least not where I stuck it -- I'm not seeing any edit button. Paragraph breaks: Guess I'd better bone up on some writing basics! Some paragraphs do run 200+ words, and that's after I added some breaks before posting. What is a "typical" paragraph length, that won't be considered "walls of text"? Not sure how to interpret "...yours appears to be..." LOL. Thank you? Where did you grow up here? I'm in the Tawas area... snowed in for the time being. Ahh, winter (that's quite enough of it for me).
You'll be able to edit soon. That privilege increases as you make more posts and just as time goes by. After a while (I don't know how long or how many posts) you'll be able to go back and edit anything you wrote here, apparently no matter how old. Just put paragraph breaks where they feel natural, where one thought ends and the next begins. Looks like you're doing it right in this last post.
As a newcomer to the forum you are only allowed to edit your work for (I think) an hour after you write it. However, once you've been here a while, you'll be allowed to edit freely. I'm not remembering the exact timescale for how this works, but maybe our Administrator @big soft moose or one of the other current moderators can let you know what's what. As far as what works here and what doesn't, there's no formula. Just look at what others have posted and get an idea. I'd say it's always a good idea, when you join a group of any kind, to kind of feel your way into how things are done. Spend a goodly amount of time visiting other threads, making comments, etc. That way you start to fit in quite well, and demonstrate an interest in what other people are doing. That means when you start doing stuff yourself, there will be people already familiar with you and will be eager to join in to whatever you're working with. In other words ...take baby steps! You're from the Tawas area? I'm from further north. Alpena, to be exact! I guess Alpena is getting snow as well, but not so much as they are getting downstate. I've got friends in the Lansing area, Jackson, etc, and they're all saying this snowfall has been rather extraordinary for that area. My sister in Lansing has been out losing a battle with the street plow ...every time she gets the driveway shoveled, the plow comes by and fills it in again. I'm suffering nostalgia now ...not.... Mind you, I just heard that Greece has been getting snow as well. So there you go.... I'll be speaking to a Greek friend of mine in Athens tomorrow (on the phone) and I'm sure he'll be wound up like an 8-day clock!
Thx, good to know! Yes, I've begun browsing member's contributions and been leaving comments, as all have been very interesting so far (a good start). Not sure if I'm looking to "fit in well" so much as simply learn if anything connects, y'know? But part of the 'story' is about anger and where it comes from, so I know that there is a bipolar irritability factor in my, um, expectations... workin' on that. I realize that anger can be off-putting, contrary to what I'm seeking (the usual I suppose, approval, acceptance, like minds of all flavors). Yes, the Tawas's have been home for about 14 years now, originally from Saginaw, with a 17 year Florida stint. Bitter cold and plenty of snow bring the only real desire for some tropical feeling, yet I know (from writing with old friends still there) that it's become a driving nightmare, worse than ever (Bradenton/Sarasota), esp. during the current snowbird onslaught. Still, the bright sun today is playing nicely with the fresh snowdrifts & shadow & color... could be time to bundle up for a walk w/camera.
lol. Solid joke. Well, "stringing words together" I's certainly a good base from which to work. You just have to learn how to plot, create characters, etc, etc, next. There's plenty of advice for that in this place, though. Good luck.
