1. blankdraft

    blankdraft New Member

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    the joy of writing

    Discussion in 'The Lounge' started by blankdraft, Nov 4, 2008.

    what is it?
     
  2. Nilfiry

    Nilfiry Senior Member

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    It is whatever you find it to be.
     
  3. lipton_lover

    lipton_lover New Member

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    hm... you should have started us off with more maybe. But anyways, I enjoy describing the indescribable, like dreams or fantasy/afterlife scenes.
     
  4. lordofhats

    lordofhats New Member

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    Joy: An emotion of great happiness.

    Writing: A representation of language or communication in a textual medium through the use of an organized set of signs and/or symbols.

    I derive an emotion of great happiness from making funny shapes on the paper/monitor :p.
     
  5. Cogito

    Cogito Former Mod, Retired Supporter Contributor

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    blandraft, what is your opinion? I see you asking questions, but not providing anything about what you believe.

    Where are these questions leading? Are you a writer, looking for some direction in your own writing? Are you compiling a survey, and if so, to what end?

    You're more likely to get good discussions going if you open up a bit about yourself, and why these questions are important to you.
     
  6. tehuti88

    tehuti88 New Member

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    If you have to ask, then you probably haven't experienced it yet.

    If you're just asking what others think it is, good luck getting many straight answers. IMO it's an intangible thing. You can't put your finger on it. You just know it when you feel it. *shrug*
     
  7. blankdraft

    blankdraft New Member

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    writing has many drawbacks such as long hours and tedious tasks, and can become monotonous quickly.

    is there anything about the joys of writing?
     
  8. RomanticRose

    RomanticRose Active Member

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    The times when everything just 'clicks' and the words seem to flow out of your mind and your hand has to race to keep up with them.

    When you get to that 'aha!' moment, when the one idea you need to make the whole plot hang together and make sense.

    It may not be about the process of writing, but when someone tells you that your words got them through a bad day, gave them something to think about, or just took them away from the real world for a while.

    Sorry to be venal, but I do have to add: the days when the royalty check comes in.
     
  9. Speedy

    Speedy Contributor Contributor

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    When im trying to write (which so far i've only tried to write one story which is slowly getting there)

    Every single day is a joy because my baby grows that little bit bigger.... i love it. I write on the flow, rather than plan. So at the end of the day i might write three or four pages and i'll go at the end of the day "wow, i didnt see that happening" but it did... i like that. its "joy". And this happens every day!

    I also like those moments where your writing for say three hours, theres no editing and going over crap, no stopping to eat, sleep, use the toilet. All you do is have that moment, that scene in your head and your writing and on a roll and suddenly you look at the word count before calling it a night and somehow you just wrote 15,000 words without noticing.

    Cant say the later comes as much as i wish!

    Oh, not such a writing moment, but a moment thats a very nice feeling. When you write a chapter and you use the, walk away and leave it/read it again in a months time approach, and when you do and it reads like the dream you though it read when you left it.
     
  10. 67Kangaroos

    67Kangaroos New Member

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    the joy is in the creating for me.
     
  11. Dcoin

    Dcoin New Member

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    Sitting at my computer, and leaving my world for a little while.
     
  12. Show

    Show Contributor Contributor

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    The joy is writing is whatever each individual writer will allow it to be.
     
  13. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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  14. Scarecrow28

    Scarecrow28 New Member

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    The joy of writing is either when the word are pouring out on to the page perfectly without a second of hesitation or thought required or when your finally finish a writing project that you've been working on and you know that its good.
     
  15. Alex_Hartman

    Alex_Hartman New Member

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    When you've sat there and wrote about your worst day ever, and then it doesn't feel so bad anymore.

    Or when the writers block goes away and you understand everything.
     
  16. TwinPanther13

    TwinPanther13 New Member

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    Everything worth doing has many drawbacks, Doctors study long hours as do lawyers; artists and writers toil endlessly perfecting there craft; actors and singers have to spend endless hours promoting themselves to stay popular.

    No matter what you do in this world wether its fliping burgers or making movies if you want to be the best at it you will put the time in to be the best.

    It all grows monotonous no matter what you do, you just need to make sure you enjoy what you do.



    Edit: As for the joy, I enjoy bringing my characters to life. My idea of strength, intligence and cunning as expressed through my work. Those times when people say that my words have helped them to see things from a new perspective. Hopefully I will be able to share that with more then the ones near me.
     
  17. hysteria

    hysteria New Member

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    Creating and conveying thoughts and Ideas across to the reader! Hopefully letting them feel how you feel when you thought up the story.
     
  18. Little Miss Edi

    Little Miss Edi New Member

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    joy is in the tweaking and the challenge of moving something ethereal into something physical. I imagine the joy or writing is similar to the joy of other creative arts.
     
  19. traffic101

    traffic101 New Member

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    The joy of writing, is the ability to create. First the page is blank, and than magically it develops and fills up with my ideas. To me, that is the best feeling in the world.
     
  20. ning

    ning New Member

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    i write fantasy stories, and i like writing because it brings me and hopefully the readers into a world which we can never be a part of. and there, you can be who you are, who you want to be, and who you dream to be.
     
  21. kkane49

    kkane49 New Member

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    This comment is to Cogito as he asks of blandraft above- "Are you seeking direction for your writing? Taking a survey- To what end?" That's a loose paraphrase, but captures the thrust of this comment- Every time we writers ask for a yes-or-no do-you-like-it what-part, we are taking a survey, and, in that, seeking direction, along with also seeking affirmation for valuing ourselves for the fact that we write. It is painfully frustrating to pound on these keys until they cry out with beauty, then have no one know beauty born of you exists. I was paralyzed for a while, after a car wreck, and could not speak, though I could think. The frustration of being unable to prove my presence was an agony all to itself. That's how a reader-less writer comes to feel. I wish I could just forget it, and did for years and years, but my fingers get to itching so bad I go nuts with it, and end up at the keyboard again, each time with that glimmer of hope that this time, THIS time, someone will actually read me. Some other thread on this thing asks "Why do you write?" Answer: To scratch my itchy fingers to the point that they bleed with the hope that I'll have more than a bloody tissue and a satisfied soul when I'm through. I NEED a survey to handle the latter half, Cog. k
     
  22. architectus

    architectus Banned

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    I imagine it's different for every writer. What brings me joy is getting immersed in a world I created, with characters I created. It's being surprised at how the plot turns, or being suprised by the reaction of one of my characters. Sometimes they make me laugh out loud. I get joy when the character seems to possess me and she/he writes instead of me. It's these things and many more that bring me joy when writing.

    But there are times it is down right laborious.
     
  23. marina

    marina Contributor Contributor

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    arch: I've been following your vampire story on webook. A question for you (and it's still on topic), but have you always had this joy of writing or is it something that came to you when you got older? You write a lot each day...have you always done so or is this the first time you've focused on completing a novel?
     
  24. architectus

    architectus Banned

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    You're going to hate me for how long my answer is.

    That is an interesting question. The answer is yes and no. Growing up I used to write stories here and there. People always told me that I had a great imagination and that I should write, but I never really thought about it. Instead I practiced martial arts, painted, played sports, and other kid’s stuff.

    Sorry this is turning into a long answer. In high school I tried to write a novel for history class. We had to write about a historical event. I asked if we could write our report as a story, and he said, “Sure.”

    “Is there a limit on how long it can be?” I asked.

    “Nope,” he said.

    So I set out to write a novel just so he would have to read the whole thing. It was a lot harder than I imagined. I only ended up writing sixty pages.

    During those sixty pages I discovered something, and that is that I enjoyed writing them. I felt the characters, and at times they surprised me. But high school stuff got in the way, like partying, so I forgot about writing.

    At the age of twenty-three I attempted writing once more. I started to write a novel about a vampire named Ashlor Van Hamlock. I got about sixty pages into it and realized I couldn’t write. I knew nothing about writing at the time. But people told me that the story concept was good. Whatever, I put writing off once more.

    I dabbled here and there, but never put much time into it, until recently. During the last two years I have been studying my butt off, and writing all the time. (I have always been an avid reader, but recently I have been reading a book every 2-3 days.)

    I write a lot of short stories for practice. Some come out okay, others I lose my sense of MC desire, my ADD kicks in, and it turns into some crazy nonsense. But I’m getting better, and it seems the better I get the more joy I get, and the more the characters take over and surprise me.

    See this will teach you better not to ask a person with ADD a question, especially if he/she is passionate about it. :p

    I am working on writing more narration, and I will work more narration into Vampire Stasis on the rewrite. You know that only 1/3 of Koontz’ novels are action? That includes dialogue. My first draft is mostly action and dialogue, with little description and narration. I think that could be a problem. Hopefully I can work it out on the rewrite.

    Grammar, flow, and style are things I continue to study and practice.

    BTW, I had to take down two micro-fiction stories from webook because they were accepted by an ezine. Micro-fiction in this case is 100 words or less.
     
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  25. marina

    marina Contributor Contributor

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    Thx for that long response--I loved it (but maybe it's because I'm ADHD too). :D

    I think being able to be alone with your daydreams (another ADHD quality) and working to make it come alive on paper is something that is extremely satisfying--when it happens for me, that is; which isn't too often, but I keep trying.
     

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