I don't ever know how to begin these things. I'm from Minnesota, born and raised, and can't remember a time when I didn't write. That's actually a lie. As a child, I began to write about the same time I began to read. It was so much easier to write back then because I didn't know how to be critical. I stopped writing on a regular basis sometime in my teens because suddenly everything I wrote wasn't good enough. To force myself to write, I'd take creative writing classes, both in high school and through college, until I bumped heads with a PhD candidate who taught one of my classes. A bad teacher really leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Since then, which was about 2007, my writing has been very sporadic. My ideas are abundant, but I've grown to lack confidence in my ability to put them to paper or screen. So here I am, trying to get back into the habit. I'd give almost anything to be able to write as freely as I once did, without my little inner critic deleting twenty words for every one written. I don't like to stick my work into genres, because I like to mix and match, but I think the best way to describe a lot of what I do (or try to do!) is fairy tales for adults. Other than that - I'm a water-loving security officer at the Mall of America, with a degree in psychology, with plans to become a paramedic.
I just recently read an interview with the novelist John Banville. He's a literary heavyweight, having won the Man Booker Prize as well as other honors. Yet he claims that he hates all his novels. "Fiction is just a constant torment, and an embarrassment," he says. "I loathe my fiction." It isn't good enough for him. I think this attitude is more common that some people think. If you have high standards, and many people do, then it's hard to please yourself with your work. The more good stuff you've read, the more aware you are of just how good fiction can be, and the less satisfied you'll be with second-rate writing. The problem is that it's hard to produce first-rate writing, as we all know. If it were easy, everybody would do it. There's no easy answer to this problem. You just have to keep writing, and keep writing the best you can. Keep aiming high. Nobody can guarantee that you'll produce something brilliant, but one thing IS sure: if you DON'T write, you WON'T produce something brilliant. Trying doesn't guarantee success, but failure to try DOES guarantee failure. So welcome to the club - the club of writers who try their best to write well but live in constant fear that their stuff isn't good enough. It's a darn big club, too. There have been some writers, including notable ones, who were convinced they were geniuses. Nabokov thought he was great, and didn't have much good to say about other writers. Theodore Drieser thought he was another Shakespeare. But writers like that are few and far between. Maybe that's a good thing.
Hello Seroci, Welcome to the Writing Forums. So - would that be the saddle of a jet ski, with a medkit on board? Beware of finger-eating catfish. Please read How to Use the Review Room before you post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here. It is worth taking the time to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog. Also, be aware that posting a piece of writing on any public site, including this one, will greatly diminish your chances of selling it for publication. Removing the writing later does not alter that fact - once posted, it is irreversibly considered published. So do not post anything more than a small excerpt of any piece you are planning to submit for publication. If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Word Games, or the Review Room, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the forum rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Review Room, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize constructive critique as a vital writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. The Review Room forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Review Room forum). Also, please use the same thread for all revisions and additional excerpts from the same piece of writing. See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out the RPG forum for improvisational fiction. Also try our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
Welcome to the forums, Seroci. Hope you kick your critic's ass! Or, he kicks yours until satisfied. - Andy
