What's up party people? I'm a published, nonfiction opinion columnist whose half-hearted attempts at molding himself into a fiction novelist have been fruitless at best. I'm not sure if being a part of this forum will aid me in the transition or not, but it seems like it might be a worthwhile distraction from actually writing, so here I am. The most challenging hurdle I face is that my attention span is akin to that of a fruit fly, so no matter how motivated I may be to start a new project, I can never seem to maintain the same level of enthusiasm once I get to the middle and my creative output eventually dwindles to nothing. That's typically followed by multiple re-readings of what I've already written, which only serve to plant the seeds of doubt in my mind as to whether the story's any good or not, and eventually I delete the whole thing and repeat the process ad infinitum. So that's me. How about you?
Hello Tribe, Welcome to the Writing Forums. I'm not published yet either, but I'm working on a couple science fiction novels. I'm only in my second half century, so I have plenty of time (I plan to live forever). It's good to be young. 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!
You know...some researchers have actually given Ritalin to fruit flies in order to help their ADHD...useless fact for the day. Welcome Tribe. Hope you find something to keep you distracted...umm... occupied... amused... entertained... engrossed... diverted... sidetracked... no...we'll stick with distracted. ~Bree
So far the one thing that everyone has in common here no matter what they write, is having a tremendous start, that ends up going nowhere right about the time that your finding a new passion for something else. I have two methods for this, waiting and coming back to it, so that it feels like the idea is fresh again. Or pushing through no matter how uninspired you feel. Sorry for the radomn lecture of my useless advice lol. Welcome to the sight. Congratulations on being published.
My writing happened by accident lol If it helps six months ago I never thought I could write a novel, now I am tidying up my final draft, writing the synopsis and query leters. You sound like your brain works like mine, I have what a boss called a helicopter brain it spins around, and around and every so often it blows out something spectacular lol Nice to meet you, I write my fiction the sameway I do my non fiction lol I am not really published either, I had forgotten until yesterday that I had a couple of site reports for excavations, and some newspaper articles published when I was still in college. I have also provided research for a few published books, one I didn't realise but got it out the library this week to research a short story I am writing. Have you ever read any Alan Titchmarsh? He's a famous UK TV gardner, he writes his novels in exactly the same style as his gardening books. But actually they have a charm, warmth and humour all of their own.
