Hi everyone, I registered today and hoping to get to know a lot of you in the coming weeks. I suppose I could be described as your proverbial beginner working on the concept, plot and character development of my book. I'm a fairly recent graduate and was hoping some of my skills in legal drafting and might help craft a fairly tight prose. The only thing is, I'm not quite comfortable when it comes to writing as a discipline, i.e. how it fits into my life. I'm sure this has been covered at length in the past here so if you have any good threads I'd welcome a link. In essence, is it wise to treat writing as a disciplined process of routine and determination or is it something that is quite fluid and spontaneous? I am better suited to a rigid routine and think it is probable that I'd get better results this way but at the same time I don't want to stifle creativity or sicken myself. Should I apply some of my time to studying the art of writing, or would my time be better spent getting things down on paper at all costs? I have been writing somewhat but feel the experience is quite disjointed. From a practical point of view, I am trudging ahead and leaving out some detail and footnoting parts where I'd like to go back and flesh out an idea or detail that might take a bit of research to be credible. Is it wise to leave parts out and refer back to them at a later point? I'd appreciate any tips from you seasoned writers who manage to make progress while living a fairly normal lifestyle. There's a lot I'd like to discuss but I won't crowd it into one post. Many thanks.
Hello Peerie, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Posting your own work 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 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!
Thanks for the welcome Cogito, I'll keep your advice in mind. I wasn't planning to post anything online but wondered what you think about sharing small excerpts with people face to face at a writing class. Is this something you would recommend to a beginner? I'm quite happy writing on my own at the moment but facing some fierce pressure from friends who think an actual class is the way to go. I'll take a look at the Review Room.
(please note giant grain of salt available for your use) Classes are for either learning something you don't know or for having documentation that you've learned something. If you can write, just do it, and your work will be the proof that you can. You can always decide that you want to take a class later on, but you'll get more out of a class that's focused on what you've discovered you need to learn.
In essence, is it wise to treat writing as a disciplined process of routine and determination or is it something that is quite fluid and spontaneous? Yes. Ok, you probably want something with a wee bit more detail. As you evolve as a writer, you will probably go through both extremes. Eventually, you will find your own stride and find the balance between the two that works for you. This will ultimately be based more on your personal goals and personality than anything else. BTW, welcome to the asylum!
Sure, why not? Anything that gets you to write and then get feedback is usually a good thing. Most career writers have a regular routine. Sometimes the writing feels rigid/forced, other times it feels fluid/spontaneous. It's not going to flow effortlessly all the time. You might want to read On Writing by Stephen King or Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott just to see what their writing regiment is like. Good luck, and welcome.
