Writing Process

[IsaacNewton]

I've never completed a story. I've started a number of them but haven't brought them to completion.

You should write a VERY short story. One or two pages. But make it a whole story and don't worry about it being 'good'. Just have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Classic three act story. Everything is riding a bike.

 

[Dhara]

I've never completed a story. I've started a number of them but haven't brought them to completion.

You should write a VERY short story. One or two pages. But make it a whole story and don't worry about it being 'good'. Just have a beinning, a middle, and an end. Classic three act story. Everything is riding a bike.

That's a really good idea.

 

[koshergrl]

All the reading in the world isn't going to help you if you don't understand the words that are written.

And that, in turn, will prevent you from being a good writer.

What newsletters do you write? Church? Job?

Job.

 

[Dhara]

All the reading in the world isn't going to help you if you don't understand the words that are written.

And that, in turn, will prevent you from being a good writer.

What newsletters do you write? Church? Job?

Job.

OK.

Any other creative writing? Poems? Stories? Essays?

 

[IsaacNewton]

The killzoneblog is a cool site, I read through the critique of the work in progress and the insights were good. Search the net for the top writing sites. Everyone has their favorites and you'll find your own.

For myself I would say concentrate on story. A writer is merely a story teller who puts the story down in printed words. A director is a story teller that does it in images. A song-writer is a story teller that does it both in written word and using the emotion that can be put into the sound of singing words.

But the story is the thing. I've come to writing fairly recently and over the last ten years or so I've deconstructed what a story is, or what a movie is. It is a whole, broken down into three chunks (generally, the classic form is the 3 act story, though it CAN be radically different), those are then broken down into scenes. Each genre has its own form. You'll need to learn the various forms of novels, novellas, short stories, poems, movies, movie shorts, etc if you want to foray into any of those. And you can change them in some ways if you feel like it and the changes resonate with others.

But, the story is the thing. Forget the form. Come up with a good story, with drama and twists, and a great ending. You can fit any story into any form, usually but not always.

What are the great stories? What makes them great? Jaws, Alien, and The Creature from the Black Lagoon are the same story. Fight and defeat the horrible monster. But look at how differently that story is told and what twists are added to each. Chest burster, exploding tank. The story teller has to come up with all that stuff.

 

[IsaacNewton]

All the reading in the world isn't going to help you if you don't understand the words that are written.

And that, in turn, will prevent you from being a good writer.

What newsletters do you write? Church? Job?

Job.

OK.

Any other creative writing? Poems? Stories? Essays?

By the way I'd recommend reading The Waste Land and the Norton book that deciphers it. You'll get an idea how the more knowledge you have the better you can write and the larger your story will be.

It's hard to recommend writing sites. Some are great, others are eh. You have to find your own niche.

50 of the Best Websites for Writers

Writers Guild of America, West

 

[longknife]

I've decided to channel most of my interest in writing to journaling instead of posting on forums.

I thought I'd start a thread for writers and we could encourage each other.

Oh lord, not this again.

There's already an entire forum set aside for bad writers to write badly in, where they are forced to treat each other as if their writing is coherent and worthwhile.

Then do us all a favor and don't participate in this one.

 

[koshergrl]

I've decided to channel most of my interest in writing to journaling instead of posting on forums.

I thought I'd start a thread for writers and we could encourage each other.

Oh lord, not this again.

There's already an entire forum set aside for bad writers to write badly in, where they are forced to treat each other as if their writing is coherent and worthwhile.

Then do us all a favor and don't participate in this one.

All you do is make me want to stay.

 

[Moonglow]

I've decided to channel most of my interest in writing to journaling instead of posting on forums.

I thought I'd start a thread for writers and we could encourage each other.

Then why no indentation...?

 

[longknife]

All the reading in the world isn't going to help you if you don't understand the words that are written.

And that, in turn, will prevent you from being a good writer.

What newsletters do you write? Church? Job?

Job.

OK.

Any other creative writing? Poems? Stories? Essays?

By the way I'd recommend reading The Waste Land and the Norton book that deciphers it. You'll get an idea how the more knowledge you have the better you can write and the larger your story will be.

It's hard to recommend writing sites. Some are great, others are eh. You have to find your own niche.

50 of the Best Websites for Writers

Writers Guild of America, West

Thanks for the links.

Here are two excellent sites for writers:

Absolute Write Water Cooler @ Activity Stream - Absolute Write Water Cooler that has an excellent collection of tips on just about every writing subject.

Writers Helping Writers @ WRITERS HELPING WRITERS™ - Home of The Bookshelf Muse with a plethora of thesaursus' on just about anything you can image to help finding descriptions.



Me @ Amazon.com

 

[Dhara]

All the reading in the world isn't going to help you if you don't understand the words that are written.

And that, in turn, will prevent you from being a good writer.

What newsletters do you write? Church? Job?

Job.

OK.

Any other creative writing? Poems? Stories? Essays?

By the way I'd recommend reading The Waste Land and the Norton book that deciphers it. You'll get an idea how the more knowledge you have the better you can write and the larger your story will be.

It's hard to recommend writing sites. Some are great, others are eh. You have to find your own niche.

50 of the Best Websites for Writers

Writers Guild of America, West

Thanks for the links.

Here are two excellent sites for writers:

Absolute Write Water Cooler @ Activity Stream - Absolute Write Water Cooler that has an excellent collection of tips on just about every writing subject.

Writers Helping Writers @ WRITERS HELPING WRITERS™ - Home of The Bookshelf Muse with a plethora of thesaursus' on just about anything you can image to help finding descriptions.



Me @ Amazon.com

Very cool.

 

[IsaacNewton]

All the reading in the world isn't going to help you if you don't understand the words that are written.

And that, in turn, will prevent you from being a good writer.

What newsletters do you write? Church? Job?

Job.

OK.

Any other creative writing? Poems? Stories? Essays?

By the way I'd recommend reading The Waste Land and the Norton book that deciphers it. You'll get an idea how the more knowledge you have the better you can write and the larger your story will be.

It's hard to recommend writing sites. Some are great, others are eh. You have to find your own niche.

50 of the Best Websites for Writers

Writers Guild of America, West

Thanks for the links.

Here are two excellent sites for writers:

Absolute Write Water Cooler @ Activity Stream - Absolute Write Water Cooler that has an excellent collection of tips on just about every writing subject.

Writers Helping Writers @ WRITERS HELPING WRITERS™ - Home of The Bookshelf Muse with a plethora of thesaursus' on just about anything you can image to help finding descriptions.



Me @ Amazon.com

Bookmarked.

Very good info at both. Research on various subjects for a story is critical, both for characters and for the reality of things like the science, medical, and emotional aspects of things in the story. Some writers spent 5+ years just researching the fields they didn't know about that were in their story, before writing the book or screenplay.

And it's important to learn 'the business' you are in. Agents, publishing houses, movie studios. They all have their particular rules for submitting works.

 

[IsaacNewton]

By the way Dhara that was alot of info in a short span. If you aren't to the point of submissions or even writing to publish, I'd still say 'story'.

Unless you are only writing in a journal as you mentioned, for your own reading. Then story won't matter obviously.

 

[xband]

I've decided to channel most of my interest in writing to journaling instead of posting on forums.

I thought I'd start a thread for writers and we could encourage each other.

I am an excellent writer but have trouble with punctuation"

 

[MisterBeale]

Dhara, Beale suffers in misery and like most who do is vomiting on your thread. If you want to start a new one I'll be glad to join in. This site lends itself to the angries of the world. It likely isn't the best site to discuss writing.

You're right, I do suffer, and suffer mightily. If you knew me better you would know that cause, but with out knowing the details, you are launching a low brow ad hominem attack when someone dares to offer an alternative view point to your deeply held belief. Open your mind to the possibility that there might be more than one way to do things.

Do you honestly think Steinbeck, Hemingway, Faulkner or Fitzgerald did all the stuff you are going on about? Seriously?

I can tell you that wasn't Thoreau's method.

Although, I am not "vomiting," I am simply offering a different POV, which, without more info, it might have been premature.

I've decided to channel most of my interest in writing to journaling instead of posting on forums.

I thought I'd start a thread for writers and we could encourage each other.

What is your end goal through your writing? With out knowing this, I can not really intelligently comment on what you hope to achieve.

I think both Sir Newton and I can agree, the first thing you need to identify is your audience, go from there.


Do you wish to just write for pleasure?

Do you want to write for posterity? Do you hope to create high art and literature?

Or are all of these things, in the end, secondary goals, while is writing for profit the primary motive?


See, I posted to soon. With out knowing why you are writing, I cannot really intelligently comment on your writing thread.


Some would say it makes no difference, but it makes all the difference in the world.



I am always on my son's case about reading pop fiction versus reading literature. Seems today, folks love to gobble that shit up.



They love to write it as well. If your end goal is to write pop fiction and pulp, listen to everything Sir Newton has said, it is right on the money, and it will help you make a mint. The world always needs more Harlequin writers.

 

[koshergrl]

Dhara, Beale suffers in misery and like most who do is vomiting on your thread. If you want to start a new one I'll be glad to join in. This site lends itself to the angries of the world. It likely isn't the best site to discuss writing.

You're right, I do suffer, and suffer mightily. If you knew me better you would know that cause, but with out knowing the details, you are launching a low brow ad hominem attack when someone dares to offer an alternative view point to your deeply held belief. Open your mind to the possibility that there might be more than one way to do things.

Do you honestly think Steinbeck, Hemingway, Faulkner or Fitzgerald did all the stuff you are going on about? Seriously?

I can tell you that wasn't Thoreau's method.

Although, I am not "vomiting," I am simply offering a different POV, which, without more info, it might have been premature.

I've decided to channel most of my interest in writing to journaling instead of posting on forums.

I thought I'd start a thread for writers and we could encourage each other.

What is your end goal through your writing? With out knowing this, I can not really intelligently comment on what you hope to achieve.

I think both Sir Newton and I can agree, the first thing you need to identify is your audience, go from there.


Do you wish to just write for pleasure?

Do you want to write for posterity? Do you hope to create high art and literature?

Or are all of these things, in the end, secondary goals, while is writing for profit the primary motive?


See, I posted to soon. With out knowing why you are writing, I cannot really intelligently comment on your writing thread.


Some would say it makes no difference, but it makes all the difference in the world.



I am always on my son's case about reading pop fiction versus reading literature. Seems today, folks love to gobble that shit up.



They love to write it as well. If your end goal is to write pop fiction and pulp, listen to everything Sir Newton has said, it is right on the money, and it will help you make a mint. The world always needs more Harlequin writers.

Isaac is an anal retentive totalitarian douche bag..don't expect great Art from him, or a realistic approach to the creation of Art. The fact of the matter is..you either have the gift, or you don't. People who are gifted writers, who people love to read, do not usually enforce upon themselves the masochistic regime that he has suggested..and crappy writers are going to be crappy writers even when they do.

The internet has created thousands, maybe even millions, of generic sub-standard fluff generators who churn out huge piles of garbage and think that makes them skilled writers.

It isn't the quanitity of your work that makes it special. It isn't the form, or the subject matter, or the diligence with which you edit. Your work has to be special to begin with, and to accomplish that you must have a certain knack for speaking and reaching people.

Trust me, no progressive has that knack. Progressives are death to Art. They squash the creativity of others, and they have no intrinsic creativity themselves. They substitute artistic endeavor and literature with forced servitude and propaganda.

 

[MisterBeale]

Dhara, Beale suffers in misery and like most who do is vomiting on your thread. If you want to start a new one I'll be glad to join in. This site lends itself to the angries of the world. It likely isn't the best site to discuss writing.

You're right, I do suffer, and suffer mightily. If you knew me better you would know that cause, but with out knowing the details, you are launching a low brow ad hominem attack when someone dares to offer an alternative view point to your deeply held belief. Open your mind to the possibility that there might be more than one way to do things.

Do you honestly think Steinbeck, Hemingway, Faulkner or Fitzgerald did all the stuff you are going on about? Seriously?

I can tell you that wasn't Thoreau's method.

Although, I am not "vomiting," I am simply offering a different POV, which, without more info, it might have been premature.

I've decided to channel most of my interest in writing to journaling instead of posting on forums.

I thought I'd start a thread for writers and we could encourage each other.

What is your end goal through your writing? With out knowing this, I can not really intelligently comment on what you hope to achieve.

I think both Sir Newton and I can agree, the first thing you need to identify is your audience, go from there.


Do you wish to just write for pleasure?

Do you want to write for posterity? Do you hope to create high art and literature?

Or are all of these things, in the end, secondary goals, while is writing for profit the primary motive?


See, I posted to soon. With out knowing why you are writing, I cannot really intelligently comment on your writing thread.


Some would say it makes no difference, but it makes all the difference in the world.



I am always on my son's case about reading pop fiction versus reading literature. Seems today, folks love to gobble that shit up.



They love to write it as well. If your end goal is to write pop fiction and pulp, listen to everything Sir Newton has said, it is right on the money, and it will help you make a mint. The world always needs more Harlequin writers.

Isaac is an anal retentive totalitarian douche bag..don't expect great Art from him, or a realistic approach to the creation of Art. The fact of the matter is..you either have the gift, or you don't. People who are gifted writers, who people love to read, do not usually enforce upon themselves the masochistic regime that he has suggested..and crappy writers are going to be crappy writers even when they do.

The internet has created thousands, maybe even millions, of generic sub-standard fluff generators who churn out huge piles of garbage and think that makes them skilled writers.

It isn't the quanitity of your work that makes it special. It isn't the form, or the subject matter, or the diligence with which you edit. Your work has to be special to begin with, and to accomplish that you must have a certain knack for speaking and reaching people.

Trust me, no progressive has that knack. Progressives are death to Art. They squash the creativity of others, and they have no intrinsic creativity themselves. They substitute artistic endeavor and literature with forced servitude and propaganda.

Well, I do agree to a certain extent with you, but I think the gift can be nurtured as well.

But the way you nurture that gift is NOT AT ALL in the way that Sir Newton as been intimating. The way you nurture that gift is the way that Twain and Thoreau have taught us.

I don't know if Dhara is familiar with the likes of Poe, Kerouac, Thompson, Hemingway, or Woolf. The things these folks have in common are their tortured souls, it's their insanity. From the edge of sanity comes true art and creativity.

It's experience, and it's the authentic life one leads that makes a writer. Writers go out and live. They don't get it by imitation.


When I had lunch with Vonnegut and Adams, that was the one similarity that I took away from both of those meetings. It wasn't that they both focused on writing everyday. Sure, writers know that you should sit down and attempt to write something interesting and thought provoking everyday. That's like an athlete practicing.

But you want to know what is far far more important? It the existential experience of living. It's your voice. That is where the meat and bread of a writer's existence comes from. Real writers are out in the mountains and the woods. They are sailing, learning to do new things and experiencing life.

It is far more important for you to affect the world, and for the world to affect you, in order for your gift to be honed and sharpened into something that can be useful for the day when you sit down at the computer and decide it is time to compose.

For like you say, with out the passion, the creativity and a little bit of inborn insanity, the person desiring to be a writer will be nothing more than a hack.

 

[longknife]

If you are ever going to be successful as a writer - you have to approach it as a JOB. It requires dedication, gathering information, learning new things, set a schedule and adhere to it, and build a thick skin.

And, most important of all, if you can't properly tell the story, no one will read or listen to you.

 

[koshergrl]

If you are ever going to be successful as a writer - you have to approach it as a JOB. It requires dedication, gathering information, learning new things, set a schedule and adhere to it, and build a thick skin.

And, most important of all, if you can't properly tell the story, no one will read or listen to you.

Thank you, I will alert the media to let them know, because nobody knew this already.

 

[koshergrl]

The most important thing is to smoke opium or to abuse other drugs.

25 Great Writers Who Battled Drug Addiction and Alcoholism