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Hi guys. I'm totally new to all of this so this is my first posting, so just checking out if it works.
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Welcome
What sort of thing do/would you like to write?
When you're ready, tell us what you like to write, and if you need to know how some aspect of the Talkback board works- quotes etc, then just ask. :)
SORRY!, went into Fagin mode there for a minute. Welcome Paulina. Writing's a hard hard life and you'll be in good company here. Blimey! It is like Oliver Twist, innit.
MORE pLEAsE.
Welcome and good luck with your writing.
You'll find a great bunch of people on here to help with any questions :)
Hi, Paulina - welcome to the Bona-Fide, Grade 1-Class A+ Madhouse, where every last mystery of the written word will ultimately be revealed...if you ask the right questions, and the right loonies are online that night!!! :-D
.. except if you ask "can anyone lend me fiver" I think you may find TB looking a little like Mary Celeste
I reckon everyone is taking advantage it's January and just getting on with it
:)
I know I am
[quote=dora]I reckon everyone is taking advantage it's January and just getting on with it[/quote]
I spent 3 hours revamping a short story last night and it still won't work ... lazy git. I'll try again later but I think this one's going to be sinking into the usb device again and staying there in perpetuity - and it's not alone!
I've always been interested in writing since I was very young, writing short stories, poems and I have this ambition to write a novel (as many of us do). I started with 'readers letters' for magazines, had a couple published and the bug has me hooked. I wondered if anyone knows of any really useful home study writing courses. There are so many out there. I came across one run by 'The Writers Bureau' and read some mixed reviews about it. I think this writers online website have information on home study too. Any reviews or advice would be welcomed. Also, are there any chat rooms for writers?
Thanks again for all your responses. :-)
You're in one, here, with us lot :)
Thats one of the good things about TB here, you post your two pence worth, and aren't encouraged to stick around for three hours, facebookly wondering why you haven't got anything done. At least it is for me.
Thwack
- the sound of the ms being returned. :(
Getting unbiased crits of your work is worth its weight in gold. Giving crits to other (would-be) authors is also helpful in the learning process.
When TB's do it, it tends to be to answer a specific question and then to remove it before the edit option times out.
edited to say that is short stories, not longer works
(serious) Talkbackers Short Story Group
edited to add the link:
http://talkback.writers-online.co.uk/comments.php?DiscussionID=178874&page=1
Sometimes the comments of writers are too much of an informed opinion - what you want is to know if a 'normal' person, your audience, understands and enjoys what you have written. Whether THEY think it is well written, elegant, keeps their attention, makes them laugh, makes them want to read more, rather than it being an exercise for writers to pick it apart.
Not that that is what people here would do, but I'm just trying to point out that not being an expert in commenting does not mean you don't have anything important or interesting to say.
Pauline, you have an opinion; you know whether you enjoy what you are reading or want to throw it at the wall. Therefore what you say matters! Furthermore, you can learn from what the others say - and decide for yourself whether you agree or disagree.
But above all, every single one of us was a beginner just like you; and every thing we say, having a few stories or books or articles behind us, we've learnt about through writing. So don't feel junior, or sub-standard: just write! That way you'll catch up. Worrying about not being good enough won't get you any further.
I'm not big on "how to write" books - it takes a pretty high standard to grab me! - but I do believe in going to literary festivals to hear successful writers of a variety of kinds speak about their process, watching Sky Arts for the same reasons (if you want a masterclass in writing character, get hold of Maureen Lipman speaking about her book "I Must Collect Myself"), and joining a good writers group - I think there's a thread on here about that...Or it might have been Emma Bragg's blog, actually (http://emmabragg.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/is-a-writing-group-really-useful/). There is one generalist writing book I *would* recommend, however - which wasn't on any syllabus! It's called Nine Winning Habits of Successful Authors, by Rachel McAlpine, and it's the best breakdown of what it really takes to be a successful writer I've read.
As for other books, look for who your favourite authors are, or who is the 'best' at the sort of writing you want to create. For example, if you want to write plays, you want to at least consider Alan Ayckbourn! So get The Crafty Art of Playmaking, which is about the craft. I wouldn't treat any book as a 'bible' though - as many of the writers on here say, it's about finding your own process that works for you.
I'm not dissing all courses - I just do think that you can save yourself some time and money! Make sure you know what you want to get out of it and check whether you genuinely think you will achieve that with the courses you're looking at. You don't need a certificate to be a writer - you just need to (a) write, (b) have the confidence to share that writing and (c) have the patience and tenacity to get better at your craft, like you would in any industry.
Sorry - didn't mean to write a novel..! ;)
I know a few people who did an MA in creative writing - all of them unpublished...
I also know people who have started the writers bureau course but not got on with it for various reasons.
I know that for me, (published a few things, mainly non-fiction) the best thing I have ever done with regards to my writing was to get rid of my 'how-to' style books, leave the writing group I belonged to, stay off the internet and tie myself to my desk and just get on with writing. Doesn't matter if it's rubbish - at least it's something to improve on.
It's so easy to get caught up in punctuation and grammar debates and get side tracked on exactly how to format a piece of writing. At the end of the day, the time spent actually writing is far more valuable (to me, anyway) than time spent talking about writing!
[quote=Paulina] I'm not sure if I have the experience to comment on others work. [/quote]
Imagine you've attended a writing group and a person has read out their story.
What would you say in response? You may not say a lot, you may say several things, but there would be something about the story you'd be able to make a comment on.
In this group, we have a list of criteria that we use as guide points to show us the different parts of a short story. You could use this to give you ideas of how to comment about the story you'd just read.
How much or how little you comment upon is up to you, and whether the person receiving your comments changes their story, or leaves it as it is, is up to them.
:)
[quote=Paulina] Is it already up and running?
[/quote]
Yes, we'll be sending in our next round of stories in early part of February.