Ashbee
(member)
02/07/2008 11:01
Any writers out there?

Are there any writers out there? Do you write avidly or sometimes, when the wind is in the right direction and the muse is upon you, create a minor masterpiece that only you get to read? Perhaps you do get your work published or like most of us simply wish that one day...? If so, hold your hand up and lets talk about it.

Readers are often writers or would-be writers. Wouldn't it be great if we could talk about our efforts, support each other or give a few encouraging words of advice when needed? What do you think?

I'll start: I'm Ashby and I'm a writer (there, the hard bit over with...) of fiction and non-fiction. I've had a bit published but not much. I have piles of ideas scribbled out or typed neatly but I need a push to actually see an idea through to completion. Procrastination should be my middle name...

So, am I the only one?

sallyj
(member)
02/07/2008 12:47
Re: Any writers out there?

Hello Ashby,
I too am a writer. I try my hand at magazine articles and short stories and have had some limited success. My ambition is to write a Chick-Lit novel but I lack the discipline to actually sit down & write regularly.
I use the excuse of having no time (work, family etc) but that may just be procrastination or the fear that if I actually try then I will fail....

Sally.

Ashbee
(member)
02/07/2008 13:14
Re: Any writers out there?

Hello Sallyj

Nice to know I'm not alone. At the moment I can't use the work/family excuse but still struggle to find the time and I think you've hit the nail on the head: it's just fear of failing. In my imagination everything I write is a success and why risk shattering that illusion?

If anyone has an iPod and can download podcasts through iTunes, look for The Secrets podcast by Michael A Stackpole. He's a sci-fi/fantasy writer but he's posted a whole series of 15 minute workshops on various aspects and the few I've heard have been really motivating...

DeepBlue
(member)
02/07/2008 13:19
Re: Any writers out there?

Forgive me for being so blunt but you can't be a successful writer and a procrastinator. It's a job like any other and a craft that has to be worked at. There is nothing more infuriating to writers than people who say, 'I could write if I could just be bothered'. To succeed in any creative venture you need talent and FOCUS.

I'm a professional writer - mainly life style features for broadsheets but also of management learning and development programmes and every morning after I've put my make up on it's into my study to write whether or not I have any ideas. You must be disciplined. I'm lucky I come from a family of writers (3 generations) so I know what it's about. One of my sisters has had many books published and as she has a deadline has not answered the phone for weeks and won't until it's finished - she's been doing it for 25+ years and is very disciplined. If you wait for the muse she'll be a long time coming!

In addition you have to be able to deal with the inevitable rejections which should spur you on to greater efforts not throw you into despondency.

Incidently do you know that the average experenced writer earns under £8K a year(which is why I write manuals etc. which is well paid but not exciting) and it's getting worse because of price cutting. The JK Rowlings of the literary world are few and far between I'm afraid! Don't however get me wrong it's wonderful to have such a talent aand it's a good life if you want to work for yourself and can cope with the isolation and have a supportive family.

Good luck with your writing and developing discipline. If you've got piles of scribbles around get them into your word processor right now and work on them one by one under they and you are exhausted!

Ashbee
(member)
02/07/2008 13:38
Re: Any writers out there?

Petroushka

Your point about being a procrastinator and therefore not successful is well taken. But that doesn't mean I'm not a writer - it can be a hobby as much as any other. I have to say that it really makes me cross that writing courses and writing publications assume that every writer only writes to earn money. I just enjoy writing - and yes, I do know that for most writers who write professionally it isn't a lucrative profession.

I have published stuff in the past - an article in a national monthly, an article on the web and letters in various publications - but I submitted those to make a point.

I suppose the reason for me holding my hand up here is to get some like-minded people chatting about something that I enjoy. If I had major deadlines and publishers beating at my back I probably wouldn't enjoy writing as much as I do now. However, I do admire anyone, like yourself, who works at writing to earn a living - you are living my fantasy in some respects but I probably wouldn't want to swap with you. Writing is a creative activity that anyone can enjoy.

wendieg
(member)
02/07/2008 15:13
Re: Any writers out there?

Hi there. I am new to the Forum and was pleased to see your post. I am trying to be a writer! I have signed up for a correspondence course and am working my way throught it. I did a Creative Writing course at night school a while ago and really enjoyed it. Have recently been made redundant so have much more time available now and am determined to make a go of it. I think writing is very isolating and it would be great to talk to others in the same position. I agree that it is a matter of applying yourself but you also need help, support and inspiration as well.

mezzanine
(member)
02/07/2008 17:14
Re: Any writers out there?

I would love to have a go. Procrastination and lack of confidence in my own abilities have a big part to play in my lack of effort in giving it a go so far but maybe this thread maybe the push I need....

Chickadee
(member)
02/07/2008 17:42
Re: Any writers out there?

I have been a writer - three non-fiction books, various articles and reviews, but all some years ago, when it went with the job I was doing then.

I used to think I wanted to write a novel, and have one started, but recently have decided that there are already more than enough people producing novels of all kinds, so I don't think I'll bother - I'd rather be writing posts here on the forum where you actually get some live feedback!

Ashbee
(member)
02/07/2008 19:28
Re: Any writers out there?

I'm going to be a bit airy fairy here and say to all those who write in some shape or form, well done and carry on and enjoy it for what it is ... another way of exercising your imagination. Does it matter if most of us will never earn a penny from our writing and probably not have anyone outside the family circle read what we write? Just enjoy writing for the sake of writing...

Flutterfly
(member)
04/07/2008 12:02
Re: Any writers out there?

Hello everyone
I've just joined the forum and yes, I write too, for my own pleasure. I paint and draw too, but not often. I did a creative writing course with the OU a couple of years ago and loved it. For the first time I really threw myself into it.
I have drawn my best work and written my best pieces when I am in the depths or highs of difficult or intensely emotional experiences good and bad, but find it more difficult to express myself other than in diary form if I am on an even keel. Does this sound odd??

You might say that it is a good thing therefore that I have not drawn or written for a while......... Does anyone else feel like this?

AlexP
(member)
04/07/2008 12:32
Re: Any writers out there?

Ashbee, I've just found this thread and think it a wonderful idea for likeminded people, who share an interest in writing, to talk to each other. Even if writing is just a hobby or an interest rather than a means of earning a living, does it really matter? I've always enjoyed writing for my own pleasure. When I say 'writing', it might just be jotting down a few thoughts about something or someone - I always have a notebook with me, just in case I need to write something down. I have been working on a short story - something I would like to submit for publication - and also a longer story, perhaps a novella. I work full time and so I don't have a great deal of time to devote to writing, so it is just a hobby at present. Perhaps one day that will change.

Like you Flutterfly, I find that I write better at times of emotional highs or lows - perhaps because everything is seen and experienced more intensely at those times?

To the ladies who have done creative writing courses - did you find that these were useful? I am thinking of doing somethign like that myself, but am not sure.

I hope that this thread continues - it's lovely to know that there are ladies on the forum who enjoy writing and who would like to discuss this with others.

Ashbee
(member)
04/07/2008 13:03
Re: Any writers out there?

I'm glad there are more ladies out there who like to put their thoughts and ideas down on paper or onto computer. Perhaps if there are enough we could persuade W&H to let us have a seperate slot?

I've done a couple of courses by correspondence course but got fed up with the assumption that I wanted to write to sell. Every one started: identify your market...I wanted to write better not tailor my work to fit a specific niche. That could come later, I thought. Needless to say I didn't complete the courses...

Most of my writing tends to be the reflective, musing sort (I also keep journals - does anyone else?) but now and again I start on a fiction idea. I have no stamina unfortunately but I'm working on it...most of my fiction tends to be the middle-aged version of chic-lit (there's a name for it, can anyone remember what though?). What does anyone else write?

Flutterfly
(member)
04/07/2008 13:07
Re: Any writers out there?

Hello AlexP ,

I loved the creative writing course and particularly the fact that it was home based. I think the conflict I felt, (as do many writers probably) was that frequently the best writing I managed was when I was going through difficult times. I was reluctant to share my work for discussion, as it felt too personal. Being quite a private person, I felt that I was revealing too much of myself.

I have read that new writers are frequently more autobiographical than the more seasoned ones, and that experience helps to create more distance! When I try to do that though, I feel that what I write seems bland and unconvincing.

Ashbee
(member)
04/07/2008 13:20
Re: Any writers out there?

Flutterfly

I suspect that most writing has an element of personal experience in it. Frankly, I think that writing about whatever is going on in our lives helps us to make sense of it and should never be undervalued. However, even that can be useful at a later date. Have you ever tried to use the autobiographical stuff in another way - turn it into fiction using a made up character, writing it from another person's perspective or maybe writing it with a different end result - i.e the one you would like to have happened if only you had had the courage to do whatever?

aggipanthus
(member)
04/07/2008 13:53
Re: Any writers out there?

Hello.. I am a published writer, of local and social history features, fiction too. The being paid is lovely I have to say, but it gives me such a buzz, even after eight years or more, to see my work in a national or privately published magazine. To know that my faith in my writing wasn't misplaced, that it was considered good enough to be put in something with a large circulation.

I also keep a journal, and have done since teenage years. I keep a notebook with me at all times, because ideas can come from anywhere and have to be written down straightaway or they'd vanish altogether, without trace.

I have completed a novel which I saved up to have professionally appraised, and though it wasn't cheap, it was definitely the best thing I could have done. I had sent the ms to various agents, those who took authors who wrote similar types of story, but it was returned, always because their lists were full, or it wasn't quite right. I needed to know if there was any point to my carrying on, or if I was just fooling myself about my writing skills. Happily, it was a very positive appraisal.

I have a couple of workbooks aimed at writers, with exercises to help with those times when the writer's block comes upon me. When I want to write, but frustratingly can't get a single idea to form.

I am not a professional writer, nor someone who does it all the time. I have many other things in my life, and like variety. I am not good at writing to order, doing anything to order really, and write when I am in the mood, when an idea strikes. Then I can be at it all day and hate to be interrupted. Now just because I don't make myself go into my workroom and write, whether I feel like it or not, whether I know what to write or not, doesn't make me any less of a writer than someone who does. There are levels of seriousness about your writing.. to me it's a creative outlet, something I enjoy doing when it flows. But if it's not flowing, then I won't force it.. life's too short.

It should be enjoyed, and once it becomes a chore or a bore, then is the time to stop. I have been writing since I won a national schools competition aged 10, and can't imagine ever not doing it...having said that, it's several weeks since I wrote a story for a competition.

I agree that it would be good if W&H gave us a slot all to ourselves... where we could get help with the old writers block, tell each other about competitions, ask advice, help with research for a short story perhaps.

Meanwhile, happy writing...x

Ashbee
(member)
04/07/2008 14:19
Re: Any writers out there?

Hello Gothfairy - a lady after my own heart with the local and social history interest. Any particular area/subject of interest?

It would be great if we could find a way of keeping this going - I suspect one thread is going to go 'ping' sooner or later. No idea how we approach W&H for a page of our own but in the meantime pehaps we could start the heading of any new posts with something like WRITING LADIES or similar so we know it's about writing rather than a book?

In the meantime, I'm away for a week in Kent - taking pen and paper with me of course - so I hope everyone will keep talking amongst yourselves?

It would be interesting to know what writing books, podcasts, websites, magazines that people find particularly helpful. Pen on Fire by Barbara De Marco Barrett is a great help for when you don't think you can find five minutes to write, The Writers Ideas Book and Workshops by Jack Heffron are great for when you just don't know what to write about and Writers on Writing, The Writing Show and The Secrets are all great podcasts downloaded via iTunes...

Chris

saraw
(member)
04/07/2008 15:08
Re: Any writers out there?

I have been toying with the idea of writing a book, I am really interested in doing a course but not quite sure which one to do. It would have to been via correspondence. I tried writing a journal everyday, but then do not have the momentum to carry on, writing the same things everyday. Any ideas for that? I have a few ideas for a story but not sure where to take it after getting the initial idea.

Sara

aggipanthus
(member)
04/07/2008 15:11
Re: Any writers out there?

Ashbee... I write about the area I live in... the first rule of writing being to write about what you know of course!! But you would know that! I have written about DMVs, local folk lore, particular buildings of interest, memorials, old churches, anything which grabs my attention. The first piece I ever did was about a tiny hidden graveyard I found outside a large department store in a nearby market town. Surrounded by a brick wall just bigger than me, I had to scramble up to see what was on the other side. (Another rule about writing is that you must be nosey of course!) Saw these wonderful old headstones, mossy and lichen-covered beneath a group of horse chestnuts... of course some of the locals had decided it was a large litter bin so there was the (sadly) inevitable cans, crisp bags et al, but I could just make out some of the names. Did a bit of research, and it turned out to be the burial ground for a locally wealthy and wellknown Quaker family... which led me to do more research. Wrote a thousand words and sent it with a very atmospheric piccie (so I thought!) and it was accepted by the first person I had ever sent a piece to. Such a thrill seeing it in a full colour, well known county mag.
So tell us about your writing...

Ashbee
(member)
04/07/2008 15:33
Re: Any writers out there?

Hello Saraw

I know a lot of people go green at the idea of writing a journal but it doesn't have to be a list of what you've done - the trick is to make it much more than that but how is really your choice. Some people write more about their feelings, some people have a theme - i.e. one thing that made them feel really grateful that day - or you could use the journal (and you don't have to write every day) to practice noticing things...writers should be observant so write about the funny thing you saw the kids doing today, or the odd snippet of conversation you overheard two old guys having in the queue in the post office.

The thing with knowing what to do next with a bigger project is knowing more about the characters and what makes them tick than just having the bare bones ideas. It seems to me from the people I've heard talk or write about writing that everyone approaches this bit of preparing to write differently - some like to know every bit of what will happen from start to finish, others just like to have a vague idea and start writing then see what comes up. Which do you think will work best for you?

AlexP
(member)
04/07/2008 16:31
Re: Any writers out there?

Ashbee - it would be great if we could keep this going so perhaps W&H could be persuaded to have a separate slot for this.

I have mixed feelings about doing a writing course - for one thing, I am more interested in improving my writing at this stage and not really in the 'marketing' side just yet and, as you said Ashbee, I think some courses do focus on selling your work. Also (and I am probably quite wrong here!), are writers born or made - does a person with the talent to write need a course or does the writing come naturally? I am certainly not saying that we can't learn anything - just that I wonder whether talent is either there or not. Or, is it that a writing course brings out a talent that needs a bit of encouragement?

gothfairy - your writing sounds fascinating.

I go through stages with keeping a journal. Last year for my birthday a friend (someone who has always encouraged me to write and who keeps a daily journal herself) gave me several good quality blank notebooks and said they were for my journal. What a great gift they were! My journals are not descriptions of everything that happens in a particular day or period of my life, but more my reactions to the things that happen.

Certainly, as you said Flutterfly, I find that emotional highs and lows affect what and how I write. I'm not sure that this makes my writing particularly personal to me (other than in my journal) - it's just that I seem able to express what I need in my writing generally, if that makes sense.

Ashbee
(member)
04/07/2008 17:07
Re: Any writers out there?

Ah, the great nature or nurture debate!

Well, what do you think? If you think the ability to write is something that is born in you then most of us might as well give up. If, however, in my opinion, we are willing to be daring, try new ideas, practice and just enjoy ourselves then yes, we are all writers.

Gothfairy has made contact with W&H about a seperate link but we have yet to hear. Please keep starting new links - ask questions of each other, throw in ideas, talk about the writers who inspire you or anything that relates to writing. Don't forget that you can stick stuff into journals too...or use different coloured inks according to your mood and draw things that perhaps you don't have the words for...

sallyj
(member)
04/07/2008 17:07
Re: Any writers out there?

It's great to see all this discussion on here.
When I write I do try and aim my work at a particular market (magazine or competition) because if I am going to work hard at writing something, I would like other people to read it.
Does anyone else suffer with the guilt factor in writing? i.e. feeling guilty at leaving housework, ironing etc to indulge in writing?
This weekend I hope to get my next 'project' started - an entry for the Woman's Weekly/Mills & Boon short story competition.

saraw
(member)
04/07/2008 17:25
Re: Any writers out there?

I am really happy someone has started this topic, it is great knowing how many like minded people there are on this forum. I have taken into account what everyone is saying and I was generally writing about my day, not necessarily my thoughts and comments or fun things that had happened. Especially my funny dogs what they get up to. I will try and change direction and re consider my journal. I suppose the more practice I do the better it will be. Thank you all for your tips!!

Sara

billie
(member)
04/07/2008 17:58
Re: Any writers out there?

Hi everyone it's given me food for thought this discussion I've always kept a diary right from being a girl although sadly i threw away my early ones. I think i'd like to have a go at being a bit more discriptive in them rather than my usual monologue.

billie
(member)
04/07/2008 18:24
Re: Any writers out there?

Forgot to say is this a good way of starting? Thanks Billie

Ashbee
(member)
04/07/2008 19:34
Re: Any writers out there?

Glad to hear that some of you are now inspired to have a go... journals are a good way to start but if you fancy doing a bit of creative fictional writing, why not start a journal as someone else? Just for fun - no intention of turning anyone into a schizophrenic you understand!

billie
(member)
04/07/2008 20:54
Re: Any writers out there?

Thanks for the advice ashbee will have a go, no harm in trying as they say.

Chatelaine
(member)
05/07/2008 08:43
Re: Any writers out there?

Glad that you started this thread Ashbee!! Some of the forumers know that I have been writing for donkeys' years, but been under a writer's block blanket for years now. And when it got lifted I was so over the moon, and then a "friend" (whom some of you will "know", as I have written about him on the forum) ensured that the lid was once again firmly shoved into position on hte pan!! And hey presto!!! Massive writer's block in place again!!
I was a strange child..... I was nothing like other children, and certainly did not persue childlike interests, and used to make up stories in my head, and lived these stories much like waking dreams, or daydreams.... and then I started to write some down..... I even enacted them in the solitude of my bedroom. I had few friends, but was not that bothered because I by far preferred my own company, books, music, nature, old and fascinating buildings, art, pets..... I do hail from a somewhat eccentric, very artistic family.....
My love of writing, paired with a vivid imagination, was "discovered" by a friend, a lady who had been multi-published writer since her early 20's - so, she'd been writing for some 50 years! And she became my mentor. And under her guidance and her loving help I blossomed (NO, I did not get "drunk"..... some of you know that getting blossomed now also means getting tiddly, thanks to one of our forumers... ). Seriously now, I wrote every waking moment, that I did not have to work. I worked in offices, and looking back now, I find that I wasted my life! It was made more bearable by daydreaming my stories, and when I had "lived" and "experienced" my story through daydreaming, I either wrote it down, or later on put it on a diskette.
I know that many of you say, write about something that you know or is familiar to you...... Of course we/writers do that to a (large) degree, but much of what I have written so far, has come to me through dreams. And the odd, quirky, yet delightful thing is that I used to dream subsequent chapters of my writings....
Further inspiration comes in various guises..... it can come through the everyday or mundane, and that inspiration will in fact have no relation to that fact, but that mundane instant in time was the seed which developed into a "literary" flower.
I don't keep a journal, and never have! I largely keep everything in my head, and even in this bad state of writers block, that which I have already worked out and is there ready for the writing, is there in my head!
Being busy with setting up a shop at hte present is of course not helping much with my writing, but all the same, I hope that the homeopathic help I am now getting will not only aleviate my persistant exhaustion, but also rekindle my creative/artistic flame. For OMG I need it!!! And perhaps we can talk on here some more....???

P.S. I do not do short stories..... don;t even much like reading 'm..... sorry folks...... I mean fictional short stories. But do enjoy reading genuinely interesting articles in magazines, etc.

Flutterfly
(member)
05/07/2008 08:56
Re: Any writers out there?

A couple of ideas, or exercises as they were on my OU creative writing course, (which by the way was not geared towards marketing and selling your work - that is course 2!) that I found really useful, was the idea of focusing on, and describing in detail, the smells and sounds in a given situation - on the beach for example.

Background sounds and smells that we do not always notice at the time, but that are very hard to recapture once away from the situation. Reading back what I had written later, proved the method to be very evocative. Maybe this is already obvious to all you writers out there but I found it really enlightening and helpful.

Flutterfly
(member)
05/07/2008 09:03
Re: Any writers out there?

We must have been writing our posts at the same time Chatelaine as I have only just read yours. You are very lucky that your ideas come to you in this way, and with sequels too! You were obviously born with this talent and it has always been in you, just waiting to get out. It sounds as though if it doesnt come out of your pen first, it comes out in your dreams! Fantastic.

paloma_chaffinch
(member)
07/07/2008 15:50
Re: Any writers out there?

Wow - I just joined the W&H forum and I found this wonderful thread and, yes, this is my FIRST post!

So many of you seem to be in exactly the same place I am - love writing, don't really want to do it as a job/for money, and are easily side tracked by life. I did the OU short course on writing fiction but haven't done the Level 2 one, mainly because I'm worried about the amount of hours it will take a week (can anyone give me any insight on that?) but also because it covers poetry, plays and memoirs and although I wouldn't mind learning a bit about writing poetry the other two don't appeal. I also have a blog which I sporadically add to - I know I should write on it more often but just feel pressured if I try to do that. Blogging is easy and fun and you sort of feel 'published' although you can hide if you want!! I also keep a journal but, again, don't enter stuff in it every day. A thing to try, Saraw, is to just do stream-of-consciousness writing, in other words write whatever comes into your head and don't stop until you've covered two pages. If you run out of things to write, just write that you can't think of anything else to write until something new pops into your head again.

For everyone, I can recommend Natalie Goldberg's 'Writing Down the Bones' and Julia Cameron's 'The Artist's Way' for inspiration. Also you may have a local Creative Writing Club/Group that you could try out. Try Mslexia's site (http://www.mslexia.co.uk/) - they have a section of Workshops which are full of inspirational ideas. The magazine is also really worth subscribing to - it's bi-monthly. Also, Joanna Young's blog at http://www.confidentwriting.com/ is good (and UK rather than US) so it's worth subscribing to her RSS feed.

Ooh - and visit http://www.greenstory.co.uk/index.asp where a story is built chapter by chapter and you can submit the next chapter and vote for the one that gets into the book.

I think a separate forum for us 'writers' (!!!) is a brilliant idea. I went to the bookclub forum because I love reading but was over the moon when I found this thread.

Think I'd better shut up now :-)

SuzanStMaur
(member)
07/07/2008 19:12
Re: Any writers out there?

"Any writers out there?"

Yep - me too!

I've earned my living as a writer for more years than I care to admit to and have 16 published books (with a 17th due out in October) to show for it. Some, indeed, are about writing and how to get published, etc.

In the past I've done all kinds of commercial writing work - copywriting, PR, scriptwriting, speech writing (which I still do), etc - but now my "day job" is helping others get books written and published.

As I've said on the "Just For Writers" thread in the "Your Lives" section on here, I'd be happy to offer any guidance I can to aspiring W&H member writers.

My accountant will probably kill me, but as long as I don't get involved in hours of work I'm happy to help FOC.

SUZE

writerjo
(member)
07/07/2008 19:44
Re: Any writers out there?

I am a published writer (mainly short stories and non-fiction articles on writing). I've run writing workshops all over the country in the past, but eased up when my daughter was born (haven't done much writing since then either, but getting back into it slowly!). I edited and published, Quality Women's Fiction(QWF) magazine for 12 years, which I set up myself and sold to the USA two years ago. I also launched Cadenza (www.cadenza-magazine.co.uk)in 1999, but offloaded that when my daughter was a baby. However,I missed helping to launch new writers so much I've now set up another small press print magazine called The Yellow Room (www.theyellowroom-magazine.co.uk). I have a blog spot as well (http://theyellowroomeditor.blogspot.com/). I'm always looking for new writers of good literary short stories, so some of you on here may like to have a go at submitting (details on the website). I always try to give positive feedback. I've written 40,000 words of a novel so far. I did most of that by devoting just one hour an evening to writing it. Believe me, it soon adds up!Good luck to everyone and I'll be checking in regularly to hopefully get to know you all better.

Chatelaine
(member)
07/07/2008 21:35
Re: Any writers out there?

Lots of new forumers!!! Welcome all!! This forum does come with a warning: it is sooooo addictive!!!

As I live on the Continent, it is one hour later here, and this girl is knackered! Been busy at home and getting things sorted at our new shop. Been sorting through a several boxes of immensely interesting books on, a.o., Japanse and Chinese culture, art, history, language, etc., plus lots more. Been pricing the things according to "rarity" and interest, condition and age. If it aren't antiques, I am happy knee deep in and amongst books. Anyway, this is a roundabout way of saying that I am off beddiebyes in a mo.

How wonderful if some of you would help us!!
Had a look at your website Suze, and it is very interesting. Notice that you are Canadian born. I was brought up in Canada and lived there for 11 yrs, and still have family there. No matter how I try to shed it, even after all these years, those in the know, pinpoint part of my accent as being Montrealais, doused with Yorkshire, and a smattering of the SW. I am impressed with what you have achieved. And if I were in your shoes Suze, I would feel very proud about it.
Writerjo, will have a look at the websites you named tomorrow. My probem is that I am in no way an evening person. Everything starts shutting down as the evening progresses, and a have now reached "very slow", and fast approaching "dead halt".... I would need to write mornings, but with setting up an antiques shop with 2 friends/colleagues, much effort and time goes into that. And before I rush off to the shop, I need to take care of amongst others my darling family of pets first.
Once the shop is up and running in the next few weeks, I hope that I will get a more regular life, and be able to start devoting some time to writing again.
I do so hope that we all, who are interested in starting a writers only "forum", will be reaping the fruits of shared experiences, and support, and getting where necessary the help we seek.
Thank you all! And good night......

Flutterfly
(member)
08/07/2008 11:32
Re: Any writers out there?

Hi Paloma Chaffinch
I said earlier on here that I did the OU Creative Writing course, it was level 2 but did not (and still does not as far as I can see)include any plays. I must say I would not have been keen on this either and it is the one thing that has stopped me from doing the level 3 course, which focuses on script writing for TV, stage and radio.

The level 2 course was fiction, poetry and life writing, all of which were right up my street. I agree with you about the 'Writing Down the Bones' book, it is really helpful. The stream of consciousness idea works really well for me too, in fact my OH says that this is the style I use when I speak!

It is hard to say how much time the course took on a weekly basis, it was mostly really relaxing and enjoyable doing the exercises and so I was not counting. Also, when I had a creative burst I would just go with the flow and was often working ahead of where we officially were. I suppose overall it was 6/7 hours per week.

I have only recently started using forums and as a result am becoming more relaxed about being myself 'on the air' as it were! I have been thinking about blogging for ages, especially as we live in France and there really is never a dull moment. The other evening for example, we had just eaten a late dinner, it was nearly 9.30pm and as we stepped out of the house saw that our garden was filled with cows, bulls and calves!! The rest of the story may appear if I ever start a blog, but I am not sure how to go about it. Any pointers?

paloma_chaffinch
(member)
08/07/2008 15:49
Re: Any writers out there?

Hi Flutterfly
6-7 hours a week doesn't sound too bad compared with other Level 2 courses which ask for 16 hours a week. I'll have a re-think about signing up for it.

To start a blog go to either Blogger at https://www.blogger.com/start or WordPress at http://wordpress.com/ and they will guide you through the process - it's really easy. Let me know if you start one so I can have a look and link to you. Can't wait to hear the rest of the story about the livestock!

issi
(member)
08/07/2008 15:54
Re: Any writers out there?

Yes, I am interested in writing but unlike most of you I would love to earn money by it. When I taught shorthand I had a regular column of lesson plans for shorthand teachers in a teaching magazine. I had one short funny story printed in the Daily Mail regarding a neighbour's cat, and I have sent numerous short stories off for competitions with no result whatsoever. I have written a "how to type using all your fingers" book and registered the design of the cover as it has an attachment but I can't get published. My cry is this - I buckle under criticism and have only been able to send stories to competitions because I do not know who will be reading them. I have understood that everyone gets rejected but I really cannot tell whether anything I write is worth staying awake to read and it bugs me that I actually hate seeing anyone reading anything I write. Am I nuts? How do I get over this?

paloma_chaffinch
(member)
09/07/2008 17:02
Re: Any writers out there?

Hi Issy
Go visit http://www.writersdock.org/index.php or http://www.writewords.org.uk/. You can sign up to join the forums and you can review other people's writing and have them review yours. It sounds like you could use some support and advice and people are generally helpful and honest. I think Write Words is probably the best but have a look at both.
Good luck with your writing

issi
(member)
10/07/2008 12:30
Re: Any writers out there?

Thanks paloma. Will have a look.

wendieg
(member)
10/07/2008 16:39
Re: Any writers out there?

Love the idea of a separate slot for us writers! Its so reassuring to know that as I am sitting here trying to drag an idea for an article or two out of my brain, there are others out there. I did a Creative Writing course and loved it. We were given ideas and subjects to write about in class which we had to read out and it was interesting to hear other peoples interpretations. Am struggling with a correspondence course but enjoying the challenge. I try to start by writing in a journal which does seem to get my brain in gear. Sometimes, like most things in life, you just have to sit down and get on with it!

Flutterfly
(member)
10/07/2008 17:38
Re: Any writers out there?

I know just how you feel about criticism and others reading your work issi, because it feels SO personal. I paint and especially draw sometimes too, and I feel the same about that . I almost don't want people to realise it was me, because I hate the discussion about it. Somehow if I get praise I feel unworthy of it, only because to me it is just something I do, and as I said it is very personal. It is fair to say though that, to coin my daughter's phrase, we've got to just 'get over it'if we want to move on with our writing!

aggipanthus
(member)
11/07/2008 09:13
Re: Any writers out there?

Brilliant to see all these new people who have contributed to the thread. Ashbee, whose original idea this was, will be so pleased to see all this when she comes back from holiday I am sure.

Could I also draw your attention to the two I started on YOUR LIVES, 'Just for writers' and 'Just for writers #2'?

I have had no word from the web editor, the mag editor, nobody at all re the separate slot for writers, which were sent on Monday. But if we are to get a separate slot then more of you need to PM the web editor etc., to ask. They don't read all the threads, and unless people ask them about this, we'll get nowhere.


Writerjo... I remember you from the mags you mentioned as I submitted once, so welcome to you and all the other new members out there. Seems writing is very popular, let's hope we can get something going.

Have any of you experience of online writing groups?

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