Young Beginner Writers (closed) discussion
Advice for beginners
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lorien ‧͙⁺˚*･༓ଳ
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Jun 15, 2016 06:22AM
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So it's beginning writers giving advice to beginning writers? Cool. I guess we all learn different things at different paces. If I had to offer anything, I would say 'practice, practice, practice'. I have written a fantasy novel that's undergoing editing right now, and I can see radical changes from my amateurish writing in the beginning of the book to the latest writing in the end.
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That's great! Do you plan on putting your story on goodreads?
Not that one, no. Not until it's copyright protected, at least, because then I would be more than happy to share a sample. I posted a different sample of my writing in the story folder though.
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Well then. Looks like we have an author in our midst. I would like to become an author one day. Congrats. ; )
Thank you. I'm not published yet though. . . . Can you still be an author and not be published?
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I think so. But I pretty sure that everyone else you would encounter would think otherwise.
I think so too! So if you had any advice for beginning writers, what would it be?
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I'm a big fan of writing ideas down as they occur to you. I tend to forget them otherwise. I have a notebook that is specifically designated for "Story Ideas" or potential ideas that aren't fully developed, tidbits really. And while I see what you're saying about making sure it makes sense, I think you really only need to make sure it makes sense to you. The rest you can straighten out later as you pull the ideas out to work on more seriously. If you take too much time on the tidbits, you'll never get anywhere with a story, a fault of mine.
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Going along with your practice, practice, practice idea, I think it would be neat if there were some challenges in this group with writing prompts, scenarios, and other writing challenges or some such thing for everyone to take advantage of.....
Coralie wrote: "R. E. Banks wrote: "So it's beginning writers giving advice to beginning writers? Cool. I guess we all learn different things at different paces. If I had to offer anything, I would say 'practice, ..."Yes, that would be awesome! We should do that!
We should! Although, to be truthful, I've never used prompts before. I never do writing exercises. But I think it would be cool to start! Good idea, Coralie! And Lorien, that is good advice . . .
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Coralie wrote: "Sometimes I absolutely hate writing from prompts because I find it very difficult to stay within the guidelines and other times I find that guidelines are exactly what I needed to get started in th..."I think Prompts are a good Idea! I agree Coralie. and I think Prompts might be a fun group activity :)
Here is just a tip a writing teacher gave me-"to Revise is to 'see again'. the main point to revising is to take out as many unnecessary words as possible."
I hope that helps :)
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"to Revise is to 'see again'. the main point to revising is to take out as many unnecessary words as possible."
I hope that helps :)"
I love the idea of seeing things again! Get a new perspective, a new point of view, come at it from a different angle. Good advice!
Hi everyone, I'm attempting to write my college essay and I'm brainstorming at the moment. But I was wondering how do you all bring out your personality in your writing? I think I have an idea, but wanted a different perspective from others. Thanks in advance!
-Key
-Key
Keyana wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm attempting to write my college essay and I'm brainstorming at the moment. But I was wondering how do you all bring out your personality in your writing? I think I have an idea, but..."Hi, Keyana,
For my writing I always brain storm first, thinking of ideas and then writing them down in a list. then I read through the list and slowly eliminate the ideas till I just have one left. For essays I always come up with some good points I would like to cover in the essay, then structure the essay around them. I think everyone's writing style is different and that's how different personalities show :)
I hope this is helpful :D
Emily wrote: "Keyana wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm attempting to write my college essay and I'm brainstorming at the moment. But I was wondering how do you all bring out your personality in your writing? I think I ha..."
Thanks Emily :)
Thanks Emily :)
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That's a really...really good question! I don't really know how to put my answer into words, but I wanted to thank you for making me think. I'm gonna stew on this one for a few days and see what I come up with. Thanks for the challenge!!
Coralie wrote: "Keyana wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm attempting to write my college essay and I'm brainstorming at the moment. But I was wondering how do you all bring out your personality in your writing? I think I ha..."
Thanks Coralie, I'll be waiting for your response :)
Thanks Coralie, I'll be waiting for your response :)
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I still don't think I have come up with a very good answer for this, but after thinking about it for a few days, this is what I've come up with so far:
I think your personality shows through your diction and your syntax, first of all. The style with which you write reflects you as a person. Everyone writes differently; they prefer certain words over others and they word things differently than other people do. Structurally, your pet peeves will show through your writing, too, I think. For example, I can't stand repetition. Consequently, when I write, I make it a point to keep a thesaurus around and I try to avoid similar sentence structures back to back. My best friend red flags poor transitions. She's a stickler for smooth storytelling and so that shows through in her writing. She desires a natural flow in her stories and she pays more attentions to both small and large transitions because of that.
Additionally, I think the topics you choose to write about, the genres, and the lengths of stories you pick show a little bit of your personality. I love reading fantasies and fairy tales. Many of my stories are built in those worlds. I have a difficult time writing short stories, so I try to practice writing them, but honestly, I would much rather write a longer story. These things show part of me through my writing. I would rather watch a movie or read a book about elves and dragons, fairies and mermaids than werewolves and vampires, demons and angels. That shows through in my writing too. I don't use certain elements in my stories because of my personal preferences. I avoid foul language and sensual scenes in my writing. That's part of my personality.
Anywho, I hope this sort of answers your question. I know it was kind of rambly, sorry about that. I tend to give long answers...maybe part of why I have trouble writing short stories? I'd love to hear what your answer is! Again, thanks for the really awesome question!
message 24:
by
Amanda-I dream of a gallant southern gentleman watching the sunset
(new)
Lorien wrote: "Let's see....I think that the advice would be when you have an idea or multiple ideas make sure to write it down as quick as you can and make sure that your story makes sense otherwise what's the w..."this is a great idea! Thanks. Sometimes, I'm writing a story, and I leave it for a while, and then when I come back, I've forgotten what it was about!
message 25:
by
Amanda-I dream of a gallant southern gentleman watching the sunset
(new)
I guess I really don't have much to add to this, but one thin I will say is not to be afraid to change it up entirely from your original. And I'd also like some advice for myself. A lot of the stories I'm writing, they all start without a plot. I just make random scenes that turn into an entire plot. Is this a good thing, a bad thing, or in between?
I'm a new writer I'm mean I used to write when I was little but nothing serious I have always loved writing and reading but feel I won't be good enough at it so I stopped I've just picked up the pen again but I'm really struggling anyone have a tips or advice to give ? Thanks in advance.
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This is really great advice! This is one of the aspects of writing that I struggle with the most. I'm such a perfectionist, and a packrat, that I have trouble letting go of drafts or pieces of drafts, initial ideas, etc. even when they don't work out.
I usually have plots out the wazoo, but then no idea how to end the story. A few times I've had the ending and I had to pave a path to get there. I've only just recently experienced having a yearning to write something, clearly drawn out characters, and absolutely no plot, not even a scene to start with! It was kind of bizarre for me. I think something you can do, which is what I did to try to find my way out of the haze, is to just ask lots of questions. For example, I was just sure that I wanted my MC to go on a quest, but I had absolutely no idea how to get her out of town or why. I had no quest to send her on, no plot, no world, nothing. Just her brilliant eyes and sharp physical features. With a lot of patience and after a lot of stewing on it, I've slowly started to build bits and pieces that I can puzzle together to start my plot. I still have holes and loose connections, but it's coming together...slowly. So, in short, I'd just stew on what you want, and ask yourself LOTS of questions. Do I want a mystery? Do I want my MC have special powers? What kind? Why? Is there a rhyme or a reason? What about the surrounding characters? Etc.
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I'm so glad to hear you're giving writing a second chance! I think the fear of failure is a very common fear in many fields. But artists feel things more intensely and vividly, and we use those intense and vivid feelings to guide our passion and show others our work. Writing can be difficult because oftentimes you're barring your soul. Critiques can feel like a personal attack and sometimes those who don't know better can be downright nasty with their feedback. It's important to remember that feedback is not a reflection of your self-worth or value. I personallly believe that there is always something to improve. If I focus on finding the good bits in the critique, then I can shed the bad bits if I need to. It's easier said than done, but just keep that in mind. Just keep practicing! And remember that the only way to sucess is to build a ladder with your failures. You will only truly fail if you give up.
Lorien Rhys wrote: "Let's see....I think that the advice would be when you have an idea or multiple ideas make sure to write it down as quick as you can and make sure that your story makes sense otherwise what's the w..."
My note taking habits for ideas are basically finding the nearest peice of paper, write it down, stare at it, and get all excited about. Half a week later I'm either still excited about it or think it's stupid.
My note taking habits for ideas are basically finding the nearest peice of paper, write it down, stare at it, and get all excited about. Half a week later I'm either still excited about it or think it's stupid.
Hey, so I was at a writers workshop the other day and they really stressed The 7 steps to the writing process and I thought it would be helpful if I posted them here :)1)Brainstorm
2)PreWriting
3) Drafting
4) Response
5) Revising
6)Editing
7) Publishing
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1)Brainstorm
2)PreWriting
3..."
That's awesome! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Coralie wrote: "Emily wrote: "Hey, so I was at a writers workshop the other day and they really stressed The 7 steps to the writing process and I thought it would be helpful if I posted them here :)1)Brainstorm
..."
No problem :) I hope its useful! :D
Coralie wrote: "What else did you learn there?"Well we are writing a history research paper themed "taking a stand" so we have to write it on someone in history who took a stand for something.
We learned a lot about Primary Sources and secondary sources-
Primary : a document, a recording, or other source of information that was created at the time under study. It serves as an original source of information about the topic.
Secondary : any source about an event, period, or issue in history that was produced after that event, period or issue has passed.
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Coralie wrote: "That can be very useful even in creative writing. Research is an important phase in all writing. Even stories that take place in fantastical worlds need a research phase. Places and names in the re..."Great point, Coralie :) and Thank you XD
If i had one tip it would be to lay out your first chapterExample:
She is walking home from school
She finds a dog
She brings it home
Her parents decide to bring it to a nearby shelter
She wants to keep it
They say no
And she finally gets over it and visits the shelter often
End of chapter.
It always helps to have someone giving you feedback as well
Talking with a person about your book can help get over the
"Nobodys going to like this it's awful!" Feeling too.
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Example:
She is walking home from school
She finds a dog
She brings it home
Her parents decide to bring it to a nearby shelter
She wants..."
Oh my gosh. I don't know what I'd do without my writing friends to backboard off of. I have a few that I specifically turn to. It's nice to have recurring backboards because they get to know you and your writing style and they can point more specifically to your individual weaknesses and strengths.
THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE OF ADVICEREAD The Element of Style, which is like a handbook for all writers.
The most important piece of advice I got from Michael Moorcock....take all the advice here, and throw it all out the window if you feel constrained by it. Go wild, see if it works and learn from your mistakes. Moreover don't be afraid to rip off a writer you like's style.
Hey guys. This is my first time posting on this site, but I have been ghosting the comments and this is my favorite message board. Anyway, I have run into an issue and am looking for some general advice. Most of my writing experience is academic in nature which, consequently, has little dialogue involved. Do you guys have any tips for creating dialogue that flows naturally and smoothly? So far what I have written feels forced. I keep trying to pull from real conversations I hear while people watching (speech patterns, word groupings, etc.) but I feel that the dialogue of my stories is an Achilles heel for the rest of the narrative. Any advice is much appreciated! Thanks.
This is a trick for dialogue left from when I just made up stories, without writing them down. I used to just act them out when I was alone in my room, whispering the dialogue. I find now that if I act out a scene first and then write it, the dialogue I write down flows much more naturally (not to mention the way my characters move while talking is a thousand times better).Maybe this helps?
