Amateur writers of the Escapist, do you do this?
- Thread starter Queen Michael
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>read what I write
HAHAHAHAHAHA
OH HAHAHAHA
No, I don't even write when people are in the same building as me.
HAHAHAHAHAHA
OH HAHAHAHA
No, I don't even write when people are in the same building as me.
When I was in 8th grade, I was writing a fantasy novel (I'm a sophomore in college now). My girlfriend wanted to read it, but its unbelievably bad and embarrassing, so I didn't show it to her. Then one day as a present I gave her a signed copy. She very much enjoyed it (not the writing; no one can enjoy that. The thought, though).
On another note, it is important to share you work, I guess. Not all of it, and maybe not with a significant other. But I've found writing groups and creative writing courses can be a great way to get honest feedback on your work. We all have to tackle criticism if we want to get better.
On another note, it is important to share you work, I guess. Not all of it, and maybe not with a significant other. But I've found writing groups and creative writing courses can be a great way to get honest feedback on your work. We all have to tackle criticism if we want to get better.
I'm working on a novel right now myself. Being something of a loner I don't show my writing to many people until it's completed. There is one exception.
My problem with writing is that I'm an extrovert and I tend to do my thinking while talking aloud to someone. As such I sometimes go over ideas and plot lines with my elderly mother. She enjoys my writing but won't read my unfinished works because years ago I had the bad habit of re-writing the first few chapters of a novel I was writing then and she got frustrated at me for changing the story so much it was like starting a new novel each time only there was no ending to the book since I went back and started over.
I've thought about setting up a blog or showing some of my writing here. I don't mind constructive criticism, and at least the Escapist's rules would restrain folks from trolling it for fun.
I think there are writers groups, here.
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My problem with writing is that I'm an extrovert and I tend to do my thinking while talking aloud to someone. As such I sometimes go over ideas and plot lines with my elderly mother. She enjoys my writing but won't read my unfinished works because years ago I had the bad habit of re-writing the first few chapters of a novel I was writing then and she got frustrated at me for changing the story so much it was like starting a new novel each time only there was no ending to the book since I went back and started over.
I've thought about setting up a blog or showing some of my writing here. I don't mind constructive criticism, and at least the Escapist's rules would restrain folks from trolling it for fun.
I think there are writers groups, here.
Captcha: Get the Hopper Free
?????????????????
What's with the advertisement Captcha's these days?
I have before. But I usually dont. Alot of the time my GF would just be like, " This isnt the stuff I like to read"
I have shared some of my work with my friends. Though my main genre is causerie so it's not really story based. I've also had to live with the terror of getting my stuff read aloud in class and the entire class finding out it was mine. My entire class loved it though and felt I didn't get a good enough grade to justify it so it wasn't that embarrassing.
I have also shared some short stories, but I just don't have the knack for it. I am not good with creating personalities and a setting. I can do the story, but it needs padding.
I have also shared some short stories, but I just don't have the knack for it. I am not good with creating personalities and a setting. I can do the story, but it needs padding.
After I'm done, I hand it off to my friend who is a really good writer.
Then he proceeds to fist me in the chili ring with edits.
Then I cry and wallow in my self loathing.
Then he proceeds to fist me in the chili ring with edits.
Then I cry and wallow in my self loathing.
I'm pretty good at telling when a story I'm writing is shit. So no, nobody ever gets to read them.
This piqued my interest. Is there more to this story? I'm taking similar courses this semester, so I'm curious.MelasZepheos said:
There's a lot more, but it's kind of specific to me, so don't worry about your own course.excalipoor said:
Basically a lot of the people on my course were incredibly pretentious (about writing and in general). So all of their work dealt with really 'philosophical' concepts about writing itself and the nature of existence and yadda yadda naught but yadda.
Meanwhile, I write fantasy, science fiction and action-adventure thrillers.
You can imagine how well we got on.
Every week they would submit 'life is pain, life is nothing but pain, and anyone who tells you different is just waiting to screw you over, I'm so deep and black hearted because of the cynicism of the world' and I was submitting 'Indiana Jones, fighting dragons, with RAY GUNS!' and so every week they would make fun of my work in class, absolutely tear it apart in the criticism, you get the idea.
I did once try to make fun of them by submitting the absolute worst drek I could think of, basically like Sin City but taking itself seriously and they praised it as my best work ever. This was a story that contained the line: 'I'm back in hell, and this time it might be for keeps. The sea beckons before me, and the sound of a hammer going back spins me round, standing and fury pouring through my eyes.'
They thought I was serious.
Even the tutor got in on it, to the point where I ended up taking out an academic complaint against him for bullying (which I won, which kind of says it all) and got my class changed to one that was a bit more varied in their writing. But it was an awful experience for nearly three years.
I let both my girlfriend and close friends read it. I'm aware of my own writing flaws more or less, such as using too many commas. I let them correct the mistakes I have a hard time spotting wether it's too many commas or flawed sentences. But what they think of my works is a bit varied. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's decent. I don't think I've ever written anything outright awful and I feel they're honest about it (My girlfriend is a slight perfectionist, so she won't let glaring grammar errors go.). Sometimes it's just random thoughts scribbled down and then it can get a bit confusing for them and they tell me just that.
Am I a bad person if I laughed? I'm sorry, obviously bad times for you...but hearing other people's university stories makes me feel incredibly lucky to have sidestepped all the bullshit somehow.MelasZepheos said:
For the record, I'd read Indiana Jones fighting dragons with ray guns.
When I had a girlfriend, i had her read my stuff and give me her opinions. She never did. My other friends have though, and they've been honest about it. ˘_˘
Depends what you were laughing at.excalipoor said:
_>
No I laugh about it as well now, but back then it was really tough to deal with every single day for over a year.
As for Indiana Jones with rayguns fighting dinosaurs, it's now called Alec Thorne and the Smoking Mirror and as soon I get my other novel published I'm going to be writing it almost exclusively for the next few months.
My gf is the one who corrects all my grammar and punctuation also she points out if I'm not making any sence so yeah , she reads all my stuff.
A few years back, I had a girlfriend who was a poetess. It never really works to show your significant other or your parents your work, you are just too biased one way or the other. We would show each other our pieces often, but I cannot remember anything aesthetically constructive coming out of that practice. If we had been fighting then we would just give the most terse response; if we were doing well, then we would praise one another whether or not it was justified.