Writing

[The People's Hero]

I'm sure I will do! Only a few thousand rough and ready words in so far though!

[21st Century Fox]

My Dad's cousin is a novelist, he once told me he writes rough ideas and events down on paper and sticks them to a wall in a sequence so he can physically see the story like a map and then reshuffles and fleshes it out from that. He told me this because I once took a creative writing class.... I found out it definitely doesn't run in the family.

[The People's Hero]

I wouldn't mind taking a class. The problem is I really don't want to pay for it.

[21st Century Fox]

I'll be honest the one I took was a bit of a waste of time/money, it was interesting to learn about the publishing world and what publishers look for (it was taught by a former head of a London publishing house) but you can't really be taught creativity and that's pretty much all you need, if you've got a good idea and can coherently get it down, there's lots of people who can help you to refine it. The best thing to do it just let your brain vomit out as much as you can and completely forget about structure, spelling and grammar and then refine that later on and don't be too proud or embarrassed to get people to read it early on.

[The People's Hero]

I'll be honest the one I took was a bit of a waste of time/money, it was interesting to learn about the publishing world and what publishers look for (it was taught by a former head of a London publishing house) but you can't really be taught creativity and that's pretty much all you need, if you've got a good idea and can coherently get it down, there's lots of people who can help you to refine it. The best thing to do it just let your brain vomit out as much as you can and completely forget about structure, spelling and grammar and then refine that later on and don't be too proud or embarrassed to get people to read it early on.

Thats going to be exactly my approach mate. I'm completely resisting the urge to re-read or edit yet. I know that seems strange but even after only 3,000 words I wanted to change a bit, but its not crucial so I've just made a separate note and left it.

[Daggers]

I can recommend the clothesline approach to plotting and having a poster wall for characters prior to the big write.

[Trav Le Bleu]

I can recommend the clothesline approach to drying out your stalking photos and having a poster wall for victims prior to the big write.

[AoWW]

I can recommend the clothesline approach to plotting and having a poster wall for characters prior to the big write.

This.

[Daggers]

I am watching you.

[Rincewind]

I started at a creative writing class after I wrote a story and sent it to a magazine. They were good actually. could have binned it because it was hand written and bad hand writing. But the wrote back and said I had a good imagination but should try classes to learn how it should be done.

The classes were OK. I learned a lot but only problem was the tutors were mainly women so their target choices were women mags and Mills and Boon. The womens mags are good for short stories but you have to study them to find the type of stuff they want. Mine would never fit in.

The story I sent off was pretty crap really, never gone back to it. It was just about someone (me) who went to a wood. Hid up a tree when I heard a noise then saw a rabbit graphically eaten by a fox along with the sound of bones being crunched.. Go home to find my mother had made my favourie meal. I'll leave you to work out what it was.

Anyway the classes gave me the confidence in carrying on trying. I write mainly for myself and therapeutic reasons. Gives me something to do and aim for. I appreciate poetry more and I can say I have done something a lot of people have not. Even if your work goes on a writing site you can say you are a published author.

[Rincewind]

Heres a little section from a book by one of my favourite authors. I was inspired to try and do a short story from this.- There is a longer piece but I am not copying that. The scene takes place in a bar.

Sheemie was bustling toward the passthrough from which the steamers had just appeared, now holding the camel bucket out before him in both hands. Later, when the Travellers' began to empty out, his job would be to clean up. For now, however, it was simply to circulate with the camel bucket, dumping in every unfinished drink he found. This combined elixir ended up in a jug behind the bar. The jug was labeled fairly enough - CAMEL PISS - and a double shot could be obtained for three pennies. It was a drink for the reckless or the impecunious, but a fair number of both passed beneath the stern gaze of The Romp each night. Stanley rarely had a problem emptying the jug. Andi f it wasn't empty at the end of the night, why there was always a fresh night coming along. Not to mention a fresh supply of thirsty fools.

I just like the description.I thought the other passage was near this one but it's a few pages before and a description of the bar after it had closed and the people left in it. Write like this author and you'll have it made.

[Captain...]

@ The People's hero: In terms of protaganist, in your first novel it is common that he will gravitate towards being you, and often tend to be how you would like to be, mine tend be witty, urbane sorts who always have a quick comeback to hand, whereas I am a bumbling idiot, who always thinks of what to say about 20 minutes after I should have said it. I think to develop him you need to create as many little stories, back stories and short stories about him as possible, these can then be re-written into your novel if they are good enough or interesting enough and add to the story/back story. Especially useful if you have a bit of writers block, write some short stories involving your characters in different settings, it may provide a key to your block.

@ Nightguard, don't waste your money printing your stories off, get them converted to PDF format and distribute them on here, or via e-mail, or put them on specialist writing forums to be read and crtiqued, so many people have kindles now it is easy, and it is completely free if you can get hold of a copy of a PDF writer, or something similar.

[Zingari]

There are enough books to read already, there must be feckin millions to choose from.

We don’t need anymore do we ?

Just find an old book that hardly anyone has read for years , spice it up a bit , add a few more gay people , change the names and dates and give it a new title with a mythological but completely irrelevant sounding title , like " The Pandora Revelations " or " The Odysseus Effect "

I'm sure that's what most authors do these days

[Rincewind]

Thought of doing that but the PDF writer like Adobe is not cheap. I have the reader. Another thing I thought of doing, which maybe I could do later, is to put the stories in a comic style. I think they may suit it especially the first. But I would need somebody to do the drawings. I can put them in Office but I find it hard to put the pages in order.

I suppose the best thing about getting PDF Writer I could add to it. Thought about putting all my poetry on a Ebook.

[Captain...]

Thought of doing that but the PDF writer like Adobe is not cheap. I have the reader. Another thing I thought of doing, which maybe I could do later, is to put the stories in a comic style. I think they may suit it especially the first. But I would need somebody to do the drawings. I can put them in Office but I find it hard to put the pages in order.

I suppose the best thing about getting PDF Writer I could add to it. Thought about putting all my poetry on a Ebook.

You can always download a cracked copy (they don't care about individuals doing that only corporations) or you can ask someone who has it to do it for you. I have an old version on my work computer, I could probably do it for you if I can remember how.

Edit: I can remember how, and it still works.

[Rincewind]

Just googled a quick look. There are some free Writers but Not sure if they come with an editor or if they are what I need. I want to be able to move pages about, insert etc. I don't suppose it matters too much with an Ebook but if I do want any printed off I will need to number pages right. I can always have a print version as an option. I will just cost them accordingly but Ebooks I can do cheaper.

Yes that would be great. I have enough poetry to fill 30+pages and some stories. I would like drawings put I am rubbish at that sort of stuff.

[Captain...]

All I have is a PDF creator. you can't really edit it once it is PDF, the advantage is it is a really small file size and it is combatible with e-readers, you can then distribute it and people can read it on kindles. The best/easiest thing to do is edit it in Word and then convert to PDF.

[sphericalfox]

All I have is a PDF creator. you can't really edit it once it is PDF, the advantage is it is a really small file size and it is combatible with e-readers, you can then distribute it and people can read it on kindles. The best/easiest thing to do is edit it in Word and then convert to PDF.

There are lots of free online conversion sites. Word to PDF etc out there. You don't need the software to do it.

[21st Century Fox]

If you happen to have a Mac you can go to the print menu and save anything as a PDF (Word Documents, Images, etc.)

[MC Prussian]

All I can add to this topic is that a course in Creative Writing does wonders... I did one a couple of weeks ago and it was a real eye-opener. Highly recommended.

[Rincewind]

I can convert to PDF OK. Its if I need to move pages about. If Ineed to edit I have to save them normally then resave to PDF. I'll sort something out eventually I'm sure.

[dave the caveman]

I nearly won (came 2nd) a trip to Paris from a regional schools creative competition when I was 13. They gave us the start of a short story and we had to finish it. The given part was some fluffy description of a pretty forest which I quickly turned sour when it became the setting for an axe murder - my father the victim, me the observer. Luckily I woke up screaming before the axe hit but would you believe the events if the day led us back to that exact forest (i repeated the start of the story word for word). Fortunately I knew what was coming so was able to prevent the murder by hanging onto a rope and swooping down from a tree just in time to kick the axe away from my father's head. It was epic. I should upload it and get famous.

[Rincewind]

Heres a link to the writing site I use. I am at my limit though for the items I can put up for my package. There is a free package but you can only put 10 items. Would be good for a single novel though.

http://www.writing.com/main/portfolio/view/nightguard

[21st Century Fox]

The Guardian have a short story competition running at the moment. The subject is the year 2025. (Predict The Future Thread )

http://www.guardian.co.uk/futurescapes

[Rincewind]

Thought the year was 2005. 15 years? I'll be 75 or rotting in a box. Can't imagine what'll be like atm but they may expect some very imaginative entries. May not be much different to what its like today. Shortage of a few things but people will cope same as they always have. City will be top of the Premier League.