My first fics were in the LotR fandom. Since I lurked long before I even tried to write, I got a decent idea of what worked and what didn't and acted accordingly.

I was rewarded by a smattering of good reviews. Not a lot, since it was a one-shot focusing on a rather unpopular area of the fandom -- no blonde Elves, no romance --, but I was drunk with the happiness of the event.

I wrote another. The same thing happened.

With each story, I got more and more confident, or rather puffed up.

Then I decided to tackle my favorite television show, House, M.D., and my bubble burst.

It was a House/Wilson friendship fic and one of my first attempts at writing a multi-chapter fic. The first reviews were mostly full of praise, and I was happy.

One day, I got a new review in my inbox, and it wasn't so full of praise.

I wasn't really angry. I was just shocked and subsequently had a multi-thread whine-fest on a forum I frequented. I stopped posting chapters.

Yes, I know, not very mature, but I didn't really note that fact at the time.

A few weeks ago, I read the review again and then smacked myself mentally.

The reviewer had not flamed me. Not that I thought she had flamed me in the first place, but this time the fact really sank in. She had been polite, told me directly what she thought was silly and superficial, and even praised some of my lines. Granted, she did tell me my writing was kind of odd, and I should probably scrap it all and start over, but she had given me constructive criticism.

Today, I deleted the (dead) story. It wasn't really that bad, to be honest. The pace was decent. There was a plot -- of sorts. There was no ridiculous romance. The characters weren't completely unrecognizable, although they definitely pushed the boundaries of their respective personalities. There were no pregnancies or badly written sex. The spelling and grammar was mostly correct. The prose was readable. Some of the lines even sounded a little like something that House would say.

It just wasn't the best work I could write on that subject.

I created this thread in honor of that reviewer, so I can push my limits rather than write within them.

So write on!

Branwen

Of course, nobody starts off as a great writer. "Experience is something you don't get until after you need it." And if I knew who said that, I would totally add it in, but I don't. But anyway- Out of about 50 reviews, I have gotten one review that contained constructive criticism. There are two ways I could look at this...

1) I'm a better writer than 98% of the people who read my story.

2) My story attracts 2% of all the decent writers on the site.

Which way would you rather look at it? Agreed. Way number one. But, on the other hand, my favorite review that I have ever gotten was, in fact, that constructive criticism review. It made me feel like somebody had actually taken a few minutes of their day, out of THEIR time to actually read my story well enough to offer advice, and that they thought I was a mature enough writer to take their advice and use it. So, while I may only attract 2% of the decent writers, I'm going to follow their advice and hope that as I get better, maybe more will like me.

Wow. Okay, so that ramble just came out of nowhere. I'm not even sure what this thread's supposed to be about, but somehow it was kind of fun writing that. Looking it over, I sound like I'm giving a freaking sermon, but hey... I liked it. So... yeah.

Moni

I have never, ever been flamed. Well, in a review. I was flamed in a review reply, but we won't get into that.

I feel your pain. I was flamed by other reviewers and an author's friend on two stories I reviewed. Ouch.

So to say that I would be able to handle a flame would be... well, uncertain, because I've never had one. I mean, I know my writing isn't the best out there, but I know it's good. And how did I get to know it was good? Because I went and looked at other people's stories and I found myself seeing things that they were doing wrong and I gave them advice. I think that that's the ultimate sign that you can write well; being able to give good advice, because advice always comes from experience.[q/]

Agreed. Although I do tend to be insecure about my own writing, but I know that generally, it's not half-bad.

Of course, nobody starts off as a great writer. "Experience is something you don't get until after you need it." And if I knew who said that, I would totally add it in, but I don't. But anyway- Out of about 50 reviews, I have gotten one review that contained constructive criticism. There are two ways I could look at this...

1) I'm a better writer than 98% of the people who read my story.

2) My story attracts 2% of all the decent writers on the site.

Which way would you rather look at it? Agreed. Way number one. But, on the other hand, my favorite review that I have ever gotten was, in fact, that constructive criticism review. It made me feel like somebody had actually taken a few minutes of their day, out of THEIR time to actually read my story well enough to offer advice, and that they thought I was a mature enough writer to take their advice and use it. So, while I may only attract 2% of the decent writers, I'm going to follow their advice and hope that as I get better, maybe more will like me.

Agreed again. I consider it a great honor when a good, well-known writer condescends to read and review my work. It's just intoxicating.

As for that review I ranted about, I saved it. ;-)

Wow. Okay, so that ramble just came out of nowhere. I'm not even sure what this thread's supposed to be about, but somehow it was kind of fun writing that. Looking it over, I sound like I'm giving a freaking sermon, but hey... I liked it. So... yeah.

Preach away. :-D

Loremaster

Summaries are there to give us a preview of the story, your one and only chance to impress us with what you can do with two lines- so much that we'll want to go and read more. I know, it's hard with the character limit (which, really, needs to be longer), but that's part of the challenge that everybody faces. So people whose story summaries look like this...

WI:SON AND hOUSE'S STORY!!!

like it sayz, wilson and houses story pleez read! my fisrt fic! i suk at sumarries lol

Bug the heck out of me. If you suck at summaries, then I think you suck at writing, too. I won't read these. By principal, I will not read any story that has internet abbreviations, uses all caps in the title, and claims that their fic/summary sucks, unless I know the author or it's been reccomended to me. Fortunately, you can usually tell the bad summaries from the good ones, expecially if they look like this:

"Hey, Lookie! I'm House's Secret Daughter!"

"Oh My God, House And I Did It Now I'm Pregnant! Whatever Shall I Do?"

"House: *collapses* Team: We must save our boss from this mystery disease!"

"InsertCharacter: My life is horrible! *jumps off of PPTH's roof*"

"I Had House's Child And Then Hid For (insert number) Of Years, But Now I Must Return Because His Child Is Dying, And He's The Only One Who Can Save Him!"

Okay, so maybe they don't look exactly like that. But they might as well. All of the cliche fics- along with having the same plot, the same characters, the same vocabulary count (usually lower than their bowling average)- they ALL HAVE THE SAME SUMMARIES! Oh my God, I get Fic A and Fic B confused all the time, becuase their summaries might as well have been plagerized! Could you be original, just for two little lines?

Author's notes? This is not the place for:

1.) i don't really have a plot, so if some one could give me one i'd like it alot. thankx!!

2.) i wont post until i get 10 reveiws..

3.) ilurvereviews: Hey! Thanks so much for your review- yes, I think I have some interesting things planned out for Cameron... (goes on for six pages with review replies)

4.) who should house go out with?

a- cameron

b- stacy

c- cuddy

d- wilson (ew! ew! not this one, PLEASE)

5.) i kno this is Green Feet At PPTH, but this is for ppl reading Happy Days At The Hospital- sry i havent posted teh new chaptr, but ive been buzy... (continues to talk to readers from a completely different fic)

I could go on, because I've seen some pretty bizarre things in author's notes, but I won't... I think I've done enough damage. This was not aimed at one particular person or story, just at bad sumaries and such author's note content in general. This has been bugging me for the longest time... it was kind of fun writing it out!

Moni

It just jars me out of my reading, and that definitely decreases my enjoyment.

I'm not fond of cliched plots myself, although I've read a few that do them beautifully, but they're rare as a diamond in a salt mine.

I find the whole concept of deliberately holding back chapters until a certain number of reviews is achieved rather cheap. No offense to anyone who does so, by the way, I just find it annoying.

Author's notes should be used carefully and thoughtfully, explaining certain facts and circumstances. That's all.

Summaries, as you said, attracts readers. Keep it succinct and informative with good grammar and spelling, in my opinion.

Thanks for replying!

Branwen

It made me feel like somebody had actually taken a few minutes of their day, out of THEIR time to actually read my story well enough to offer advice

I can sympathise so much with that. I hate reviews that say 'Great story, pls update soon'. It's disappointing, too, because you get a review alert, get all excited, only for someone to tell you they 'luved it'. I'm much more open to concrit these days.

Also, agreed with the begging for reviews. I've made sure never to ask for reviews in any of my stories. I might say 'thanks for reviews, they make my day', something like that, but I never ask for them.

While I'm here, I'd just like to say that I've been looking for a beta for ages, someone who isn't a friend, because they won't tell me when something sucks, and someone who isn't too shy to tell a stranger that...something sucks. If anyone has a name, or would like to volunteer...

When I was younger I used to be a horrendous reviewhor, but I like to think I've grown out of it. I usually say something at the end of that chapter (if it's ongoing) about how reviews are very inspiring *hint hint* to me. The reviewhoring I hate most? The people who hold chapters hostage and are all "zomg i wont rit til i gotz 20 reivws!111!!11omg" Hate. So much hate.

BookwormKiwi: I'd be willing to beta for you if you still need one. I'm not super experienced, but I read a lot and am known as both The Walking Dictionary and Grammar Nazi in both online and real life. Heh. (You can PM me, or e-mail at madhatterdru@yahoo.com, whatever works for you.)

That was the gist of it, anyways. So I dont suppose that it was a real flame, because s/he didn't attack my writing at all - all s/he did was tell me that I was gay and that I wrote a story about gay people. Well spotted, congratulations. Homophobes and Lesbophobes have not annoyed me for a long time, and neither did this one. I think that s/he should learn to be a bit more open-minded, and shouldn't have put it so crudely, but whatever. The only person you can change is yourself.

Hm... should I go on a rant? It's been a while since I've been on this topic.

I shall.

So you're sitting in luch, innocently, just writing in your notebook quietly, and your friend suddenly pops out of nowhere and says, "What'cha writin'?" in a very annoyingly and distractingly pert voice.

What, I ask you, is that fascination with a person writing in a notebook? I swear to God, you could have 300 people in a room and one person sitting down, writing in a notebook, and every person in the room would ask you what you were writing at some point or another. I know that when I see another person writing in a notebook, especially if I note the lack of a textbook or worksheet that would signify that it's homework, I try to make an effort NOT to peer over their shoulder to read what they're writing, because it's obviously private stuff.

And then, if you tell the querying person that it's a story, they'll let out a squeal (unless they're a guy, in which case they'll usually label you a Freak and walk away) and ask you what the plot is, or if they can read it.

Maybe I'm just too private of a writer, but I hate showing people things that I've written. So when they ask, I of course answer, no. But they PERSIST. "Please? Pretty please? I'll be your bestest friend, just let me read one page, just one, oh please?"

And then, if they're really obnoxious, they'll just grab your notebook and start reading it. What is your problem? If I say no, then it means no. I promise you, no matter how many times you ask me if you can read it, I am never going to say, "Oh, all right. I suppose you can, since you asked 37 times."

Okay, so I exhausted that subject and nobody here reading is going to identify with that, anyway. I need something else to whine about.

Actually, I think that I need to go work on some homework that I forgot about. Whoops. I'll probably be back tomorrow, so anybody with an idea for a discussion... well. I'm open to it.

Moni

No, I completely understand what you're ranting about! I get that all the time, but I've actually never brought it up amongst my friends...or anyone, really. But I do get quite annoyed when that happens.

I can understand the curiosity (I mean, I can't, I, too, have no idea why it's so interesting) but I always want to know what people are writing when they're writing...I think it's something to do with wanting to know something when it's not obvious. Like, when people are drawing, it's the same thing. But I know I hate being asked to show my work, and I assume it's the same for drawers.

No...well, ok, I was going to say 'no, you're not a too private writer, I do the same thing', but that could just mean I'm the same. I'm more of a person who hates showing stories unless they're finished, edited, and perfect. Well, that's the excuse I give, I don't think I'm any more happy showing it when it *is* done.

I don't know. It should be rated up there against drugs and sex. When you say no, you mean no.

Well... I guess you and I are sort of different in this aspect. My little group of friends (all two of them) know that my writing is private and seriously respect that. And if, every so often, they ask me to let them read something, I'll usually let them. I don't think that I've ever asked them to not ask me a lot... but then, it's just a generally known fact that I'm a kind of quiet, private person.

It's the other people, the people whose names I barely know, who bug the freaking crap out of me.

Heh. You know, from all the other writers I've met, I think we are. They all seem so open about their work and will gladly show it to anyone that asks... *sighs* My mother calls it a lack of self confidence; I call it decency.

I also give the excuse that, "You can read it when I'm finished," and handily forget to mention when I do finish. This, I use mostly with my parents, because they would slap me across the face if I flat out told them 'no'.

I also find myself sometimes not wanting to say that I write. Most of the teenagers in my school write, and the majority of them... well. See above post on summaries for an idea of their skills. So when somebody asks me what I'm doing, I almost cringe at the thought of telling them that I'm writing, for fear that they'll just see me as Another Emo Poet. I'm very proud of the fact that I write, and I take my writing seriously, and I hate it when other people think that I don't. I'm frequently caught in a battle between whether I should just screw what the other person thinks and let them think that I write a bunch of crap like everybody, or if I should lie and say I'm doing homework. Either way, I feel as if I'm betraying myself.

Well... enough of The Sermon. I think I'm going to... go do some homework. Huzzah.

Moni

Sorry that I haven't replied in awhile. . .

Hmmm, bookgoddess, I see your pain. I get annoyed when people want to read my work. . .and I specifically say no. I'm phobic about people reading my unedited, raw writing, especially since I seem to have trouble seeing the true quality of my work until a certain amount of time has passed. Then, I realize what a piece of crap it is.

Has that ever happened to you? You write something, think it's amazing, then a few days, months, weeks pass, and you read it again, and you realize it's TERRIBLE.

As for the flame. . .typical useless flame. And I don't like people using gay as a substitute for "stupid." I find it distressing and repugnant.

Branwen

Sometimes, though, I just don't want certain people to read my stories, whether they're finished and perfect or only a draft. Such as my parents. Everytime they ask, I just tell them it's not finished. Truth be told, I don't mind people reading drafts any more than I do them reading something good. But that's my excuse. And hopefully they'll have forgotten about it when it *is* done.

I've recently begun writing poetry, and I just FREAK out whenever anyone tries to read it.

I'm just nuts that way.

Hey. . .what have you written? I'm curious.

Branwen

Branwen- poetry? What kind? I've written some poetry, and I'd like to say that it's not half bad. On the other hand, I'm not quite as protective over my poetry as my stories. Normally, I'll let people read my poetry if they ask - however, I don't think that my poetry is half as good as my writing, so that might factor in to it.

Ah... I'm here today with slight writer's block. It's not major, in fact, it's only lasted about two hours, but it's still bothering me. What I should probably doing is sitting in my chair and working on my intership applications to distract myself... but nope. I'm here. Call me a hopeless case.

*Sigh* Okay. I've officially guilt-tripped myself into getting off and working on my essays. TTFN!

Monica

I write poetry, and it's probably awful, but I'm always very proud of them, so I show it to everyone. *shrug* I've never heard anything bad about it...

Ah, writer's block. I get that every now and then too. I just watch heaps of House and generally am able to get back into it ;)

It's sort of my substitute for a journal. I kept a journal for a time and (theoretically) still do, but I'm lazy. Since October, I've typed about thirty entries, single-spaced, stream-of-conscious, two-page affairs.

But I got tired of recounting and reflecting on every aspect of my (lifeless) life, so poetry works just as well to get my frustration and conflicting thoughts and emotions out in a productive way. I'm a Type A, overachieving type of person, so it's sort of my release and form of relaxation.

I can't say it's brilliant, though. . .say, what kind of poetry do the two of you write?

Branwen

Anyways... poetry. I write a lot of rhyming poetry, but I've done free-verse and a few experimental poems that I rather liked... heh. We should start a poetry thread here and critique each others works. That would be kind of fun... in a really, really dorky kind of way.

Don't worry, Branwen, I'm also a Type A personality. My mother and I got into a fight last night. What about, you ask? She thinks that I shouldn't be so stressed about the B that I got in Algebra back in eighth grade - but I have to be! That stupid B, two years later, is the reason that my GPA is a 3.934 and not a 4.0... People will never understand us Type A's, I'm telling you...

I've also got a delimma... of sorts. A little advice would be greatly appreciated. Let's see...

I love to write. It's how I vent my frustration, it's how I relax, and it's something that I'm really, really proud of. I can't imagine not being able to write, not having the time to write. But I also want to be a doctor, and I just can't see how the two passions can co-exist peacefully. I can see myself doing nothing but school and work for eight to ten long years (med school and residency), and from what I hear, you don't have any time to yourself... so what about writing? I can't see myself not writing anything for eight years... but should a little hobby of mine outweigh my career choice? What do you guys think? How much weight should my love of writing carry in the decision of what I'm going to do with my life?

To recap:

:: We should start a poetry thread

:: Type A people are totally misunderstood

:: Writing... or career?

Hm... Well, I'm going to go and jump in the gigantic snow drifts that are in my backyard (seriously, these things are about six feet high)... Happy birthday to me!

Moni

My writing sounds like it doesn't mean as much to me as it does to you, though, so I think I could easily *put off* writing until I have time to breathe again. I generally write in my head (lying in bed, etc), and then transcribe it at the next possible opportunity. I also write when I'm travelling. In the train, that sort of thing. I write while I'm eating, sometimes, too. So I generally just fit it in where I can. Could you do that?

Of note: I probably wouldn't join in with the poetry thread - I'm not nearly as confident about it as I am my prose. (I'm not quite sure that was a grammatically correct sentence.)

Writing is... it's something I need to do. Like breathing, like peeing... it just needs to happen. I've been writing since I was three, and I've always managed to find time for it, no matter how hectic things get. There are always ideas burning in my head, and I always have at least three mentally-written stories that I'm busy with... I don't know. I have managed to keep writing through some busy times, but from the way it sounds, being a doctor takes up your whole life. I suppose my big thing is that I've never gone without writing, and I'm afraid of what will happen when I do.

God, I sound like a pile of mush. Sorry... I have a headache and it's late and I'm at a rough spot in one of my stories... forming coherent thoughts is just feeling like trying to light a match in a hurricane. I'm going to post this, and then come on again in the morning and try to work things out with myself.

G'night...

Monica

Just a thought. ;-)

And my parents are doctors. I think your schedule depends on the type of medicine you're going into and the type of workplace you're in. Both of them aren't into anything like surgery and work at a government clinic five days a week. And they get home by 6:30 at the latest.

I'm not saying it's going work for everyone, but you don't ALWAYS have to give up one for the other (remember Arthur Conan Doyle!).

Branwen

P.S. Poetry thread? Me likey!

I could live, though, without writing, so I probably can't identify as much. Though another problem...I used to read heaps, but now I write through all my reading time. And everyone knows you have to read before you can write. How do I balance it out? (Atm, I like writing better. So I neglect the books.)

Though I HAVE recently fallen in love with Toni Morrison. Glorious. . .

Branwen

BookwormKiwi - My friend actually wants to go into dermatology... personally, it holds no fascination for me. When people ask me what kind of doctor I want to be, I'll say "A pyschologist and a pathologist... then you can just call me a psychopath!" or "A cranianalogist... a doctor who gets people's heads out of their butts!" But honestly, I'm considering virology, oncology/hematology, or infectious diseases.

My problem, as far as reading goes, is more like Branwen's... I'm much too picky with my reading. Recently, though, I have absolutely fallen in LOVE with Alexandre Dumas ("The Count of Monte Cristo", "The Three Musketeers", "The Man In The Iron Mask" to name a few). I think, to balance it out, you have to figure out why you're not reading as much; if you're like me and Branwen, pardoning my horrible grammar, and can't find anything then it's just a matter of looking and waiting. If you don't have enough, I wold try setting aside a certain time... usually right before you go to bed works best. Or you could alternate time between writing and reading (i.e., if you wrote on the train ride, then you can read tonight in bed)...

Also, you shouldn't feel OBLIGATED to read simply because you write. It's true the two frequently correlate, but it isn't necessary. If you don't feel like reading, then you shouldn't force yourself to do it, because then your mind begins to relate reading with negative feelings, instead of the positive ones that you have currently. For about seven months, I was so involved with my writing that I didn't pick up a single book... until recently, all my free time was taken up by writing.

A final note to Branwen - I know Toni Morrison! She grew up about twenty feet away from me, actually. She wrote... The Bluest Eye, right? She's somewhat of a local hero, because our city doesn't produce anyone but drunks and potheads.

Adios, mis amigas!

Monica

i just got in, i hope i can stay here.

i have a problem, one with writing

Uh, hello Bookwormkiwi! Fancy meeting you here.

i started reading your previous posts, and i wont deny that the first 2 posters had made quite an impression to me. i thought your harsh, especially bookgodess15.

anyway, no biggie. then i realized, this is just exactly the place i want to be.

no offense but honestly i like making friends. I wont take the type a thingy against you all, one thing about myself is that i am very open when it comes to opinion and i very well believe that everyone is entitled for one as long as they are in the right place to say things.

well, again regarding my problems (the good bookwormkiwi is aware of that one).

i have big problems with tenses. and other more that you might hate. but the good part in that is that im open for learning and i wanted to learn.

i am filipino. english is just a second language. i grew up with it and speak it and write a few with it but i have very big problems bout tense consistency. I REALLY WANT TO LEARN.

in tagalog, my first lang, i am proud that i can maneuver with it very well. But this english this is so killing me. i need to improve.

i hope you wouldnt think that im a suckup or as desperate as i sound i am. i just know that i have a problem that needs improvement and is ready to take the bad words to improve my skills. I JUST LOVE WRITING SO MUCH THAT CRITICISM FROM FELLOW WRITERS WILL NOT MEAN NEGATIVELY FOR ME. I WOULD LOVE ANYTHING THAT YOU WILL SAY AS LONG AS I KNOW THAT IT IS GOING TO BE FOR THE GOOD. and besides, i think you are really not all that bad.

as i have said, id like to make friends.

anything you can advice me will be very helpful.

nice meeting you all here.

can i?

(But I'm American.)

Branwen

You'll never guess.

The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, the temperature is about... oh, seventy. And I just built a snowman! Ohio is having a freak warm-weather day. It was about fifteen degrees out this morning, and then this afternoon it was seventy! There's great big piles of snow from the blizzards we've been getting... it's amazing.

A quick note befor eI go outside and enjoy the weather - does anyone know a cure for writer's block? I know, this is the question to end all questions, but I'm seriously struggling. I have ideas, I just feel like everything that I write is crap...

*sighs*

Help?

Monica

Wow, you guys are all so intense when it comes to writing, huh? I feel kinda inferior compared to all of you. I write, but not alot, and not so passionately. Although, whenever i have time, I try to write.

But, I have the attention span of a three-year old. I have unfinished stories and fics everywhere. *grinds teeth*

Cure writer's block? Feeling like everything you write is crap? I know exactly what you mean. Whenever I feel like that, I'd usually just stop trying for a while. I'd concentrate on other stuff, go out, eat some tuna with chilli in oil, and then come back, refuelled, refreshed and read to go! That's what works for me anyway...

Sheesh, peeps, what has happened to this thread? It's kinda dead...

I'm on spring break right now and absolutely love it. It is so amazingly wonderful to not have to get up at five and spend the whole day doing nothing but school, work, and then homework... Once again, Ohio is having freak weather. It was (literally) 80 degrees on Wednesday, then there was a tornado Wednesday evening, and then we woke up on Thursday to three inches of snow. Ohio is freaking bipolar when it comes to weather, I swear.

AllThatGlittersIsGold (Chirst on a cracker, that's a long name), don't worry! I'm just freakishly obsessed with writing, is all. Normal people don't pull all nighters simply because they're feeling inspired - if you try to force yourself to write a lot when you're really not feeling it, then writing just doesn't hold any fun any more. Work at your own pace.

And yay! My writer's block has been cured. I went to see the local shaman and he and I sat before a fire in his little hut, while he called up the spirits with his mystical mousetrap...

Okay, so I'm lying. About the shaman - my writer's block has been cured, though. Yay! Unfortunately, things up here have taken a turn for the worse for my friend (I know that this is beginning to sound like a poster, because I'm saying this everywhere I go, but it's just too horrible to not give a little attention to; her father shot her mother and then killed himself), and so I've been spending a lot of time with her. So all my inspiration is building up, un-used and beginning to drive me crazy.

I've been getting over my writer's block, but it was excruciatingly slow... usually, it just disappears in a flash of inspiration, but this time it was very gradual... there's still remains of it, and it's driving me crazy. It's like getting mono - the real thing may be gone, but the after-effects are going to linger for months. Right now, I've got three documents sitting on my Start bar, and I haven't even looked at one of them today... *moans* On the other hand, I'm supposed to be doing chores.

But while I'm rambling, has anyone here ever tried to... you know... write a novel-length piece that was original? I've written ficlets and drabbles and one-shots, sometimes even three chaptered stories, but the only novel-length one I've ever done was for NaNoWriMo, so that doesn't count. I'm developing the plot right now... eh... anyone?

Monica

Well, I'm on *autumn* break at the moment, and agree with you, bookgoddess. It's lovely :) But I've been having terrible writer's block as well, and when that happens, it's not that I sit in front of a Word document or a piece of paper and *headdesk* repeatedly because I can't think of what to write, I just don't feel like writing. So I don't. And it's not normally a problem, until a couple of weeks pass, and I think 'Oh my goodness, I haven't written a word for so long! What's happening?!' and what *is* happening, of course, is that my mind has stopped ticking over story ideas. It's very sad, and I hate to come to the realisation. After that point, though, yes, it's exactly like mono for me (heh, we call it glandular fever), I think of something that I might like to write about, store it away...might write a paragraph in my head another day...I've just finished a strange little one-shot that is really below my standards, but it's getting somwhere, at least.

And yes, to answer your question, I have tried to write a novel. In fact, I'm still attempting. I got the idea for it a few months ago, and I sat down and wrote about...huh, 300 words. And then I stopped. I'm good like that. It's still in the back of my mind. One day I'll continue it. I should write down all the ideas I have for it; otherwise they'll disappear. I'm not a very persistant writer, so if I lose even the slightest inspiration, and think of something else, I'll go work on another story. And I'm very used to this fanfiction kind of format - very short; brief, I suppose. And you know how some people are awesome writers because they say that everything just plays out in their head, and they write what they see? Well, I do that too, *except* I'm extremely unobservant in real life, and also, it seems, in my head, so I don't see much at all, even though there's a lot in there. *sigh*

I also can't figure out how I think. Sometimes I'll have the plot all pinned down nicely, from start to finish (like the metaphorical oil painter), and other times, I just go with the flow (like a water painter). So what are you guys?

An architect: plans out everything before building the story - and sticks closely to the outline.

A bricklayer: constructs the story one sentence at a time, polishes the sentence, moves on.

An oil painter: draws a rough sketch before going over it with the colours - draft subject to multiple changes and plot twists

A water painter: just does. Little editing needed.

Once I planned a whole story that could've easily kicked 10,000 words out...and didn't get past the first 3000. Another time, I always had the plan for the next couple of chapters in my mind, and as I wrote, new stuff just kept coming to me! I was so proud of that story - the most fun I've had in writing, for sure, and so easy! (I love easy stuff.) Some times, I just keep writing until I find a nice little ridge where an ending fits nicely. And sometimes I just can't end. Bet we've all had *those* stories, yes? It's fantastic, but it just keeps going. And going. And...more, it gets boring. What started out as some fantastic artwork just goes down the drain because you can't finish it.

Yay, I think I just revived this thing.

And ditto on your willingness to abandon creative inspiration for your friend. Some writers don't and become famous but lose their loved ones in the process.

I've been suffering writers' block as well (How strange is that! The three of us suffering it at once!). Even my poetry's been mostly blah and lacking lately (not that I'm all that talented).

I love writing; I want to publish a novel or short story collection at least once in my lifetime, but there are a few roadblocks on my road to Authordom:

1. I am incurably lazy and undisciplined: Oh, I edit religiously (most of the time) but I don't plan or outline and rarely finish even a short story.

2. I cannot plot (even if a gun was held to my head): I get ideas and creative ones, too, but I cannot. Plot. At all. Most of my writing consists of essays and character studies and ficlets and dialogues and poetry that require no actually plotting.

3. I am not all that prolific and tend to be sporadic in my writing: I haven't actually written that much and tend to go long periods without writing a word, then I suddenly get inspiration and write my fingers off for a few days. Repeat the process.

Like you Kiwi (Can I call you that for short?), I tend to get bored after writing a novel for awhile (and I've started a fair number, both original and fanfic) and just stop.

I blame it on my INTP tendencies. I usually score a INFP but my strong T tendencies render me bored once I thoroughly understand something.

Branwen

I am currently writing an original novel, and I have managed to finish one before (though being eleven at the time, I have since considered shredding, then burning, then vaccuuming it (in that order)). These are some things that I have found useful.

1. Plan the entire thing. Seriously, sounds boring, but if you sit and plan your chapters you don't have to keep wondering where it's going, and you can simply enjoy writing it. Oh, and keep a note of any good bits of dialoogue you thinnk of. e.g.

ROMANCE NOVEL

chapter one - meet

chapter two - meet again. bob: "we're making a habit of this", sue: "well, being a professional stalker, I've been making a habit of this for twenty years...I'm joking!"

chapter three - notice slight attraction.

and so on. (Though better than that!!!!).

2. Start on a weekend, or even better, a holiday (vacation, break etc. (I'm not being patronising, just better to be safe than sorry)). That way, you can get past 'the wall'. If you have written two or three chapters, it's even harder to abandon it. Plus, it means that you won't be reduced to watching daytime TV when all your friends are at the dentists etc. You'll have something to do.

3. Write when you can't sleep.

4. Get some one who's interested (a friend, or a parent), and read extracts to them regularly. That way, they will be so hooked that they'll make sure you keep it up!!!

5. Get into character - write bits that take place outside outside, write bits that take place at night during the night time. Don't be afraid to practice your dialogue on thin air!!

6. Write whilst eating chocolate.

7. Keep imagining what it will be like to be bigger than JK herself.

8. Pawn the depressing job of proof reading onto some one else.

9. Write what you like - seems obvious, but I thought I'd mention it.

Hope I was helpful.

Kiwi (this is your new nickname - I love it Branwen!) and Branwen, thank you both for your sympathies. I think she's a little tired of hearing it from everyone, but the thoughts are apprecated all the same.

I think that'd I 'd be somewhere in between a bricklayer and an oil painter (nifty analogy, by the way), because if I had my way I would spend a month reconstructing and editting a chapter because I'm such a perfectionist. On the other hand, I also need to have some kind of rough outline for the story, because if I go in without it, then I can't really tell myself "Keep writing, we're coming up on that exciting earthquake scene soon!", because that's one of the main inspiration techniques I use. But I am definitely not an architect or a water painter!

I write various short stories that are original, but I have a much greater love for House stories, simply because I've been writing fanfiction for so long that my affection for it has far surpassed original stories. If you think about it, there are so many more possibilities for stories that already have established characters and personalities... The better half of my stories wold not have been able to fly as original stories. Also, there's my slight addiction to reviews. I know that original stories will never get reviews, so therefore it's hard for me to excite myself and get motivated.

I have also tried, but every time I do, I just get so awkward with the characters because I've never had to introduce new characters because I've been in fanfiction for so long. So... I'm scared to write an original story, I guess, in a nutshell.

PEK (can I shorten that?), your list is quite interesting.

1. There is no way I can do this. Okay, there is no way that I WOULD do this. I tried it once or twice, but my problem is that some scenes end up longer than I thought they would be and others end up unnecessary. So many of my stories just take a complete life of their own, I just can't plot them out so detailed. On the other hand, I do outline the story in a more general sense, and I also write down quotes as you suggested! Most of the time, I never end up using them, but it's the idea that counts, right?

2. Totally, absolutely agreeing with you on this. No questions asked, it is so much better to start when you have bounds of free time. The first seven chapters of my story Us and Them were written during a ten day vacation that was sprung on us due to massive blizzards. There's a continuity to the inspiration, and nothing is broken up by school or homework or something.

3. Do this all the time. I'm a chronic insomniac (self-diagnosed) and never fall asleep until 1 or 2 in the morning regardless of what I've done during the day. Of course, sometimes it's hard to tell myself that I'm finally feeling tired when my inspiration really hits *sigh* I used to just write until I was no longer inspired to write, but I ended up falling asleep in half of my classes, so when I start feeling tired, I force myself to go to sleep.

4. I don't do this with fanficiton - my reviews do a good job of inspiring me! But with original stories, I... I might, when I manage to get something going past chapter 3.

5. Heh. Do you know how I get into character? Don't laugh. I shut my door and act out my scenes from various points of view. I'll act out the scene from House's point of view (complete with a piece of PVC piping for a cane, and a bottle of Tic Tacs, if necessary), and then from Cameron's, and then... well, you get the idea. It really helps you before you write a scene, because you get hit with all sorts of ideas, and the dynamics really become present when you think of it from all the characters' PoVs.

6. I couldn't do this. Not chocolate, anyways. During NaNoWriMo, I stocked up on NutriGrain bars, yogurt, Chex Mix, apples, mixed nuts... Besides, I'm working on a laptop, so anything that gets in this keyboard STAYS in this keyboard.

7. *snorts* I work at the library and shelve books. I love shelving new books. Know why? Because while I'm shelving all these newly-published books, my mind is off dreaming what it would be like to be shelving a book with my name on it, my synopsis on the inside cover, my words on the pages... And then I go shelve DVDs and feel depressed.

8. I love proof reading! Augh! How can you not love perfecting your work? I am a complete grammar freak, and would go crazy if I didn't at least go over a chapter once for spelling and grammar before sending it to my beta reader. Which, by the way, is who you're supposed to send your crap to for editting... you don't have one? Get one. They're miracle workers. Just ask the people that I beta read for! (kidding...)

9. Of course. This should be, like, the freaking golden rule of writing. You know, right after those clauses about always having an up-to-date dictionary and not skipping out on more than two Homecoming Dances in your high school years.

All right, so I guess that's about it for now.

Peace out!

Monica

This reply got me uber excited because I have found some one else who does it. I am of course referring to the habit of acting out scenes from stories. Unfortunately, I have to share a room with my ten year-old sister, and if you've never been walked in on by an evil sibling whilst pretending to be a middle aged, crippled doctor, you do NOT know shame! Luckily, I'm getting good at hearing her come up the stairs (we have a horribly impractical old attic bedroom, beams 'n' all, so we have our own little staircase) so it's happening less often lately.

I agree that some of my suggestions aren't quite appropriate for fan fictions, but for original novels, most have them have worked for me.

I also agree with you that fan fictions have great possibilities, because the you can make the characters really 3d as you already have the basis for them, and you can concentrate more on your plots.

Oooh, a fellow insomniac. My mum, brother, and sister have all moaned about having to listen to the tapping of the laptop keyboard until about three in the morning. Tip - if anyone in your house owns an anti-ageing product, they tend to work really well on the shadows under the eyes that not sleeping always causes.

Feel free to call me PEK btw.

Oh, and whoo! for NutriGrains!!!!!

I love proof reading other people's writing (yes, I am a fellow grammar freak. Misplaced apostrophes are the worst!), but correcting my own stuff really annoys me.

Keep smiling,

Caitlin

I think my sister would take quite kindly to watching me do this, as she's quite open minded in the sense of my weirdness, but I still prefer to do it behind closed doors ;) I actually recommend doing this to a lot of people, especially when I review stories that look like it may've been their first -- the ones that are really, *really* OOC.

Something also interesting: I write a lot more during school term than on holidays. Perhaps because writing doesn't get me as excited as it does you guys...it's kind of just something I do when I need to. Like laughing. See, if someone gets me to laugh, I laugh. And if I feel like I need a laugh, I go do something laugh-worthy, like...watch House ;) Same with writing.

If I wrote when I couldn't sleep, I'd never sleep. Because I'd lie in bed for a few minutes, then go 'Ah, I'm not sleeping, so I might as well get up and write.' But it normally take me about 20 minutes to drop off.

And I agree with...may I call you the Loremaster?...I don't like giving anyone my stories till they're finished. I like to keep the ideas locked inside my head! For some reason, though, reviews don't tend to keep me going. I mean, I love them and all, but I've decided to write for myself, now, and if I think something isn't going anywhere, I stop (which...I probably shouldn't, because that happens *a lot*).

And now I agree with PEK, because I love beta-ing, except I hate proof reading my own stuff. If it's finished, I give it to my sister to look over for typos and grammatical errors (she can't really beta, though, because she's not really a writer. She can't tell what's wrong with it, even if she doesn't like it).

And I like the chocolate idea ;) However, for me, it's not just chocolate...I chew my pen a lot, which I'm guessing is bad, especially since I just got my braces off, so I eat a lot when I do stuff. But, anything, really, I just like to chew. So carrots are good, although I'm normally not bothered to go cut them up...or even peel them. Hard biscuits. Anything, really, in my mouth to stop me from chewing my pen ;) I wish my school would let me eat in class.

Oh, and bookgoddess? You said you use your plan to keep you motivated. The problem with that and me, though, is that if I have something like that, I'll really want to get to that earthquake scene (no problems so far) so I'll rush over the scenes before hand (problems starting) to get to it. Which leaves a well written earthquake scene, but the readers really don't know how they got there.

Btw, Kiwi's fine ;) That's what a lot of my friends at school call me.

Am going through a really dry spot with reviews lately, and it's making me sad. Have uploaded three new stories in the past two days and not a single review :( Ho hum.

I read earlier that some of you are into writing poetry sometimes. Same here. In fact, would appreciate some comments as I don't really show mine to people.

I thought that this one was quite apt for a House forum, because though I based it on a jumble of people I know and myself, it could be about House.

How lonely it must be to be you.

You rip at your own scarred flesh,

Just so that others can't devour it.

And sometimes, you hold that same flesh up

As a shield from the love

That you cut yourself off from.

But soon, it will be so diminished

That it will no longer protect you.

Love will find you.

And destroy you.

Because love,

When not embraced,

Is a poison of your own brewing.

Not for everyone, I agree, but please don't be too harsh. I don't show poetry around much.

Oh, and I realise that my use of grammar gets quite...interesting :P when I'm writing poetry.

PEK, you know that there is a poetry thread, right? *points* I've posted something, but I can't find a fellow poet to come and join me in my bravery! I really liked your poem, and it's very interesting. Particularly the last five lines, because it's such an interesting portrayal of that idea - very original, PEK! I have only a few comments, and I'll to be as gentle as I can be...

The first line is kind of awkward, because of the phrasing 'must be to be'... You could probably get away with this in prose, but in poetry, things are too consolidated to get away with this. Maybe you could change it to 'how lonely it is to be you' 'how lonely it seems to be you'? Replacing the first 'be', I think, would be the best way to improve this.

Secondly, I don't know if I like the word diminished in the seventh line. This could just be me and the fact that I've been in band way too long, but diminished usually means... gentle. Like a power chord diminishing into a soft, minor one (for all of you guitar players). The way that you use it makes it seem like the flesh is tortured, which doesn't agree with diminished. Maybe 'battered' or 'ragged', or even 'destroyed'? Something about diminished just doesn't ring right with me.

And PEK, don't worry about going through your dry spot! We all do... we hate them, but they do end, and you have to remember that. Also bear in mind that the alerts system just came back up this morning or something. Anyone who's got you on author alert hadn't known that you posted anything.

That's all, lots of writing to do! Peace out!

Moni

Agreed with the first line, the 'be to be' sounds awkward. And diminished, used in your sense, bookgodess, makes sense too (so glad *that* wasn't poetry). However, I've just learnt diminished scales, and they're so harsh and icky sounding, that I thought nothing of the use in PEK's poem until I read bookgoddess's post. So I suppose it just depends how you see it, PEK, which is obviously...the way you do, in your poem.

Gosh, I'm stumbling terribly over my words today.

You know something? I haven't ever looked at *any* of the other threads on this forum...it never occured to me. I'm going to have to tick that 'yes, email me when new topics are added to this forum'. I have on everything else, and that's probaby why I assumed there was nothing else here. ...or something.

I now have 114 unread emails that are ALL fan fiction related! XD

I will check out the poetry thread.

x

I rhymed. Aren't I clever?

Been extraordinarily busy lately, but college wrapped up and my job settled down and I've just gotten my grades in the mail! So now that summer is really setting in, I feel like I should try to start this up again.

What's new with me writing-wise? Well, I've officially had two original novels flop, and neither one made it past chapter 3, I'm sad to say. I'm thinking about going back and trying to redo one of the ideas, but the other is officially dead. Buried it, eulogy and all. On the other hand, my fanfics have been unfurling beautifully. Sort of. I'm in one of those 'everything-I-write-is-crap-why-do-I-even-bother' kind of moods, which puts a serious damper on my writing, which makes me generally crabby. But I'm hoping that will lift soon. Because otherwise there's going to be a new serial killer on the loose - not writing makes me crazy!

Totally can't wait for NaNoWriMo. It'll be my second year in a row, and I managed to do it the first, so I'm really hoping that this one doesn't bomb out. They say second year is the hardest. Anyone else here do/did it?

My mom and I were talking earlier today (okay, so more accurately, we were arguing), and she called me out when I used the word formidable. Let me transcribe the conversation for you all:

"And you use those ridiculous, $100 words!"

"What, 'formidable'? What's wrong with that? It's not ridiculous!"

"You always use those words. It makes you look like you're showing off."

"I'm not showing off! That's how I TALK!"

"Nobody talks like that. It makes everyone else feel stupid when they don't know what a word means - especially coming from a sixteen-year-old. You're being purposely..." [she's fumbling for a word]

"Precocious?"

"There you go again!"

Okay, does anyone here NOT know what the words formidable and precocious mean? Does anyone here besides me think that they're NOT big, ridiculous, snobby words? I mean, I know that I have a more diversified vocabulary than most my age, but it's not... too much. Most of my friends can usually keep up with what I'm saying. They occasionally have to ask what the heck I'm saying, but... Okay, you guys have got to back me up here. Words are tools. Why say 'slow down' when 'decelerate' is so much simpler? Why say 'romantically idealistic' when you can just say 'quixotic'? It doesn't make any sense to me.

Found a cute little survey for writers while I was surfing the web - go check it out and try it in the thread I created. Lots of fun filling it out. Um... Okay. Enough chatting inanely. Someone else reply to me! I miss this thread!

Monica

lol, I know what formidable and precocious mean! I have the same problem! I use "long" words around my friends and family (and not even really sophisticatedly long ones like yours) such as superfluous and epitome and nonchalant(like, who doesn't know what they mean??? jks) and ominous and others which i can't think of at the moment, and then they'd be like "huh?".

sigh. us articulate ones are ostrasized by the low-intelligence community.

jks. Though, I DID NOT need to use an online dictionary for ostrasized (but i'm not sure if that's how you spell it)

can you put a link to the survey thingo here please?

see! i replied...

Love

xx

p.s QUIXOTIC? am I *imbecilic* for not knowing?

I'm glad to hear that you identify with me - seriously, I don't think that superfluous and epitome (I hate the word nonchalant, though, don't ask me why - just something about the way it sounds) are big words. This frustrates me to no end. Although, quixotic is one that I wouldn't feel too bad about knowing. It's one of those words like... oh... ere. You never really hear it except in certain situations, which are also rare.

The survey is under the topic entitled 'As a Writer...', created by me yesterday.

Monica

me too! sigh. i have always thought that the 'ch' in nonchalant should be a 'k' sounds rauther than a 'ch' (as in church) sound...grrr...

i shall be sure to use the word 'quixotic' sometime in the near future just to annoy everyone!

i don't understand why people don't like using 'long' words. it makes the English language a whole lot more...colourful.

just thought i'd put this out there, i HATE all those little messaging things like: ^_______^ or =.= or o.0!!! Everytime one of my friends do that on MSn, i just what to throttle them. So irritating...

Kind of interesting, bookgodess (*is guilty of not noticing, although would normally spell goddess with two d's*), that your mum finds it annoying that you use big words. My mum would be proud that I was learning something at school. My friends get annoyed though.

I find it extremely irritating when people *do* use those long words to show off, but if it's the way you normally speak, then there's nothing wrong with it. And you can tell who's genuine.

And I am guilty of making my friends get out the dictionary when they read my emails, but they're more sheepish when they admit it, rather than 'Argh, why do you use such long words? There's no *point*!'.

(*I* had to use an online dictionary for ostrasise.)

It does kinda make you feel stupid when your constantly looking up what people said, but it's good, don't you think? I use my dictionary all the time, because there are *so many* words that I've heard of, and have a general idea what they mean, but want the dic. def. for them. I learn so many words, it's awesome!

Ah, like ere! I'd never heard of it, but I'll remember it now. I quite like it! (At first, I thought you'd just left out an 'h' or something...)

And I have to say that I use those little smileys all the time. o.0 is one of my favourites. How can you not think that it sums up an entire emotion (that doesn't really have a name) in three little characters?

Btw, I love nonchalant, but only when it's written. I would never use it in speech. Does that make me weird? I hate the way it sounds, but I looove the way it looks. Haha, I learnt that word reading fanfiction!

awww, BookwormKiwi, don't worry. I had no idea what precocious was...i was like "hmmm, that sounds familiar, buh i dont know it..."

omg, i also learnt the word nonchalant on Fanfiction! and i found out the way you properly pronunce it on House! you are not weird for that whole not likeing to say it thing as well. its the same with me. it looks good written, but saying it makes it uglyy.

oh, that o.0 thing...i dont know why, but i don't like it. maybe coz my friends ALWAYS use it, and whenever i MSN them, its just ^_____^ this and =.= that and so forth...i'm a baddd azn...

oh, ew, i have to read 'To Kill a mockingbird'...i dont care what everyone says, i find the book intolerably hard to read...

Nonchalant... I don't know. I can't stand saying it or writing it. I think it looks... cheap, I guess. I don't like the way it describes being lax about something, if that makes any sense. If you look over my stories, I don't think I've used it once. It's just a word that really gets under my skin, I guess. Nonchalant. *shudders*

ATGIG, because your name really needed an abbreviation, I don't see why you're complaining about To Kill A Mockingbird. It was the best book that we had to read in English. Probably ever. I might have liked it out of pure desperation of comparison, of course (before it, we read Julius Caesar, King Arthur, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Odyssey, Animal Farm, and Lord of the Flies), but it was pretty easy to read and there wasn't a whole lot of in-depth symbolism. But I suppose if you don't like it, that's your prerogative.

So I take it that no one here as done NaNoWriMo? Am I all alone?

Monica

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I also found a spelling mistake - go to your C2 Create/Edit tab, and read the second paragraph under Create C2 Community. Hee hee! Did anyone else catch something that I missed? I've just been discovering this little trinkets as I come across them, not scouring the site for changes. And... that's about all I have to say. So long!

Monica

I was about to say something about NaNoWriMo, actually. I haven't done it yet, but I signed up for it this year. At least, I signed up for a reminder this year. Looking forward to it.

It is quite interesting that you picked up that spelling mistake, bookgodess. I found it, but...probably wouldn't have without the heads up. Maybe because I scan things more than I read.

(*Had to look up prerogative* *is getting the feeling you might be trying to prove a point*) I have to say, I haven't read any of those classics (aside from Animal Farm. That was quite good, if slightly weird). The other English classes had this 'choose a classic to read' program, but mine didn't, which I was quite glad about, but only because classics always have slow beginnings.

Ahaha, I signed up for a Spanish word of the day, one time. I...can't remember any of the words now. I stopped opening them after a while, and after that, decided I might as well just unsubscribe. I learnt the word for 'question' and for 'immediate'. I think. But like I said, forgotten.

But I'm really glad about the new features on this site, they're pretty good. (Can someone explain what an RSS feed is? Oh, and azn?)

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