To give up or to soldier on is the question...

Give it up if you're so easily discouraged. Writing is not for the thin-skinned or the "I'm so great I don't need improvement" crowd. Otherwise, if you really have a passion for it, you know what you need to do. You're only 17. Or else do something else, like accounting.

If I put up a sample of my writing from when I was 17, you'd probably tell me to give up. Now I'm 26 and I have an agent.

Depends on how bad you want it. Do you want it? If you'd rather go spend your time on something else, go do that.

You're seventeen! Your work is supposed to suck. It may feel like you just don't have what it takes, but you're measuring yourself against the wrong people. Remember, the people in SYW are expecting you to compete on the same field with successful published authors. Not being there doesn't mean you should give up, it just means you have a lot of work to do.

And the work is fun. Trust me, you'll like doing it, even though you will face many times that you wonder if it's worth the time and trouble and effort.

It is. Soldier on!

The Mad Geek said:

I'd like to write novels, but all of the samples of work I've posted in 'Share Your Work' have not recieved very... 'encouraging' remarks.

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Perhaps you missed these:

• "Captivating."
• "Hope you post another version."
• "Thanks for sharing it with us and keep writing."

The other comments I see are mostly about your craft, and craft is something you will surely improve with practice. And it's something that most of us suck at when we start out.

Notice also that some folks have offered detailed tips and edits on your craft. There's no way people would spend their limited time giving detailed advice to someone whose writing is hopeless. So turn that around: People's willingness to give you detailed advice is a sign of encouragement.

Does that make sense?

If you're having doubts about your writing, check out "Don't Taunt the Fear Demon," a wonderful hot-off-the-presses blog post from my friend Richard. Now, Richard happens to be a fantastic writer, so if someone as talented Richard has doubts, then doubts must be part of the game.

Dale

I'm 19, and I can safely say that my work sucks now, but I know that I can do better. A little determination goes a long way.

Hey! I'm seventeen too. Soldier on, friend! Bad critiques are a fact of life. If you really like to write, you'll take the advice given and keep writing. You're young. And so am I. We have room for vast improvement.

I've been writing for 9 years, finished 5 novel manuscripts and there is still a lot I don't know, do poorly at, and need to fix.

There are no short cuts in novel writing. I still find myself looking for short cuts when walking through staples, a pad that will help me organize ideas better / quicker. True is its just time in front of the keyboard night after night.

I didn't get a lot of rejections when I was young because I didn't share my stuff. I think that made the learning process longer so you are already ahead of where I was.

I'm 18. I constantly find crap in my work, for it is not hard to find.
Get yourself motivated by watching interviews with authors, or reading, or listening to podcasts about it. When you're finished with that, which might be very unlikely, come into this forum and just spill out your doubts. Not just your work.
Writing a novel isn't writing a letter. It takes more than one day. It takes more than one go.
You're 17! Just be glad you're into writing when most people you're age do pretty much nothing but...you know what.
My God! me at 17, and this was just a year ago, almost, I've learned so much!
Acknowledge that you're a dynamic, changing mind. Allow it to KNOW that you're gonna have more stuff in your mind, more knowledge, more ideas, more talks, more introspective narrative, that you're gonna be able to create conflicts and dialogs better than you currently do.
Read books. Books that you think a story of yours could contain.

There's so many people out there who write and then give up for some reason.
Just think to yourself, that you might actually be one of those that gets to put a story on the shelves to entertain and enlighten people.
Some people might even give up becaue they have the impression that writing a novel is like writing a letter. And you make no big corrections. This is because they read the book and it flows. "OOO, I wish I could write like that. If it all just came to me like that. If it flwoed."
You'd be surprised how much editing goes on in "great books".
J.K.Rowling took a year, usually to write a book. And then it could be read, by some, in less than 24 hours.
A good author is one who fools people into thinking that he can write nonstop, I would guess. Where you find no gaps.

Soldier on, like you said. You're not alone in trying to be a writer.
It's no piece of cake, as I've realized. But that makes me laugh and think 'So what?'
And then I just soldier on for more stupid ideas and stuff I won't even use for my story and dialog that will make me fall to my knees surrounded by slow-motion falling Autumn leaves because of how horrible the writing is.

Again, you're 17. Aknowledge that. You shouldn't expect so much of yourself.
Realise that it's ok to put excremental prose on paper when you're young. That's how we come.
At least that's how I came. And I don't give a s**t about other people.

Remember when you couldn't even walk or talk and crapped in you diapers? Didn't give up, huh?

This place is actually an awesome place to hang out too for encouragement. ^_^ SYW is there to help, but just talking to people in the same boat helps too. I think my writing stinks, but it's a lot better than how I used to write. Practice and determination is key. ^.~
One of my motivators are those people that tell me "You can't write. Give up now." My answer is usually, "I'll show you." Besides the fact that writing is awesome fun. ^__^ If you want to pursue writing, go for it. It is hard but it's rewarding too. Seeing my world and characters coming to life on paper is such a thrill!

Hummingbird said:

This place is actually an awesome place to hang out too for encouragement.

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I'll second that. I lurked for a couple months, registered, did some posting... and decided what the hell, I'll try to write a book.

A week later, I've got just short of 11,000 words - the single longest thing I've ever written, and still going. It doesn't suck, either. This place rocks. The people rock. The advice rocks. Just hang in there and keep going.

Remember, too, that advice is just that -- advice. The only rule that should never be broken is "money flows TO the author".

For the rest, everyone has an opinion and a way of doing something that works for them. You'll hear a lot of conflicting advice. Take what works for you and apply it, but if something doesn't work for you, that doesn't mean you "can't" be a successful writer.

Easiest example -- outlining. When I was in school I was told that I could NOT be a writer unless I outlined. So I tried. And tried. And wasted time and hated the process and figured I wasn't a writer. Years later when one story just DEMANDED to be put onto the page, I sat down and wrote. Started at the beginning and when I got to the end, I stopped.

I'm a linear writer. I start with a title and then the first line, and I write through to the end. Any time I try to "jump ahead" it backfires on me.

If I'd taken that "writing rule" as a guideline, I'd have started writing sooner. If I still believed it, I wouldn't be writing today. So, just remember to listen, learn and ask questions, but always apply against the "does this work for me" test.

The Mad Geek said:

Hello! I'm 17 years old with a passion for writing and telling stories and a knack for being creative. I'd like to write novels, but all of the samples of work I've posted in 'Share Your Work' have not recieved very... 'encouraging' remarks. I'm still young, so I'd like to know now, should I just give up and not dedicate my time to writing novels or do I soldier on, and is it worth it? Please give me your views, authors of this forum! Thank you!

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You're WAY young. Don't look for a prize just yet. Just write. You have eons to go. The fact that you are exploring your passion at a young age is a great thing. It will give you plenty of years to develop it. Just be courageous enough to take the advice given to you and apply it to your future writing. Good luck. Keep writing...

Keep writing, till you are ready to give up or become successful. Not because you got bad reviews. that happens to the best of writers.

Meh, I suck compared to the majority of the people on here.

I've got great ideas(and I've helped other people with books), I'm literally a muse(just to toot my horn a little more), but I lack the practice and experience to truly create a good story. That doesn't mean that I'm going to give up, but it just means that I'll be writing for myself and friends, and maybe someday when I think I'm good enough, and after I've been flamed enough on my grammar, I'll make an attempt to get something published.

I pursue writing as a hobby, both because I find it enjoyable, allows for me to diversify my skill base, and it's useful in my profession(I do a lot of technical writing as an engineer). I'm still just young pup(22 years old), but I hope that by the time I get to my mid to late 20's I'll be good enough to put together something that won't cause people to cringe while reading it.

The point being, that even though I know I'm a poor writer at this point, I still plan on giving it a go, if not for any reason but self improvement.

Am I the only one over thirty in this thread. Hang on, Ray and KTC are in here too.

You can either live and write late or live and keep a journal.

If you give up you'll never know.

JJ

JJ Cooper said:

Am I the only one over thirty in this thread. Hang on, Ray and KTC are in here too.

JJ

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Yes. You are safe. I'm in the over 40 club. I still don't believe it's possible... but oy vey. The birth certificate doesn't lie. Keep writing, Mad Geek. Keep writing.

TMG, you should be congratulated for posting your work in SYW. That's a big step. But, please indicate how you reacted to the individual comments posted about your use of the craft. Did they piss you off? Make sense to you? Did they seem to be useless in your writing, or did they seem like good lessons for shaping your future writing? How a person reacts to SYW-type crits is critical in determining if that person is really interested in improving his/her writing or if he/she is just looking for ego boosts. Constructive criticism, even if it seems a bit harsh, is always of benefit in the long run, even if you don't use all of it. Most of the time the comments here are very constructive. Look at it this way. You have been presented with a challenge. You have posted some of your work. You have received comments for improvement. Now, really stick your neck out. Take one of those posted works and give it a good going-over with the crit comments in mind. Then re-post the modified version. If it still gets constructive comments, modify and try it again. Take a good look at the drafts and see if improvement is clearly apparent to you. If you can see improvement, and it impacts how you compose your next project, you have just moved forward in this creative endeavor. Rise to the challenge.

And, age has nothing to do with it. You will be treated as an adult here (for good or bad).

Don't give up if it's what you really want to do. I had a passion for writing when I was your age but took a different path that led me away from writing. I'm writing again, xx years later, and wish I'd found the time to write all along. With all that practise, not only would I be a better writer now, I might have actually been published!

So, yeah, keep writing.

Keep writing, and writing, and writing. I wish I had stuck with it at 17...then 20...then 28.

SYW was a huge help to me, and it can help you too. Listen to the advice you get...especially if you keep hearing the same things. Read and study books you love. See what that author did that hooked you in (I'm not saying try to write like someone else, just learn from them). Study craft...let me repeat that STUDY CRAFT...and practice. Writing gets better by writing.

I'm gonna take the tough love approach. If you have to ask, then give up. If you're a writer you'll write, regardless of criticism and the discouraging comments of others.

Finish your book.

Start another.

Repeat.

The time to post in SYW (or let others see it in a live workshop) is at the second-or-third draft stage.