Questions about your first stories..

FredCharles · May 8, 2007

ng a lot of file cleanups on my hard drive. Since I never delete anything that I write, I have loads of word documents to sort through. It's always fun to open up some of these files, and read some of my older stories.

I have a few quick questions for your writers out there.

1. What was the first story that you wrote?

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it?

3. Have you improved since writing it?

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try ot salvage it?

sunna · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote? A classroom romance in 4 parts about two of my friends that I wrote in third grade. It came in installments, and neither was particularly pleased when the teacher decided to read one every Monday for a month. I suppose I'm lucky I didn't get sued.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it? I'm very glad nobody wrote one about me in retaliation.

3. Have you improved since writing it? I sure as hell hope so.

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try to salvage it? Absolutely not.

C.bronco · May 8, 2007

My first story was a picture book which I wrote at age 4: "When Grose Got Married." Grose was sad because no one would marry her. Her Daddy said "I'll marry you." They got married. She was happy.
(Electra complex is perfectly normal at age 4, and I didn't know many men of marrying age at the time.)
My first novel was a two-pager I wrote at age 8. It was untitled, and had something to do with JFK and Queen Mary having tea at the Whitehouse when Venutians invaded.(They were blue, not green, by the way; Martians are green.)
I wish I had my first works! Luckily, I saved one of my younger brother's stories (his first book was Life on Planet Krazy, which he wrote in first grade). It's an illustrated masterpiece.

seun · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote? 'Redemption'. Two Satanists attempt to get out of devil-worship when one finds out he has stomach cancer. The Devil comes for them.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it? Haven't re-read it in probably 10 years. It made me laugh which I suppose isn't a great start for a horror story.

3. Have you improved since writing it? Hope so. I was 14 a long time ago.

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try ot salvage it? No.

Writer2011 · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote? A short erotica piece

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it? I hated it

3. Have you improved since writing it? Definitely yes

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try ot salvage it? Can't say it was a train wreck so much.

Anonymisty · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote?
Your standard Mary-Sue "Wild Wild West" fanfic I wrote when I was eleven (although they didn't have the word back then) Jim West was on a mission to make contact with a mysterious bandit, the Fox, in hopes of joining up with him and destroying Dr Loveless once and for all. Loveless found WEst first, and tied him to a submerging submarine, but luckily the Fox came along and saved him. The Fox being, of course, a beautiful young woman who looked an awful lot like me. There was much true love and gunfire.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it?
I swing between embarrassment that someone might ever see it and hysterical laughter at how awful it is.

3. Have you improved since writing it?
Heck yes!

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try ot salvage it?
No - I'm too busy writing original stuff to mess with a 30-year-old bit of fluff that was only written because I couldn't marry Jim West in real life.

ChaosTitan · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote? A Sweet Valley High/90210 knockoff, handwritten in a marbelized notebook. I was in seventh grade. I had about forty or so pages of teen angst that make me cringe when I think about them.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it? Sadly, I haven't read it since I wrote it. I let my then-Best Friend read it. We had a stupid, typical-adolescent girl fight. In a fit of rage, she shredded it and flushed it.

3. Have you improved since writing it? Twenty-thousand improved. It was...uh...fifteen years ago? I hope I've gotten better by now.

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try ot salvage it? Even if I had it in front of me, I wouldn't bother. It was a concentration of cliches, with nothing very redeemable. I'd love to see it again for laughs, but nothing else.

Devil Ledbetter · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote? A fairy tale called The Four Frogs, when I was eight.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it? The characters use their various strengths to resolve the plot problem, and the ending has subtle, realistic irony.

3. Have you improved since writing it? I hope so.

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try ot salvage it? No.

dub · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote? A novella in 8th grade. A pretty good plot for a skinny kid, whose only desire in life was to peek into the girls locker room.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it? I haven't seen it since 1962, but I remember it well.

3. Have you improved since writing it? I hope so, though one editor likes to make me think I haven't.

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try ot salvage it? Actually, it was a pretty well thought out story. I might try to re-create it some day.
__________________

scarletpeaches · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote? Aliens coming to kidnap me and five other friends from the school playground and taking us to a series of different planets then dropping us off home in time for tea.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it? Hmm. I binned it a few years ago but I remember thinking, "I honestly believed this was shit hot when I wrote it?!" Well, I was only six. I illustrated it too!

3. Have you improved since writing it? I Christing hope so.

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try to salvage it? Never, never, never. My first 'proper' story? Maybe. It's an angsty vampire trunk novel, but there's definitely something worth holding onto there, if only to remind myself of the fact, "You can finish a full-length novel!"

Calla Lily · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote? A play about all the kids on my HS debate team.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it? I reread it shortly after college and shredded it. Mary Sue dreck.

3. Have you improved since writing it? Yes, thank God. (That's not blasphemy! It's a most sincere prayer!)

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try ot salvage it? Good heavens, it wasn't worth the cheap Bic pen I wrote it with.

Jenan Mac · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote? The ghost stories I wrote in first grade featuring the host of "Dialing for Dollars" (a local game show), or the play I wrote in sixth grade that my teacher actually let several of us stage. They were all pretty bad.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it? I haven't reread it. I'm not sure I would even if I had the opportunity. I've saved early pieces written by two of my daughters, though, for future reference.

3. Have you improved since writing it? Oh dear Gods, yes.

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try to salvage it?
I'm not sure that's even possible.

Jamesaritchie · May 8, 2007

Story

1. What was the first story that you wrote?

A novelette length western called The Ordeal that I wrote in two days. It sold to Far West Magazine..

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it?

Not too bad, though a bit derivative. But I still think it was a good story, pretty well-told.

3. Have you improved since writing it?

Lord, I hope so.

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try ot salvage it?

Southern_girl29 · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote? It was a story about a group of kids who ran away from home and were walking. They had to fish and do odd jobs to get food.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it? I haven't. I think my mom might have it somewhere, but I'm not sure.

3. Have you improved since writing it? Oh yes.

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try ot salvage it? No, not really.

FredCharles · May 8, 2007

scarletpeaches said:
1. What was the first story that you wrote? Aliens coming to kidnap me and five other friends from the school playground and taking us to a series of different planets then dropping us off home in time for tea.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it? Hmm. I binned it a few years ago but I remember thinking, "I honestly believed this was shit hot when I wrote it?!" Well, I was only six. I illustrated it too!

3. Have you improved since writing it? I Christing hope so.

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try to salvage it? Never, never, never. My first 'proper' story? Maybe. It's an angsty vampire trunk novel, but there's definitely something worth holding onto there, if only to remind myself of the fact, "You can finish a full-length novel!"

I've never heard anyone use the word Christing before. I gave you reputation for that, lol.

Pagey's_Girl · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote?
A SF "epic" called 4001 that starred the members of my favorite band at the time, contained very little science and even less fiction.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it?
WTF was I thinking?

3. Have you improved since writing it?
Dear Goddess, I hope so.

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try to salvage it?
We're not talking about something that can be salvaged here. We're talking about something that should probably have been sealed in concrete and buried to avoid contaminating anything else. I did have fun writing it, though, way back when...

Sean D. Schaffer · May 8, 2007

1. My first finished story was a cliched time travel story, in which the main good guy was killed halfway through the piece.

2. As for re-reading it, I don't know whatever happened to the manuscript. However, I'm glad I lost it, because it was baaaaaaad.

3. I know I've improved since I wrote it. I can actually read my writing nowadays without bursting into either tears or unbridled laughter.

4. The story was definitely a train wreck, although I have toyed with the idea of salvaging the premise, if nothing else. Something about the original idea worked for me. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but something clicks even today with that piece.

ink wench · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote?
A short story for an English class assignment. (Aside from a couple attempts at poetry, I never tried writing fiction until I was 16.) It was about a girl slowly being driven mad by her evil grandmother. It was vaguely autobiographical. My grandmother was a cold, prickly kind of person, but she didn't literally drive me nuts.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it?
Considering it was written in first person/present tense, something I wouldn't dream of doing today, it's actually not that bad. It did win some state-wide contest my teacher entered it in at the time. It probably also has some plagerism issues - a couple lines from a poem I didn't have the sense to credit at the time, and which for some reason no one caught.

3. Have you improved since writing it?
If I haven't, I should probably quit now.

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try ot salvage it?
Don't really see the point!

Jack Nog · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote? A sprawling fantasy epic based on several best selling fantasy author's characters at the time. And by sprawling, I mean 5 pages...I was 10.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it? I thankfully lost this on my old 286 PC. I still remember it. Bad memories die hard.

3. Have you improved since writing it? Good lord yes. I'm not even going to be humble about it.

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try ot salvage it? I'd probably have some authors looking for my head.

Sassee · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote?
I don't remember the very first one I ever wrote, but the first one I remember writing had a bunch of different movie characters in it. Indiana Jones, some people from Jurassic Park, a gigantic dog, etc etc. They got in a car that travelled back in time and ended up... well I don't remember where they ended up, but it was from another movie too.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it?
Dear God...

3. Have you improved since writing it?
Boy I sure hope so. That was fifth grade!

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try ot salvage it?
Um, no. I think I would violate several copyright laws. Not only that but I have no idea where I was going with it.

julief · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote?
This is hard. I think a tale of a 8yo girl who's picked on and has weird teachers. I was in 4th grade. I didn't finish that one. But I did complete a fairy tale short story at 11 about a kingdom in darkness until a little girl/angel comes and brings light when the prince apologizes for being mean. Very cliche.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it?
Don't know what happened to the 4th grade one. I still have the fairy tale one and I think that it was a decent premise for a fairy tale.

3. Have you improved since writing it?
Of course. I continue to improve my writing.

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try ot salvage it?
Sure, if I decide to put together a YA/children's book of my short stories, I would rework it. But I wouldn't try desperately if it turned out it couldn't work.

xanthalanari · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote? The first story I remember writing that wasn't for school was a choose-your-own-adventure fantasy story when I was about seven. I can't remember anything that happened in it except a terrible storm.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it? I don't still have it, and I only got two pages in.

3. Have you improved since writing it? Yes.

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try ot salvage it? I don't even remember what it was about.

Soccer Mom · May 8, 2007

1. What was the first story that you wrote? If a Giant Goldfish Taps You on the Shoulder. I was in second grade. It was about a scientists daughter who plays around in Daddy's lab and causes mayhem.

2. What are your thoughts when you reread it? I haven't seen a copy of it in a couple of decades.

3. Have you improved since writing it? I dunno. I'm still writing middle-grade fiction, so maybe not.

4. If the story was a train wreck, would you ever go back and try to salvage it? Nope. It's done. Gone. Over.

scarletpeaches · May 8, 2007

FredCharles said:
I've never heard anyone use the word Christing before. I gave you reputation for that, lol.

I must admit to stealing it off clock_work9; he called me a Christing pedant a while back, and I filed it away for future reference so he deserves the rep point more than I do!

annieb · May 8, 2007

This is fun...

What was the first story you wrote? I don’t remember the school ones, but as an adult I had this awful day. The kids were just babies, one had a bug…diarrhoea bug…and we were selling our house. A viewer wanted to view ASAP. Well, the house was trashed, nappies, laundry, toys, Weetabix, biscuits ground into floor. The dog had peed on the carpet…I flew about like a maniac, tidying, cleaning, stuffing things in bulging cupboards, tumble drier, etc. The kids were going crazy - in the mop bucket, up the curtain rails, trash everywhere. Eventually, with an hour pre-viewer, I decided to take them to McDonald’s, so they couldn’t trash the house anymore. En route the baby vomited all over the car. Parking, I crashed the car. In McDonald’s the toddler vomited all over the floor. I had the baby, the toddler, my pre-five and a handful of napkins. I left. Kids screaming, as sans the happy meal…so went to the drive-in…the car bumper fell off in the queue…

What are your thoughts when you reread it? I still chuckle…and I’m still in the same house!

Have you improved since writing it? Probably not, but I’ve tried.

If the story was a train wreck, would you back and salvage it? It’s a train wreck.

Questions about your first stories..

FredCharles

sunna

C.bronco

I have plans...

seun

Horror Man

Writer2011

Anonymisty

ChaosTitan

Around

Devil Ledbetter

Come on you stranger, you legend,

dub

He ain't right...

scarletpeaches

Calla Lily

On hiatus

Jenan Mac

The Deadliest Bunny

Jamesaritchie

Southern_girl29

FredCharles

Pagey's_Girl

Still plays with dolls

Sean D. Schaffer

ink wench

ray of motherf#%&ing sunshine

Jack Nog

Brain-farts are useful too.

Sassee

Momma Wolf

julief

Hardly here

xanthalanari

Soccer Mom

Crypto-fascist

scarletpeaches

annieb