help for me???

I am Wscottyb. I am 41 years old and am interested in
writing. I have returned to school full time and have been able to
focus on the things that I really like, such as writing. Although I am
a freshman at my college, I have very much enjoyed my writing classes
(as I love to write and tend to write likable materiel) and plan to
take future courses that will enhance my grammar/punctuation and such.
Any advice on specific classes to take that would help me
grammatically and otherwise?
I like to write poetry, song lyrics, and philosophical reflections
(or personal insights) and would love to write a novel, as I believe I
have a very strong and intuitive mind when it comes to writing. I have
never dreamed of writing to make money but find myself in wonder of
the possibility of doing it for a living. Can one theoretically make a
fair pocket full of money by chance and good material? Where is the
best place to begin? Are the options variable or typical?
As I learn various tid-bits of educational information at school
(or anywhere else for that matter) be it factual or presumed, I often
find that mixing past experience with present knowledge-in written
form- gives me an edge that makes for a thought provoking read. I
would love to have an avenue or means in which to circulate my ideas
and philosophies through out our world. I would also like to find a
critique for my material in order to "iron out" any
discrepancies....any thoughts?
Any help in these matters would be deeply appreciated.
Sincerely,
wscottyb

Hi there. Welcome to the world's craziest profession: writing. Sounds like you're on the right track - taking classes, etc.

I've found it helpful to read books on the craft of writing. There are many. Two of my favorites are "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamotte, and "On Writing" by Stephen King. I also subsribe to The Writer and Writer's Digest magazines. Of course, there are tons of sites online that are helpful, and many will let you post novel excerpts or short stories on their sites to be critiqued (FictionAddiction/Writers BBS).

I think it's important to read other authors as well - ones you admire.

Good luck and remember the three Ps of being a writer:

Patience, persistence and perseverance.

deb (www.debbiekuhn.com)

Good advice, Deb, you rock.

I'll add, if you want to write, write. And if others don't publish you, publish yourself.