Learning and Developing

Serddar

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Firstly, I wanna introduce myself as both newly recruited member of the forum and self appointed writer in training :D

What I want to discuss in this thread is simple communication between us, writers. I have been (actively) writing for around half a year, more or less. During that time period I went from one idea to the other, moving from a collection of connected short stories, to trying to get published by separate short stories in multiple genres and so on, you probably understand how things are when a writer is still searching for what suits him the best. Lately I got pretty relaxed and confident with horror genre, not any kind, psychological, cosmic, mysterious... I see myself staying in there for time being and trying the best I can to get one short story of that type published and moving forward from there on.

To get to the point after this small introduction. While I write my short stories and develop these characters, events, mysteries and so on, this feeling of not getting any information thrown back at me can be really... Well, I cannot say it putts me down as I am generally very positive person, but it dose create this feeling that nobody is saying is the story good or bad, what should get changed or worked on, how is this or that working, should I maybe explain few things in greater detail and so on.
What I noticed lately is that upon coming back to look at what I wrote weeks or months ago, it becomes easily noticeable these stories were severely lacking in editing, rewrites and plainly being undeveloped. Worst thing is I sent many of those to ClarkesWorld and few other magazines. Something I learned from and now pay much more attention to those things. The point (we are getting there :D ) is that in my personal experience and opinion, writers need someone to talk with them on the things they write, especially with me as I can get carried away and miss certain parts of the story while focusing on something else.
I am big romantic when it comes to those "old days" of writers sending letters to one another and gathering for meetings. Now we have e-mails and messages to make things easier, so I would like to know if there is a part of this forum dedicated to such things, or if there are any members who would like to try it out. By trying it out I mean reading each others work, getting to talk about it (honestly), just getting to say your opinion on the short story, how you would change it, improve it and so on. Just general discussion between people, same as they do with published books, hopefully you understand what I am trying to say. For example how H.P. Lovecraft always had this web of writers he talked with about his and their stories. It is different when you are getting some back information while writing. End goal is honestly to have fun while writing, to fully enjoy it and get in a circle of positive people that will give you information about your work happily, someone you will enjoy doing the same to.

Such a long post for something that could have been described in few sentences. Well, I am talkative after all. :D
 
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Maggie Maxwell

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Sounds like what you're looking for is a writing buddy/regular beta reader. There's a forum here for that that you can post in once you've made 50 posts (welcome, by the way!), but honestly, the best way to find them is to just be active here. Pop into the Horror Hounds chat thread (the first stickied thread in Horror) and get to know the regulars. If there's anyone you feel like you really mesh with after a little bit, ask if they'll be a writing buddy or give you a hand with a short or two. Once you hit 50 posts, you'll also be able to post samples of your work in Share Your Work, another great way to find potential beta readers.
 

Serddar

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Sounds like what you're looking for is a writing buddy/regular beta reader. There's a forum here for that that you can post in once you've made 50 posts (welcome, by the way!), but honestly, the best way to find them is to just be active here. Pop into the Horror Hounds chat thread (the first stickied thread in Horror) and get to know the regulars. If there's anyone you feel like you really mesh with after a little bit, ask if they'll be a writing buddy or give you a hand with a short or two. Once you hit 50 posts, you'll also be able to post samples of your work in Share Your Work, another great way to find potential beta readers.

Writing buddy... I knew there was a simpler way to say it hahaha, thanks! I'll check out the forum, getting to know the people is definitely something to look forward to.
 

Gunpowder Nash

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I understand what you mean. Giving a story to someone, and only getting back hints on word usage or how your adjectives lack conviction can be daunting. Most responses are "I really liked your story, but here's there are seventy-five mistakes I highlighted for you".
I want to know more about the bones of the story, what is believable, what emotions do certain parts bring out, and would you like to read more about the characters and settings.
To me, the book is the story. Getting advice and an honest opinion on it, is much harder than fixing the formatting, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. That comes later.
 

Serddar

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I understand what you mean. Giving a story to someone, and only getting back hints on word usage or how your adjectives lack conviction can be daunting. Most responses are "I really liked your story, but here's there are seventy-five mistakes I highlighted for you".
I want to know more about the bones of the story, what is believable, what emotions do certain parts bring out, and would you like to read more about the characters and settings.
To me, the book is the story. Getting advice and an honest opinion on it, is much harder than fixing the formatting, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. That comes later.

Exactly!
 

smorrigan

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I'd like something similar but alas I am a shocking wimp and will die of fright if exposed to too many horror stories haha If you get a group together that has some fantasy writers mixed in I'd be up for joining.
 

David Odle

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To me, the relentless question that looms over everything is quite simple: does my writing suck? Toss all of that "writerly" shit out the window - someone please tell me my work is good. Legitimately good.
Critiquing your own work is like listening to your own voice on a recording. You ever do that? I have and I sound so stupid, thus, I become self-conscious and too often, try to compensate by adjusting my pitch or talking faster; which ultimately distorts my natural voice and sounds worse! And whether you like it or not, friends and family will lie to you (not nefariously, of course, but because they care too much about you to be honest).

Something to consider - pay an editor who could give a crap less about your feelings or insecurities. They'll point out your shortfalls and you'll feel like shit, but if you can trudge through that, you'll come out better on the other side.

I know many folks have had positive experiences with critique groups, but I haven't. Either no one actually writes anything, or the feedback lacks credibility, or you can't get a comprehensive view of your whole story, and on and on and on... Again, that's just my experience.
A writing buddy is a great idea, but I highly recommend finding someone who is on the same path as you, maybe even further. You need someone who actually writes a lot, reads a lot, and can give you feedback that helps you get better.

Not sure if this helps, but it's my two cents. Remember, this advice is worth every bit of what you paid for it :)

D.
 
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Ashmash467

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Smorrigan I agree, some horror stories and writing discussions I've seen were daunting, but some were pretty helpful with ideas for my work. If you find a good group, let me know.

D Leroy.
I too want to find someone who can cut through the crap and say "This chapter was bullcrap and I couldn't follow it, or the characters were too...two dimensional. Or this is repetitive." I would rather hear that sections sucked, then someone sugar coating it and saying, "Well i got through the first chapters just fine, but lost interest, or got busy."
I want someone to tell me why they got bored, because i want to make it HARD to put my book down. I want people to literally not want to put it down, but i need people who will actually read it and tell me what they think, not what they think i want to hear.
Maybe an editor would be a good idea. I've got like 80,000 words and have been going chapter to chapter, trying to decide whether i should just change everything, because a part of me worries that they will tell me it all sucks, and i should rewrite it. Which i sure hope they don't do as i've rewritten (literally) this book about 6 times now...