Are you writing something?

[Serenity]

So, are you writing something?

I wanted a writing space at ShadowSpear. I looked around a while ago and didn't find something that fit my purpose. I wanted a thread on how writing fits into people's life. I'd like this to be a shared writing journal for anyone who wishes to contribute their thoughts and experiences.

I'm genuinely curious how many people on SS write or are interested in writing. What are people's motivation and what inspires them? This could be any form of writing. I don't pursue creative writing in the hope of writing a bestseller. I see it as a way to improve my communication, to organize my thoughts, and as a form of creative problem solving; it gives me a reason take an interest in people. I already feel rewarded by how it's expanded my scope of interests. After all, I'm here.

Some things to consider since this is SS. It would be best to avoid:

• Spoon-feeding of research
• Crowdsourcing of ideas
• Self Promotion

I'll add my thoughts at some point, but I'm hoping there are others who want to share.

(Admin - please delete and edit as appropriate.)

 

[SaintKP]

I've been interested in writing for a while now, my main issue is having the ability to get it on paper. For example, I have a ton of ideas floating around in my head but I don't know how to formulate them into words to form a book or poem.

 

[Deleted member 11415]

, my main issue is having the ability to get it on paper.

I come from a family of writers (on one side). I remember being told that this (getting it on paper) is the biggest obstacle for everyone and why all people aren't authors. I was young, it could be very biased, advice. I don't know.


Also, I don't understand the purpose of the thread. I'm not trying to be a dick. It might just be over my head. I don't get it. What's a shared journal? I have so many questions.

 

[SaintKP]

I come from a family of writers (on one side). I remember being told that this (getting it on paper) is the biggest obstacle for everyone and why all people aren't authors. I was young, it could be very biased, advice. I don't know.


Also, I don't understand the purpose of the thread. I'm not trying to be a dick. It might just be over my head. I don't get it. What's a shared journal? I have so many questions.

I can believe it, when I have a strong idea of how or what I want a story to be or feel I hit a wall when it comes to starting it. I remember back in English class our teacher would tell us to try writing something and it could be about anything. Just to get the juices flowing. I don't know maybe it was easier back then or maybe I've become self aware on the difference between what I feel is good and bad writing and I don't want to fall into the latter. Who knows.

 

[Deleted member 11415]

I remember back in English class our teacher would tell us to try writing something and it could be about anything.

When I was a young private, I received corrective training in the form of an essay that was assigned. So, the intention was not to write about anything, but I vaguely remember feeling like it was a free-writing assignment. I wrote quite the 3rd person viginnette, that started with something like, "SFC Whimpernickle strode briskly across the parade field."

I got the dog shit smoked out of me. I want to say it was worth it, but, I think time is just making me forget the true misery of corrective-corrective training. It was so effective. Really good training.

 

[Serenity]

Also, I don't understand the purpose of the thread. I'm not trying to be a dick. It might just be over my head. I don't get it. What's a shared journal? I have so many questions.

I can't edit my original post so I'll further clarify Shared Writing Journal here.

It's Shared...

Because I'm inviting/encouraging everyone who might have constructive input on writing to contribute.

It's Writing...

And not a specified form of writing, because I want the subject matter open. As indicated by SaintKP, there's poetry, but also there are many other writing formats. One thing I've explored in the last two years has been roleplaying, and even with that, there are different styles. My most recent 'research' experience was getting involved in a D&D online campaign that included military and a LEO. It was actually through these gentlemen that I really began to appreciate the different reasons people were drawn to writing. Even writing and navigating a D&D campaign is its own writing specialty and story-telling skill. I just don't want to limit the scope of what writing topics are covered. It's not about getting into the usual debates on writing styles and rules. There are writing forums that dwell on repetitive threads like that. That's not to say people shouldn't post about the writing craft if there's something that interests them. A casual but supportive thread that encourages people to explore the potential of writing would be lovely.

It's a Journal...

Because I don't feel people posting or reading should feel they need to generate discussion. It could be that they are just broadcasting some thoughts. People are welcomed to respond if they wish, but I don't see this as a question/answer thread. It's a place to capture how people might relate to writing. I'm also hoping by calling it a journal, people might feel welcomed to return and provide updates as follow-ups on previous thoughts. It could just be me, but following one person's writing journal isn't so interesting to me. I'm more interested in a shared thread where multiple views are expressed and cover a range of planned, future or in-progress projects.

I don't know if I made things any clearer to you, but that's my definition of a Shared Writing Journal. To be honest, I just made it up on the spot. It might mean something else to others. That doesn't bother me. It'll be whatever people choose to use it for (in relation to writing) or it gets abandoned. I thought I'd give it a go and see what happens in the world of ShadowSpear.

 

[Polar Bear]

I don’t know where this thread is going, with that being said we will leave it open for now. It seems more suited for FB or a writers forum. As I said we will let this play out.

 

[EasyDay]

I have been writing my own medieval fiction novel for the past 40+ days. Set a goal of roughly 100k words as the final length, currently around 33k and writing the 8th chapter. It's extremely fun to expand and build your own fictional world with its own unique creation, gods, characters, and kingdoms that are at war with each other.

Love it, and it is something I could think about during a run or long swim.

 

[Dienekes]

I've always liked writing. I'm not much for creative writing despite a class in college which was a lot of fun, but getting your thoughts on paper, whether it's an essay, article, research paper, or even journal to get some shit off your chest, is a great way to clarify your own line of thinking and develop more cogent ideas. I think more people should do it and do it often.

 

[Gunz]

I'm writing a novel about a dude who wears beaver pelts and lives in a refrigerator box.

 

[Marauder06]

Well, I'm writing a case study. Sort of.

 

[SpitfireV]

Well, I'm writing a case study. Sort of.

Even that's a big stretch.

"And Lt Faith died of old age having never checked in with his company commander. The end."

 

[CDG]

Even that's a big stretch.

"And Lt Faith died of old age having never checked in with his company commander. The end."

I wish I could like this post multiple times. Well done.

 

[digrar]

Come now, we're only about 5 weeks into this case study. The surface has barely been scratched. We have months and months and months to go before this plays out.

 

[x SF med]

I'm writing a novel about a dude who wears beaver pelts and lives in a refrigerator box.

An autobiography, is it? Written in crayon, on discarded tomato stained box tops, I'll bet.

 

[Gunz]

An autobiography, is it? Written in crayon, on discarded tomato stained box tops, I'll bet.

Of course!

 

[Serenity]

I can believe it, when I have a strong idea of how or what I want a story to be or feel I hit a wall when it comes to starting it. I remember back in English class our teacher would tell us to try writing something and it could be about anything. Just to get the juices flowing. I don't know maybe it was easier back then or maybe I've become self aware on the difference between what I feel is good and bad writing and I don't want to fall into the latter. Who knows.

As far as creative writing, I feel there are stages any beginning writer needs to work through as they discover what works for them. You may as well just get on with it. In fact, see it as a way to unclutter your thoughts by writing them down. So often people I chat to tell me they're not ready yet. IMO, you can only be ready when you sit down and write, then you have material to assess what you need to work on. You have to experience all the cringe-worthy moments of reading your initial attempts. It will get easier if you push through the initial roadblocks. Try to see it as 'brain exercise'. I love that cathartic moment when you compose a piece that reads so beautifully, that you read over and over to admire your own brilliance. Of course, 6 months down the track, you read it again and think: "OMG - Ewww! What was I thinking?!" Cringe, cringe, CRINGE!!!!

Poetry is something I've only grown an appreciation for in the last 12 months. Before that, poetry were just lines of text I skimmed. This interest sparked when I encountered a fellow who sent me a romantic piece he wrote. Apparently, the lady it was intended for cried over his poem. I didn't cry, and the poetically-deficient me was unmoved. But I did wonder what I was missing. So I kicked off a poetry thread to explore the possibilities. This opened my eyes to what felt like another realm of creativity. My interest in poetry is the descriptive language that I feel would enhance my novel writing. Although, every time I get poetically inclined in a passage, my husband edits it out. He complains that I make no sense! You probably already know this, but it's worth exploring the different forms and reading famous examples. This might give you a starting point. For example, the Haiku was a fun one to learn.

No one wants to think they're a bad writer and you'll never be able to impress everyone. Someone will always try to tell you how to write better according to their opinion. I've had people get very angry with me on writing forums when I've not taken on board their way of thinking. But you really have to be careful taking on advice too. I think you just need to know who you are, what you like, and what you want to achieve. Then you need to appreciate the fact that you're progressing and improving.

 

[Serenity]

I have been writing my own medieval fiction novel for the past 40+ days. Set a goal of roughly 100k words as the final length, currently around 33k and writing the 8th chapter. It's extremely fun to expand and build your own fictional world with its own unique creation, gods, characters, and kingdoms that are at war with each other.

Love it, and it is something I could think about during a run or long swim.

Fabulous. I think I'm about the same word count. Although, this is a project started early this year and I took a break from it for months. I've decided this November I'm going to take this nanowrimo thing seriously and try to hit my 80k target. But I say this every year and then forget to participate. Still, this might be the year I finally get there....

Anyway, I love the world building but I'm character-driven. The current project was based on a Goddess I wrote and became exceptionally fond of. So besides the research on the military mindset, I look into ancient history and mythology. But really, it's just an excuse to read that stuff. As my world starts to take shape, the rules get harder to track and I have a spreadsheet I need or I'm just lost. I have to keep reminding me to pull back from going overboard with the world building, and that the story must take priority. For now, I'm only allowing myself to prototype weaponry to get a better appreciation of their features. The visual cues help. For the first time, I did concept art for the Goddess' swords. That was fun and helped me take out some of my more stupid features. It made me consider things like how she would even sheath her swords without stabbing herself. Next up is my Marine's spear. It's so tempting to spend hours on a graphics app, to do everything but the actual writing...

While I love thinking about my story while riding and running, I'm not so sure I get any benefits. Here is one I looped over and over occasionally as I try to work though a climatic scene. I'm actually jumping ahead and wanting to write it out, so I have a clear goal to work to. But all I ever get is a headache as I imagined my guy running and running and running...for I don't know what....

Anyway, good luck, I hope you get to your goal and have fun doing so!

 

[Serenity]

I've always liked writing. I'm not much for creative writing despite a class in college which was a lot of fun, but getting your thoughts on paper, whether it's an essay, article, research paper, or even journal to get some shit off your chest, is a great way to clarify your own line of thinking and develop more cogent ideas. I think more people should do it and do it often.

This is exactly why I didn't want to make this only about creative writing. I see creative writing as a fun way to improve communication overall, it encourages me to love words, consider their usage and how to better structure my sentences. Creative writing directly benefits my professional writing. Conversely, I know my professional writing has helped my creative writing.

My actual profession is that of an IT Consultant. Despite my colleagues complaining how clients don't want to pay for documentation, I've never had an issue selling that idea to my own clients. They were always willing to pay as long as long as they knew they'd be getting value from the documentation. So this was something I always took pride in doing to the best of my abilities and was before my creative writing days. And during that period, I decided to move to a new role that gave me more exposure to 'business people' rather that just IT departments. The new role was still technical, but they were so vague as to what I needed to do to assist the client in promoting the system, I came up with the whole marketing campaign. I thought that's what everyone wanted, do whatever you needed to do to keep the client happy so they renewed their subscription. I showed up to the client meeting, nervously presented my idea (I only have a Comp Sci degree) and she loved it. We went with it and when we were finished with the campaign, she gave me a big bunch of flowers. So that was lovely to be appreciated for going the extra mile. As far as I'm concerned, writing and all things relating to communication is harder than playing around with software. But good writing skills is always handy and a basic life skill everyone should continually work on.

 

[Serenity]

Well, I'm writing a case study. Sort of.

Even that's a big stretch.

"And Lt Faith died of old age having never checked in with his company commander. The end."

Ummm.... I know you're joking around, but Maurauder's case study was why I was inspired to finally start this thread. I've been dazzled by his purposeful fictional writing. This forum is so fortunate to have this. I've been on a few writing forums now, and I've never encountered anything like it. It's actually influenced me to take a closer look at case studies in general when I research companies I'm interested in. And through them, I've learnt some good things. Although they're not fictional case studies, I'm actually keen to try my hand at a business case study one day and to add it to my list of things I can say I've done. I was actually talking about case studies in the job interview last Friday.