Advice needed!

Its important to be relaxed about writing and get the words out onto a screen or onto the paper. Then after I can do the "touch ups" if im serious about the writing.
Er... if you're serious about writing, you should be training yourself to write correctly the first time round. It's a bit like cooking. You might hear people argue it doesn't matter what a plate of food looks like, as long as it tastes good. Certainly a delicious looking meal which tastes disgusting is completely wrong, in the same way as a perfectly written novel with no plot or character development is wrong. But the presentation of food is important since how people react to taste is also dependent on sight and smell, plus if the meal looks a mess, people will make the asumption that it tastes awful so won't try it. And if it's a mess in the pan, it's very, very hard to make it look good on the plate.

There will be mistakes in first drafts (and third and fourth, as Ursa points out), and yes it's important to write that first draft quickly to get plot and ideas down. But it is quicker to put in proper punctuation as you go rather than have to spend laborious hours going round afterwards correcting all of it.

As others have pointed out, posts on line are different -- but again there is a but... There's a proverb: he who takes no care of little things, will take no care of great ones. If a person takes no care at all in such posts, it does give the impression she/he is unlikely to care about her/his writing as a whole. And Ursa may be more relaxed about his posts, but that doesn't stop him writing them properly, editing them when he sees mistakes, or feeling irritated with himself when he discovers errors too late for editing.

If you get into the habit of writing clearly and reading your stuff back, it will be of real help when you write more important things than posts here.
 
lol
I appreciate your words of advice guys. I'm not too concerned about post's so much but I have a different approach to serious work.

Ok Judge you used the example of cooking. Lets put it this way when i cook for myself I sometimes rush it but it tastes good to me.
However if im cooking for others I will take the time to research the ingrediants, ensure I have the correct quantities and cook the food to the best level I can for them.
I certainly dont want to be OTT about the posts I write since I prefer to get the words out rather than watching out for the mistakes and since im bit of a perfectionist I would never end up posting anything here.

Boneman you funny, i dont care if people think im a ditzy fashionista bimbo simply judging me by the way i write my posts, i rather that they judge me fairly based on my serious work :)

 
Magenta is not a particularly serious colour. ) * )

Listen I am a newby here I only joined a few days ago.

Some of you with your critical eyes have made me feel most unwelcome.

This is not a good impression to a site claiming to be helpful.

Magenta may be a unserious colour, THE WORD "grammar" maybe spelt wrong, etc etc but what would you lot do if someone dyslexic joined this forum and mixes up their sentences or words in that first week... would you lot attack them then without knowing their background?

Everyone comes here with different abilities, different ages and demonstrates their creativeness differently.

Since i've joined here some have been nice.

(((-but noone here has bothered to add me as a friend or write a welcome message on my board and some here on this thread have ridiculed me with sarcastic comments. )))

I am looking to join a forum with encouraging positive words from fellow writers not those that make sarcastic comments and put downs.

I will no longer be a member of this site. :mad::cool:
 
Oh phoo, we're just a bunch of jokers. And not everyone bothers with friends and pms in here because there's so many active threads.
Magenta. I apologize to the color magenta.... for not taking it seriously enough!
J. Oker
 
Dummy alert!! Dummy alert!! :eek:

A pink dummy has been spotted 30,000 feet above Chrons City.

Avoid its landing at all costs if you dont want to be covered in pink gunge:)
 
Well, I just re-read all the posts in this thread, and I'm damned if I can see critical eyes that would make anyone feel unwelcome. What has been offered is sound, well-meaning advice and opinions, that are designed to help both you, and others who read these posts, improve in all aspects of writing. I've learned an incredible amount from threads that I don't contribute to, just reading the same well-meaning advice that you were offered.

And of course you're free to post in Magenta - it's just that it can be off-putting to some, and guess what? They will skip your posts, because they're put off, which means you could be missing out on really good help (often from published writers, who do know what they're talking about).

I'm sorry you're going; but if you feel there has been sarcasm and put-downs, then perhaps it's as well, IMHO, because in the critique section people tell you the truth about your work, because that's what it's here for. And it's only ever an opinion about your work - you're free to act on it or ignore it, depending on how you feel. I have often completely ignored advice given to me, because I just didn't agree with it. But having a large body of opinions about my writing has moved it on further than I ever could have, on my own. If you can't face an honest opinion then critiques would be hard to take, and an opportunity will slip by.

I wish you all the best in moving on with your novels, and finishing them. Good luck.
 
Calm down, Starlights.

No one has been unfriendly, quite the reverse when you look at the posts in your introduction thread.

This thread, though, is not in Introductions. You opened this asking for advice. We have given advice -- it might not be what you wanted to hear, but it was done in the spirit of helping you to become a better writer, since that is what you appeared to want. A great many of us feel strongly about a great many things -- and the use of good English and grammar is one of them. You can disagree, and you can argue against it, but if you do, we'll argue back. There have been no attacks on you as a person, and if there had been. then as a mod I would have stepped in at once. There has been a moderate amount of joshing -- and believe me after this outburst there will be a good deal more -- but that's what happens here to people who put their head above the parapet. Have a look at some of the things said and done to Boneman and you'll understand.

The fact that no one has rushed in to write messages to you or add you as a friend is undoubtedly due to the fact that most of us here (in fact, I imagine everyone who has responded to you so far) is considerably older than you are, and we tend to take our time over things like that. We like to know people before rushing to embrace them as buddies. I don't imagine this latest post will be hastening the process.

Perhaps the answer is for you to start reading around the site and get to know us a little better. And if you want to make it as a writer, you'll need to be a lot less touchy.

Whether you decide to stay or go, good luck with your writing.
 
I totally understand those who say "pay attention to the small things, starlights" I dont mind that.

I agree that the world of publishers is ruthless but I rather they be ruthless about my serious work rather than my post's.

What I find unusaul is that i've only joined a few days ago and i've specifically asked people for their opinion on something separate of how how I write my posts.


I did explain I dont take post writing seriously.

I am passionate about my serious writing otherwise I WOULD NOT BE HERE WOULD I?


See I dont mind criticism thrown it at me, but do it positively. Not sarcastically so that the whole world can see it and especially not in my first week.

Thats what the PM function is there for. So fellow writers can have private conversations and if someone was kind enough to approach me quietly It would not have been so blunt.


So im different... I dont want to follow a crowd on how they write posts and how they use a standard colour. Its not in the forum rules is it?

Writing is meant to be creative and fun for the writer not boring and serious!

My posts have no reflection on my work at all.

I appreciate some here have been welcoming, but noone has bothered to befriend me.

Normally on any site or forum someone will befriend a newby and prehaps offer help/assistance if needed.

I honestly expected better :mad:
 
I like people who are different. Its probably cos I'm not the run of the mill bloke.

My Mother says I'm complicated, I like that. Anyway I've sent you a friend request Starlights. Take a chill pill, the people here are not bad. You'll settle in I'm sure.:)

I love the pink by the way, I might get me hair done to match!!:eek:
 
You can write your posts however you want and in whatever colour you want. As your read through other threads you will find many, many posts which contain spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and all kinds of solecisms which make my nit-picking talons itch (though few written in non-reader friendly colours throughout) -- and none of them are corrected or even commented upon. However, it is also true that we form impressions from how people write in their posts, and it was legitimately pointed out to you that your posts did not give the impression that you do aspire to be a serious writer.

You can appear to be frivolous if you so wish. Do not, however, become upset when you are treated in a frivolous manner.

Now, you tell us you are serious about your work. There's a maxim in writing: show, don't tell. So, show us how serious you are. There are dozens of threads which contain serious matters to which you can contribute. I've pointed you to various exercises where you can show us how well you can write. Start making use of them. Show us you are serious and you will be taken seriously.
 
I appreciate some here have been welcoming, but noone has bothered to befriend me.

I've been here over two years and I still don't understand the 'friend's' system - it doesn't convey any privileges, or allow a facebook-style look at personal details or anything that I can short-cut with. Am I missing something? That's quite possible, a lot of things go over my head...

Have a look at some of the things said and done to Boneman and you'll understand.

Thanks, Judge. The therapy was working well until I read that...

Starlights - that's a joke. It's one of the measures of the relationships that build up here, that when we know each other better, we poke fun, can be sarcastic, offer serious advice, tell each other off, get slapped [happens to me every time I mention Patrick Rothfuss - dangit!] so, as the Judge says: if there had been any attacks on you, she would have come down on the perpetrators like a ton of bricks. Can I say I wouldn't dream of offering to befriend you just yet, it could be seen a grooming, especially if we were to meet at a SciFi conference somewhere down the line? These are Chronicles friendships, and exist only in the ether, mostly.

You have already noticed that there is a lot of humour here, and you seem to have a good sense of it yourself, from your postings. I'm sorry if you've been upset by what you perceived as sarcasm and put-downs, but I also know (because I've read and contributed with/to all the correspondents here in this thread) that it wasn't either of those things.

It would be a shame to lose you, and I'm honestly not lying when I say that the 'other' scifi sites that are available are nowhere near as good as this one. I've tried most of them, but you cannot beat what you get here.
 
I am looking to join a forum with encouraging positive words from fellow writers not those that make sarcastic comments and put downs.

Critiquing means that you will get a lot of mistakes pointed out. Some of the mistakes might well be in a harsh manner or in an indifferent tone. That depends on the then mindset of the member. Its not your problem to take it in. Just forget this whole problem.

IMHO, this is one of the best forums if you want a honest critique about your work. I mean that seriously. I am without doubt one of the youngest members of the forum and easily the most inexperienced with writing. You can check my submissions in the monthly competition, they are not of any value to the competition. But, you get better when you try and every time I submit something for critique I get so many opinions that I don't get elsewhere. What you need to understand is that we don't know you, yet. We need the time to understand your interests.

Take your time with this place. Its like a hundred year old castle here. The basement and the closet will be smelling strongly of the ghouls and ghosts. When you skip them all and go to the highest tower, you will understand why this castle is the most beautiful. You will truly love this forum.

Just don't quit it now.

I've been here over two years and I still don't understand the 'friend's' system - it doesn't convey any privileges, or allow a facebook-style look at personal details or anything that I can short-cut with. Am I missing something? That's quite possible, a lot of things go over my head...

Boneman, you haven't missed anything. This is not Facebook. So you can forget about it...


Regards,
Vignesh
(Vector7)
 
Thanks, Judge. The therapy was working well until I read that...

=/ It was my turn to inflict emotional damage onto Boneman. Our days are clearly marked on the calendar. If we don't use the calendar, we might as well start watching for comets and sacrificing small animals to determine whose turn it is.

@Starlights
Ease up on the Special Snowflake Syndrome. Sarcasm and Coffee are the lifeblood of this forum. Also, it's probably the most helpful among those I visit in terms of getting help with writing. There are others I can refer you to if you're just looking for an ego boost from fawning readers, but they're not very helpful when it comes to getting published.
 
Starlights, I've been here since 2006. I've only had my first 'friend' and visitor message this year. Go have a look at my profile, you'll see Leisha expressing her surprise at this.

Like Boneman, I don't really get the friends system here either. It's not like Facebook. I never bothered adding anyone because I spoke to them all on the boards, it's only since I've been participating in the writing challenges that I've been getting those friend request thingies, and the visitor messages. That doesn't mean that people don't like you. :)
 
Same here - in fact I don't know a single "traditional" forum (as opposed to social networking site) where the "friends" function is used by more than a tiny percentage of members. And PMs tend only to be used once you know someone fairly well and want to exchange non-public information, like swapping email addresses for critiquing larger pieces than are allowed online. I've been here 3 years and never received a single PM, boo hoo. Maybe it's because I'm so grumpy and sarcastic ;)

Also, you don't say where you're from, Starlights, but this is a UK-based forum and we Brits do tend to be rather blunt in our humour - and we have probably infected the non-Brits who join us. But we're really some of the nicest people on the planet when you get to know us.

P.S. I was serious about the magenta thing. I'm a programmer and over the years have ruined my already poor eyesight by staring at computer screens all day long. Now the wrong side of forty, my eyes just aren't up to reading pink text on a cream background. I tried to put this across in a light-hearted manner - clearly I failed...
 
a fair few of us are at the age where we don't neccessarily like to talk about our age :D
in real life, i employ sales assistants who are young enough, technically, to be my children. nice people, but today's society would probably frown on me socialising regularly with them. the internet magnifies this problem ten-fold, as Boneman points out. forgive us all for being a little distant in that respect, but we are basically friendly people.

i've got no idea what the friends function is for either - and i've got some!
 
Boneman, did you really think you were going to get away with it just because you slipped the fatal name into the middle of a long post where some of us might not notice it? Foolish of you. Our eyes may be old but for detecting certain things they are sharp. (Much like the talons TJ keeps referring to.)
Slap!



*****



Starlights, you have asked for encouragement, and so far as I can see, you have received quite a bit of that. You asked for advice: you've grown discouraged about your writing because you doubt your grammar skills, and want to know what you can do about that. But when people suggest that you practice your grammar skills all of the the time, even in casual online postings, you say you don't care about that. You want to relax. Clearly this is not the advice you were looking for. Did you want us to say, "Don't worry about that. Grammar isn't important. Just keep on writing. You can learn about grammar later." Well, there are people who will tell you that, but for some of us that would be lying, because it's not what we believe. But you have fallen in with people who take writing very seriously -- writers who are published, or who won't give up until they are -- writers who will give you serious advice.

You have also said in your introduction thread that people don't take you seriously. It sounded like a complaint, but now you say that it doesn't matter, so it seems that those who gave you advice on how to be taken more seriously, particularly in a community of writers, were mistaken about that. Online communications can be tricky.

You have also been saying that you want to be judged by your serious writing. But we can't do that because we know nothing about that. Had you taken The Judge's advice and participated in some of the other writing threads, we might know something about that, something about your level of skill, your talents, your aptitudes, something we could take seriously and comment on in encouraging and constructive ways. Instead, you've said you just want to hang out and relax and make friends and keep on using your colored text. We do have areas on these forums where our members do relax and socialize and give each other encouragement in every day matters -- the Lounge, the Playrooms -- and you are very welcome to join in there. But if you say you want writing advice ... well, that's what you get, but that can only be based on what we see of you here, which does show us that your worries about grammar do not seem to be misplaced. And you haven't told us what your writing is about. Is it SF? Fantasy? Horror? Some other genre? We don't even know that much. So we give you advice on how to fix the problem you mention, the thing that you say is worrying you enough to stifle your creativity.

And if you had taken TJ's advice, by now you could probably post a sample of your writing for critique. You would get constructive critiques, and we would be able to do what you say you want so much, judge you by your serious writing.

You say that on another forum members would offer you help, but you haven't told us what kind of help you want or need. How can we offer when we don't know what you are asking for? Or did you want a lot of empty offers, the sort of vague thing that nobody follows up on? If you know what you want TELL us. Help us to help you.
 
Boneman, did you really think you were going to get away with it just because you slipped the fatal name into the middle of a long post where some of us might not notice it? Foolish of you. Our eyes may be old but for detecting certain things they are sharp. (Much like the talons TJ keeps referring to.)
Slap!

Yeah, but I was using my get-out-of-slap-free card that I got for my Birthday...
 

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