Before you decided that you were going to write a fictional story whether a short story or novel, what was that one thing you wished you knew before become more of a writer?
What is something you wished someone told you while on your journey as a writer?
Do you remember? Is this a hard question?
Any thoughts?
My Turn:
Before I decided to write more novels and stuff, I wish I knew how challenging but how stressful writing could be. Still, love writing, but my opinion still stands.
I mean I got the realization that writing was in no way easy, but back then I was just in it for the sheer fun of it. Now, I am in it still with a dream to pursue someday. Well, even back then, I was still dreaming big though not as much as now, yet I am still dreaming of becoming an author.
Another thing I wished I knew was that it is truly alright to have a sloppy ass first draft. I mean I understand that much, but it is a struggle internally.
One last thing is that, practice really does make perfect. However, I don’t take into consideration to writing enough regardless if I have things to do or if life creeps from behind me just to punch me in the face. I wish I understood that if you practice the craft of writing that overtime you’ll improve more with the assistance of reading of course.
I wish I’d have known how difficult it is to acquire beta readers and how much work goes into just getting a single person to read over what you’ve got and give constructive, helpful feedback. I also wish I’d have known how fickle my inspiration can be and how it comes and goes and flits to different things so fast. I would have dedicated more time to my projects while I still had muse for them in the past.
I do my own editing, at least for now. I plan to hire a professional editor once I reach the final draft, but until then, it doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be easy to read.
No, no, I knew what was comming. I like my writing think it’s great, but for real people aren’t going to like it and your grown ass roommate is going to interrupt more writing than your kids can…eyeballs her right now, lol
You’re going to learn things, and learn to hate your work, then love it, then hate it again. Nothing g is going to click, and chasing trends is just a chance and a chase. That is all. Your life is a vapor, ans so is the writing. So do it for fun.
It’s a safety mechanism because I’ve got 2 divas and demolition man on top of a roommate that has had a stroke (which means she can’t process everything)…then my husband comes home with no energy during the summer. So, just too busy during time off.
It is hetic. I can sit and do nothing s day and be stressed out from these people, or I can get up and get work done all day and be just as stressed. What I can’t do is write fiction very well when they are all going off.
I think about writing in the early morning, but by about 10, which is 4 hours before the boy goes down for his nap, I’m done with the idea of making jack.
1). Wish I had bought a notebook to jot things down when they jumped into my head. This has been corrected now and I never leave home without one.
2). Dialogue… Let me explain…
When writing dialogue, it’s quite easy to runaway with yourself here, but when you read it back it still sounds okay. That’s because your reading it, right?
Try speaking it, recite it aurally and you will see. Sometimes what you wrote sounds so damn wrong.
With the expressions that you want the reader to grasp being spoken out, it often gets a little messy and just doesn’t sound right.
Now I recite everything I write in dialogue… This also gets the occasional stare from the family as I do this. But it can be fun, and often makes you rethink what you have written… Wish I discovered this sooner, as it would have saved many edits.
I wouldn’t have changed anything. I wouldn’t want to know what I know now because it would be overwhelming. I believe I learned what I needed to learn at the right time.
But if I had a time machine, maybe I’d go back to the 20-year old self and remind myself that I used to write when I was a kid. “Give it a try again,” I’d tell her.
