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Giftorcurse
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16 Nov 2013, 6:46 pm

More than crap. It's s**t. I've been stuck on the same f*****g novel since middle school, as well as several sh***y short stories I can't finish because of my nonexistent writing skills. Everything that I punch into my keyboard is garbage. So am I.


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16 Nov 2013, 7:06 pm

Dude my writing sucks too. What u gotta remember is you are not doing this for anyone but urself and one trick I like to use is writing the novel backwards. Starting from the end, and then going to the beginning. Or starting from the end and then going to the middle of the tale. Another thing I like to do is write short stories that are modeled on fairy tales or myths. But in the modern day or the future.


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Giftorcurse
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16 Nov 2013, 7:49 pm

Like that even remotely helps.


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AGhostWriter
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16 Nov 2013, 7:59 pm

Have you tried attending workshops or looking up advice online? I'm not really sure what you're looking for from this. The best way to improve your writing skills is to practice writing the type of thing you want to eventually be confident writing. Try completing a piece, perhaps just a short story, and either try to get someone else to critique it or go back and critique itself, editing the piece and learning to appreciate what you deem to be your weakness(es). If you don't give yourself a fair chance to make mistakes in writing, you'll never really be able to learn from them and improve your ability.
If you'd like to share any specifics in writing that you struggle with, I can see what advice I can offer you.


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cathylynn
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16 Nov 2013, 7:59 pm

just because something you do doesn't turn out well, that doesn't make you worthless. all humans have worth just because we're human. otherwise, no one would bother to rescue a baby from a well and we'd all be worthless while we sleep. you are a human being, not a human doing.



Giftorcurse
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16 Nov 2013, 8:04 pm

You want to know what sucks about my writing? Everything. Inconsistent characters, nonsensical plots, stupid dialogue... I could go on.


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cathylynn
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16 Nov 2013, 8:07 pm

Giftorcurse wrote:
You want to know what sucks about my writing? Everything. Inconsistent characters, nonsensical plots, stupid dialogue... I could go on.


how about joining a writer's group and getting some feedback and ideas?



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16 Nov 2013, 8:14 pm

A lot of that can be improved with practice if you're determined to keep writing. I would recommend writing then refining if you dislike the idea of thorough planning (and even if your writing is thoroughly planned a lot can change in the actual writing process). If you write an entire piece and accept that you're going to complete it first as a flawed rough draft then you can always go back and edit it so it is more to your liking. If you're able to recognize the flaws in your writing, then you're already a step ahead of many other people who write. Learn more details of the craft, learn what you really want out of your writing, and eventually you'll start piecing together ideas that you're more comfortable with and confident about.


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Giftorcurse
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16 Nov 2013, 8:16 pm

AGhostWriter wrote:
A lot of that can be improved with practice if you're determined to keep writing. I would recommend writing then refining if you dislike the idea of thorough planning (and even if your writing is thoroughly planned a lot can change in the actual writing process). If you write an entire piece and accept that you're going to complete it first as a flawed rough draft then you can always go back and edit it so it is more to your liking. If you're able to recognize the flaws in your writing, then you're already a step ahead of many other people who write. Learn more details of the craft, learn what you really want out of your writing, and eventually you'll start piecing together ideas that you're more comfortable with and confident about.

I've tried all of that, and guess what? It didn't work. Let's face it, I suck.


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16 Nov 2013, 8:19 pm

Giftorcurse wrote:
You want to know what sucks about my writing? Everything. Inconsistent characters, nonsensical plots, stupid dialogue... I could go on.

Here are your options:

1) Give Up. There's no sense in wasting any further effort on something that you admit you have no talent for.

2) Stay the Course. Keep on doing what you're doing, and one day you may get lucky and earn some money for your writing.

3) Obtain Training. There's a lot of good to be said for learning the correct ways to write.

That's pretty much it: Quit, Keep Going, or Improve. The decision is yours to make.



AGhostWriter
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16 Nov 2013, 8:23 pm

What is it that compels you to write, then? If you have passion for it then you should give yourself a break and continue, because eventually your writing really will improve, even if you still don't like it all that much. If you don't have a passion for it then I recommend you not torture yourself over it. So many people can't write, don't make yourself feel as though you absolutely have to.
Also, depending on what frustrates you about your writing the most, you may want to check out other forms of writing. Perhaps writing a novel or short story is not for you, but you might find writing something like a script is more to your liking.


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And when you sing the wrong thing it all starts collapsing.


Giftorcurse
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16 Nov 2013, 8:27 pm

AGhostWriter wrote:
What is it that compels you to write, then?

I've been suffering from severe depression since high school. I've been trying to use my writing as a form of therapy, but it isn't working. Nothing really does.


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AGhostWriter
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16 Nov 2013, 8:37 pm

Giftorcurse wrote:
AGhostWriter wrote:
What is it that compels you to write, then?

I've been suffering from severe depression since high school. I've been trying to use my writing as a form of therapy, but it isn't working. Nothing really does.


That I can relate to. I've been writing with similar intentions for some time, myself. I've gotten to the point where I'm editing what I've completed and there are so many times I absolutely hate realizing that I'm the one responsible for the literary atrocity before my eyes, but I just allow myself the knowledge that now that it's in writing it cant get any worse if I spend more time on it. Writing's no cure for depression, but if you find something you can pour your passions and frustrations into in healthy way then you can at least take your mind off your depression for a while. If it frustrates you, it might actually be a good thing, just try to see it as a challenge to yourself to keep improving, literally no matter how long it takes.


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And all the ones who seem to fit the best into the chorus never notice there?s a song, and the ones who seem to hear it end up tortured by the chords when they fail to find a way to sing along.
And when you sing the wrong thing it all starts collapsing.


BrandonSP
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16 Nov 2013, 9:12 pm

Giftorcurse wrote:
AGhostWriter wrote:
What is it that compels you to write, then?

I've been suffering from severe depression since high school. I've been trying to use my writing as a form of therapy, but it isn't working. Nothing really does.

I have my emotional ups and downs as a writer too, but I can't say I've ever seen it as a form of therapy. What tends to happen to me instead is that I get an idea that I think is really cool and want to convey it through some kind of story or artwork.

That said, what I would recommend you do is ask yourself why you struggle with finishing your novels (a problem I can relate to myself). What goes through your mind when you give up on a work? In my case I seem more likely to give up on a project either if I'm distracted with a new idea or if the stuff I have written so far suffers from fundamental plot problems.



redrobin62
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16 Nov 2013, 11:55 pm

Oh, yes. Writing and depression. Oil and water. Last year, mentally, I was in a good place. I wasn't looking at homelessness on the horizon so I felt free to create, and create I did. Short stories, poems, a web site, novellas and a novel flew out of me with sparks. This year I've been so down in the dumps that I managed to squeeze out only 2 or 3 short stories. I've been facing homelessness again so the thought of writing, a luxury, was the last thing on my mind.

I've recently gotten on Medicaid which, in itself, opens a lot of doors, assistance-wise. I'm not really facing homelessness anymore so I don't have an excuse for procrastinating. I think once my head gets out of this fog of depression I'll start writing again. There'll be mistakes but that's what editing and feedback is for. It's gotten me this far and I'm always looking forward to it.



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17 Nov 2013, 2:31 pm

If you think you're crap now, just think how much worse you must have been when you started; that amount of time in the future, maybe you'll start to have confidence in what you're writing.