You are a really proud writer.

Um...i guess the best thing to keep in mind is no matter what everything you write could be better and not everyone will like your writing.

A way to really fix this is to go to people and ask them to critique things. On DA i've noticed people are too kind with their critiquing and what i find i want is someone to really tare up my writing and make me feel bad. So basically what im saying is although DA is good sometimes it's also good to get out and talk around to people maybe join a book club read a bit more and above everything else get expirienced writers to look at your stuff professors, other authors, friends who you know who write. When you have a face to face confrontation to someone about your writing you're bound to get really good rich feedback then if your are on DA and people just say oh thats good all the time.

ya laziness dont we all have it just peptalk yourself i guess thats all you can do. Make it a thing where you write for whatever amount a day (set aside time to write)

Sorry if you didn't like my advice if you dont like it you can just ignore it i dont care

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It's hard to pull people in from the start. I like to practice writing opening sentences . . . or just keep a collection of good lines I think up and the oddest of times. The thing that really makes or breaks a story, in my opinion, is the premise. If you have an intriguing premise that starts in the first line and caries through to the last . . . people will read, especially if you have a strong point of compelling characters.

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"As a nation of free men, we must live through all time or die by suicide." - Abraham Lincoln
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Junior Admin for *TheWritersMeow.

Hi, Thanks for the comment!

Keeping a collection of opening lines is a really good idea. It would also be a fun and maybe illuminating writing exercise to do.

My worry is if it takes a few chapters for all my characters to be introduced if people (or editors) will stick with it. I mean I think it's interesting but will others, you know.

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But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness. Then it is peace-loving and courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others; it is full of mercy and good deeds. James 3:17

Hi Thanks for the comment!

I know what you mean about writing classes. I got my BA several years ago now so I don't have that experience of a whole room of people critiquing you anymore. It was very illuminating to have that.

I should probably join a writers group I just find it hard to find the time to write and do that as well.

You're right about laziness. There is no excuse for it too.

I think on DA people are more willing to be critical if you select "advanced critique requested." I know what you mean though. I usually look for the positive in my critiques but I try to be descriptive for people...not just like, "It's great."

Thanks again!

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But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness. Then it is peace-loving and courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others; it is full of mercy and good deeds. James 3:17

"I feel like I have to."

Mmm, if this fuels your writing to be better, then that is fine, but otherwise, I'd say don't feel like writing is mandatory. It'll eventually make writing feel tedious.

"I would say in high school when I first became a journalist."

I find this interesting, because journalism really turned me off of writing for a while. I found that it was a lot of work I wasn't interested in doing.

"I need more dedication."

Dedication can't be forced though, so be patient with yourself on this. If you come up with an idea you really, really click with, though, then dedicate yourself to it.

"I also need my stupid computers to stop breaking down all the time!"

A-freaking-men.

"Punctuation and knowing how much is the right amount of description and exposition."

There are some great guides to punctuation around here on dA. One of them is posted at *WordCount, so if you've got the time, I'd give it a look. As far as description goes, it might be a good idea to experiment a bit in that regard. Try writing like Hemingway for a day and give only the required details, then the next day write like Dickens and make sure that every detail gets mentioned. I think it's safe to say when there's too much or too little, but if you push the extremes some, it'll make finding a happy medium easier.

"Finding a way to pull people into my work right from the start."

First sentences make all the difference when it comes to pulling people in. We had a workshop on this a few months ago, actually. A good thing to keep in mind is what detail is most likely to pull the reader in, while also not giving the story away? Start with that. One of my all-time favorite novels opens with "Barrabas came to us by sea", which immediately pulls a reader in because the reader wants to know who Barrabas is, how he came by sea, and who he came to.

"Do you think I should post the works that I am planning on trying to publish or should I keep them private?"

If you're trying to publish them in the near future, then posting them here isn't such a good idea. Most literary journals check to make sure that works haven't been published before, and unfortunately, most count deviantART as a published location, though it's not something you can cite.

Thank you for taking part in details week!

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"i don't like the credit crunch and the way the banks have stopped lending. to fix this, i think we should kill paris hilton." -=bewareofthesnowman
*Adopt-A-Writer | =DailyDeviants | `seniormentors | =Trashrock | *Writers-Workshop

Well, I've heard editors say you shouldn't introduce your characters all at once, so that might not be a bad thing. I think the trick is to send it to the right publisher. Some people just won't like it, no matter what. But keep trying, and you'll find someone who does.

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"As a nation of free men, we must live through all time or die by suicide." - Abraham Lincoln
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Junior Admin for *TheWritersMeow.

I believe that it was Kurt Vonnegut who said "A story should start three pages after when you 'think' it should start." Or something to that effect.

I think the idea is that many times, we write all this exposition in the beginning that isn't terribly interesting but is important to the story and thus lose readers. Maybe next time you start something, hack out the first three paragraphs or so and just start right into the action. It will force you to work in a different way (putting in descriptive beginnings at a different point in the story) and may help to draw readers in from the start.

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Anyone ever tries to kill you, you try to kill 'em right back.
~ Captain Malcolm Reynolds, Firefly

So much love for this long and thoughtful comment!

That's an interesting point you make about making writing feel tedious. I do really get down on myself when I feel like I'm not writing enough. I do need to remember the reasons why I write and try to stay more positive.

I know what you mean about journalism. it is so regimented and editors are difficult to deal with. What I think it did for me though was to make me see that I really could do this writing thing. That I had skills and that I could weave words into meaning. I guess ultimately it gave me confidence.

Thank you I will check out the punctuation guides.

"Try writing like Hemingway for a day and give only the required details, then the next day write like Dickens and make sure that every detail gets mentioned." What a great idea.

Do you think a great first sentence and opening is enough to keep people interested even if some of the main characters aren't introduced for two or three chapters?

It never crossed my mind that something posted on DA might count as having been published. Thank you so much for the heads up on that.

Thanks again!

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But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness. Then it is peace-loving and courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others; it is full of mercy and good deeds. James 3:17

Really? Well that makes me feel better.

Good point about the right publisher. I try to remind myself that a lot of writers say they were rejected over and over. It's good inspiration to do the hard work of writing query letters.



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But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness. Then it is peace-loving and courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others; it is full of mercy and good deeds. James 3:17