# Greetings All



## AimlessWanderer (Apr 9, 2017)

I consider myself a newbie to creative writing, not just to the forum itself. Health issues robbed me of the ability to carry on through life on my original path, and being in my early 40's, I'm not prepared to consider myself retired due to ill heath. Reading and writing are abilities I have retained so far, though the extent to which I can indulge depends on my condition on any given day. My writing had previously been limited to commercial documentation, and the occasional stage script modification, but I decided to have a crack at writing a novel.

I am now 25k words into the project, and starting to feel a little more confident. At 10k words, the story read like a Health and Safety Incident Report, and even the live action seemed flat and hollow, and I had to rework the lot. 

I'm here to learn. Learning the craft of storytelling rather than just delivering information. Learning about the business side of putting a book to market. Most importantly, learning how to make my work better. My primary motivation is to prove to myself that I am not finished, and redeem my feeling of self worth. I do not necessarily need to write a best seller in order to achieve that.

I look forward to talking with you all, and learning more about the rabbit hole I am currently tumbling into.

Aimless


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## Harper J. Cole (Apr 9, 2017)

Hi there, AW! :hi:

Yes, we're all learners here - there's always more to writing than what we know. I'm glad that your novel's going well; sometimes things just start clicking, I've found. What genre is it in?

HC


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## AimlessWanderer (Apr 9, 2017)

Hello Harper,

Genre? Good question. I was pitching for thriller, but started out as an insomnia remedy, went via thriller briefly, then somehow found myself in farce. If I can sustain and develop the tension throughout, it will finish up as a thriller, but with some light (and dark) humour thrown in to try and prevent reader fatigue.


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## Pluralized (Apr 9, 2017)

Hey, welcome. You've come to the right place - look forward to seeing you around the various corners of the site.


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## aj47 (Apr 9, 2017)

Welcome to the community.  I love the reinforcement of the idea of being without a guide/map in your double-dip name.  The notion that you make your way on your own recognizance and do so in whatever direction you're moved.   

I don't have the time, inclination, or gumption to tackle a long project--my longest is just over 2k and that turns out to be too long for where I wanted to push it, but we grow and learn.  I totally respect those who can muster the wherewithal.  

You'll find that one of the ways you can develop your writing muscles is to read critically.  Look at others' work and see how it fits together and where things flow well or where improvements could be made or missteps occurred.  Once your eyes become discerning of others' work, they also become more discerning of your own. Also, setting your work aside to rest for a time period gives you distance and perspective because you are better able to read what is there instead of what you intended to be there.

Oops, I'm prattling.   

Again, welcome.  We're a diverse bunch and we also offer diversions--check out the social areas, too.


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## AimlessWanderer (Apr 9, 2017)

Thanks for the welcome, guys.

Annie, I opted for a novel for my maiden voyage, purely because it is so far removed from my comfort zone. I would like to do plays and short stories as well, but consider the novel to be the best learning ground for me. If I can make a chapter stand out as a short story in it's own right, develop the characterisation and dialogue such that I can visualise it being acted out, whilst still keeping the interwoven arcs and twists though 80k words, it would give me a good grounding and understanding for a range of disciplines.

Being so early in this new life chapter, I'm yet to discern where it's going. I'm happy to bimble around for a while, taking it all in as it comes, and wondering what lies on the path that others aren't taking. Not all journeys need to have a destination.

Thanks again for the welcome.


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## JustRob (Apr 9, 2017)

Wow, you can write something that reads like a Health and Safety Incident Report? In my company they were very popular reading because they were so entertaining, but it was only an office and the incidents themselves were relatively trivial. I remember someone in our department filling in one for something that happened to her and when she stapled the pages together she stapled her finger, so we suggested that she fill in another report for that.

When I wrote my one and only novel, which like you was more for the purpose of finding out more about myself, certainly not entertaining others in my case, the genre slid around all over the place. At present it may be a science fiction fantasy comedy romance with religious undertones -- or a metafictional allegory or ... My main discovery was that it appears to have been based on events in my life _since_ I wrote it, which is pretty spooky. Even more spooky is that none of them seem to happen after 2017, so this year I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that I got the plot wrong or there's a sequel. Maybe I didn't want to know quite that much about myself after all.

Yeah, life is an uncertainty. Well, in my case I darned well hope it is. Good luck with your writing. You'll find plenty of support here; that's something that I don't doubt. Don't ask for my advice about writing though. I've recently been roped in as a mentor for the readers. That's your starting point here then, reading other people's submissions and commenting on them _as a reader._ The members around here who think that they can write spend their time telling each other how to do it, but it's readers' opinions that count in the end. The real trick is to read your own work as a reader, not the chap who wrote it, but maybe you've got the knack of doing that already from your remarks.

Remember then, that the most difficult criticism to comprehend is silence, so speak up about our work as honestly as you do about your own.

Regards,
Rob


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## AimlessWanderer (Apr 9, 2017)

Thank you, Rob.



JustRob said:


> The members around here who think that they can write spend their time telling each other how to do it, but it's readers' opinions that count in the end.



That comment made me smile. I've been flitting about the site, reading random threads, and one was a short piece of work someone had submitted for critique. One member had taken the time to rework a passage, to show how it could be improved. The second version was punchy, but had the whole work been written in that vein, it would have turned me off quicker than the original. Purely personal taste.


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## Bard_Daniel (Apr 10, 2017)

Welcome to the site AW! 

Once you get four more posts you become a full member. At that point you can post up a profile picture and check out adding a signature. The customization is cool. 

What do you like to read? : D


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## AimlessWanderer (Apr 11, 2017)

Thanks, Daniel. Thrillers are what mostly grabs my attention, be they psychological, crime or otherwise. I'd have to single Koontz out as an author, and one of his that really captivated me was From The Corner Of His Eye. I wasn't overly convinced about his destination with that one, but thoroughly enjoyed the journey


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## sas (Apr 11, 2017)

AW:

You nailed it when you said, "not all journeys need to have a destination." Of the few who actually learn that, it usually comes too late. Ever onward. Sas
.


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## AimlessWanderer (Apr 11, 2017)

Thanks sas. Life has frequently deposited me at a different way point to the one I was aiming for, so I learned quite early to appreciate the journey.


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