# Allow me to re-reintroduce myself



## Hunter56 (Jun 14, 2018)

Hello all. My name is Hunter and I actually joined a long time ago but became inactive for a few years. A couple years ago I logged back on and wanted to be active again--even making a new introduction thread but only posting a few times before becoming inactive AGAIN. Now I'm giving it another shot. 

Last year I was hit with really bad writer's block and couldn't get anything going for the entirety of 2017. Earlier this year I was finally able to complete my first short story in a really long time. My motivation is starting to come back to me and want to keep the momentum going. 

A big thing with me is that I just don't have many people to talk to when it comes to writing... I show my friends and family my writing but since none of them are big into reading or writing (with the exception of my sister, but she has a busy schedule and doesn't get around to reading my work very often). They'll just read it, say "yeah it's pretty good!" and then that's pretty much it. I appreciate the positive comments but don't get much constructive feedback when that's what I really need. 

I want to be a writer... Over the years I've had low points with little to no productivity but I still refuse to give up on it. There aren't many things I love more than a good story, and I would love to make my own story that I feel confident enough to share with the world. 

I'm really hoping that I can find some members on here that will be interested in forming a group that's dedicated to reading each others' work to critique and give advice on. If anyone is interested, please let me know!

So that's that... Feels good to be back, and I promise that this will be the last introduction thread I make!


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## PiP (Jun 14, 2018)

Hi Hunter, 

Welcome back to our creative family. What is your writing preference - poetry or prose? We have active workshops in both so please dive in, offer some feedback and make yourself at home.


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## Hunter56 (Jun 14, 2018)

Thank you PiP. My preference is prose (though I did briefly dabble in poetry at one time) and would like to finally complete a full novel one day. I did post in the workshop in the past, I will post in there again but at the same time I would like to possibly find people to have a bit more intimate discussions/critiques with.


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## AphoticN (Jun 14, 2018)

Welcome back, Hunter.

 Out of curiosity, have you tried any offline-in-real-life writing groups? I've been considering it lately. In particular, I have noticed that the online community for generic work-on-your-writing groups involving actual writing and critiquing, outside of fanfic, is kinda sparse. To me, it seems like it's pretty hard to find writing groups online where you participate with others as a group and must provide timely feedback. Last night, I searched the Meetups app for my area and found a couple of groups that do a few meetings per month. Each meeting has a different focus, and for me the "Write drunk, edit sober" meeting has the most appeal at the moment. But I haven't gathered up the courage to go... or convince my wife that I'm going to a writing group; I'm notoriously anti-social and she may as well believe I'm buying Uber rides to get drunk in a miserly way.

I bring this up because I have recently started developing a hypothesis wherein I would be more likely to continue to interact and meet with a group (not randomly be on-again off-again) in which I connect with people face-to-face, in real life. Again, just a theory that I haven't (yet) had the courage to test.

Hopefully you'll stick around and we can all help each other to grow and be better!


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## Anita M Shaw (Jun 15, 2018)

Hello Hunter! Welcome back to our/your writerly family!

I too am just getting my motivation back after a really long time. I have completed work but I should have had a good deal more than that out there. I did a bunch of edits and rewrites on the novels I already have published as ebooks. Now, ater a good ten or so years, I finally finished my first YA, and am working on a couple other things I hope to have done this year. We'll see.

While I'm not necessarily anti-social, I do have social anxieties and find it easier to interact online than off. Although sometimes I will arrive here and feel overwhelmed and click away for a while. I used to be very active on another board, but it's gotten quiet in the last couple of years as the board owner is struggling with serious health issues. I'd forgotten I'd joined here but discovered the link in one of my old saved bookmark folders. So here I am again!

Like you, my family and friends aren't terribly supportive. I have one  sister who used to be my beta reader but not in years now. And one  friend who I used to read aloud to. That, I have to say, helped me a great  deal. She will stop me and ask questions or say the sentence or scene  doesn't feel right. But I haven't been able to get together with her for  that in years. I miss it. What I hear from my husband is "I don't know.  I guess it's good. What do you think?" Not helpful at all and I never  ask for his opinion anymore. My other sister is not a reader or really a  writer, but she has written a memoir that's hilarious. Read my work?  No. She's jealous of my ability she's said. Ooookkaaayyyy . . . Everyone  else thinks it great I write, but that's as far as it goes. My mother was semi supportive. She bragged about me to her friends and bought a copy of the magazine one of my short stories appeared in back in the '70s. three years before she died she really started to help me out. But sadly, she had a massive stroke and lost a lot of her sight. 

Like AphoticN says, there are the offline groups we can join. I only know of one group that meets near me. They meet twice a month, once in the morning and once in the evening for different purposes. A local author I met at a writer's workshop years back invited me to attend but I haven't done it. Just can't get the courage to walk in alone! I know it'd be all right after a while, but those first few times would be so hard for me. She also said that one of them is better than the other as one group meets just to have other writers around as they continue to work on a project. Very quiet group. That wouldn't be for me, I don't think. She attends the other meeting - and I can't recall which meeting is which -as she wants the feedback of the others. They used to meet at times I couldn't make it anyway, but that's changed since. Still no courage to go. If I had someone to go with me, I'd be more likely to try it.

Looking forward to seeing you around the place!


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## TuesdayEve (Jun 15, 2018)

New beginnings! Welcome back.


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## Hunter56 (Jun 15, 2018)

AphoticN said:


> Welcome back, Hunter.
> 
> Out of curiosity, have you tried any offline-in-real-life writing groups? I've been considering it lately. In particular, I have noticed that the online community for generic work-on-your-writing groups involving actual writing and critiquing, outside of fanfic, is kinda sparse. To me, it seems like it's pretty hard to find writing groups online where you participate with others as a group and must provide timely feedback. Last night, I searched the Meetups app for my area and found a couple of groups that do a few meetings per month. Each meeting has a different focus, and for me the "Write drunk, edit sober" meeting has the most appeal at the moment. But I haven't gathered up the courage to go... or convince my wife that I'm going to a writing group; I'm notoriously anti-social and she may as well believe I'm buying Uber rides to get drunk in a miserly way.
> 
> ...



Thank you Aphotic. Offline/in-person writing groups are something that I have definitely considered but I have not been able to find one in my rural area. I live between 2 rather small towns and like I said before I struggle to even find someone to talk about writing with. It could just be that I'm not looking hard enough but I do keep my eyes open. I do think being able to really be involved in a group, whether online or offline, would be a very valuable thing to have. Sure, with online it's a bit more anonymous and you don't truly know if your peers will be dedicated/stick with it but if you can find one I'm sure it's great. 

And as far as your hypothesis goes, you'll never truly know until you try it out. If you can build up the courage, I'd say go for it!



Anita M Shaw said:


> Hello Hunter! Welcome back to our/your writerly family!
> 
> I too am just getting my motivation back after a really long time. I have completed work but I should have had a good deal more than that out there. I did a bunch of edits and rewrites on the novels I already have published as ebooks. Now, ater a good ten or so years, I finally finished my first YA, and am working on a couple other things I hope to have done this year. We'll see.
> 
> ...



Thank you Anita. I know too well about low-motivation. Not being able to write anything all of last year was a really big blow, and I couldn't get those negative thoughts out of my head. I kept thinking to myself "You don't want it enough." and "It's been 6 years and you barely have anything to show for it." It sucked but early this year I finally got an idea in my head that I liked and I finally started typing and in a month or so I completed a 25 page short story--which is the most I wrote in I don't know how long! I know that's a far cry from the 300+ pages I need for a full novel, but I feel like I'm finally back on the right track.

Similar to you I do have problems with anxiety, it's never too bad that I can't interact online but things do irk me pretty easily. In fact, the reason I left this forum the first time was that I felt like some of the members were very condescending and passive aggressive towards me. It really rubbed me the wrong way and while I did like this site a lot I never really came back as an active member until now.

Also, I might have worded it wrong but my family does support me writing and hope I do find success. It's just that since they don't read much they can't really give me great feedback on my work. I'm sorry to hear about your mom, it must've been really hard not only with her passing but also losing so much support. I'm positive though that she'd be proud to see you still pursuing writing. And yeah, just like you and Aphotic, I would be very anxious if I had to walk into a writing group meeting by myself for the first time. There's always that awkward feeling that you just wanna run away from! 

Thanks again for the welcome back Anita!



TuesdayEve said:


> New beginnings! Welcome back.



Thanks TuesdayEve! I do hope this new beginning is also the last one. Third times the charm they always say!


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## Anita M Shaw (Jun 16, 2018)

I guess I have developed a bit of a thicker skin since I was here last. I can't remember why I didn't stick around. But 2015 and 16 were a couple of the worse years I've live through since my parents passing. Someday, I may write about it all, but for now, it's buried in some dark corner of my little mind. Comes out at night to haunt me, so I should write it and get it out. In any case, I thought about just giving up entirely on it all. But that little niggle inside my little mind kept saying, "You know you can't do that. Just sit down and get those fingers moving!"

Yes, it was tough losing my mother and my dad as they passed within hours of each other. I have written about that on my memoir site though, and am trying to find time to keep new stuff going there, but  . . . I only get to it now and then. 

Most of the time we are our worst enemy! I'm trying to become better friends with myself now. 

I'd say a 25 page short story is a great start! Good for you! Keep writing on!  You'll get that novel written before you know it! Maybe that short story could become that novel eventually. A couple of mine started out as short stories, so anything is possible!


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## Ralph Rotten (Jun 16, 2018)

I've done online writer's groups and real-world writer's groups (yes writingforums, you were not my first.  ) and there are pros & cons to each.
Also, all groups are not created equal.  It's hard to find a good one, either online or live. 
I think this is a good one.  Everybody is too busy posturing on all the other writing forums.

Look, if you really wanna know everything you gotta know about writer's groups, watch the movie Writers Anonymous with Kaley Cuoco.  It's a stupid little movie, mildly amusing, but you will meet those same characters over and over again in writing groups and forums.  I can't tell you how many times I have met _John K. Butzin _in writing forums. Seriously.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2114461/

PS: Kaley totally rocks those glasses.


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## Hunter56 (Jun 18, 2018)

Ralph Rotten said:


> I've done online writer's groups and real-world writer's groups (yes writingforums, you were not my first.  ) and there are pros & cons to each.
> Also, all groups are not created equal.  It's hard to find a good one, either online or live.
> I think this is a good one.  Everybody is too busy posturing on all the other writing forums.
> 
> ...



Thanks for sharing Ralph, I'm a huge film fan but I'll admit I've never heard of this movie. I'm interested in seeing it now, will try to check it out!


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## H.Brown (Jun 21, 2018)

Hello and welcome back, if you want to find a group where you can discuss critique and writing in depth then why not have a look at New writers bunch, this is a group which has in the past-for me and a few others- been a place just as you discribe, where we supported each other and each others work. 

Have you posted a section of your work for critique yet, I would be interested in reading some. Good luck with your writing and well done on completing your short story.


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## Hunter56 (Jun 24, 2018)

H.Brown said:


> Hello and welcome back, if you want to find a group where you can discuss critique and writing in depth then why not have a look at New writers bunch, this is a group which has in the past-for me and a few others- been a place just as you discribe, where we supported each other and each others work.
> 
> Have you posted a section of your work for critique yet, I would be interested in reading some. Good luck with your writing and well done on completing your short story.



Thank you H Brown. I will take a look at the new writers bunch you were describing. I have posted my work here in the past and have gotten a few responses. I'm not _quite _ready to post something new yet but when I do, I'll be sure to let you know!


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## Anita M Shaw (Jun 25, 2018)

Authors Anonymous was amusing. Guess I wasn't happy that they showed only one side of self publishing. But, yep, that's why I haven't joined a writer's group live . . .


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