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Young Writers Society


What to do?



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Sat May 14, 2016 11:49 pm
Storygirl95 says...



So I had a really tough time with finals, and then I ended up getting tendinitis, so I can't even tell you how long it's been since I've written. What's probably only been around a month feels longer than anything. I'm feeling kind of insecure about it.
My question for you guys is: what should I do to fix that? Have you ever gone long periods without writing? I'm sort of worried whatever I write will come out awful or I won't be able to do it. I hope my inner muse isn't mad at me for being away for so long. Perhaps that's silly, I don't know.
Any advice?
Johnny was a chemist's son but Johnny is no more, for what Johnny thought was H2O was H2SO4. :wink:
  





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Sun May 15, 2016 12:26 am
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Mea says...



I've always thought that learning to write is a lot like learning how to play the piano - there are forms and rules that take a lot of time to master, but then to be able to play beautifully you have add in your own passion and all kinds of subtleties that are difficult to teach because they're unique to each player.

But the way I think this applies to your situation is what happens when you don't play the piano for a while. When you come back to it at first, yes, you're rusty. Your scales aren't as fast and you might have a harder time sight-reading. But it comes back quickly, and soon it's like you were never away.

I think writing is the same way - it'll be hard to get those words on paper first, but if you just go for it and don't care if it's a bit clunky at first, you'll be fine. Just start, and don't let your inner critic get you down. :)
We're all stories in the end.

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I think you, @Deanie and I are like the Three Book Nerd Musketeers of YWS.
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Sun May 15, 2016 1:00 am
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crobbins says...



My advice would just be to jump right back in to it. That sounds really cliche, but it works.

The best part about having a gift for writing is that it's always there like an old friend. You might not talk for a while, but you get together again, and BAM, you guys are talking again. It's like writing in that it might be awkward getting back into it, but once you do, it'll feel natural again and it will feel good to be back doing something you love.

Plus, what's the worse that can happen? If you write something that is awful, so what? Post it anyways, get feedback, and make your next story even better.

That's the best part about writing on sites like this, you can post something awful and get the same amount of feedback as you would if you were the next Shakespeare. No one on here judges you if you write something they don't like, they just tell you how to make it better.

So just write down some of your ideas. Even if you think they will turn out bad, give 'em a try! The toughest critic is always yourself, and sometimes we are WAY too hard on ourselves. So just try to enjoy writing, and don't criticize what you wrote once you are finished with it- just let the other members of the site do it for you. I guarantee you that we won't hate anything you write on here.

(Plus I have read some of your works, and there is NO way taking some time off can diminish your talent. You have a natural gift, and that doesn't go away with a few months off. Personally, I'd love to read more of your work!!!)

Happy Writing!
<3
"A writer is a world trapped within a person. . ."
<3
  





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Sun May 15, 2016 5:28 am
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Storygirl95 says...



@MeandBooks, I think you're right. Writing is a lot like playing the piano. That's actually a really wonderful metaphor. I've never heard of anyone losing all ability to play a piano after a while either. That's encouraging. :) Thanks.

And @crobbins Thank you too! You were encouraging as well. I think I'll take that advice and just get into it. You reminded of this things I once read that said to allow yourself to write awful stuff you'll hate forever. Don't worry about it. Give yourself permission to write the worst thing ever because writing anything is better than nothing. I think you're right. I shouldn't let myself worry about criticizing it, as hard as that sounds.
P.S. That's so incredibly sweet of you to say by the way, about my work. I really really appreciate that. <3 <3 <3
Johnny was a chemist's son but Johnny is no more, for what Johnny thought was H2O was H2SO4. :wink:
  





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Sun May 15, 2016 2:59 pm
Kale says...



I've gone years without writing fiction before, and to echo what the other two said, you never really forget how to write, even if it may not be as easy to write as when you were in the practice.

Something that I find also helps is remembering that writing is a process, and as a process, it is always ongoing and changing. Just think back to all the things you've written that you were so proud of at the time but are so embarrassed about now; the converse can also be true. I don't know about you, but I've found some old stories of mine that I hated when I finished them because they didn't turn out how I wanted them to, but that I think are pretty good now (even if there is room for improvement).

Everything you write is part of the process, so even if it's bad or silly or incoherent, you'll still be getting something out of it, and it will help you to continue writing.

And sometimes breaks are a very good thing because they give you a more honest perspective of where you were in your writing, what your skills and weaknesses were, and this perspective can lead you to new approaches to your writing. It can also lead you to be more open to experimentation.

In my case, the years-long break helped me figure out why I had such trouble completing stories (outlining killed my interest and motivation) and that editing could be super drastic, and this helped lead me to my current method of writing things (cool ideas everywhere, word vomit to link them together, and then edit for consistency).

So you might want to take the opportunity this forced break imposed upon you to look back on what you've written and see where you were before and extrapolate on where you can go and how you can improve.
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