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Post by Alatariel on Sept 7, 2021 15:48:01 GMT -6
Just three more to go for me! I already read the entries and wrote my notes in a notebook, so I just need to transcribe them onto my laptop. Hopefully it doesn't take too long to help my kids with their homework tonight. That's a good way to do it! Hope it's not too stressful to get it into the computer. |
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Post by RAVENEYE on Sept 7, 2021 17:07:27 GMT -6
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Post by havekrillwhaletravel on Sept 9, 2021 0:34:10 GMT -6
No I don’t catch the mistakes, that’s an obvious fact. I have a hard time remembering them. English as a subject in high school and college was always one I dreaded. A 70 final grade I treated as an A+. Many here have been awesome with there efforts to help me learn, and I’ve always been a disappointment to them but even more to myself. I wouldn’t be surprised to know I’ve made, dare I say a few, maybe not enemies, but have earned them giving up on me because I haven’t shown the progress I should’ve. I rely on Grammarly, WORD editor, and Hemingway for my editing along with the Read Aloud function in Word 365. I don’t hear or see many issues from them. For the recent contest I commented about my editing and was told to not to over edit a story. Great advice, but since I don’t know how to edit or write at an adult level,I asked when is too much. No answer was provided. I go into every contest here feeling in my gut that for me a perfect absolutely best score I’ll get will be a 4, due to my inability to remember/learn the rules of writing. Maybe I shouldn’t even try contests any more. I’m 62, perhaps my time to learn them had passed. I create/tell a really good story. I hear and see the movie of my story in my head, that’s what I feel is on the page. I was dubbed the Master of Periods by a former member. There’s no easy way to write, it doesn’t happen via osmosis. It takes work, dedication, time, and some luck. Sorry for the rant, I’ll continue to try, after all at least I’m a trooper. That’s all on me I feel I'm in the same spot as you, in that I'm also a beginner writer, so I'll share some of my thoughts here. There are many times in my short writing journey when I've been frustrated. Frustrated by how slowly I'm progressing. Frustrated at how many things I've discovered I suck at. Frustrated by how terrible some of my writing turns out. Frustrated by how I don't compare to writers that I admire (professional or writers on this site). But I've slowly realized something: this isn't how I treat any of my other hobbies. I started learning how to cook and brew coffee around the same time I started writing. I don't get frustrated when it takes me weeks to nail a particular recipe. I don't get frustrated at how my coffee doesn't taste as good as what my favourite cafe serves. I don't get frustrated over the fact that I play my video games on Very, Very Easy. Because they're hobbies. I didn't get into these hobbies with the goal of being Gordon Ramsay or running my own cafe. I got into these hobbies because they're fun. So why shouldn't this apply to my writing as well? I'm not saying you shouldn't aspire to write well, or that you shouldn't bother improving. But don't fret over how you haven't improved this much in that amount of time, or how you aren't on the same level as the authors you put on your writing Mt Rushmore. That's just not productive, and more importantly, it just sucks the fun out of everything. (Adding on: In my opinion, you definitely shouldn't be judging your skill based on your performance in a contest. That goes for writing and everything else. You're operating on restrictions and parameters that you don't usually encounter. Unless you're a professional writer, you probably aren't working with a deadline or word count when you usually write. Judging your writing by how well you do in a contest is like judging your driving ability by how well you perform in the Indy 500.) |
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Post by pelwrath on Sept 9, 2021 1:30:59 GMT -6
Whale,
There are many times in my short writing journey when I've been frustrated. Frustrated by how slowly I'm progressing. Frustrated at how many things I've discovered I suck at. Frustrated by how terrible some of my writing turns out. Frustrated by how I don't compare to writers that I admire (professional or writers on this site). But I've slowly realized something: this isn't how I treat any of my other hobbies.
You're right about my frustrations with my writing, its the inconsistentcy I show.
In my opinion, you definitely shouldn't be judging your skill based on your performance in a contest...You're operating on restrictions and parameters that you don't usually encounter. Unless you're a professional writer, you probably aren't working with a deadline or word count when you usually write.
Another excellent point. A memeber on the old site told me "Always present your best work, you never know who's reading it." The time frame is the hardest part for me to handle. I rush even more than normal to complete the stoy and poem. I do need to relax more whenin a contest, but how when isn't that the test of how good a person's writing is, like in school. the test of the lessson?
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Post by havekrillwhaletravel on Sept 9, 2021 2:26:32 GMT -6
Another excellent point. A memeber on the old site told me "Always present your best work, you never know who's reading it." The time frame is the hardest part for me to handle. I rush even more than normal to complete the stoy and poem. I do need to relax more whenin a contest, but how when isn't that the test of how good a person's writing is, like in school. the test of the lessson? I won't deny that competition performance and skill are correlated. If Sally Rooney and I both joined the next LF competition, her entry is going to be a gajillion times better than mine. But I don't think it's 100% accurate to just draw a straight line between your writing ability and how well you do in a particular contest. Even if you leave aside contest rules which don't normally occur in a naturalistic setting, a contest is a non-repeatable, snapshot of a particular instant. Like, as a hypothetical, suppose Simone Biles doesn't do as well in her next competition. It'd be absurd to point to that particular instance and conclude she's a terrible gymnast. If you're asking me how you should gauge your writing skill, the answer will differ from person to person but I'd say look at a few of your works when you first started writing, and look at a few of your more recent works. And just because you're not where you want to be at this moment in time, doesn't mean you'll never improve or grow. Going back to my main point, as long as you're trying to improve and as long as you're having fun, isn't that what matters? The journey and not the destination? |
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You add them to your profile as you do them around the forum.
Oct 29, 2024 13:05:44 GMT -6
You add them to your profile as you do them around the forum.
Oct 29, 2024 13:05:44 GMT -6
Nov 2, 2024 23:16:12 GMT -6
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Nov 2, 2024 23:16:12 GMT -6
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