Cia's Weekend Writing Challenge #1: Writing About Writing

[Cia]

You did it! 🎉 You clicked on the first of Cia's Weekend Writing Challenges. But what is it? Well, if you're totally unsure, you missed the intro topic here. Make sure you check that out. For those in the know, let's get going on today's lesson and challenge. Before we start diving into writing... let's write about writing for the first time. You know, the actual act of sitting down with a notebook and a pen or pencil. Or a empty word document and a keyboard. Or a whole batch of sticky notes you plan to slap all over the wall in some sort of order. 

 

Because before you can share your story, you have to write it. And as you're doing that, your mind tends to go a lot of places. And think back to that first time. You might have had a different process back then. I'm sure you've grown as an author in the meantime, both in skills and in confidence. But there's a moment all authors all remember because it's etched indelibly into your mind... when you hit publish, or save, or share, for the first time. Then the anxiety hits, the acid in your stomach churns, and you watch compulsively to see what happens.

 

Is the poll starting to make sense now?  

 

No matter how great we think we are, or people tell us we are, or our stories are, insecurity plagues all authors from time to time. We just don't know how our work will be received. Is the story in our head what came out on paper? Do our characters make people laugh or cry or want to strangle them? Is the story believable or is it just so entertaining reader won't care if we play a little fast and loose with reality? 

 

Can we write at all? Do we dare write and share something else?

 

What were your fears as you began your journey as an author? When you first allowed your work out into the public in all its first-time glory? I think you might find you're not so alone, and if you're a would-be author on the site... you might just find the courage to face that same fear and conquer it too! 

[Cia]

Well, I'll go first. I really did think my first story was going to be boring, that I wouldn't be able to figure out all the twists and turns in the scifi universe I wanted to create, and that I'd give up, or lose the interest of readers, and wouldn't be able to finish it. After all, I never had before except for silly little high school assignments that meant nothing. I literally remember sitting at the computer, chewing on my lip and watching to see if someone posted any comments. I can't tell you how many times I hit refresh. It's embarrassing. We didn't have read counts back then either, so it was especially nerve-racking. I thought no one would like it, and I'd be told... yeah, no, that's just not something you should pursue/write more of. 

 

That didn't happen. 

 

Okay, so the editing is atrocious, and I cringe when I read The Price of Honor now, but the bones of the story and the characters are there. Readers liked it. They encouraged me to keep going. They thought my ideas were original (until Avatar came out--hey, somewhat pastoral/foresty/hunting/violent blue aliens were in my story first, but there were also lots of blue alien stories before that my story and that movie came out too!) and creative. I was nearly hunted down when I killed a main character--just temporarily, he came back to life--and the story went on to epic lengths. It's still on GA is basically the same form it was first posted in, mostly so I can point it out and say, "Yikes! See, we all grow as authors from somewhere." lol

 

A good author tells a good story and entertains people. A great author takes a good story or stories, and learns how to write them to the best of their ability because this isn't just about entertaining people. It's a craft. A skill. An art. Something to be proud of. And sure, rules are meant to be broken, so sometimes it makes sense to mix first and third person point-of-view or have a character who constantly uses passive voice structured thoughts when your inner editor (or your beta readers/outer editors) might be screaming about active phrasing being "better"... but you have to know the rules to break them. 

 

So, once I overcame my anxiety of posting that first chapter. My fears didn't come to pass. Then I had to keep overcoming them with each new story and each new thing I decided to try. But as I explored all the different aspects of writing, and strove to learn editing (English grammar is the most nonsensical mash of language rules there is on the planet, I swear!) I improved. I keep improving, which is necessary because rules keep changing. Did you know, the possessive 's rule changed from words that end in s only have the apostrophe and no s after them, as in ex: Keeping up the Jones' that we learned when most of us were kids is now written with the 's added IF you verbalize the s when you say a possessive that ends in s? So it's now, ex: Keeping up with the Jones's. 

 

Seriously. That changed like 2 years ago in the Chicago Manual of Style. It went from not being the style, to both being accepted, to the 's being the accepted style. Of course, then you have to consider books that are series, especially ones that are close in timelines. Do you change it in ongoing and future books? Do you keep the editing standard the same to avoid new readers thinking it's a typo in older to newer books if they read the series in order back-to-back? 

 

Fortunately, we're not going to get into that nitty gritty of the grammar rules in these lessons. We're going to look at the basics of some things, like punctuation, word choices, dialogue and tone, characterization, setting, plot flow, arcs, all the general stuff that's great to learn but that new authors might not know they should know if they don't already know it. 

 

So... authors, what were your anxieties when you first started posting? Was it here on GA? Elsewhere? Feel free to set the stage, share the story of the sharing of the first story or just lay it out for us all regular-like too. 

[Puppilull]

Well, I may be a bit weird (in this aspect too...) since I didn't really have much anxiety before posting my first story here. There was some, of course, and I remember posting a status update saying something like "I did it!". So mostly I was giddy and happy at having written something for fun, for my own pleasure. 

 

Words are my profession, and while legaleeze is very different from writing a story, I have always been rather confident in my ability to write in a way that conveys my message. My worry was that I, as a Swede, would write something that no one here on an American website could connect to. More than once, I've realized my outlook on things is quite different. So I thought my first attempt at a story (a prompt) could very well leave readers indifferent. 

 

That would be the worst. To have no reactions. I have no problems with negative critique, but coming across as bland would be such a let down. Since this first attempt, I've noticed I tend to go a bit overboard when describing certain conflicts happening to my characters (one scene in Frost was rewritten and toned down severely and still readers wanted to hang Lucas). I try to listen to these reactions, so I can stay within the realm of the probable. Still, I doubt I'll end up writing conflict free stories. I like the friction too much. 

[Valkyrie]

I was more excited than nervous when I posted my first story here. (and I hit the refresh button a gazillion times too  )   I wasn't anticipating negative reactions because I had been a lurker on GA for a while before then, and it was the supportive atmosphere here that prompted me to start writing again.  I'd also had some experience with putting my writing "out there".  I've always done well with writing assignments, whether they were creative or technical, and received compliments on both style and mechanics.  Shortly after I graduated with my first degree, I was part of a small group of writers who met monthly and shared/discussed our poetry and short stories.  I've also read my poetry several times at open mic nights.  So I was pretty confident my prompts would be liked, and when I decided to expand one of them into a longer work, I found a beta reader to give me input on story structure and content.  Having the reassurance that a well-respected and known member on the site liked the story gave me the confidence to post a longer work.  I will admit that I still get butterflies at times when I send a story or chapter off to my team, but I know if it passes their scrutiny, then it's likely to be well-received by my readers.  

[Brayon]

I checked off several of the boxes up top. The key three being:

1. No one will read it.

2. No one will like it.

3. My story is going to be boring, and I won't be able to finish it.

 

And then add-on one that was not on the list:

4. My disabilities will keep me from finishing it.

 

I really don't care about writing rules, I see them as more as tools to be used or discarded as needed to tell your story. To be quite honest, I wish more people would "break the rules" more often. I even tried to get people to do it as part of some "Site Member Writing Prompts" I did on the Forums.

 

I'm a notorious serial poster. This is due to my disabilities, as I "cycle" a lot because I lose focus/interest in things, but pick them back up soon after. I have a few now, that I have posted but "On Hold" as I write other things. I have a current project, that I've been focused on for a while now. So far, it's going well.

[Ivric]

I chose the sharing of my own anxiety so here we go.

 

My first time publishing on GA was when I began to put my poetry out for others to read. I was not scared of publishing it or if others enjoyed the poems, however my fear lays in rejection.  If someone doesn’t enjoy what I wrote from my heart and soul, how are they going to enjoy anything else I write? 

 

I found the courage to publish more by reading a few stories here and there.  Reading the comments from those stories made me realize that even if others don’t understand or appreciate my work doesn’t mean that my work is less important to put out for others to read. If I can help one person to find creativity, inspiration, or hope from my works then I have done my job as an author. 

[Sam Wyer]

Mine was definitely ‘no one will like it’ - but back then, I genuinely didn’t care that much.  The anxiety set in later, when I posted the second chapter, and it started to feel like a real ‘thing’.  I was posting blind, sending it out with little structure and no built in feedback, so my only option was to hope that maybe someone would bother to email me (presumably hate it so much).

 

As it turned out, people did email me, and were generally very nice, so I wrote some more, and finished the story.  And now I continue to write, inflicting it upon unsuspecting browsers and careless clickers.  I think I’ve passed peak anxiety now, although there is always a degree of trepidation once something is out there.

Edited June 28, 2018 by Sam Wyer
Spelly, typing, all of it

[northie]

Like @Puppilull I was just so excited to be putting out my first prompt, there was no room for anything else. This was all of 6 weeks or so after I started writing. Not writing here - writing period. The responses I got made me feel over the moon. It was rather a different situation when I wrote a story for my first antho. I still wasn't known as an author at all really - just a small number of prompts, with the occasional short story. I'd spent a huge amount of time on the story, and had built up unreasonable expectations of how it would be received. Unsurprisingly, it didn't get much notice. It was very long (15k) and the format was a little off-putting. I distinctly remember being bitterly disappointed. But I shook myself down and got on with it. The reception of my second antho more than made up for the first one. 

 

I was nervous when I started both my multi-chapter stories. Was I going to get any readers? Any followers? I longed to get comments, whatever they said. I think I would've  hated it if the stories had been ignored in that way. But there's also a feeling of tremendous excitement for me in doing this. Will that wear off as I post more? I hope not.   

[comicfan]

I blame Lugh. Lol

 

Actually I was encouraged by seeing how most people were engaging the authors while reading the comments left on other people's work. It had been a long time since I had done any writing of my own. I was used to reading and grading papers as an English teacher, but trying to put that focus on my own writing wasn't a strong suit. Eventually I took the plunge and began the terrifying journey of writing and putting my work up.

 

If you want to talk terror, see the list of notes Cia left on my first chapter of Accident's Happen when I tried to self edit. You bet your sweet butt I went out looking for both an editor and a beta. Then came the self doubt that I could keep people reading, keep it believable, and that I could finish the damn thing. Those reviews and comments made sure I kept writing so I didn't disappoint anyone.

 

Now I'm a bit more sure of myself. I still depend on a beta and editor, but am more sure that someone will enjoy it, and know some will not. I write for my own sake, not that I will disappoint others. Most importantly, sometimes my stories will be sidetracked by my health and that is okay. 

[Dolores Esteban]

I started posting short stories elsewhere 15 years ago. I was scared and I remember I couldn't cope well with negative comments. I learned, however, that negative feedback is mostly constructive. Readers usually just point out story flaws.

GA encouraged me to write longer stories and try different routes. Unfortunately, I experienced a series of personal attacks a couple of years ago and the experience keeps me from posting more to GA. I didn't stop writing completely, although I write less than ten years ago because real life is just too demanding. However, I don't publish everything I write anymore and I write more for myself now, just like in the early years of my writing. It's a positive development after all, I think. Writers should listen to their heart and write what they want, regardless of other's opinions.

The feedback I received is, of course, mostly positive and constructive and I'm happy that people liked what I wrote.

[Timothy M.]

My original fear when I started writing was the No liking. That was before I came to GA. If you substitute No one with Few people, it more or less came true. However, I was grateful to have at least some readers and feedback.

 

After joining GA and having my stories embraced and praised by a gratifying number of readers, I no longer worry about no one reading or liking. Now my fears are not finishing and my stories becoming boring after a while.