Best Resources For Creative Writing

Discussion in 'Free Thoughts' started by mmatt9876, Mar 9, 2017.

  1. mmatt9876 Registered Senior Member

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    I was wondering if any of the members knew of any good books, resources, or tips for good creative writing. Two years ago I began my medieval fantasy novel but I got sidetracked. I want to start over fresh with a new brainstorm and I want to improve my writing and produce a longer novel.
     
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  3. spidergoat pubic diorama Valued Senior Member

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  5. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    Spend an attentive, focused, 10,000 hours writing and rewriting stuff.
     
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  7. mmatt9876 Registered Senior Member

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    Funny cartoon spidergoat!

    I guess your message is practice makes perfect, iceaura, but good writing is going to take a lot of work.
     
  8. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    The 10,000 hours number is not pulled out of the air - it's the actual current best estimate of what it takes to be professional in a creative art, first made public by Malcolm Gladwell (who included it in a book that also established the large role played by luck and other factors such as personality, btw - people seem to have missed that).

    It has critics, but mostly of its extension to different kinds of endeavor: http://www.businessinsider.com/new-study-destroys-malcolm-gladwells-10000-rule-2014-7
    http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10000-hour-rule-wrong-really-master-skill/
     
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2017
  9. Michael 345 New year. PRESENT is 72 years oldl Valued Senior Member

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    I'm in a similar position as yourself

    Somewhere on one of my tablet computers I do have about 4 chapters from individual ideas (all for the same story)

    When I get a few more chapters I hope to string them together in a coherent story

    But to your point

    • Read read read. The more you read hopefully you make more ideas connect and from the mix will come your own original ideas
    • Know English in that sentence construction is first nature to you
    • Make notes. Have a notebook and pen by your bed. As you are going to sleep think of the next section of your book you are going to write. When you wake up in the middle of the night jot down the idea which woke you up
    Send me a copy of your masterpiece

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    Best of luck

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  10. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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    University of Iowa runs a creative writing program every summer.
     
  11. Stoniphi obscurely fossiliferous Valued Senior Member

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    I agree.

    A solid higher education is a good starting point.

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    Until you know what has already been done you cannot build something new, novel or "creative".
     
  12. mmatt9876 Registered Senior Member

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    I did the math, iceaura, and 10000 hours is equal to about 416 full days! So if you spend half a day writing it will take you about 832 days to become a professional writer.
     
  13. mmatt9876 Registered Senior Member

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    Thanks for the three tips Micheal 345. Reading is a great way to see what works and sow the seeds for your own unique ideas based on what you know works in writing.
     
  14. mmatt9876 Registered Senior Member

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    It is cool that there is a class out there, sculptor, where you can learn the tricks and trade of creative writing!
     
  15. sculptor Valued Senior Member

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    Ain't no panacea.
    .................

    old adage
    If you would write: Read.

    However, you then run the risk of being only a derivative author.

    (All this advice is from a guy who upon the rare occasion can come up with a good paragraph or 2)

    If memory serves, hemingway would write for several hours each morning, and after tossing out the bad stuff, be satisfied if he had 400 good words stung together and really happy, and somewhat exhausted if he had 1000 or more.
    So to achieve a novel of 80,000 to 120,000 words would take 200-300 days (as a full time job).
     
  16. mmatt9876 Registered Senior Member

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    Yea, reading is a good tool for a beginner writer but you want to develop your own unique ideas in the end. Thanks for the 200 - 300 day full time writing novel completion time frame sculptor. It all comes out to a lot of time, effort, and writing once you factor in the 10,000 hours of writing it is estimated to take to become a good writer that iceaura posted about.
     
  17. Jeeves Valued Senior Member

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    Once you've completed a piece, it helps to have it peer-reviewed. Scribophile is a huge pool of writers at all levels of competence, where you can find sympathetic feedback (without alienating friends and family) http://www.scribophile.com/
    Goodreads is okay, too, but more focused on published books.
     
  18. iceaura Valued Senior Member

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    Or five years treating it as a full time job - 2000 hours a year, forty a week for fifty weeks.

    If you have the basic talent, of course.
     
  19. mmatt9876 Registered Senior Member

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    Thanks! Scribophile looks like a good online community to get writing advice and feedback.
     
  20. mmatt9876 Registered Senior Member

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    The 5 year 40 hour a week for 50 weeks time frame makes achieving 10,000 hours of writing seem more doable.
     
  21. mmatt9876 Registered Senior Member

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    I believe that the 10000 hours of practice in the creative arts is more of a mastery thing and not a baseline for a beginner to be truly good. Practice is part of the equation but getting feedback from other readers and making revisions is an important part of being a good writer too.
     

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