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Author Topic: Newbie Confessions
andersonmcdonald
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I have never published anything. Not a word, not a sentence. Didn't even know till last year that there was such a thing as an online writer's workshop. WOTF? Never heard of it until I signed up on Hatrack. I don't have a degree. I'm a house painter from small rural community. I live on a dirt road. I have trouble critiquing stories about subject matter I don't particularly care for. But here I am, doing something I've wanted to do for most of my life. The feedback I've received from this place has been fantastic - both negative and positive. I have an awful lot to learn, and at times it seems pretty daunting. When I read some of these posts I think, Maybe I don't belong with this group. Maybe I should just get real and abandon this hopeless dream of mine. But then that stubborn rural Missouri streak rears its head, and I keep plugging away.
So for everyone here on Hatrack, that's my credentials. Take what I say with a grain of salt. Don't anyone leave on my account!

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snapper
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Trust me Anderson, you haven't driven anyone away.

We give newbies a break, hell we were all one at one time. It takes endless posts and you need to hammer away at a pointless argument, refuse to listen to your colleagues, claim mistreatment, and persistently insert yourself and your one man crusade whenever the opportunity arises before you drive anyone away.

Keep at it (the writing, not obnoxiousness).

[This message has been edited by snapper (edited March 01, 2010).]


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KayTi
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Sounds like you fit right in!

I'm my own anomaly, too. I decided as a New Year's resolution in 2007 to write. So I started writing. And can't stop! Actually, many days I can't seem to get started, I have both problems.

I didn't dream of being a writer since I was a little girl. I didn't get a creative writing degree in college (nor even take creative writing classes - I let my AP English score skip me out of all the writing requirements in my program!) I don't have an MFA in creative writing or the arts. I don't like literary fiction. I am a voracious reader, again, having gone on hiatus for about 10 years while having a career, then children.

I love to read. Have always loved to read. Getting back to reading after so many years off has reminded me of important things in my life. And it's because I'm a reader that I write. I write the kinds of things I wanted to read when I was a young teen first finding science fiction at my school's library.

I feel different from a lot of writers because this hasn't been my life-long dream. I'm still figuring out what I want to be when I grow up, but I think writing is part of that picture.

I've learned a ton in my almost 3 yrs at Hatrack, though. And I've read a ton - books for my own enjoyment and writing books to shore up my skills. Stick around, we've got loads to learn from each other.


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andersonmcdonald
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Thanks, guys! I only wanted to be up-front. That way, if I ever begin to sound condescending or too big for my britches you all can go back to this post and remind me what I wrote. It never hurts to be humble.
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philocinemas
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quote:
I have never published anything. Not a word, not a sentence.

Anderson, you and I are in the same boat - happy sailing.

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BenM
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If it wasn't for I'm a house painter from small rural community and rural Missouri I'd have thought you were telling my story.
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Pyre Dynasty
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I once painted a shed, and my area was rural when I was born. (It has since changed.) I've always wanted visit Missouri. And my only credit is a 3rd place in a little contest on the internet (the web page is now defunct.) We're all learning here, and we all have something to teach each other. If publishing credit were the standard for hanging out here I think it would be a quiet place indeed, and it would not help one person get their first credit.

Relax.


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andersonmcdonald
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Oh, I'm perfectly relaxed. Just seemed things were getting a little heated around here. I thought I'd just let everyone know that my opinions aren't backed by experience or in any way professional.
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Merlion-Emrys
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That doesn't make them one whit less valid. At least not to the majority of us.
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JSchuler
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Going with my scant experience here, I think the most sought after input on the first 13 here is: would you read on and why/why not? For that, you don't have to be an expert on writing or have a fancy diploma in an expensive frame, you just have to like to read.

For writing, I think a degree is of questionable value. Sure, it helps to have a PhD in astronomy when writing hard sci-fi, but experiences are probably more useful in writing an engaging story than time spent sitting in a lecture hall.

Now, when it comes to queries, I'm staying the hell away :P


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MartinV
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quote:
But here I am, doing something I've wanted to do for most of my life.

In the end, that's all that really matters.

quote:
I have an awful lot to learn, and at times it seems pretty daunting.

That makes two of us. For the past two weeks since I got the WOTF story critiques all I ever think about is: what am I doing?

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Crystal Stevens
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I hear you, andersonmcdonald, and feel exactly the same way. I'm a high school grad and a production worker in a factory. I live in the country surrounded with small midwestern towns. I felt so overwhelmed the first time I found Hatrack, and I was scared the death when I finally got up the nerve to join. BUT it was the best thing I've ever done for any chance to start a writing career.

Sometimes, I wonder if I'm out of my mind to even try. After all, I'm 58 years old with retirement right around the corner. Well... seven years from now. If I ever publish anything, I'll be in my 60's by then, but having my name on a book that's mine has been a dream for most of my life. And with help from folks like those here on Hatrack, maybe, just maybe, that dream will become reality.

I, too, hope I haven't offended anyone on this forum. I love it here and would hate to endanger my stay, which I hope will last for many years to come.


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shimiqua
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Oh Crystal, you may just win the contest for least offensive person on Hatrack. At the very least you would get my vote.

I try to be humble, but I am actually a very talented writer with more credentials than I have wall space.

I'm totally kidding. I have only ever submitted two stories, and they were both happily rejected. I'm a stay at home mom who did actually always want to be a writer. That, and an Actor, Drama teacher, songwriter, Psychologist, social worker, and Foster parent. (Preferably all at the same time.)

I started writing because I was bored and desperately wanted a book, but being poor, car-less, and stuck at home with a child that only napped in his own crib, I started to write a story of my own just to entertain myself. Four years and more than 150,000 words later, I still write as a way to entertain myself. I post on Hatrack, because (sad but true) there is a good chance that these scathing crits will come from my only readers.

I still dream though, of one day having my named published somewhere. I dream that my life will be important. It's all just a fancy dream, and as Terry Prachett once said, "Anyone can dream, the real trick is to wake up."

So I am trying not to waste my time, and learn as much as I can.

I apologize if I have offended anyone. I never mean offense.
~Sheena


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WBSchmidt
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JSchuler wrote:
quote:
Going with my scant experience here, I think the most sought after input on the first 13 here is: would you read on and why/why not? For that, you don't have to be an expert on writing or have a fancy diploma in an expensive frame, you just have to like to read.

I agree with you. One thing I'm trying to teach myself as I critique others' works is to only judge based upon whether the story interests me and makes me want to read on. I try to avoid commenting on the way a person writes their scenes just because "that's not now I would do it." It's their voice and I have no right to make suggestions that would encourage them to change that voice. The only valuable opinion I can give is to say where I got confused or wanted to stop reading. We're all readers (or should be ) and that is enough to let others know whether a story works or not. After that, the author may evaluate our opinions and act upon them or not.

I also hope that I have not offended anyone. One of my shortcomings here is that I don't critique enough. I am so frustrated right now in trying to develop my "writing process" that I forget to visit the F&F to offer my thoughts (such as they may be).

--William


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InarticulateBabbler
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Confession: I think at one time I was the single-most-offensive person at Hatrack. Even when I wasn' trying to be.

Now, I just don't care about that. Take me or leave me, but never just dismiss me... I try to live by that too.

I am published. BUT, if not for Hatrack, friends I met through Hatrack, and some harsh critiques...I can certainly say I wouldn't be.

So, when I give a critique (which I only rarely offer here anymore), I try to offer as much insight as I can. That used to mean breaking a first thirteen down by PoV, conflict, grammar, excessive adverb usage, typos and hook--but, I learned about all of those aspects by doing that. Today, I know if I go through all of the work I used to, someone will oppose it all and it'll fuel an arguement. I was never here to argue; I've always been here to learn. I'm still learning, and learning different aspects of writing.


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andersonmcdonald
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Fire away, InarticulateBabbler. That's what I'm here for. In addition to being inexperienced and unpublished, I also have a thick skin. As for any critiques I might give, people can take them or leave them. No offense meant, none taken.
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satate
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I think we're ready for a group hug.

Honestly though, I have learned so much from both giving and recieving critiques. Also, I've never been offended by anyone here and I hope no one's ever been offended by me.

(Except for that one person who gave me that horrible critique - just kidding - never happened)


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Robert Nowall
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Well, speaking as a guy who's (a) been hanging 'round here awhile, and (b) has failed to sell a single story in coming up on thirty-five years of trying, I wouldn't worry about what anybody else has done or is doing, or what they are and aren't posting. I might get cheesed off by someone's supposed advantage, but that's it.

I think I may have done some damage to myself and my chances at various points in my writing career---mostly of the "not studying the proper things" rather than offending people. But I'm not going to let myself be intimidated (or stopped) because I find some writer has a degree in English composition or some such. I'll try to make up for my loss by learning (or, in some cases unlearing) what I can to make up for it. (Just the other month I got some good advice here I hope to be able to take. And that happens all the time.)

I suppose the moral is: Write your own thing and then worry about it. And have some fun along the way.

(I do worry about having been at it so long that my habits are formed and I can't change what I need to change...)


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MAP
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I too am a newby to the writing thing. I haven't even submitted anything, but I will. I want to be published, but I know I still have a lot to learn before I have a shot at it.

I respect those on this site who have been published, and I appreciate their contributions. I know they know more about writing then I do, but I also learn a lot from those who are not published.

I wish that this place was more open to working out conflict. I would hate my remarks to be taken the wrong way. I have never meant to be rude or disrespectful to anyone here, and I hope if someone thought that I was that they would call me on it.

I really think that things can easily be taken out of context on the internet. If we were all meeting in real life, I think we would all get along better.


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billawaboy
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C'mon with a name like Anderson Macdonald you have to be a writer. It feels like a classic Scifi or fantasy writer's name. The Alchemage's Equation by Anderson MacDonald. See?

Speaking of which - what kinds of stories do you wan to write? standard fiction? scifi? fantasy? something in between?...


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andersonmcdonald
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Ok. You got me. I'm a bestselling writer with hundreds of novels to my name. I'm sipping a martini on my yacht as I type this. Ha. Anderson McDonald refers to the "small rural community" I live in. Hmmm. Maybe I should keep it for a pen name... Anyway, I like both science fiction and fantasy, but I write primarily fantasy. I just like swords and bows more than I do metal and rivets.

[This message has been edited by andersonmcdonald (edited March 03, 2010).]


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andersonmcdonald
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But I'm not much into wizards and spells.
Or elves.
Or fairies.
Or unicorns.
Hmmm..
What the heck AM I writing????

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billawaboy
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According to Bruce Sterling if you have the President of the United States involved in your story that's a straight up fantasy (well...thriller spec fiction)

what was that old way of getting a pen name: take your pet's name as your first and your street name as your last?

Hmm...I need to buy a pet and name it...what's a good name for a pet...


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andersonmcdonald
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Sniffer
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andersonmcdonald
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How would that work for you?
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sholar
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My pets have awesome names. I could be Loki (mischief god), Mars (war god) or if we go by dead pets, Rasputin (he was a goldfish).
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andersonmcdonald
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Sniffer is way better.


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billawaboy
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Percy Potter and The Bagpipes of Oblivion by Sniffer Anderson MacDonald

the name is better than the title for sure...


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andersonmcdonald
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KDW, is there a complaint department on Hatrack? "Bagpipes of Oblivion" was supposed to be a secret. Now thanks to billawaboy the whole world knows the title of my upcoming book. Foul!
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Kathleen Dalton Woodbury
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Sorry, emails to me are the only complaint department (though lots of people tend to use the forum that way ).

So, you want me to delete billawaboy's post? Sorry. It doesn't violate the registration agreement.

I do have one question, however. What does one do for a pen name if they live on a numbered street?


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andersonmcdonald
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Hmmm....
Forego the street name. Get another pet.
Fido Sniffer.

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aspirit
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Hi, I'm Sora Jewel. That doesn't work. Hi, I'm Sky Jewel. Sora Jueru? Pen names are hard.
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aspirit
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Anderson, I also like your current name. Do you write about animals?
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andersonmcdonald
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Namesarhard Penn
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andersonmcdonald
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Well... Animals do play a big part in the epic fantasy I'm currently writing. One very large animal in particular. Think of a horned animal that resides in the Rocky Mountains.
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andersonmcdonald
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Only bigger
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andersonmcdonald
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Maybe I should have said "antlered".
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billawaboy
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KDW - pick the last or only number, find what it's called in another language. That's the last name.

andy- I'm gonna start calling you "one-liner" Anderson.


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Kathleen Dalton Woodbury
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I remember seeing a name that gave me a chuckle: Unbekannt Maedchen.
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genevive42
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quote:
take your pet's name as your first and your street name as your last?

I thought that was how you got your porn name.


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billawaboy
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(Genevive...shhhh) lol
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andersonmcdonald
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I thought billawaboy was his porn name.
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shimiqua
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My pen name would be Chaucer Lockwood, and I gotta say, I dig it.
~ Chaucer Lockwood

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Crystal Stevens
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Actually, my user name IS my pen name... if I ever get anything submitted. When my brothers and I played make-believe as kids, I was always Crystal Stevens. Then, before I found Hatrack, I put a story on fictionpress. I'll never do that again and haven't been back to that site in well over a year. But you had to have a pen name to be able to post anything there. I chose Crystal Stevens from my childhood days.

I'm not really ashamed of my real name but thought a user name was supposed to be something other than your real name. Hence, I used Crystal Stevens here on Hatrack instead of Ginger Karns. Yep, that's my real name. Now I have to decide which one to write under. Right now, I'm thinking my real name.


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Pyre Dynasty
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Machine-Gun 13. That sounds more like a military robot's name than a writer's name, oh well.
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sholar
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I'm going with my dead goldfish's name and current street: Rasputin Belgravia.
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JSchuler
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As my name would be Tigger Ramapo, I'm going to say it's a porn name
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posulliv
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I knew it was mistake to name my cat Hugh, but buying that foreclosure on Jass Street? It seemed like a good idea at the time.
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andersonmcdonald
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I just got that
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aspirit
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Can't type... laughing too hard. Hugh Jass is definetly a porn star name.

Okay, now. Pyre, what kind of pet is named Machine-Gun?


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