Is it worth me writing...?

[Lewisdb]

Hey folks

I have never really written anything and my spelling and punctuation leave a lot to be desired.

That being said I do have a wicked imagination and would love to share some fantasies with the world.

Do you think it's worth me writing anything or will my lack of skills make it a waste of time?

 

[Stella_Omega]

Try it and find out!

 

[RjThoughts]

Writing that story whch is being told in your mind is never a waste of time.

 

[PennLady]

Write it -- with practice, you'll improve your skills. Use spell check and grammar check to help with things, too. They aren't perfect (we all know from experience) but it's a start. But you'll never know what you can do if you don't give it a shot.

 

[sr71plt]

It's always worthwhile to try your hand at it if you get the urge (and not to, if you don't).

 

[lovecraft68]

Go for it. I had no clue with punctuation when I started here two years ago. I still put the stuff up and found that although some people will call out the grammar issues many will still enjoy the story.

And you will get better, 2 years later I now have at least half a clue!

 

[Edward Teach]

Writing ain't got nothing to do with spelling and punctuation...that's what editors are for.

 

[sr71plt]

Writing ain't got nothing to do with spelling and punctuation...that's what editors are for.

Not completely true, I don't think. The more proficient you become yourself in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and word usage, the less obstacles there are to concentrating on the storylines and characterizations. Those who use editors as their "forever" crutch don't often turn out to be such good writers.

 

[BTTap]

Go for it. I hadn't written a story in over twenty years (and then as a school assignment-so minimal joy), and then just did it. It was difficult, but fun. More than fun, really-creating something completely from your own imagination is rewarding in a different way than anything I have ever done. Despite spell- and grammar-check, and a few proofreads, it still had errors, but I'm glad I did it. I got a lot of positive feedback, and a lot of negative feedback. My worry was that I would get no feedback. It's humbing when your story has had 50,000 views.
One piece of advice: do your best to edit it-I think you owe yourself and your readers at least a readable story.

 

[RodenAddison]

Absolutely. Do it. Any writer that doesn't feel that they are a work in progress has stopped growing and is becoming dull. Start writing, start improving, and ignore the radical negative and positive comments. The truth is somewhere in the middle.

 

[sr71plt]

Despite spell- and grammar-check, and a few proofreads, it still had errors,

There's no such thing as perfect copy (and beyond that, no grammar choices that everyone would agree with), even with an editor, so do your best, don't sweat minor flubs, and don't pay too much attention to those who can't enjoy the story through a few minor technique gaffs.

 

[BTTap]

There's no such thing as perfect copy (and beyond that, no grammar choices that everyone would agree with), even with an editor, so do your best, don't sweat minor flubs, and don't pay too much attention to those who can't enjoy the story through a few minor technique gaffs.

Agreed.

 

[sr71plt]

Agreed.

You'd be surprised how many posters here like to claim that I'm more persnickety about story presentation than this--when, I think, I have consistently over the years been supportive of writers writing what they like and trying to do their best, but not hyperventilating too much over minor problems.

 

[lovecraft68]

I agree on not relying on editors. They are few and far between here. If you keep waiting for one you'll never post a story.

On the note of this thread, I have had many people tell me my writing has improved quite a bit grammar wise.

One of my first stories Weekends with Laura was a perfect example. If you look you will see a couple of comments essentially saying "good story, bad grammar" I received many of those on other stories during my first year.

In fact that kept me from entering contests the first year+ I was here.

But gradually I got better and although I still need to work on it I have not gotten one of those remarks in quiet awhile and this weekend even submitted an edited version of "Laura" so point is the best way to learn is to do.

 

[BTTap]

You'd be surprised how many posters here like to claim that I'm more persnickety about story presentation than this--when, I think, I have consistently over the years been supportive of writers writing what they like and trying to do their best, but not hyperventilating too much over minor problems.

I have found that I can read someone else's story and see the gaffes, but I have a harder time seeing them in my own stories. It's like I have a blind spot (or several) with my own stuff. I imagine I am not alone in that.

 

[sr71plt]

I have found that I can read someone else's story and see the gaffes, but I have a harder time seeing them in my own stories. It's like I have a blind spot (or several) with my own stuff. I imagine I am not alone in that.

Yes, that's a truism. I'm a professional editor, but I can't edit myself. My brain reads right through even basic--and glaring, to others--mistakes. In a review--or several reviews--the brain reads what it meant the hand to write, even when the hand wrote something else altogether. You don't really need an editor to catch most of these basic mistakes, though. Another careful reader will catch most of them.

 

[alwayswantedto]

<deleted>

 

[Pika_Reet]

Not that I have anything more useful to say...

That all of the above haven't. Just do it.

I, myself, have just recently had a change in my life where I will have a lot of time at home to write and I fully intend to take advantage of it.

Spelling, punctuation and grammar are important, but a wicked imagination is a terrible thing to waste.

Good luck!

 

[mynameisben]

With my current lack of skills, is it worth my time?

I remember when I was sixteen I said to myself, "I have never driven a car, and I don't know the rules of the road." But I wanted to go somewhere far beyond the places my feet could take me. "Is it worth my time to learn how to drive?" I asked myself. At sixteen, I knew I sucked at driving. I was scared shitless that I'd smash into another car and kill somebody. But I forced myself to learn how to drive, because there was this girl (there's always a girl, huh?). I really wanted to date her, but she struck me as the type who had little interest in making out on a metro bus.

Months, traffic citations, and several dents later I finally got my driver's license! In the mean time, the girl I was interested in dumped me for the junior varsity squad quarterback. But I never once got into a fatal car accident. I had a car, I (technically) knew how to drive, and by gum I had dates with other girls who took me places far beyond where my feet could ever take me.

When somebody tells you that the pursuit of your heart's desire is too hard, that you don't have what it takes, that it would be a waste of your time, that is the precise moment you know you're dealing with somebody who is not your friend. And that includes the little voice inside your head who tells you No. Make time for the things that matter to you, and just do it. You may get the girl or you may strike out, but you will never know unless you try. Live your life, because you only get one.

For the record, the girl who ran off with the quarterback got pregnant when she was 16, dropped out of school, married that summer, and divorced less than a year after that. I don't know what became of the quarterback, but a database search of professional football league players of the decades that followed failed to turn up his name.

 

[sunandshadow]

Whether writing is worth doing always depends on whether you enjoy the activity of writing, it really has nothing to so with the result; you might get a few nice comments but usually that's not enough to bribe someone to write if they don't enjoy writing.

 

[lovecraft68]

Upon thinking about it, there is something else I would like to toss out here.

The advent of the self publishing e-market allows for books that are not professionally published or edited to be for sale.

What has been shown with this, is that people are not as fussy about grammar or "mechanical" writing as you would think.

Look no further than Twilight and currently 50 Shades of Gray both of these hugely successful books by all reports are very poorly written, yet selling in the millions.

In fact before I lucked into someone to edit my novel, I had flipped through a copy of the third Shades book and after putting it down came away confident that I can do better than that (grammar wise whether I can tell such a "catchy" tale I don't know) so what's stopping me?

 

[RodenAddison]

I have found that I can read someone else's story and see the gaffes, but I have a harder time seeing them in my own stories. It's like I have a blind spot (or several) with my own stuff. I imagine I am not alone in that.

I agree. My biggest problem is moving far too quickly to post. I find that writing the story, setting it aside for a few days then going through it again and then forwarding it to the editor, allows me to get it pretty well in hand. Then when it comes back, I make the changes as I see fit with the advice of the editor - he sometimes offering incredible insights - then I set I set it aside and... go over it again. I always find something.

With the Nude Day story, the story now has to sit for just over two weeks. I'll see how it goes when I do the last run through. It should be a long enough for me to muck it up pretty well and give estragon a black eye.

I believe if you can't find an editor you should at least send it off to someone who's willing to give it a quick read. Maybe grammar won't be perfect, but editing your own copy can be difficult, since you KNOW what you wanted to say. Sometimes you even think you said it. You need to know if it's falling flat.

"It's okay to talk to yourself. It's okay to answer. It's when you answer and find yourself saying "Huh?" when you know you have a problem." Me

 

[topace]

If you don't start somewhere, you won't get anywhere.

That's my advice to anyone wanting to do something, but hesitating for some reason or other. For example, I wouldn't have become who I am today unless I made the decisions I have made in the past. Yes, some were scary, but the end result paid off.

Life will always toss obstacles in your path, your job is to figure out how to get over, through, or around them.

 

[PennLady]

What has been shown with this, is that people are not as fussy about grammar or "mechanical" writing as you would think.

This is not necessarily true. Often you don't know until after you've purchased a book (and likely can't return it) that it's badly written. Doesn't mean you don't care about grammar, it just means you couldn't or didn't get to read a sample ahead of time.

 

[lovecraft68]

This is not necessarily true. Often you don't know until after you've purchased a book (and likely can't return it) that it's badly written. Doesn't mean you don't care about grammar, it just means you couldn't or didn't get to read a sample ahead of time.

You do get to see some of it before you buy no? I've never read an a book on kindle. Don;t they let you see a sampling first?

Anyway I'm not saying that some people wouldn't get upset, especially if it were really poor, but books no longer need to be "professionally" edited and if the author has basic grammar skills it seems that they can slide by.