Well, hello everyone. I'm new here, but settling in quickly. I haven't written many screenplays, but I love short stories and flash fiction, as well as toying with the idea of writing a novel/series. I hope to get published someday, most likely under a pen-name. 👋🏻😊
Who else is alive in here? 👀
Hello. I'm alive =)
I've written a bunch of shorts which have won a bunch of awards, and also a few unproduced features, as well as an unpublished novel. I currently work as a director and screenwriter for TV, as well as a journalist for several magazines, and consider everything I've done as practice for my future screenwriting.
Oh, thank goodness! A person! Here I thought I had stumbled into the ruins of a once beautiful literary community.
It's amazing that you're published and have won awards for your writing. The closest I've gotten was being published in my high school's literary magazine, but I was also on the selection/editing staff, so I had some sway in what was put in, lol. I am now on the editing staff for my college's literary magazine.
That's cool. Keep on writing, and you'll get there =)
Here are some tips that I wish someone had told me at some point:
Make an anonymous blog, and try to fill it up with whatever might interest you. You will see yourself becoming a better writer every day, and after a while people will start to notice. And once you get a few followers, the blog can work as a valuable writing credit on its own.
The real trick to getting published, is in how you pitch your stories. So find a smaller magazine with a narrow field of interest, and write the editor an e-mail where you explain how you propose to write an excellent article which will be perfect for their publication.
Always let your interests guide you to your stories: If you like anime and Lovecraft, then try to see if there are any Lovecraftian animes. Find out if there are any hardcore Lovecraftian anime-fans which dress up as squids, and then try to get an interview with them. The weirder they are, the better. Learn what makes them tick, and make yourself a part of the article, so that it ends with you trying out a squid costume for yourself. Such an article can easily be sold to any magazine which focuses on either anime or Lovecraft. And you can exchange both anime and Lovecraft with anything you want, and it will still always be a sure method to get you published.
Oh, and a few comments from "experts", professors and other opinionated journalists, can always save any piece ;)
Good luck!
Thank you so much!
I'm a huge fantasy fan, so most of my writing is about magic and mythical creatures and such, but recently I have opened up to science fiction as well. I actually dapple a tiny bit in fan fiction, as well, just to keep my creative juices going.
I have thought about submitting to actual magazines, but I haven't found a good one for the type of writing I do, and I want to make sure that whatever I do submit is my very best. I'm also taking a few creative writing classes in college, which should help me hone my craft.
I'll think about making a blog at some point. Once I actually had to for my 10th grade history class, but it was all academic stuff like posting projects and writing about what we did in class.
I am starting to keep a journal, actually a requirement for my Intro to Creative Writing class, but I've found that it does seem to help my writing. Just two pages in the morning, whatever's on my mind, from dreams I had the night before to things I'm stressed about.
I didn't really know this was a thing either, this kind of board I mean. Super cool! I've always been into writing as a hobby since I was a child. I'd love to be able to do it somewhat professionally, but have been disillusioned with just how tenuous that can be. I am also plagued with insecurity when it comes to having others read what I write.
Obviously, that will get me nowhere! But it's really nice to see there is a community for it around here. It's of no surprise to me that those who flock to message boards to discuss and dissect stories go ahead and try their hand at their own ;)
I know how you feel. I've started a bunch of things, but I rarely ever finish a story unless I need to got school or something. Otherwise I usually just jot down scenes of random stories as they come.
Has anyone here heard of semi-literate or literate role playing? It's kinda like co-writing a story, where everyone creates and controls a character or more, and you respond to each other in paragraph form. That's my life right there, lol.
I am drowned by ideas, scenes, and fragments too...so I know how that goes as well. I have finished a few things here and there. Screenwriting seems to be more my thing these days than it used to be. So, some of those will get completed, they're shit, but they're done!
I tend to get discouraged very easily in my writing. If I see someone else's work and it's just so good, I'll stop. If I get bored of what I'm writing, I'll stop. If another idea takes me, I'll stop. So it's this never ending cycle and back and forth! I don't know if I've heard of the term semi-literate role playing, but it sounds familiar all the same, haha...then again, that might be helpful anyways since you're basically shifting in and out of narratives and characters anyways when you're trying to tell a story. It just may be to your advantage, Leia!
No, don't lose hope! From your posts, I can tell you are an intelligent and creative individual. Keep writing when and what you can, and one day something might click.
I mentioned the role-playing partially because I realized there was a role-playing game board on here, and would love to start up one or two if there's interest... but I haven't got any responses on my post on that board, so it unfortunately seems dead.
Aw, you're very sweet. Thank you for your encouraging words! They mean a lot and I'd offer them right back to ya ;)
I'll check your post out. I don't really know how it works or if it's my thing, but it could be fun, who knows? As we've learned on this site, things may seem to dead, but all it takes is one post to spark some life back into it!
You're welcome and thank you in return. 😊
If you have more questions about role-playing, just ask on that thread. I called it "Questions (new here)" in the "Games: RPG" board.
Hey, I decided to just post an idea for a role-play and see if that gets any attention. Same RPG board, post title "Role-Play Idea (Star Wars Universe)".
shareI'm finding alot of boards I didn't know about. Imdb just got bigger to me. Tell me Leia do you do alot of writing?
shareAs mentioned before, I write whenever I have a sudden surge of inspiration. If I think of a random scene, I write it down. If I come up with a cool character, I write them down. Unfortunately, I don't get around to finishing most of stories I start, but at least I try. I also write every morning in a journal, for what it's worth.
What about you? Do you enjoy writing?
I did in high school. It seems cheesy now, but my friend played a superhero
In the talent show and I wrote about his adventures and history like it was real.
Also for reports I made up a zombie
Series called Rhine heart
With
Recurring characters and settings.
Man this sideways typing is a pain. I can't even make out what I'm writing.
Ugh. I know what you mean about the sideways typing! Are you on Mobile, too? Maybe you could start the next reply not so deeply nested, since I'll get a notification anyway?
Not cheesy at all! In 6-8th grade, I created a sprawling saga/series in my mind about Beauty and the Beast. I really should have written it down! Things got crazy... First off, the Beast had a younger brother who came looking for him and always tried to cheer them up. Gaston kept trying to get to Belle, resorting to getting a mage to curse her into submission and having a freak show to display the Beast and Lumiere. There was also a whole thing about mermaids. And Belle could swordfight.
Anyway, if you like recurring characters and such, you should at least think about role-playing. It's really fun when you get into it!
Yeah, I use mobile mostly. I think it felt like a sequel Disney would do and maybe role playing would be fun
shareWe are one.
share[deleted]