Did the typewriter look like this!

http://www.hrtyrergalleries.com/images/172.jpg

Please critque the first few pages of my novel here:

http://www.justsayhi.com/topic/show/134753

Please share you honest impressions. I'm not seeking a pat on the back. I want to know if it's any good or if it sucks.

No sense in continuing on using that style of writing if it's no good.

Thanks.

Yes I had two that looked like that. Except they were Underwood. (I think)

I might actually have one up in the attic yet. Owl have to go up and look. I know I have a couple treadle sewing machines up there.

1. i generally write some short verses to express a feeling, opinion or personal emotional reaction. if i'm not inspired then i just don't write this type of thing. i also write technical articles from time to time. i never really experienced writer's block writing technical articles reporting some of my work. on the other hand i never really tried to write a long story.

2. i sometimes write an outline for technical work. i would also do so if i attempted a novel or short story i think. but no planning for poetry and such.

3. don't worry too much about mechanical aspects of the writing. i try to get the desired feeling or point across succinctly then condense, clarify and enhance the writing later in revision. screw spelling, punctuation and especially capitalization. particlarly ina 1st daft.

4. i write any time the mood strikes me. i'll write in streaks. several hours at a time with many long breaks.

5. i recommend a diary for work and a personal diary. writing a little everyday can be productive and can also be fun. write when you feel a strong emotion. stop being so serious, go ahead and make a fool out of yourself.

Well thank you for answering this. It may help another writer on here! What kind of technical writing have you been working on lately or do you have some short stories to share?

i'm pretty sure it'll fill-in-the-blank. but i might still read it sometime if i ever get a chance. i don't back pat. i run away.

Well you already know my opinion. I think it is a great read and anticipate the next chapter!

I suggest everyone who comes in here to read abracadabras work and if you have something to share then go ahead. Don't be shy!

don't really have short stories although i love to read them. my technical articles are academic publications so nothing i can share really. fortunately there are very few here who would really enjoy reading them...



i wrote some poetry when i was a kid and had a >30 year break from it but got motivated to write some again after participating in the forum discussions here sometime last year. actually it was a request...but that was a quirk. i don't like to do requests generally since requests and challenges do not generally motivate me or inspire me creatively. interactions, personal emotions and experiences are what inspire me.

That makes alot of sense. If it inspires you then write it on impulse so to say. I figure that is something that poets do alot right? I mean I have had not much experience with poetry, yet I am learning on it.

i'm sure a lot of people work that way. although longer
poems will surely take some planning and less spontaneity.
it is evident in some styles.

it looks like many re-write and go over their work a lot
which i think can be really beneficial. poetry is the
exception in that it can be less planned at times. other
writings must have great organization to be great i think.

"Falling Flowers"

The guests are gone from the pavilion high,

In the small garden flowers are whirling around.

Along the winding path the petals lie;

To greet the setting sun, they drift up from the ground.



Heartbroken, I cannot bear to sweep them away;

From my eyes, spring soon disappears.

I pine with passing, heart's desire lost for aye;

Nothing is left but a robe stained with tears.


This is Classical Chinese Poetry.

If you like this then look at this website for additional poetry and even history of Chinesse Poetry if you like.

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/chinese_poetry.html

How many people knew that the English Language first derived from Germans? It was called Anglo-Saxon English.

The English language, like all languages, traces its ultimate ancestry to a time predating the written word. Since history relies heavily on written documents as records of the past, it follows logically that the roots of language must be prehistoric. This fact makes it much more difficult to pin down the development of English's earliest linguistic ancestors. However, thanks to some stunning work by philologists and linguists, we can actually trace the history of languages in Europe far into the remote past--possibly as far back as 5,000 BCE. This background will lead to the growth of what we call "Anglo-Saxon English" in the fifth-century CE, which in turn will become Middle English after the Norman Invasion of 1066, and then give us Modern English in the Renaissance.

For more history on this read the following website:

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/resource_hist.html

abra- i read the first part of your novel, totally dug it. nice job.


good morning john

Good Morning! I like Abra(James) first part of his novel very much. Good job. Now we just have to convince him to keep writing!

Good Morning! I like Abra(James) first part of his novel very much. Good job. Now we just have to convince him to keep writing!


im sure he doesnt need much convincing.

Oh but I do. I'm so afraid that my writing is garbage. I already feel better about it now that I've had it critiqued and the responses thus far are positive.

I've also posted it on an actual writer's forum. But so far no one has critiqued it there. I only got a couple of responses saying that I posted in the wrong place to be critiqued.

The problem is that they don't seem to have a catagory that it fits into. It's a Human Interest story. But they don't have any such catagory.

They have a catagory for Mystery/Thriller/Suspense. But that's not what this is.

They have a catagory for Sci-fi/Fantasy but that's not what this is.

They have a catagory for Romance/Women's-fiction. Well, maybe since it does have romance in it. But it's certainly not what I would call a "Romance Novel"

The love stories in this novel are deeply real. It's not a flashy romance story. It's true that the novel is uliamtely about love. But still, it's more about real human love, not flashy romance. It's a true love story. It's all about true love, not romantic love.

It's a Human Interest story damn it!

Why don't then have a Human Interest category?

It already makes me feel like no one would even be interested in a genuine Human Interest story. They don't even bother making a category for it.

I asked the mods on the writing forum to move it to where they thought it would do best.

They put it under Mainstream/Contemporary.

Whatever that is.

Perhaps you will create a new genre and revolutionize in it!

Just imagine the


Human Interest category!

For those writers who want to somehow make their conversations more believable or fruitful then I suggest this book as a guide.



Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing (2nd Edition) (Paperback)by John R. Trimble

http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Style-Conversations-Art-2nd/dp/0130257133/ref=cm_lmf_tit_1/105-7131902-7737209

Welcome to the Writer's Club!

Here we can discuss or share different techniques we use when writing fiction or nonfiction works. I will start with a few questions that you may want to answer to help other aspiring writers enhance ideas or methods used today. If you personally have questions then don't be afraid to ask them as this forum is intended to help enhance our writing skills.
We can also mention what we have written already or what type of genres we prefer to write.

1. Do you ever get writer's block? If so what methods do you know of to eliminate this dilemma.

2. Do you write a chapter outline or create character sheets before writing a story? If so what is your methods in doing this? If not then explain why.

3. When you write your first draft, do you worry about sentence structures, usage, punctuation, and grammar, or are you more into just getting the story on paper first?

4. When is the best time of the day to write? Do you take breaks or do you write many hours nonstop?

5. Can you recommend helpful websites that offer great information on writing?


I am hoping the Writer's Club Forum stays alive by you visiting here regularly and adding also small example stories or even information.

thanks

John