Job hunting: the most demeaning activity ever?

[Rockchick26]

Rabbit was banned from his own thread?! I don't even see what he did wrong. Now i'm afraid I'LL get banned! This place is my therapy, please don't ban me!!

Originally Posted by James81

It is themselves. What you aren't understanding is that I used to have those same sort of blocks until I realized that all I had to do is write and give myself permission to write "crap."

Back then, there were many times when I'd simply just sit down and type "I am writing right now. I know this isn't quality but it's getting my fingers moving and here I am." And would continue like that for several hundred words before the muse would hit me and I could write something.

When I learned that it was ok to write "crap," and that I could always go back and edit (or discard) what I had written, it was then that the blocks stopped happening and I suddenly was able to write on a daily basis.

Well ok, I guess I feel better knowing that other writers write crap and it's accepted. Maybe I'm a better writer than I thought then, if it's normal to write crap.

[aelle]

Is Rabbit's ban permanent?

Originally Posted by Rockchick26

Well ok, I guess I feel better knowing that other writers write crap and it's accepted. Maybe I'm a better writer than I thought then, if it's normal to write crap.

I think the idea is more that the belief that writers can't write unless they are suddenly inspired and then produce a continuous flow of perfect prose that does not need any editing is a myth. Having high standards is good, but it does not mean you can't get started by writing crap. You'll need to re-work and edit later on, but at least you'll have a basis for work.

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by aelle

Is Rabbit's ban permanent?

Yes, we can only applying permanent bans in cases like this.

Originally Posted by Rockchick26

Rabbit was banned from his own thread?! I don't even see what he did wrong. Now i'm afraid I'LL get banned! This place is my therapy, please don't ban me!!

What Rabbit did has been deleted, so don't worry, you've been ok so far Rockchick.

[James81]

Originally Posted by Rockchick26

Rabbit was banned from his own thread?! I don't even see what he did wrong. Now i'm afraid I'LL get banned! This place is my therapy, please don't ban me!!



Well ok, I guess I feel better knowing that other writers write crap and it's accepted. Maybe I'm a better writer than I thought then, if it's normal to write crap.

Heh, well Rabbit freaked out pretty...er...violently. So don't do that and you should be fine.

Anyway, it's not that normal writer's write "crap" so much as it is that we give ourselves permission to make our first drafts crappy so that we can write without worrying about how the words flow because we know that we can always go back and edit. The interesting thing, though, is that some of my best stuff was written when I felt like I was writing crap.

[Indiana]

Yeah, that was pretty intense last night with Rabbit.

Rockchick, I think we're just trying to get you to see your limiting beliefs here.

Good writing isn't necessarily easy, and easy writing isn't necessarily good.

If you want to be a full-time, paid writer, and you are still in the early stages – not knowing how to start, not knowing how to evaluate your work, not knowing how to improve it – then no writing is a waste of time. Anything you do, even if it is pretty crap will teach you something or give you material to work with later.

You've also mentioned to me that you stopped working on your blog - which shows a lot of potential, in my opinion - because it 'started feeling like work'. If you do end up as a writer, yes, it WILL feel like work quite often, that's a simple reality. Can you cope with that? Or do you only want to be a writer if it's easy all the time?

James mentioned NaNoWriMo before, where you have to write 1700 words a day, no matter what. It's not easy, ohhhh noooo, but one thing that I found when I was doing it, knowing that I was committed to getting those words down, is that I became much better at turning off the editor in my head saying 'Don't write that, you can do better if you just wait a while'. And because I needed constant inspiration, I became much better at being alert for it - 'writing' descriptions in my head of things I walk past every day, and finding ways of cramming those into the story, pillaging my experiences and my friends' experiences to reshape and turn into material, looking out for ideas in newspaper stories, television programmes, images in books, etc.

You rejected Moonrambler's idea for a story because you didn't think it was 'a truly original idea' but the truth is that many, many, many great stories are as old as time. It's just that they are told well. There's a reason many novelists write a first novel that is semi-autobiographical... because coming up with something totally new is really, really hard. Having a solid first novel - even if it doesn't win you a Booker prize or even get published (some of the most successful writers in the world did not get their first or even second or third books published, and many more don't write their best work until they have already published several books - behind you is often what will help you come up with something stronger, and have the confidence to tackle it.

[Rockchick26]

Originally Posted by Indiana

Rockchick, I think we're just trying to get you to see your limiting beliefs here.

I understand that, I'm just trying to explain my viewpoint. Obviously someone with limiting beliefs has them for a reason and I'm just trying to explain where I'm coming from and why I have the beliefs I do (besides the fact that it's been my experience).

If you want to be a full-time, paid writer, and you are still in the early stages – not knowing how to start, not knowing how to evaluate your work, not knowing how to improve it – then no writing is a waste of time. Anything you do, even if it is pretty crap will teach you something or give you material to work with later.

Yeah I already knew I was in the early stages which is why I feel like I need to take a real class in creative writing (not just a free online one) and I feel like it's too early for me to try to make a living off my writing. I wish I wasn't so lazy when it comes to my websites.

You've also mentioned to me that you stopped working on your blog - which shows a lot of potential, in my opinion - because it 'started feeling like work'. If you do end up as a writer, yes, it WILL feel like work quite often, that's a simple reality. Can you cope with that? Or do you only want to be a writer if it's easy all the time?

Well, my music website is done through SBI and almost everyone who really puts their mind to it can end up making good money that way. But my problem is the way I have my site, I'll never get it done and I've totally lost all motivation to work on it. I have to tweak it a bit but that involves getting rid of all my pages and starting over from scratch, if I'm going to change the layout of the site. (Basically to just include my opinions and not factual information).

You rejected Moonrambler's idea for a story because you didn't think it was 'a truly original idea' but the truth is that many, many, many great stories are as old as time. It's just that they are told well. There's a reason many novelists write a first novel that is semi-autobiographical... because coming up with something totally new is really, really hard. Having a solid first novel - even if it doesn't win you a Booker prize or even get published (some of the most successful writers in the world did not get their first or even second or third books published, and many more don't write their best work until they have already published several books - behind you is often what will help you come up with something stronger, and have the confidence to tackle it.

There is nothing special about my life that people would want to read an autobiogrpahy about me! But yeah I guess if you can tell a story good then it doesn't really matter if it's original or not. I just wish I could come up with a world-changing book like that. Well maybe someday!

[Indiana]

Originally Posted by Rockchick26

There is nothing special about my life that people would want to read an autobiogrpahy about me! But yeah I guess if you can tell a story good then it doesn't really matter if it's original or not. I just wish I could come up with a world-changing book like that. Well maybe someday!

It doesn't have to be about you, it's just a matter of drawing on interesting experiences that you've had and weaving them into a story. ('Interesting' might mean funny, sad, inspiring, bizarre or something other people can relate to.) That might mean using material drawn from places you've lived or visited, a job you had, people you've known, concerts you've been to, arguments or challenges you've experienced, times you've fallen in or out of love, or even things you dream of doing or being.

And yes... there's plenty of time to write a world-changing book. Don't fall into the trap of thinking it has to be your first or second or third one though!

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Indiana

It doesn't have to be about you, it's just a matter of drawing on interesting experiences that you've had and weaving them into a story. ('Interesting' might mean funny, sad, inspiring, bizarre or something other people can relate to.) That might mean using material drawn from places you've lived or visited, a job you had, people you've known, concerts you've been to, arguments or challenges you've experienced, times you've fallen in or out of love, or even things you dream of doing or being.

And yes... there's plenty of time to write a world-changing book. Don't fall into the trap of thinking it has to be your first or second or third one though!

Hi Indiana,

I think everyone has a story to tell. I think if I decided to write about my day today or even a part of my day there is a story to tell. I doubt that the story of taking my grandson to meet his mother a few towns over so that it is more convenient for her to take him to the doctor to decide when and how to replace his left eye with a prosthesis will be published, earn any money or awards.

I do believe writing the story mentioned above can help me become a better writer. It is honing my craft so that when the inspiration for a work that might garner interest presents itself, I will be able to produce a product which will be professional, polished and of interest to readers and publishers.

I assume from your user name that you are from Indiana or were at one time. What part of Indiana do you live in if Indiana is your home. I live forty five miles South and West of Terre Haute in Illinois.

[Indiana]

Originally Posted by Gene

Hi Indiana,

I think everyone has a story to tell. I think if I decided to write about my day today or even a part of my day there is a story to tell. I doubt that the story of taking my grandson to meet his mother a few towns over so that it is more convenient for her to take him to the doctor to decide when and how to replace his left eye with a prosthesis will be published, earn any money or awards.

I do believe writing the story mentioned above can help me become a better writer. It is honing my craft so that when the inspiration for a work that might garner interest presents itself, I will be able to produce a product which will be professional, polished and of interest to readers and publishers.

I assume from your user name that you are from Indiana or were at one time. What part of Indiana do you live in if Indiana is your home. I live forty five miles South and West of Terre Haute in Illinois.

Gene, I think the story of a mother and grandfather taking a child to the doctor to prepare for a scary yet necessary surgery - one that must have a story behind it too, would definitely be something that would be publishable. There's a lot of emotion behind a story like that; a child overcoming a challenge and his family helping him through; and I don't doubt there will be a story of the medical process and costs behind such a surgery too. Smaller local papers may well be interested in something like that, or it could make a nice piece for a school journal or similar.

As for my name, no, I have never lived in Indiana. It's after Indiana Jones (my favourite childhood films). Although, as I recall, Indiana was actually the name of the dog.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by Indiana

Gene, I think the story of a mother and grandfather taking a child to the doctor to prepare for a scary yet necessary surgery - one that must have a story behind it too, would definitely be something that would be publishable. There's a lot of emotion behind a story like that; a child overcoming a challenge and his family helping him through; and I don't doubt there will be a story of the medical process and costs behind such a surgery too. Smaller local papers may well be interested in something like that, or it could make a nice piece for a school journal or similar.

As for my name, no, I have never lived in Indiana. It's after Indiana Jones (my favourite childhood films). Although, as I recall, Indiana was actually the name of the dog.

You are probably correct that the story of my day could be developed into a salable story. There are all the pieces you mention and more in that tale.

I have always been a big fan of Indiana Jones since his first movie. We may not live in adjacent states but we like the same movie series!