It wasn't until the past two or three years my writing was at all worth reading. Honestly the first version of Mouse Management that was here on FA was pretty awful and I've smartly taken it down. However, I needed to write that awful version to write the better version I'm working on now. And I needed to write all the awful stuff before that etc. Loony Tunes animator saying everyone has to go through their 10,000 awful drawings first. Etc. But, seriously, I cannot read anything I wrote more than 2 years ago because it's just that awful. The best way to learn how to write is (suprise surprise) not go to college for a creative writing degree (I tried that for two years and it was a waste!) but to actually read a lot and see for yourself in your process of reading what works and what doesn't. And then learn from that. The world is full full full of authors and they're all making all sorts of mistakes FOR you to learn from!

And that doesn't mean you'll always write something satisfying anyway! I tried writing again for the first time in a while today and it came out awful but the more awful things you write at the very least you start to learn why and how it comes out awful and then hopefully how to avoid doing that! Or something! The greatest karate master was the one who hung around taking beginner lessons as well because he never forgot the mistakes of those just starting out! I dunno! How many more cliches can I spout out let us make it a game we shall throw snowballs at an imprisoned reindeer each time. The snowballs will be filled with glass shards it will be great and exciting.

Uhm my point is don't give up, you should carry through and write it, and post it, and at the very worst? People can tell you what you can do to improve it, and what things they see in it that work, and all that! ... not that intelligent critiquing ever happens on FA. People don't even hardly ever read on FA! I hear there's more reading going down on yiffstar but I've been too lazy to check it out yet still! Uhm. Gosh I am a rambling machine ~

And, honestly, look at Tabitha' story! it was kind of a joke story I started that turned somewhat serious and I couldn't figure out any way to end it. But at least the chapter I gave up on it on is ominous and depressing enough to serve as some kind of closure! I still feel horrible about leaving it off like that but I'd feel even worse dragging it on forever but I at least tried to soldier through until I got to some kind of conclusion, no matter how awful it was! Or something. But even then! Stories are often out of the control of the author. They are written by the unconcious, by the muse, by the characers themselves, whatever have you. Uhm. from the mystical perspective of writing. From the more academic side you should absolutely have control over how an ending works. I guess balancing the creative and the analytical mind is the best way to do writing. Uhm. Damnit what point am I even trying to make anymore? Uhm.

At the very least, if you start posting it, lose steam and direction, and stop midway, you'll have me for company in doing that :V~

Regarding the ending of Dark Tower I actually think it's very clever and honest. Not that I've ever actually read it myself. But, I like that sort of meta stuff. I mean when I actually get into gear and start getting back to work on MM I'm going to explain away plotholes by having another author in the universe write a sort of gloss of MM pointing out all the flaws (to say nothing of the narrator herself constantly spoiling the plot of the story because she's too excited to wait!). There's nothing wrong with doing that sort of stuff if you do it intelligently but it's certainly not the sort of thing you should try if you don't know what you're doing. I would hope by that point King knows what he's doing but without reading it I don't know how well it really comes off! Do I know what I'm doing well enough to pull it off myself? I have no idea! I guess we'll just have to find out.

Thanks for the comment! Wow, there are almost as many words as in my first chapter, but written in a fraction of the time it took me

What you say definitely makes sense (apart from the thing about the reindeer). I would need to spend much much more time on it, or find something easier to do. I'm not interested in writing for a living, no I'm actually more into science, but it would be nice with something semi-meaningful to do now and then that would entertain me and perhaps others.

Heh, maybe you would love the last books of the Dark Tower. The main characters interacting with the freaking author and there was some talk about the story writing itself or by some higher power through him or something like that, I don't remember. Gah, I want simple entertainment, not confusing meta stuff. To be fair, the books did have good sides as well.

Not every book is for everyone. I can appreciate what DeLillo was doing in White Noise and I can even recognize his talent but I cannot for the life of me be bothered to care anyway.

Writing does not have to be something that you do seriously. Creation is a fundamental part of being human and I think everyone should at least dabble occasionally in all the sorts of human expression there is. I honestly feel kind of illerate because I can't play an instrument well enough. I know it takes years of practice to be even at all presentable but! I dunno. I think life is always a lot nicer when you have the freedom to exercise your brain muscles in all the ways it can be worked. You might never be a professional novelist! I might not be! I certainly won't be a professional artist! That doesn't mean it isn't nice to try drawing once in a while!

Hurray!

I can play the guitar a little on an amateurish level. The fun thing with music is that at least in the beginning you don't have to be original at all to entertain yourself and others, in fact in my experience what people usually enjoy the most are good old songs that they recognize, like Beatles or CCR, not some sad emo stuff you wrote yourself.

I mostly picked up the violin because I wanted to be able to play some songs from some video games.

I'm a collosal nerd.

Violin... that seems like a difficult instrument to learn. You are definitely a nerd.

Well, I'm not very good at it :V

I used to have a drumset when I was little. I was apparently pretty darned good! I got super-flustered playing Rock Band drums tho. It was pretty fun after I got used to it. Because Rock Band is just like playing in a real band whoahey.

Anyway post your story >:I

I-I can't, because it's not finished yet. I wrote a draft of the first chapter, but the more I think about how to continue the story, the more I realize it will probably either be too unrealistic or very hard to write, so I might need to rewrite the first chapter somehow, or scrap the whole idea and figure out something else, but I *ahem* never got around to doing that and um did other less productive things instead. Before that, I tried to draw some cover art for the story, and it looked totally horrible, so I gave up on that too. Sorry.

Awr, you're stuck-stuck. That's basically how I felt with AFWIetc, I'd have to rewrite the whle thing to make it realistic and workable.

But, oh well. I was looking foward to seeing you make stuff, but forcing something when you're just not feeling it almost always a bad idea.

I have worked a little more on it and solved some smaller problems, but there are still major pieces of the plot missing. It's also so much work to create a more or less coherent world and interesting characters. But it was fun when I got into the mood (too late at night of course).

A few more moods like that and you'll have something to post, maybe :V~

it is a bird sticking out her tongue

that is that emoticon

I have a beak

on occasion

I find it's nearly impossible to be original these days, especially with stories. Everything has been done to death. Nothing I ever wrote is brand new, and never been done before. The only thing that separates stories apart, are the characters. I try my best to make characters interesting, and as unique as possible.

Makes sense, my characters definitely need improving.

Btw, on the topic of originality I found this funny comparison between "Pocahontas" and "Avatar". Haven't seen either of them so I can't comment on the accuracy, and the movie can of course be entertaining and good in other aspects without being original.
http://thenextweb.com/shareables/20.....hontas-avatar/

I have seen Avatar. There is nothing original about it. You know what's going to happen pretty much from the start. It's a very cliche told story. Right down to the end, which is a bit of a Spoiler in it's self. What you "expect" is going to happen...does.