did you ever suck at anything and get really good?

[fish2plus2]

i have some goals right now, but i am very fustrated because i am having a very hard time making any progress. one of my goals is an attempt to write a story. the problem is that i suck at english. i feel that when i read a story that i think is really good, i am capable of figuring out what makes it so good. i believe that all stories start in the authors head with a single idea or hook. they might have five sentences 1......2.....3.......4....5 in their head, and they then have to go back and fill in 10,000 words inbetween those sentences. most of the people on here seem to like my "troll" posts. when i go back and read them, i am in hysterical laughter. these are easy to write because they are flash fiction 500 words or less. trying to write something comedic more then 500 words is very hard. it is unbelievably hard to maintain a first person tone for thousands of words.

another problem is that spending so much time in foriegn countries is causing my english to deteriorate. sometimes people will ask me "is this correct english?" and i will not know the answer. i have always been a horrible speller.

i am also a tough critic. i probably finish 1 book out of every 15 that i begin to read. if it is mediocore i tend to discount it. so right off the bat, i have very high aspirations.

when you try to do something, and fail, it just plain sucks. people say its better to try and fail then to never try. i am not sure if this is true. that might be true when it comes to approaching girls because the excitement of trying outweighs the fustration of failure. but with something like writing, you dont get anything when you fail, except the satisfaction of knowing that you suck.

if you are going to make the comparison to getting better at poker, i really dont believe it is the same. before i started playing poker, i already had the required skills. i had been playing chess since i was 4, i was on math teams since grade school, etc. i did not have to learn these new skills, all i had to do was refine them. i remember trying to teach intelligent people without these skills to play poker, and how difficult that was, which is depressing since I am now on the otherside.

[MyTurn2Raise]

I think you are being too much of a perfectionist

you need the ability to let things 'slide' and 'fail forward'

I used to suck at sex

[edfurlong]

I think a huge key to writing is to start writing a ton, regardless of what it is. If you burn out on something you are working on, start something else and come back to it when you are ready. It would also probably help to be involved with writers groups or something along those lines, so you are getting constant input. Thats probably tough in your situation though.

[Scary_Tiger]

You're like a thousand times the writer I am. I'd love to be as good as you, because 500 word flash fiction is pretty freaking awesome.

As for your question, no not really. [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[NT!]

i tend to pick up hobbies for six to twelve months at a time, occasionally more. i tend to select things that i am not great at and work at them obsessively until i am at a level of proficiency that surprises and impresses a random lay person.

bowling, for instance. i went from being about as good as any other random, coordinated, non-retarded person (~130 avg) to a 215 league bowler in about a year and a half. did it for a few years. moved to new york. it's expensive as hell to bowl here so i basically gave it up.

poker. started off the same as everyone else. played poker almost every day for months at a time, with occasional breaks. got to the point that i'm way better than the average donk in any cardroom. lately i've been hitting a bit of a wall in my development and wanting to quit.

bass guitar. started playing when i was 12. fiddled around, never took lessons, got to the point you can put me in with a combo in just about any kind of music and i won't [censored] up, and will occasionally sound awesome. but i never took that next step of being a pro-level musician.

i think the easiest part of picking up skills is going from beginner level to above-average. with specialized or esoteric skill sets like poker, bowling, etc, you reach a point where someone who knows nothing about it can't fathom how good you are, but you are still a good bit away from someone who is a pro, or at a really elite level. the types of learning and practice and theory that go into that elite skill level are vastly different than the kind of intuitive, conceptual stuff you pick up in the early stages.

[CharlieDontSurf]

They key to writing is simple...put your ass in the chair and write. everyday.

[gamblore99]

I am not big on reading, but it seems that the difference between a good and bad author is not the idea or story, but how they write.

As for your title question, I tend to take up a lot new things, learn the basic skills then a fraction of the time I will stick with it. This semester I took up fencing, yoga, hip hop, and speed reading. Yoga and hip hop didn't really go anywhere, but I have gotten really into the other two. The more stuff you try, the more likely you will find something you really enjoy, and in the process you will also learn the basic skills/knowledge of other activities, and when one of them comes up in conversation, you can relate.

[fm191124]

[ QUOTE ]
i tend to pick up hobbies for six to twelve months at a time, occasionally more. i tend to select things that i am not great at and work at them obsessively until i am at a level of proficiency that surprises and impresses a random lay person.

bowling, for instance. i went from being about as good as any other random, coordinated, non-retarded person (~130 avg) to a 215 league bowler in about a year and a half. did it for a few years. moved to new york. it's expensive as hell to bowl here so i basically gave it up.

poker. started off the same as everyone else. played poker almost every day for months at a time, with occasional breaks. got to the point that i'm way better than the average donk in any cardroom. lately i've been hitting a bit of a wall in my development and wanting to quit.

bass guitar. started playing when i was 12. fiddled around, never took lessons, got to the point you can put me in with a combo in just about any kind of music and i won't [censored] up, and will occasionally sound awesome. but i never took that next step of being a pro-level musician.

i think the easiest part of picking up skills is going from beginner level to above-average. with specialized or esoteric skill sets like poker, bowling, etc, you reach a point where someone who knows nothing about it can't fathom how good you are, but you are still a good bit away from someone who is a pro, or at a really elite level. the types of learning and practice and theory that go into that elite skill level are vastly different than the kind of intuitive, conceptual stuff you pick up in the early stages.

[/ QUOTE ]

awesome post nt.

first, ,maybe taking a creative/fiction writing course at a local community college. this would help alot.

second- maybe write a couple short stories (10-30 pages) try and write one every two weeks (each should take 2-3 days) just sit in front of your screen and keep typing (it will go somewhere eventually, be descriptive)

third- try reading alot, dont just read for enjoyment, REALLY PAY ATTENTION to things like writing stlye,

-- take notes on how authers incorporate dialogue into the story.

- note how published authors are able to write stories from different veiw points,

- note what makes a story read quickly

- note what authors you think seem to have good sentence structure,

- look at writing style,

fifth - after you read alot and have a couple short stories written maybe create a blog

sixth- take the short story you like the most, and turn that into an outline with preplanned hooks and so on,

seven - turn step 6 into your book. if you think a chapter isnt perfect, dont worry, you can alway adjust it later.

DO THIS - --- purchase stephen kings book on writing.

hope this helps???

[canis582]

juggling, started at 25, don't have the best hands, can do a tight three ball shower. dont do it much anymore.


ice hockey started at 12, all the other preppy kids started at 4. Stopped after HS as an incredibly well rounded center.

I wasnt good at getting head at first, then I would request it, now I don't use it anymore.

[hobbes9324]

Doing spinal taps.....

MM MD