The prompt for Day 2 is:
Make 10 writing related confessions.
1. I still get confused between nouns, verbs, adverbs & adjectives. it’s just not sinking in š¦
2. I’m comma happy. I use far too many lol
3. I have approximately 450 unfinished short stories. Whoops!
4. I have a huge problem with Tautology in my writing. A really bad habit that I must get under control.
5. I prefer to Handwrite than type. I’m actually considering doing the next novels first draft all by hand.
6. I feel that my vocabulary is lacking. And that goes back to my education levels.
7. In real life I swear like a trooper. But my characters don’t tend to lol.
8. I am the Queen of Cliche. See number 7 *giggles*
9. I hate writing in first person. They always sound like me lol
10. I still haven’t sent off my first Writers Bureau assignment! EEEK! (Should really do that lol).
Well, that was pretty cathartic lol…. Go on, give me a writing confession, so I don’t feel such a loser š
Reblogged this on My Blog.
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Thanks honey š
Xx
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I tend to be “comma-lite” so I could probably do with all your excess commas….!
450 half finished short stories!!!!!!! What a back catalogue of potential. Deeply, sincerely, madly envious.
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Ha ha ha, take them Bridget š
Don’t be envious, do a prompt a day honey lol….Maybe one day I’ll finish them š
Xx
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Mini workshop of (1) when I see you š And, yet another book recommendation which might help:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Elements-Style-William-Strunk/dp/020530902X/ref=sr_1_1/276-9605620-4830023?ie=UTF8&qid=1374397370&sr=8-1&keywords=the+elements+of+style
As for building up a vocabulary, stretch yourself with your reading. What I do is to alternate between a light read and a really literary novel. If straight literary daunts you, then pick something that is still a genre novel, so it has a decent plot, but is at the more literary end of the scale in its writing style, with in-depth characterisation. i.e. literary crime, or literary science fiction.
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Ha ha ha, as long as that workshop involves lattes and the beach Sarah, bring it on! š
Ooooo, I am ashamed to say I have that book, I just haven’t read it! *blushes*
Thanks honey, yeah, that’s a good tip. I was reading a John Updike recently but I gave up because I got fed up with all the French references, I just didn’t get them *sighs*
Xx
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My stories rarely go in the direction I intend. I’ll sit down to write something short and lighthearted and end up writing an epic tearjerker. Also when I want to concentrate on one writing task I get lots of ideas for other things, go off to make a quick note and never get back to what I intended to do.
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It’s funny you should say that Patsy because all the short stories that I have are really the beginnings of novels lol š
Awwwww, yeah, I have a friend who is “haunted” by new ideas. I guess doing the prompt every day in 2012 meant that I found it easy to move on to something else, but is WHY nothing ever got finished š
Xx
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I tend to overuse the word “that” way too much. I’m confused by the term “writer’s voice”, no matter how much I read trying to clear it up. I’d much rather write in first person than anything else…lol. Last confession…no matter how much I try, I have trouble remembering where the punctuation goes with quotation marks…inside or outside the quotes.
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Ha ha ha, oh don’t even start me on words I overuse, I’m sure there are LOADS! Lol
Ahhhhh, that’s interesting Sabrina, I was talking to a writer the other day who has been writing for like 30 years and I was shocked when she said she still didn’t think she’d found her voice (sorry J if you’re reading this) so I don’t think you’re alone in that š
Oooooo, yeah, I have that problem too with the speech/quote marks lol. I think my confession list could have run into the 20’s lol
Xx
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Vikki, in relation to comma happy etc, I’ve just bought the Penguin Guide to Punctuation. It’s a fabulous little book. Slim and succinct. I think it’s going to be a lifesaver for me. Worth considering?
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Ooooo, thanks Rebecca, will see if I can buy a copy tomorrow (going up London).
Xx
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I love the dash, the word very, and whenever I write in first person, like you, it always resembles me. Love your honesty and your list!
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Thanks Lou Ann š
I hate to think what words I overuse lol
Xx
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just is another one and sometimes I use just very
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He he he, awful isn’t it š
Xx
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That makes my ten short stories that need editing seem pathetic.
I totally agree with no.1 and I think I’m in the same boat with Vocabulary. I never paid much attention at school so I blame myself for that.
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WeyHey! Thank you Peter š I was beginning to think I was alone with number 1 lol
Oh the whole Grammar thing is a nightmare for me, I don’t remember being taught any of it *sighs* but perhaps, like you say, I just wasn’t listening lol
Xx
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Thinking about it now I don’t actually remember being taunt any of it either. It seemed to be implied that I already knew it lol x
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SNAP š¦
Xx
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450 unfinished short stories?? Donāt think Iāve ever started that many. I do have a couple of stories Iād like to complete some day but only a few. Iām glad to meet another person who knows the word tautology. Donāt think there are many of us.
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Yep, I did a prompt a day during 2012 plus extra ones and most of them stand at about 1000 words (plus 30,000 words of short stories for Nano). I wrote the equivalent of about 4 novels last year lol
Oh excellent! Great to meet a fellow “tautologist” (is that a word? Lol) š
Xx
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One of my confessions is that i get to be the “bad girl” in my writing because I’m the good girl in real life. LOL…Nice list!
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He he he, excellent Krystol š
Thanks honey xx
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No problem!
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Vikki … Shrunk & White should be a writer’s bible. Many of us get confused with parts of speech or the use of comma’s. Try that new “The Artist Way” … I should look it up for you. But you know what it is and you should try it. Or make a deal with yourself to FINISH one of those over 400 stories š Don’t worry. So far you have all the same issues other writers have only they don’t always admit it.
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Thanks Florence š
I’m doing The Artists Way at the moment!
You know me honey, I don’t mind looking stupid lol š
Xx
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Gosh, I share all these flaws with you. We reciprocate each other across the world. Except I can’t pick up a pen and notepad anymore, it makes me feel funny (such a geek!) and one other difference…I have to go and look up what you mean by tautology, before I can say I have that problem too.
The only course I ever failed at was A Writer’s Bureau one. I never did send in that second assignment. Don’t follow me in that one.
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Well, thank heavens for that! š
Did you look up Tautology? I’d never heard of it until someone in my writing group told me that that’s what I do lol….I went home and looked it up š
Ooooo, did you do the complete course? My 2nd assignment is non fiction, writing an article and I’m like, hell, what bloody publication would I write for? š¦
Thanks honey xx
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No. It sounds like I enrolled for exactly the same course as you, mine was attempted several years ago. I did the first assignment fine, and appreciated the feedback. But when the second assignment came – asking me to do something journalistic, I vaguely remember, and talking about submitting to a publication – that’s what showstopped me. I was more interested in learning creative writing, had no motivation to suddenly submit to local papers or mags – I never did send that assignment in. My tutor never bothered to prompt me for it either. Money for Nothing, and your Chicks for Free, I guess.
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Ahhhhh, yeah, that’s exactly where I’m stuck now. I haven’t got a clue on what publication I could write an article for, I don’t read any lol
Xx
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Just looked up tautology to find that I should repeat what I just said, in different words.
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He he he š
Xx
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