new poem. i tried to write a sonnet. i think i did it right. comments and critiques welcome.

Hello, everyone - sorry that I have not posted in a long time! Could anyone comment on any of my stories on this circle (Just click See All and you should see a bunch of works by me)? Thanks.

thank you very much. 

 Bright and early (seriously, I don't know about early; not a morning person), I'll read your story, Eli. It's on my list anyway, I just have to find it. Expect me on the morrow!

i was just wondering if someone could critique one of my stories? Thanks. 

 Any one try out the writing exercise yet? I haven't. It's my goal to do it before the end of the week!

Ok, I'm just going to post a writing idea for those interested, don't forget to post it to the circle, and maybe to help us visually you can write on this forum that you've written one.

Here is a Buddhist parable you may be familiar with:

A number of disciples went to the Buddha and said, "Sir, there are living here in Savatthi many wandering hermits and scholars who indulge in constant dispute, some saying that the world is infinite and eternal and others that it is finite and not eternal, some saying that the soul dies with the body and others that it lives on forever, and so forth. What, Sir, would you say concerning them?"

The Buddha answered, "Once upon a time there was a certain raja who called to his servant and said, 'Come, good fellow, go and gather together in one place all the men of Savatthi who were born blind... and show them an elephant.' 'Very good, sire,' replied the servant, and he did as he was told. He said to the blind men assembled there, 'Here is an elephant,' and to one man he presented the head of the elephant, to another its ears, to another a tusk, to another the trunk, the foot, back, tail, and tuft of the tail, saying to each one that that was the elephant.

"When the blind men had felt the elephant, the raja went to each of them and said to each, 'Well, blind man, have you seen the elephant? Tell me, what sort of thing is an elephant?'

"Thereupon the men who were presented with the head answered, 'Sire, an elephant is like a pot.' And the men who had observed the ear replied, 'An elephant is like a winnowing basket.' Those who had been presented with a tusk said it was a ploughshare. Those who knew only the trunk said it was a plough; others said the body was a grainery; the foot, a pillar; the back, a mortar; the tail, a pestle, the tuft of the tail, a brush.

"Then they began to quarrel, shouting, 'Yes it is!' 'No, it is not!' 'An elephant is not that!' 'Yes, it's like that!' and so on, till they came to blows over the matter.

"Brethren, the raja was delighted with the scene.

"Just so are these preachers and scholars holding various views blind and unseeing.... In their ignorance they are by nature quarrelsome, wrangling, and disputatious, each maintaining reality is thus and thus."

Then the Exalted One rendered this meaning by uttering this verse of uplift

          O how they cling and wrangle, some who claim

          For preacher and monk the honored name!

          For, quarreling, each to his view they cling.

          Such folk see only one side of a thing.

Now, I'm not trying to lecture you all into religious tolerance.

This parable is just a really good writing exercise.

Find an object. Bigger is better, if you don't feel to creative. Now find the smallest little thing on that object, and start writing about it. You can move onto the rest of the object whenever you choose, or objects that surround it. But you may find that in your description of that small object, you come to an entirely different perception of it.

(Ok, so this was also inspired by an exercise presented in "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenaince" by Robert M. Pirsig. <-Great book, by the way!)

There is no deadline for this project, just write! Post your description whenever you'd like, whether its finished or not.

Thanks for the responses Momo and Brittany.

Momo-great suggestion!  Actually writing down dialogue.  i always carry a notebook, but I have never thought of actually writing down conversations.  That is actually something that I struggle with anyway, so I will (hopefully) solve two problems.  I would love to read the pep talk NaNo... So, if you don't post it here, would you mind sending it to me?  (I can even give you some coins to cover the cost--I have so many, I will never spend them all.)  LOL!  Thanks again.

Brittany-Yes, I had assumed that people posted previous works to this site, but even so, I certainly don't have the quantity of work that I would like to have.  Great suggestions on the critiquing.  It absolutely does help, but it is another of those things that require time.    But you have some great, simple ways to get in more critiquing.  I LOVE the idea of posting a topic each week.  I have done that in other forums, and it really helps!  ????Are there others interested in doing that????

Thanks again, both of you.   

First, I am doubtful that many people have actually written in their time of Scribophiling all of the works that they have put up; For instance, I have written 6 of the 10 while in  Scribophile, 4 of which were poetry (And poetry sometimes can be excused by how awful it is) And I've been around for about 2 months or so. So really, that means I have written 1 and a half (One of the stories isn't finished) short stories, and 4 lame poems. So that is 3 works per month, roughly.

The reason I have written that much? Mostly support. Beyond this internet I have a good friend who eggs me on with the stuff I write, and we're guilty of having Scribophiling nights...

Discipline really goes a long way, too. If you tell yourself you're going to write something, you have to force it, sometimes. When I was writing the Emperor of Persia story, I took many whining breaks and such, it didn't just effortlessly flow out of my digital pen.

I have been constantly told in the past by a German professor that the best way to learn the language is to read in it. Case in point, it goes for any language, English, too.

Read authors that inspire you, critique other writer's on the site. Sometimes, you have ah hah moments when you are writing and realize that you are using the same techniques you just critiqued someone else for using. Not only does that make you more aware of your own writing, but then you start seeing such things everywhere. Fun thing to do: Get a copy of your local newspaper. Read it like you are editing and critiquing it. You will find countless things that you think the author could have changed or fixed. And they're paid for it.

As far as time goes, right now I am pretty much devoted to writing. Writing is my top priority. My classes are dropping like 24 hour old flies. I have a goal to be published in a Best of volume of magazine stories in the next couple of years. I am submitting works from the bottom level of electronic magazines to the higher and more prestigious printed ones that take decades to get back to you. Which may make you wonder, then why did you create a HOBBY writing circle?

Because, despite me having all these thoughts of splendor, I know the best way to write is to write when its fun, challenging, and when I have support backing me up.

What we could do, Traci, which may help you, is have every other week writing challenges on this circle. That way, you have a topic, you just need to serve the creativity to go along with it.

How would you guys like something like that?

 Hey Traci!

I can definately guarentee you that you're not the only one who feels like that. I'm almost sure that everyone of us has school, work, chores, and real life things that tear us away from writing.

I don't know of any tips or tricks, I just know that when a good idea comes, I jot it down. When I get around to sitting at the computer for something other than school, I'm constantly writing. Or at least I'd like to say I am. Actually, I'm usually role playing, but shhh!

My advice is -and this is the same advice I've read time and time again in writer's articles online, in magazines, for nanowrimo, and on and on...- always carry a notebook and pencil with you wherever you go. Jot down ideas that you get while at work. Write down interesting dialogue from a conversation you happen to overhear (or purposely overhear). And if you really think you've hit gold and you're not too busy, sit down and write a few pages long-hand and type it up later when you have more time and your fingers stop cramping. Or multi-task to get it done. That's always fun. Just not while you're driving. =/

You know, I actually have half a mind to post the pep-talk articles from last year's Nano...

Anywho, I hope that helps some. *hug*

Not sure if this is the best place to post this, but I am going to.  I am having writing envy!  It seems like many people on this site are able to post works very frequently.  I am wondering how people are able to write so much.  Is it purely discipline or are there other hints & tips that those fluent writers can give to the rest of it?  What about editing and revising, how do you find time to fit that in?  I always say, and feel, like I don't have the time to write, but I know that everyone is just as busy as I am. 

Now that I have found a good place to get honest and helpful feedback, I would like to stretch my writing muscles, but am still finding it difficult to dedicate the time to putting hands to keyboard.  

I am sure that the answers are obvious--just do it!--but would still like some feedback and maybe a good nugget or two.

(I realize there is a post in the forums that is similar to this, but it doesn't seem like those get a lot of response.)

Thanks!

 Hey, Brittany! I think so too! Keep up the good work on your pieces of writing!

Hear hear Brittany!  Let's see some critiques!

I see a lot of writers have published a work to this circle (yay)-now let's see 14 critiques for the as of now 14 writers. I think critiquing is valuable because it connects us to other writers, and I can't remember who said it and what the quote was, but some prominent guy who wrote well said you can't write without pulling influences from other people's writing in some ways.

If you know the quote you should post it!

Feel free to use this group to get help if you run into any writing blocks! I want to hear some chatter! (And I'm sure you all do, too)

Do you write primarily as a hobby, as a fun activity? Are you not serious about publishing works, but you still want good support for how to keep your hobby fun?

I created this circle for us writer's who are less concerned about recognition and more concerned with flexing our creative muscles.

Let the fun begin!