Hello. I'm new here :)

Hi Michelleyy

Welcome to A2K

If you are talking about writing, as in Books/essays/journalism blogs etc - I'd personally wait until you have a clear (map) system in your head that makes sense to you, and that you are familiar with, before writing.

If you are talking about a heap of thoughts in your head that you just want to throw out there - feel free to post. Even if you can't back up your thoughts, there's no harm done (though some people on here display ugliness towards other peoples journeys). At worst, it will actually help you clarify your own thoughts, and they may prepare you for the next step of the journey.

HI:) i was the newbie yesterday so i thought i should come and welcome you hehehehe well if you are young then that is awesome that you know what you're passion is at a early age:D I can't really give great advice lol but im in uni taking philosophy papers and it helps to read a lot on past philosophers theories...who cares if you're friends get irritated hahaha they can handle a bit of intense thinking hahah what you're doing is great

This is my advice. You have to be disciplined, set yourself a target and stick to it. Write everyday. Don't delete anything, if you're not happy about it, forget it. It doesn't matter. Move on. Keep writing. Keep that up, and eventually you will have a novel. This may be a novel that you are really disappointed with, a novel you think is ****. A **** novel is worth one hell of a lot more than a load of really ******* good ideas.

Forget about it, put it to one side for at least six months, preferably a year. Don't read it, but let others read it, people you trust, listen to what they say. TAKE NOTES. Read books, watch films that are similar to your novel.

Six Months to one year later, revisit your novel. Think about the films you've watched, the books you've read, the advice your friends have given, and all the ideas that have popped into your head whilst you're asleep, or doing the washing up, or having a ****, or whatever. Rewrite your novel. Take your time. It may not be great, but at least you know it's no longer ****.

Now comes the tricky part.

Welcome, Michelle (and also Mrs. Vischous).

We use a tagging system here, so if you want to see the topics in the philosophy forum, put that into the search tags box on the New Posts page. If you want to be more specific, search a tag for that, say, Heidegger.

There is also a philosophy group - look to the top of the page in the blue band and check into the Groups page. I haven't signed up there in quite a while but I remember it as easy, something like filling in your username.

I like Izzy's approach, and it made me realise something - when I said don't write until you have a clear system in your mind...I didn't mean don't start trying at all (which generates skills, solidifies concepts, generates further ideas, and tests systems & ideas)...I meant don't submit anything to somewhere important until you do.

Izzy's concept has a lot of merit

It worked for me. It's the only thing that does. Otherwise you spend years perfecting your opening paragraph. When you first start writing don't bother about quality, it's quantity that matters. Quality comes later.

Thanks everyone! I'm not that young.. I'm applying to uni really soon - quite nerve racking really... but I've come to terms with it - it's not so bad and I much prefer the learning method in uni - I'm all up for independent study!
I'll definitely start writing no matter what, thanks for all of the advice I really appreciate it!

You are going to love it:) good luck tho i think you will do awesome some of my friends who were great writers for essays in philosophy but they received a D for still not keeping with the question...make it simple and don't rambling on info that doesn't relate to the question...always stick to the guide and you will be passing easy!!! luck

Yes, Izzy. When I begin a painting (usually an abstract work), I feel a certain paralysis because I want to begin with an idea of the final product. That's a terrible way to start for me. So, after a short time I remember that the only way to begin effectively is to jump into the task with the (tentative) plan of doing a bad painting. Once that has been accomplished the easier and more serious task of improving that "bad" painting begins. That's when the painting starts. Autoparalysis, like procrastination, is the curse of creativity.

That's very similar to how I write a short story, jl.

It's important to do something everyday, otherwise you can justify putting things off, Jason Goldman's 20, years of research is a real trap.

The communication part of thinking will get better with practice. However, the feeling of never being able to communicate your thoughts completely will always be a challenge. Analogies will become your best friend when it comes to saying much with as few words as possible. Concept maps are also useful in getting organized. Welcome to philosophy.

Great advice to him and me. You have to be a straight shooter when it comes to getting what you want. Understand the methods and jump for the one that works best. Most people write during their waking moments. I try to do that but usually get carried by a motivational wave. Quality of quantity is in the editing. Don't change every sentence and expect the same novel. If you can run your mouth too much you type-chat like I do and need a pacemaker, like pens, which improves the quality of your writing.

Create bullet points for your targets so you know what you want to cover in a chapter. After that I freeflow.

Can anyone recommend a good book on writing. I have one which was great but cant find the title...

WELCOME to the Forum, Michelleyy!

I hope that u will enjoy it!





David

Here's a tip for writing that I find useful:
Don't get hung up on the words.
And don't expect it to be perfect after the first draft.
I wouldn't call myself a writer, even though I very much enjoy writing. A challenge for me is to keep from editing while I write. I sometimes do it without thinking, and it can so easily break immersion. When I've been more successful I've managed to pour my ideas onto paper so that it is hardly coherent when I read it after. The only thing I worry about is including everything I want in it. Then comes the second draft, where things will be a bit more in shape. Then things start happening on their own, and most of the time I realize that to complete the project would take more time than I am ready to put into it, at least for the time being. So I put it away, and maybe I come across it in a few years. If it still catches my interest I might pick up where I left off.

I come to think of a story I heard long ago. There was a famous sculptor (I am not sure about this, but it may have been Michelangelo). He got the job to make a marble sculpture, and then there was this other man who saw Michelangelo sitting in front of the marble block for two months. He would just sit there all day, apparently doing nothing. Then the man walked up and asked him what he was doing. Michelangelo replied: "I'm working".

Was that when he made his sculpture of ME ?





David

He would need a bigger block of marble.

Thank u, Izzy.





David