Write On! :: Discuss the art and craft of writing

Greetings!

by MichaelCrawford
Posted to Diaries, Diary on Sat Jul 10, 2004 at 11:17:51 AM PST
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I just joined Write On. I am also user MichaelCrawford at Kuro5hin, Advogato and Slashdot.

I like to write, and feel that I write well (most of the time), but I feel my writing could stand some improvement, so hopefully this will be a good place to work on my writing.

Here is a list of all my writing on the web.

I would like to write professionally, and seek advice on how to accomplish that.

My most recent project, What is the Key to Happiness? is still in an early draft. Frankly, I think it sucks. I would like to submit it to Kuro5hin when I get it done, but it has a long way to go. Despite all that, it is presently #2 at Google for a search for key to happiness, and was #1 for a while.

It seems Google is a big fan of my writing, a lot of my articles are in Google's top ten, or even #1.

I've been working as a computer programmer for seventeen years, and as a self-employed software consultant since 1998. I'm good at what I do, but I'm really burned out. It is hard to find the motivation to keep working. I think the time to switch careers is rapidly approaching, and I would have already changed careers if I had been able to.

The most likely alternative seems to be writing. I like to write, and I think I write well. Some people tell me I do anyway. The biggest problem I have with my writing is that I have a very hard time being concise. I'm pretty sure I hold the record for the longest article ever published at Kuro5hin, and I think another article of mine holds the #2 spot.

Much of my writing is about software development. I think I would do well to write a technical book, but as yet I don't know what the subject would be.

What do you think of my writing? How could I improve?

Thanks for any advice you might have.

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Greetings! | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)

Greetings! (3.00/0) (#1)
by janra on Sat Jul 10, 2004 at 09:50:19 PM PST

Welcome to my little hideout on the web :-)

I feel my writing could stand some improvement

Everybody's could, even the "pros". If you didn't think that, it would mean you think your writing is perfect. And perfection is something I don't think any of us have achieved.

I hope you find the articles and discussions here of value. We do tend to focus on fiction writing, but I don't think there would be any objection to an article about non-fiction...
--
Who needs to be big and burly when you can just apply physics?

: Fiction's OK too (3.00/0) (#2)
by MichaelCrawford on Sun Jul 11, 2004 at 09:01:34 AM PST

Frankly, the reason I don't write fiction is not that I wouldn't like to, but because my fiction is so awful. Maybe I could write fiction too if I could learn to do it better.
I actually submitted a story once to a couple science fiction magazines, but thinking back on it, it's no surprise that they both rejected it.
I've been looking through the exercises here, and I think they will be helpful.

-- All my online writing is here.
[ Parent ]

Hi ... (3.00/0) (#3)
by quux on Wed Jul 14, 2004 at 12:05:20 AM PST

... welcome (though in fact I am not yet really 'here' yet).

Initially I popped in having the idea to perhaps do what I ever wanted after almost a decade of market research (including loads of IT related tasks; originally I am a psychologist specializing in cognitive science) but never took the time for, namely writing SF short-stories (but there is the need to somehow earn the living - work still in progress - resources won't last forever).

I shall read your articles (with interest, my wife went bipolar 1997 when she turned into a manic phase after ~3 years of depression) and give a comment, but bear with me.

CC.
All that we C or Scheme ...

Greetings! | 3 comments (3 topical, 0 hidden)