Empty Nest - Anyone else taken up writing?

Parent Cafe
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Hello. With all kids gone, has anyone else decided to start writing? Fiction? Non-fiction? Poetry?

If you have, are you doing it for publication or just for personal pleasure?

I’ve had a few non-fiction books published (some of you may have bought one or two), but just embarked on my first novel. It’s overwhelmingly hard. I have about 80% of it done and it’s too short for a novel. A novel should be between 80,000 and 100,000 words. Mine will be about 30,000 words. It will probably never be completely finished.

I put it aside for a few weeks and when I went back to it and read it afresh, it was TERRIBLE. Great story, but atrocious writing. I redid it and it now is much better. I got some feedback from friends who said it was ok, but needed much more depth with the characters. I was so intent on getting the complicated storyline down that I was doing that first and then going back and filling in details. It was good to have honest criticism on it from my friends because that really helped me to improve it.

Sometimes it’s fun and sometimes painful

But… Others out there trying to take up writing? I want to hear your stories as well.

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I have been writing poetry and fiction, as well as in a personal journal (not so much a diary or daily log) since I was about 12. I had a 7th grade English teacher who made us keep a journal, had us write some poetry, and I’ve been hooked ever since. I find writing to be both therapeutic and energizing.

That being said, I have neglected my poetry/fiction for the past couple of years.

I took creative writing courses and workshops as electives in undergrad, and I have taken non-credit classes at local community colleges since graduating. It’s a great way to learn (or hone what you’ve already learned) the craft, get constructive feedback, and get regular writing practice.

I’ve only been published (poetry) in my undergrad college literary journals. I have been told I should submit for publication, but honestly, I just write for my own pleasure and I’m satisfied sharing my work with whoever my current classmates are…
I have thought about compiling a chapbook of my poems and a few stories, though, then giving them away or selling them for really cheap.

Yes, know exactly what you mean! lol

If poetry and fiction (and of course, the two are so different) are new to you, I highly recommend looking into courses at your local community college or even local university that you could take without credit. Although I’ve been writing for a while, I ALWAYS find these helpful, even in a class of all beginning writers. But usually there will be a couple of folks who have some experience… The’ re mainly helpful in that you are simply being forced to write regularly. Often, timed prompts are given in class - usually topics I never would’ve thought to write about on my own - but surprisingly, they get the creative juices flowing, and I’m often amazed at what I can come up with in five minutes from a random prompt. A couple of my better stories came from prompts given in writing classes.

There are some online groups as well, but I find those harder to get into and connect with. I like being able to talk with the other writers in person, and doing the exercises all together in class…

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Re: feedback from friends and family - unless they also write - and most of mine do not - I find their feedback to not be helpful. For one thing, they are not completely honest in their criticism, and not being writers themselves, really can’t give suggestions on how to make your writing better.

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Revise, revise, revise! I imagine that is the mantra for most writers. :slight_smile:

Could it be sold as a short story? Or in a book of short stories?

Writing fiction would seem to be a totally different ball game than non-fiction. Congrats on writing non-fiction though! - and selling it!

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But I maintain that effective revision requires feedback from other serious writers.

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Spec screenwriting. It is hard to get anyone in power to actually read the scripts. I just entered two into the Nicholl SP contest. Maybe something good will happen. Writing can be painful. Maybe not so much writing but, like I said, getting people to read it and consider it is an uphill battle and part and parcel to that is rejection which can be painful if one is emotionally attached to the work. You don’t have to be. It is a gift, sort of, for the audience, and if they don’t accept the gift … well, if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it fall will it make a sound?

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@GoNoles85 - This story started out as a screenplay, but I had someone in the industry read it and they said it “needs more explosions.” SO I added “explosions” (wove another story into my original story to add excitement). They also told me that it was “too expository,” but the explanation of the detailed science behind the story is, in my opinion, necessary. So I turned it into a (short) techno-thriller novel. It’s probably still too heavy on the techno, but I want a story that’s plausible (if not possible).

@BeeDAre - I know that what I’m going to say may sound snarky and mean, but I’ve found that online groups typically do not have good writers.

I agree all you guys about using friends as readers for drafts. However, I have gotten some excellent feedback from SOME of them, one of whom HAS published a novel (though it wasn’t a big seller).

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@abasket - You are absolutely right about fiction being so different from non-fiction. IT’S HARD!

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Don’t have the guts to post here. :frowning:

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I have written as a freelancer for regional newspapers and magazines. Never written fiction–it scares me. Recently I went to a writer’s workshop on writing memoirs. I wasn’t interested in writing a memoir, but a friend persuaded me to go with her–I loved the whole experience. This same friend started a writer’s group and we meet twice a month–we read our stuff and then critique one another. It’s one if the best things I’ve done for myself in a long time.

OP: is there a group for fiction writers in your area? You might try something like that for feedback and tips on getting your book into publication. My group shares information like this.

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Are you a writer (maybe FAMOUS) @ChoatieMom??

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@ChoatieMom - I think you just did. I should check into the writer’s group thing. That could be useful.

But I am interest in others. What have you written? What are you writing? What does your spouse think? Haha.

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My dad had never written a word in his life, but when he retired he started writing mystery novels and ended up writing six or seven. He got them published with a small independent publishing house, and had tons of book signings at bookstores, speeches at libraries and in other venues, coverage in local press, appearances at writers’ conferences and book fairs, etc. He loved it. He achieved some modest success, especially through Amazon’s e-book program, and for a while was ranked very highly on Amazon’s best seller lists in the mystery/ thriller genre.

He was a natural story teller. The books were quick, fun reads. We were all so proud of him!

It really required constant marketing by him to make sales. After he passed away, the sales continued for a bit but then dwindled to practically nothing. But he enjoyed the marketing as much as the writing.

He worked with a professional editor and had a connection that led to his getting an agent.

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^^Very cool story!

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I have always written, but didn’t do much with it till the kids were hs/college age. But I’ve been much more serious in the last 10 years or so. have written a novel though it hasn’t found a publisher yet. Mostly write short stories and essays; have had a bunch of publications in literary magazines, been finalist for a few prizes, and won one. So I’m not making a living at this (yet! :slight_smile: ), but have gotten a little notice.

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I did start a children’s book - haven’t looked at it in awhile though. If I would publish, that is what it would be - picture book material. :slight_smile:

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We have a former CCer that I am friends with IRL who has won a famous writing award multiple times, most recently just this year. Don’t want to “out” her here, and she isn’t active on CC any more, but I am always thrilled when she wins something.

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NO WAY!

I have always hated to write- despite being in Honors English in HS and college lit (pre AP days). One reason may be perfectionism. Another is it takes too much time to put ideas down on paper (on the computer/whatever).

I am, however, an avid reader. I really appreciate those many authors who give me stories. A childhood neighbor wrote a sci fi book decades ago which she self published. I bought it as courtesy and it needed so much fleshing out of characters and so much more than just the plotline she wrote. “The devil is in the details”.

One of these days I will take up other activities, but so far I haven’t run out of things to do or books to read. Thank goodness for the public library!

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Wow!

I wonder if someone could gather the books/names of the published CCers, just not linked to their screen names (so you’d know what book to buy but you wouldn’t know who the person was on CC).

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@wis75, You can NOT be a perfectionist and do anything creative, imo! That’s been a hard lesson for me to learn…
The creative process thrives on just letting go to a certain extent, imo. It’s necessary to ignore our own inner critic’s voice. So maybe you hate to write because you’re too self-critical? I think we’re all guilty of that at some time or another…
I’m also an avid reader. I majored in Literature, so for many years after college, I read almost nothing but non-fiction, mainly History. I tested out of History requirements in undergrad, but I love History, and never got a chance to read much of it before.
After my daughter was born, I started reading fiction more, and that’s also the time I started taking fiction and poetry writing classes again.

And I always felt I had to read “serious” literature, but in the past couple of years, I’ve discovered mysteries and thrillers. There are some really good mystery writers out there! I’ve devoured Tana French’s series about Irish detectives, and read all of Gillian Flynn’s books.

@digmedia , I agree with your assessment about online groups. I found too many people on those also don’t accept criticism well, and get too defensive about their work. You have to shed your thick skin in order to improve, imo.

I read a book about creative writing once, and the author talked about “sh*tty first drafts”, and how it’s necessary to write several before you can break through and write something worthwhile.

@choatie, why not? Now I’m intrigued!