Wriging

So... let's get this straight: you want us to give you a writing course in one comment. Gotcha.

No easy way to go about this, so instead I'll go about it the lazy way:

First, don't worry about genre. That's an artificial grouping anyway, mostly used to organize bookstores and libraries. Write whatever you feel like and let the cards fall how they may.

Second, avoid cliches like "let the cards fall how they may."

Third, stop using ellipses. Seriously, they're annoying, unless... well, unless they're used sparingly.

Fourth, start by writing stories about what you know. You know your life, right? Write about that. Try to characterize people you know, then exaggerate their qualities. And don't make yourself the hero. Make the hero like everyone else: someone with flaws. We all know you don't have flaws, and those you have aren't really flaws anyways. They're quirks. Of course, you know other people have flaws, even when they don't know they have them, right? Like Bobby's tendency to do things all by himself, even when help is offered to him.

Fifth, our lives are mostly plotless, so why do you need a plot? Once you have a few characters in your head -- and you should get to know them by doing things like spending some time chatting with each (great thing to do when you're on the can, hopefully alone) -- throw a conflict in the middle (say, a bus crash they were all somehow near) and see where the characters take the story. Remember: not everything has to be answered all the time. Sometimes the bad guy(s) escape(s) unharmed, never to be heard of again.

Sixth: Read a few short stories or books. Try to figure out why you like what you like, and why you don't like what you don't. That'll help you shape your style.

Seventh: Have fun. It's alright to write really bad stuff. In fact, if you don't, you're not doing enough writing. All the good stuff you see is what's left over after all the bad stuff was tossed out and posted somewhere as either a blog post or a comment in a forum somewhere.

Did I cover it all?

Probably not the advice you want to hear, but just write. It sounds like you expect to nail it on the first try which will never be the case. Force yourself to come up with a beginning, middle and end no matter how horrible you think it is.

Thanx a lot ppl!! That helps...The responses are really fast...

Pants? What pants?! We wear boxers around here!

There's really nothing wrong with writing when you're in the mood (read: mad, or roused, or passionate) but forcing yourself to write when you're not helps with separating speech and thought from writing. Because just translating your thoughts direct from head to pen makes for a very messy read. So ... keep at it. You'll do fine. =)

And good luck.

And I came here to answer the actual topic question itself. :)

The thing about writing is that the hardest part about it is actually starting. Just write when you feel like writing. Everything falls into place when your muse is with you. It doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't have to make sense the first time. The point really is...start the flow and the rest will come easily.

Anything else is for an editor to correct. :)

I'm not sure what type of writing you like, but from the journal entry, it seems like you'd be good at writing magazine articles. That way you dont' have to go into genre, only specific topics.

I heartily agree with Gnorb's comments. I'd also like to ad that if you want to be taken seriously (not so much in these posts but in your blog, articles or manuscripts) you need to write professionally. Obviously, we're not pros, but if we keep our mind on looking professional, using the proper gramar, words etc. we'll come across as a good writer. Which always makes someone look good (:

Good luck! Writing is a huge challenge, but it's so much fun too!