10/17/01 - I'm on a search. I searched for online writing classes a bit today. It's not an easy search considering the time and money and commitment involved. I can't find the classes on AOL that used to be available. Maybe they have discontinued them. I don't know. I just don't feel compelled to pay $200 to some web site I don't know much about. Sure, I could use guidance. The little experience I've had with online classes was interesting, but not all that helpful. I didn't even finish one of them. I don't really know why, either. I wasn't too keen on one of the excercises, it wasn't inspiring. It bothered me that I wasn't able to get into writing about a color. I felt like maybe I didn't have any descriptive talent. Then I put a great deal of effort into a story that had definite meaning to me. The teacher chose to comment on my editing skills. I was looking for helpful ciriticism on the content, wondering if I'd made my point. Was there any voice there? There may have been too many people in the class. I enjoyed hearing the feedback from the other students. I found it difficult to find the time to read through all the submissions. Anyway, I decided I would table any classes for a while after that experience. I wasn't sure that I liked having to take time for assignments that weren't inspiring to me. Most of what I've read by authors talking to wannabe writers is to just read everything you can in the style that is exciting to you, then just write and write and write. "Persevere and persist, persist and persevere." - Tom Robbins. I can do that on my own.
I've become a bit more disciplined in my writing these last couple of years. The reading is still a struggle. I still find it hard to focus, to relax. Then I thought maybe I just needed to be part of some sort of writing community. I searched. It's so time consuming. I love the Internet but, I was heading towards "link" oblivion. The search is getting to me. I'm sure I'll find a need to look again someday. But if I'm finding it hard to relax, this agitation isn't going to help me. I think the problem I'm having is that writing is very confining. I get pretty lonely. I find myself getting intense. Then I get this big need to share. Well, that's part of writing too. So, I struggle a little. Oh well. These emotions will all help my writing, will strengthen the voice. And persistence, well yeah, I'm good at that. |
