re: Does anyone else here write?

quote:

---

I've never been able to get the hang of poetry and admire those that do it well. My creativity just doesn't seem to go down that path. :(

---

I used to loathe poetry (even had the hubris to tell one of my writing professors - a poet - the same which was an awful move for multiple reasons). I always thought it was a pretentious way of writing and, really, just didn't understand it. But as I learned to actually read it, I have grown an appreciation for it both as a literary medium and as an historical form. That being said, I'm likely the last person you'll find writing it and very rarely do I seek out new poetry collections to ponder. I'll read what is sent to me or what I stumble upon, but I don't seek out poetry. There's a sort of pleasantness in this type of random discovery.

Sent.

Took a screen writing class.


I have about 45 pages written for a movie.

quote:

---

How many pages do screenplays usually run?

---

Between 90 and 120

quote:

---

just honest?

---

This. To give you a sample, one of the sentences I read from a classmate was, and I shite you not: "The flaming flames of the flaming fire burned flaming hot."

I debated transferring out of LSU at that point. Maybe NYU would have accepted me. I mean Jesus...

I'll say this: it was at least memorable.

quote:

---

"The flaming flames of the flaming fire burned flaming hot."

---

Dude, you went to school with EL James?????

ETA: Could've been worse; they could have abused the shite out of some poor thesaurus rather than neglect to use one at all.

On a slightly related note, my favorite workshops (we used the Iowa method more often than not) were when people fought the professor or classmates over criticism. It was either a guy writing sci-fi or a girl from the suburbs (sometimes a sorority chick, sometimes not) that felt like they had great CNF musings to share or had written the next Gone Girl or Nicholas Sparks drama.

Eventually, the professor had no choice but to drop the constructive criticism and get brutally honest so as to chip away at the egos. Those nights were the tits and usually led to some heavy drinking afterward.

quote:

---

On a slightly related note, my favorite workshops (we used the Iowa method more often than not) were when people fought the professor or classmates over criticism. It was either a guy writing sci-fi or a girl from the suburbs (sometimes a sorority chick, sometimes not) that felt like they had great CNF musings to share or had written the next Gone Girl or Nicholas Sparks drama.

---

Not exactly sure what you mean by "Iowa method," but yeah, that happened maybe once in my career at LSU. It always amused me, though, that I, the 20 year old frat boy as I'm sure everyone saw me, was the first to initiate the round-table critiques every time because everyone else was too chicken shite to start, even when I took graduate level courses with the MFA candidates. Now that was fun. Took class with a couple of just outstanding writers.

Workshopped with Jamey Hatley and a gentleman whose name escapes who was in the midst of writing a novel about baseball in South Carolina. And it was damn good. I was a chump compared to them. But I was 20 and had no idea what I was doing, despite having to write into the class.

I wrote around 40 horror short stories when I was 10/11. They were my attempt at a Goosebumps series. Then when I was around 12/13 I started on screenplays, one reaching 115 pages. My mom still has them saved up back at home.

My family and myself included always thought writing was my calling but I haven't written much of anything since I was around 14. I'd love to start again. But I don't know where I want to take it on at. Short stories, poetry, screenplay, or just full on novels.