• Café Life is the Colony's main hangout, watering hole and meeting point.

    This is a place where you'll meet and make writing friends, and indulge in stratospherically-elevated wit or barometrically low humour.

    Some Colonists pop in religiously every day before or after work. Others we see here less regularly, but all are equally welcome. Two important grounds rules…

    • Don't give offence
    • Don't take offence

    We now allow political discussion, but strongly suggest it takes place in the Steam Room, which is a private sub-forum within Café Life. It’s only accessible to Full Members.

    You can dismiss this notice by clicking the "x" box

New here. Not so new to this.

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Malaika

Malaika

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Joined
Feb 11, 2019
Location
Georgia
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Hello Litopians,

I've been watching popupsubmissions for awhile now as a (fun?) thing to do on Sunday nights and always intended to join here at some point so I could join in ranting and raving along with everyone else.

I swore off forums like this 10 years ago because I ended up spending more time on the forum than writing. Also I was spending too much time reading unpublished work (which is certainly beneficial) that I wasn't reading much of the polished stuff anymore.

I wrote a novel. It was terrible. Let's not talk about that. I did another novel for Amazon Breakthrough novel competition in 2012 and made it to the top 25 out of 5000 entries. And that novel was unpublishable. I've successfully queried agents. I've had my full ms requested a half dozen times. I've been so close. But never quite got there. I gave up for a few years.

In October I started the Creative Writing Degree Course at the Open University for the arts. I'm taking two courses now. Almost finished. I love it! This is what I wish I could have done ages ago.

I think that's enough about me.
 
Welcome!

Top 25 of 5000 is quite impressive! Hope you keep writing and keep getting closer.

I joined Litopia last month and have found it useful, particularly posts with links to helpful info such as writing tips and industry research. I share your concern that time on the forum can cut into writing time so I'm careful to keep it short. In my view, the entire Internet is a giant sinkhole eating up productive time - one reason I don't use Facebook.

Like you, I love creative writing courses. I did an in-class writing workshop a year ago and start another later this week at our local college. For me that's the best way to keep writing and keep learning, but Litopia is good too.
 
@Malaika "I've been watching popupsubmissions for awhile now as a (fun?) thing to do on Sunday nights and always intended to join here at some point so I could join in ranting and raving along with everyone else. "

Love it! Look forward to seeing you in the chatroom, for a right good rant and rave, and maybe even a full-on foaming at the mouth.

Seriously, though, kudos on all that work and those near misses. To come so close, so often, it is surely a matter of once/a few times more unto the breach.
 
Hello, @Malaika, and welcome!

What you say about spending time on forums instead of writing can often be all too true, and I’ve therefore tried to shape Litopia to support your writing rather than hinder it. There are times, of course, when you just want to hang out with other writers socially, and we can certainly provide that (here, in Cafe Life).

But most other areas here will actually help you to hone your skills. I was ranting about the (often neglected) need for this on the last Pop-Ups. Writing is a skill that for most people needs to be actively developed. A few exceptional folk are born with it, but for the rest of us it means being patient and applying yourself. Practice, practice, practice.

Anyway, very pleased you’re here!
 
Thank you everyone for the warm welcome.

Eva Ulian said:
Hello and welcome. At what stage did you decide your novels were "terrible?"
Click to expand...
Well, I went through all the stages of grief and then I found acceptance. Haha. But seriously, I made a lot of rookie mistakes in novels #1 and 2. I've even considered rewriting one because the idea was so good (which is why the query got so much interest). But the characters no longer live with me. And new characters have taken their places.
Recently, through my coursework at OCA, I've come to the conclusion that the greatest weakness in my novels were structure. Coincidentally, I see that one of the newest posts on this forum is a video of John Yorke discussing structure. It must be kismet!

Anyway, I've very happy to be here.
 
Hello Malaika! Hope the Creative Writing Degree is going well! Don't give up on your novel. It may be that you just need some time away from it, no matter how long that takes.
Good that you are starting something new. :)
 
Malaika said:
Hello Litopians,

I've been watching popupsubmissions for awhile now as a (fun?) thing to do on Sunday nights and always intended to join here at some point so I could join in ranting and raving along with everyone else.

I swore off forums like this 10 years ago because I ended up spending more time on the forum than writing. Also I was spending too much time reading unpublished work (which is certainly beneficial) that I wasn't reading much of the polished stuff anymore.

I wrote a novel. It was terrible. Let's not talk about that. I did another novel for Amazon Breakthrough novel competition in 2012 and made it to the top 25 out of 5000 entries. And that novel was unpublishable. I've successfully queried agents. I've had my full ms requested a half dozen times. I've been so close. But never quite got there. I gave up for a few years.

In October I started the Creative Writing Degree Course at the Open University for the arts. I'm taking two courses now. Almost finished. I love it! This is what I wish I could have done ages ago.

I think that's enough about me.
Click to expand...
Hello, I've been through all that, agents and editors so I turned to amazon (with a small 'a') just to do something with my sixty books. My writing was crap but a couple of great people on authonomy put me straight, now my writing is worse (just kidding, its awful LOL). My favourite subject is time travel, the matter transferring one not like 'The Time Machine', I write crime and try to keep it humorful. TTFN.
 
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