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  Noticing Newbies  1. About this Newsletter 2. A Word from our Sponsor 3. Letter from the Editor 4. Editor's Picks 5. A Word from Writing.Com 6. Ask & Answer 7. Removal instructions   Welcome to the Noticing Newbies Newsletter! Our goal is to showcase some of our newest Writing.Com Authors and their items. From poetry and stories to creative polls and interactives, we'll bring you a wide variety of items to enjoy. We will also feature "how to" advice and items that will help to jump start the creation process on Writing.com We hope all members of the site will take the time to read, rate, review and welcome our new authors. By introducing ourselves, reviewing items and reaching out, we will not only make them feel at home within our community, we just might make new friends!  Passionate about writing? Take your passion to new heights - with an online Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, available only from top ranked National University. Choose workshops based on your interests. Work with experienced and published faculty. Prepare for a variety of career opportunities. Use a state-of-the art online system: Study where and when you want. Click here to get more information!   Character Watching  This week, the fair is taking place at our fairgrounds. I used to love going on the rides, especially the spinning ones, but now that the kids are grown up and hubby doesn't like the spinny rides, I don't go on too many. We usually bike down a 3 mile paved trail from our house and then walk around. While Jer-bear is checking out the tractors, I'm watching the people. I don't know what it is, but the fair atmosphere brings out the, um, most peculiar characters. I could sit on a bench for hours and watch these people. They come in all shapes and sizes, all walks of life. It really is quite amusing. What a great place to find a new character traits for your next short story or novel! While maybe not as much fun, is watching shoppers at the grocery store. Granted, I normally don't sit at the store people watching, but have you ever had to wait for someone so you sat down on a bench and found yourself mesmerized by a variety of potential characters? It's truly amazing and quite entertaining. A beach and/or campgounds is another great place to find potential characters and much more relaxing than a grocery store. While we do quite a bit of camping, I usually can spot at least one or two people that give me an idea for a story or poem. Just a few weeks ago I spotted a grandfather and his granddaughter holding hands as the little girl jumped from rock to rock. Later I noticed her riding a bike as her grandpa walked beside her in case she fell. This inspired a poem I am almost finished with called Stepping Stones. Perhaps the man was not really her grandfather, but who really cares? You can imagine anything that sparks an idea. And people watching is a great way to conquer writer's block.  Heehee, you may want to wear dark sunglasses if you do very much of it, so people don't thing you're weird or anything! Here are a few sites that compliment this week's theme on character watching...
  Featured Items from Newbies 
 Great Places for Newbies to Check Out!
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter! http://www.Writing.Com/main/newsletters.php?action=nli_form  Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter! http://www.Writing.Com/main/newsletters.php?action=nli_form Don't forget to support our sponsor! %%NL_AD_BOT%%  Yeah, Feedback! javajennI keep everything I write whether it's good, bad, or finished. You can always rewrite it, finish it, or even draw inspiration from it for another piece. ~Java Jenn  I do, too! I can't throw anything away... just in case! megsie2584You asked, "Do you keep everything you write no matter if it's good or bad, finished or not?" Great question! I keep almost everything that I write. The only consistent exceptions are those pieces which take a lot out of me, the ones which are deeply personal and emotional. I am frightened by those pieces, by what they say about and to me... and all too often they feed the fire or are torn into shreds or "accidentally" lost. Of the few that I have left, most are posted on writing.com. They're the ones that are the hardest to share, which makes them also the ones which are the most important to share. I have notebooks, print-outs, napkins, and files galore of unfinished pieces, first-drafts, goofy poems and clumsy stories. That is interesting, Megan. I think I will visit your port soon. I have a big box filled with diaries I have written since I was a teen. I never threw one away. I also have a notebook I kept when I went through anxiety attacks 20 years ago. I read it the other day and it made me cry. wiccanhot   Do you keep everything you write no matter if it's good or bad, finished or not? yes, the bad stuff reminds me of how i've improved and the good stuff i show everybody who'll pay attention :) Good for you!!! ElizabethHayes-DaughterofIAM  In response to your Question of the Month. NO, I don't keep all of the things I write. I, sadly enough, throw it in the trash can. I think I'd better break that habit soon. :) Yes, do break that habit! If I threw my work away, I would feel like I was tossing out a piece of myself. J.M. Butler Yes, I keep absolutely everything that I write. I do, however, put it in a separate folder on my computer, entitled Just to Remember. That way I can go back and see my progress. And maybe get new story ideas. Great article by the way! I totally agree with you. I got 2.5 stars on one story with the one line message of, "Excellent job, you're a great writer." And very frequently, I get 3.5, 3.0 with only one liners that all sound like they would be 5.0 For me, it's aggravating. I've written back to each one and asked them, "What can I do to bring this up?" None of them respond, so I'm left in the dark. I just trust my own judgement though and those whom I respect. Thanks again for your time in this. God bless you! That's a great idea! I think I must be obsessive... I not only keep mine in my documents, but also here at Writing.com, AND in my handwritten notebook AND many times printed out and in a file! goodmourning Hello, I've had this account for a while now, but have only started writing in it recently. Do i still count as a newbie? According to the 'official' classifications of Writing.Com, you are no longer a newbie, but you are certainly still welcome in Newbie forums!  Virginia Ripple --Question of the Month-- I always keep what I write no matter how bad it may be or if I can't seem to finish it. I figure that even the worst story or lamest poem I've done may bring out a fabulous idea in the future. At the very least I keep them just to remind myself that I've come a long way and that I still have a way to go. --m0rnings0ng I have many unfinished stories, too, that I'm hoping I will finish someday. I've even thought about bringing a few of them together into one! Pretty in Black I always look forward to your newsletters, Cubby, because they are so colorful and attractive--not to mention helpful, too. "Do you keep everything you write no matter if it's good or bad, finished or not?" I keep a good deal of my writing, but it's mostly unfinished stuff. I have a book full of ideas, vignettes, and scenes that are waiting to be expanded. Sometimes I get frustrated with a story and just chuck it, but I try not to do that because usually if I just move onto something else and come back to it later, it'll work out. Keep up the wonderful work, Jamie I'm glad to hear you keep most of your writing, Jamie. It would not surprise me to see you as a successful author some day.  Cubby's Question of the MonthHow and/or when do you include writing in your everyday life?   Next week's editor is the ever-so-wonderful... esprit  Have a question or comment for the Editor? http://www.Writing.Com/main/newsletters.php?action=nli_form  To stop receiving this newsletter, go into your account and remove the check from the box beside the specific topic. Be sure to click "Complete Edit" or it will not save your changes. |
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