Have you ever written a piece of literature

You are viewing a single comment's thread.

← View full post
Comments ( 2 ) Sort: best | oldest
  • I've tried, yeah. I admire someone like Zadie Smith who had a well-publicised novel aged 22, but I tried aged between 18 and 21 and I didn't have the life experience; I don't think many of us do.

    My whole first chapter was about a train pulling into a station and two people catching each other's eye. I went for a heavily descriptive style and, apart from being a bit boring, it wasn't too bad. But then I wrote myself into a corner. The guy was still on the train in the second chapter (yeah, really) and desperate for something interesting to happen, I introduced (prepare to suspend all disbelief) a vagrant who sleeps on train station benches and who can disappear at will. I think I had just about enough self-awareness to know that this was poppycock and I gave up soon after.

    I want to come back to writing, but I get caught up in self-doubt and that I don't know much about the method of it. I think I'm going to try, though. Even if I write it and it gets rejected by a chain of publishers, at least I can say I once wrote a book.

    Comment Hidden ( show )
      -
    • So take writing courses. Good writing can be learned. How do you think Zadie got so good at such a young age? I doubt she didn't study the craft of the trade.

      Comment Hidden ( show )