I need to know if I have a talent in writing. Help?

I need to know weather or not I am a good writer. I have been working on a certain story now for approxamitly 3-4 years. I don't know weather I can write well or if I am just wasting my time with this book. It is no where near done. I thought maybe some of you that look at this particular section in the forums would be able to write well and notice a good writer when you read one's work.

I shall post a few paragraphs of my story below and could you please tell me? Thanks.
Also, the paragraphs are taken out of the middle of the story so you might not understand somethings.


Elizabeth laid down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. Maybe one day she could have a life of her own. With a man that would care for her, not abuse her like her uncle did to her aunt, but treat her like she was the only thing he ever cared for. She could get away from this dump and live life. Her anger started to rise. Was there even any point in living? If life is so good, then why do people die. Why do people get theirs taken away from them. She wiped a tear away from her eye. She began to wonder how much better life would be if only her sister was still alive. Turning on her side she fell asleep.

“I said I don’t know Ray!”

“Ya do know, I know ya know!”

Elizabeth rolled over and glanced at her alarm clock. 9am and they were already at it again. She sat up, it was Saturday so she had no school. No escape from this hell hole. The sun shined through the derelict windows and the tatty curtains. Her aunt and uncle refused to let her decorate her room, even though Elizabeth offered to pay for it with her own inheritance.

“Tell me or I'll..”

You’ll what Ray? Hit me? Like you’ve done for the past fuckin’ 5 years we’ve been married?”

Elizabeth heard a loud slap echo through the narrow staircase. Her aunt began to sob. And Ray had no mercy for his vulnerable wife.

“I can’t take this any more.”

Yea’ well ya deserved it.”

“How do I deserve THIS?” She shouted through gritting teeth.

“Ya run ya mouth at me what ya expect? I’m your fuckin’ husband not your kid ya can bad mouth and get away with it.”

Elizabeth heard a slam of the front door and her uncle cracking open a can of beer. Great, another day ruined. How many more was there going to be before she could be happy again Like she was with her mother and father. Even if her father did work all the time. He did it for a reason. To keep them all in a wealthy lifestyle, give his two daughters and his wife everything they ever wanted. Her mum was always there if she needed help with homework or a nasty spill had gotten on her new favourite blouse. Her mother and father were so great. She missed them both, as well as her sister.

Getting up out of bed she noticed a torn piece of white and pink paper. Picking it up she noticed what it was instantly. Her hand trembled.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> That is the end of that chapter. There is more to that chapter obviously, but it is too long to post. I am now currently writing the next chapter after this one. Please tell me what you think, have I got what it takes to actually write a sucsessful book.. or am I wasting my time? Am I just another narrow minded kid who probably wouldn't be given a second glance?

 

its not worse than any of the novels ive read. Kind of hard to judge though, its only an excert, not really able to tell ur plot lines.





-i wrote anouther post if this came across wrong- *edit*

 

well, i liked it! im 15 as well, so maybe your writing is more apt. to be liked by younger readers, but i think you've got talent!!~Danni

 

Keep writing. You're not wasting time. This is pretty good - not the best, but not bad. Don't waste time worrying about whether or not you have what it takes. You can write. Will you be a successful writer? I don't know. But I know that you will never find out if you quit.

 

Anyone who writes is a writer, and no write knows if their good or bad, and why would they. Best thing you can do is show your english teacher, give some writings to a friend... Ive wrote many things, i usually get awsome feed back, but its impossible to know if they mean it lol.

Writing is good, good or bad.

 

im sorry i didnt mean it as a bad thing, i did note ur age when i wrote it, so i just assumed ull get better with age, meaning it was good now, just think of how it will be when ur older. Im sorry if i offended u, sometimes my words just dont come out right.

 

its okay no worries. And I've given the unfinished story to my friend and her mum, her mum reads alot, and they both said it was good, but I never know if they are telling the truth.

 

Should I post my story on another thread? Then maybe I could get truthful feedback? Or will nobody bother reading it? It's about 12 pages long...

 

Why don't you post the whole story? We'll be able to judge better, give you constructive criticism and suggestions, etc.

 

Okay, sorry I misunderstood your post. By all means, go ahead and post your whole story on another thread if you like. When I'm done reading I'll give you my honest feedback. (just be patient because it might take a while)

 

I have made another thread with my full story in it. Its called 'The Hidden Runaway - Constructive Critisim Needed, Thanks!'

 

I am a writer. I get paid for some of the things I write. Writers write.

I will attempt to help you now even though someone is trying to demand my attention by reading the newspaper at me.

You have good ideas. You need to learn the tools of the craft of writing so that you can express them more clearly.

Writers Write. Earl Emerson wrote fourteen novels before he wrote one that was good enough to publish. Now he is a popular writer.

You really need to learn about usage, punctuation and grammar. Your English teachers may be very interested in helping you learn if you ask them for help. Get a copy of the "Strunk and White" grammar book and learn the lessons there. Get a copy of "Steering the Craft" by Le Guin and learn the lessons there.

BIG RULE
One idea per sentence.
BIG RULE


Keep writing. Keep learning the craft of writing. Like every other craft, you get better at it the more you do it.

Read the "Maximum Ride" books by Patterson. Not only are they fun, but they are also good lessons in sentence construction, action, pacing, character development, and how to tell a ripping good yarn.

_________
Elizabeth laid down on her bed and stared at the ceiling.

* Rewrite for proper grammar.

Maybe one day she could have a life of her own * with a man that would care for her. * A man who would not abuse her like her uncle * (parallel construction) abused * her aunt, but who instead would treat her like she was the only thing he ever cared for. She could get away from this dump and live life.

* different topic*
Her anger started to rise. Was there even any point in living? If life is so good, then why do people die.* ?* Why do people get their * lives taken away from them.* ?* She wiped a tear away from her eye. She began to wonder how much better life would be if *her sister were * still alive. Turning on her side she fell asleep.

“I said I don’t know* , Ray!”

“Ya do know, .* I know ya know!”

Elizabeth rolled over and glanced at her alarm clock. * It was *nine * in the morning * and they were already at it again. She sat up.* It was Saturday,* so she had no school. No escape from this hell hole.

new topic

The sun * shown through the *derelict (the windows were abandoned?)* windows and the tatty curtains. Her aunt and uncle refused to let her decorate her room, even though Elizabeth offered to pay for it with her own inheritance.

“Tell me or I'll..”

"*You’ll what Ray? Hit me? Like you’ve done for the past fuckin’ *five years we’ve been married?”

Elizabeth heard a loud slap echo through the narrow staircase. Her aunt began to sob.

And *(show this instead of telling this) * Ray had no mercy for his vulnerable wife.

“I can’t take this any more.”

"*Yea’ well ya deserved it.”

“How do I deserve THIS?” She shouted through *gritting* WRONG TENSE teeth.

“Ya run ya mouth at me what ya expect? I’m your fuckin’ husband not your kid ya can bad mouth and get away with it.”

_____________
You must know the basic rules of writing or your story will not get a second glance from the overworked secretary. The Editor will never see it.

You have made a good effort. KEEP WRITING.



___________

 

untrue

 

I think the best advice that I or anyone could ever give you is to not listen to what anyone says.

If you're really 15 years old there's absolutely no reason to worry about whether you're a good writer or not. Just keep doing it and one day you'll figure things out.

But if you want to know whether or not anything in what you've written here sets you apart from anything that any other 15 year old has ever written, I'm going to have to say 'no'... it's a pretty ordinary story that's not very interesting. But that doesn't mean that one day you won't write something good.

 

This is not bad advice but I'll add to it.... you should listen to what people have to say about your writing but you should always make your own decision about what advice to accept.

There is no reason to worry whether you are good or not at 15, because writing is a craft that takes practice, study, reading, etc...you will get better if you continue trying. The question is whether you have the passion to take the time to do what it takes to stay with it even when you doubt your abilities.

Sometimes ordinary work can turn into extraordinary. I worked on a short story for about a year and it was initially 3,555 words and last version was just over 1,200 (but I probably cut too much so I'm still working on it.)

Did I say "work"... the word craft is better, but it is like work... you have to listen, practice, write, then rewrite, then read, then listen, practice, write, write, rewrite... go to classes, workshops, etc., but keep doing it and you will be amazed....

it was only recently that something clicked in my head that made me realize how all my studying, listening, reading, writing, etc.... the craft is becoming so engrained that it is part of me, almost like a muscle that has been used so often that it does a lot of the work effortlessly... but still I have doubts, but still I keep writing and developing my craft.

final word: spelling and grammar are important and you do need to get those basics down.

 

wow thanks for all the feedback greatly appreciated

 

It depends what you're doing. It's a cliche example, but Kerouac spelled things however he wanted to and had his own sense of grammar. His writing came out the way he thought it, not the traditional way of speaking. If you want to use alternate spellings or (dis)organized sentences--not that prose absolutely HAS to be in sentences, however it generally is.
You could also spell things phonetically for how the character would be speaking, or their accents. Check out Roddy Doyle's books "The Van," "The Snapper," and "The Commitments." His spelling and grammar in these books show how the characters would have spoken in a working-class Dublin accent.)

But if you're not writing a completely free-form piece, then spelling and grammar are important. You can use American spelling, British, Canadian, or a mix of them, as long as it's legible.

As for your writing, I think it's not bad. But I really don't think that a "talent in writing" (creative writing) is really a question that can be answered objectively. Everyone can have their own opinion. I've thought some highly acclaimed books were absolute drivel, and appreciated writing that many people thought was dreadful.

Now as to being publishable...that may be different.
Make your own chapbooks and distribute those or something, see how that goes. Try it yourself before trying to get it published. I don't know where you are, but where I am, there's a whole small press scene and people who read these things.

 

Aspirine's advice is good. You need an editor, possible an English teacher who can really pass along the rules of grammar. Most reviewers have a zero tolerance for spelling errors and a low tolerance for grammar errors.

Either you or the text editor used here are introducing too much white space. In dialogs, you don't need a line skip when switching from one speaker to the next.

Your reader needs to be told who/what/where/when, usually in the first couple of pages, so that she/he can identify with the action and develop a picture of the scene you have in mind. Finally, you need a story line, a complete event to tell of from start to finish. Best of luck.

 

well i really enoyed it it would be good though if you could put more on as other people have said its hard to judge not knowing what the plot is or the story line but what i have read so far is good

 

yeah ill post the full story on a new thread called The Hidden Runaway Constructive Critisim Needed