Firstly I got to say that back in high school I was the kid who just wrote one final paper, did spell check, and then handed in the paper. I really didn’t edit much. Not even college. I did the assignment, counted my blessings and gave it to the teacher. Well that doesn’t work when you’re writing a novel. It doesn’t work at all.
I bit the bullet and started writing. Ironically I snuck into my old college computer lab with some Princess & the Frog fruit snacks to work on it today. It’s a quiet space to work and there’s a working printer. I fought the waves of randomness and tried not to go off tangent and just sit and write enough for my next week Writer’s Workshop deadline. Omg, if I sent in my first draft of my first few pages I would have been laughed back to grade school. Spell check is NOT what it used to be!!!! However “geez” is apparently a real word. Lol. Next thing we know, “lol” will be a real word too. Now I have a Math degree and an Engineering degree, and that totally does not equal English + Grammar Extraordinaire. So I had to do a lot of editing.
For all you bloggers who are writers and have gotten pieces published and have gone through editing a whole novel I have to give you a round of applause. It took me 3 hours to basically edit 3 pages. It looks like my old English teachers had a field day with this!! But I’m a beginner. This is my real first big writing project. However when I began to write new stuff after the editing was done I felt as tho I completed something. It was tangible, I could feel it, I could touch it, and I could read it. It brightened up my spirits. Also what’s so cool about writing is there is a beautiful creation called the backspace & the insert key. You can add or take away parts. I’m loving it.
Ohhh what a tangled web I weave. I am complex. I strive for simplicity but it always seems that I'm playing chess with everything. One right move, one pawn gone, one wrong move, and then one queen takes the king. There are so many things on my plate but it is making me grow as a person. I’m still 5’5” but my mind is an elephant that could fill a room.
This week I've been trying to show you guys a lil more about me than my ridicolous relationships. The writing, learning the computer programming, making a doll, and there's one more thing that I'm trying to learn as well. This was one of my New Years Resolutions. Learn French. My first language is English and yes I have a very New York/New Jersey accent. How you doin? lol. But in the job world and just for my own pleasure I want to know how to speak to the lovely people I plan on meeting one day. I took Latin for 6 years in high school so hopefully it'll help me here.
One thing...its really hard not to sound like a New Yorker while your speaking French. I love the Sex & the City ladies but they don't talk like New Yorkers at all. =P. Practice makes perfect tho.
I'm going to leave you all with a French phrase that I've grown very fond of: "La guerre e finir." Translation: "The War is Over". I'm going to get back to my writing. I'm almost done for next week's deadline!! Wish me luck! =)
31 comments:
I've been taking French off and on for the last 10 years. When I returned from Switzerland 18 months ago, I was almost fluent. However, since being back, I don't get much practice and so my profficientcy as really declined. I hope to take a class or two in fall, though, to reconnect and continue improving. Good luck to you!
Good luck on your novel. I have a couple that started out, what I thought, as pretty funny or interesting, but school and life have prevented me from doing anything with them...
I think I might just wait until summer and after school to really work on them... Seems safest, anyway...
aww, i'm proud of your hard work!
it's hard to learn new languages X.X
but fun
goodluck hun
Sounds lovely, I want to learn Italian, this is my year to learn itlaian, and then I want to learn french, I have a lot of intrest in learning other languages, that advantage I have is that I know spanish lol...
Six years of Latin, wow that makes you an expert. Learning a new language should be easy for you.
Secretia
Good luck sweetie! I've been wanting to learn french back in High School, but that class was full, so I ended up going for Spanish. Spanish was fun too. Learning a new language is going to be hard but then again, if you have the passion and determination then it'll come to ya. =)
You are off to a great start! I wish you luck and hope everything goes well!!
As for languages, I am learning American Sign Language and it's amazing. Since I have a passion for it, it's pretty easy and since you have a reason/passion for French I hope it'll be easy for you too! The strange part is when you start dreaming in the other language... :)
::cheers:: Taking the first step of starting the novel is a huge step and leap. Keep it up and I encourage you not to stop writing. I did and am finding it soo difficult to get it started again.
P.S. - There is a beautiful award for you waiting on my blog.
I am SO happy for you!! Writing is incredibly satisfying. What's the novel about? I'm curious now!!
writing is difficult, but well worth (or at least I assume so since I never have the courage to write fiction myself, but congrats to you!)
oh god, I am so bad a foreign languages. The pronunciation nuances of French just trip me up. I am not the most subtle with the English language even, still slip up on English words here and there haha, so French with its accents and letters that go unpronounced (h) is awful for me. took it for like 10 years, but basically I should give up. need to try something harsher next time like german or russian lol
Rosetta Stone! I am learning Portuguese right now, it is very very easy with Rosetta. You just soak it up :)
Editing is a long and painful process but don't let it kill the forward progress. Keep enjoying the parts in place.
That is so awesome that you are writing! It is quite the journey!
Congrats on the writing and EDITING - I give you so much credit.
About speaking another language, I have enough problems with native language, but can understand a bit of French having grown up in a household where it was spoken.
You've motivated to go write now.
I am looking forward to reading your first novel!
Just keep on writing :o) We'll be there reading...
You endured 6 years of Latin - wow and I am complaining of "only" one year with latin... LOL!! I would agree with som of the others - you knowing Latin already gives you a good start....
Difficulties learning other languages.... well English is my second language - then add the following languages to the long list: Danish, Sweedish, German, French, Spanish, Japanese (and yes already mentioned English and Latin)... I use a lot of languages at my job, and returning to speaking my mother language: suddenly I am mixing several languages....
I did four years of French in high school and two modules of business French in uni, but I can't remember any of it now apart from the basics. Which makes me sad.
Great to know that you are writing again... do it Melanie. I'm your avid supporter. Happy weekend! xoxo
great post - i HATE to proofread LOL .. so i just do spell check and perhaps a quick glance. if i'm worried about mistakes, i ask someone else to proofread. i would critique my work too much!
good luck on your novel! how right you are that revision is such a tricky thing!!
and good luck if you decide to pursue French--i took it all through college and loved it!
Good luck with EVERYTHING!! You are so inspiring, Mel. I love it. I'm very happy you're taking the time to work on your novel. Although editing does sound like a major headache. Lol. Can you imagine how hard it must have been to write a book with just a typewriter?! Omg. Having to re-type everything over and over and over again. Or, even before typewriters. Jane Austen had to write all her books by hand. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry!! Haha.
I wish I could speak another language. I took ten years of Spanish in high school and college and still don't know much of it. I think it's because I didn't practice it enough or have anyone to talk to in it. I think French is a fun language. My former editor has almost all the Rosetta Stone languages on CD and he is willing to burn me a couple for free...maybe I will try to learn a new language too! I'll follow in your footsteps.
See how inspiring you are?!?!
Good luck with all the writing! xoxo
I've recently started a writing project after years of just dabbling in short short stories which I wrote just for kicks. My problem is that I want it to be short and neat and tidy but I lose track of my ideas and then they're so far ahead that I can't keep and that's usually the part where I give up!
I don't edit. I know that's not a good thing, but I don't have the patience for it. I can write thousands of words, but I'll only read it once over, make any corrections that I find, and be done with it. My mother, on the other hand, will spend about ten hours editing a one page letter - it's incredibly frustrating! I think that everyone has their own process though when it comes to writing - you just have to figure out what works for you.
As for another language...I have tried countless times to learn French, Spanish, and Sign Language. I learn a few things then forget about it. It seems hard; yet I would give ANYTHING to be bilingual!! :)
Congratulations on getting so much done with your writing, and good luck with you writer's workshop meeting!
I took French and Russian in school, and I've been trying to learn some Japanese, too. My problem is that without anyone to practice with, I forget words nearly as fast as I learn them.
Good luck :D I'm learning French now....
OMG you starting writing a novel!? good luck and good for you!!! :) im so excited for you even though its going be a long and probably painful process.
and i speak another language but i was learning it the same time i learned english, so it was easy?
lol
It's terrific that you've started writing and are doing the workshop. I'm not much of a writer - other than the blogging schtick. I don't have the knack for fiction.
I took Spanish in high school for 2 years. I don't know much beyond the basic greetings and social pleasantries.
I took 4 years of Spanish and can barely speak it. I can read it fairly well though. I want to take up French, it's such a romantic sounding language.
where did you do the workshops at? are they helpful? this was real interesting. Im an english major and have trying to improve my writing for years.
Awww, love the Frog Princess Fruit snacks girl! So adorable. When I learned Spanish it was a little hard for me, but you can certaintly learn. It just takes much practice and some time. In high school I took Chinese and I sound like a valley girl so you can only imagine. lol. It is good that you are writing girl!!! Yay!!! So proud of you! :o) I too, am not fond of editing, but it is something that must be done. Well, blessing and best wishes with everything. Sounds like you are on your way girl! Woohoo! :o)
I am fluent in English and Spanish. Currently I am learning French in high school, and it is not hard as long as you don't have such short memory.
Much love,
Sophia
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