Category: Writing

The platform doesn’t matter until it does…

Writers these days are spoiled.

They are spoiled because recent development in technology has given rise to online platforms that allow writers to put their work out for the world to see. From Blogger to WordPress to the more recent Medium, writers are mostly free from having to deal with middleman that served as gatekeepers to the big publication houses.

But those platforms actually don’t matter.

They are just tools, just like the pens and papers, nails and hammers, etc. The platforms don’t dictate your writing. Only you do. As a writer, your main job is to write. To put the ideas that are swimming in your head out into words for others to see. If you aren’t doing that, then no platforms is going to help. Just like the pens and papers that are going to sit in some dark corners if your hands don’t reach for them and use those tools.

And after you are done writing, only then the platforms matter. You have to use them to publish your work out for the world to see.

If you don’t understand the rules of the platform, you writings aren’t going to see the light of the day even if you hit that publish button. The platform’s flawed algorithms are going to decide that your writings aren’t worth anyone’s time and don’t bring them out for the world to see. And algorithms can change depending on the platform owner.

And now, the time you’ve spent on writing that great piece of article, essay or poem is wasted because no one is reading it.

So your role as a writer now has more responsibilities.

You have to go out there and reach out to other writers on the platforms. To comment on their writings, to like their writings, or just to say hi. Only then, you leave a trail of breadcrumbs that hopefully grab someone’s attention and bring them to your creations.

And being on just one platform isn’t enough. Neither is being on many platforms. You have to be on the right kind of platform that has the right kind of writers and readers that will contribute to your growth as a writer.

Now you see, the platform doesn’t matter until it does…

Writing horror is true horror until…

I enjoy science-fiction, especially those space opera types. And I also enjoy science fiction stories that comes with a touch of fantasy. Like zombies in a spaceship invading another world or humans with super-human powers typically found in comic books who are part of a space-faring civilisation. There are just so many variations that I can’t list them all. So, I could only hope you get what I’m trying to say.

Now, because I love science fiction so much, I also enjoy writing such stories. Since I read so much science fiction, it’s almost second nature to me when it comes to writing them.

Then I decided to write Murderous House, a LGBT-themed horror/suspense short story.

All I had was this idea in my mind about two boys in a house and it had to be a scary story.

Then I got down writing.

When the first few words came out, I was horrified. I realised I didn’t know how to write a good horror story. During my school days, my teachers were always saying don’t write horror stories for our English Composition because it’s one of the hardest thing to write. You have to consider your pacing, the fictional world, the characters, word choices, etc. So I avoided that genre for a long time.

My thought was, if you don’t get nightmares from the process of writing a horror story, then you don’t know horror.

Then the words keep coming. Keep coming. Like blood flowing from an open wound that refuse to stop. Good thing was, it didn’t drown me. And I’m glad with how it turn out even after very little editing.

And after part 1 of Murderous House went up, another friend of mine, told me it was super refreshing to see me write that. And that it showed my versatility as a writer.

That really make me day.

So now it’s less horrifying for me to write part 2 because I’m more confident.

Your kind of writing

Since we are individuals, we have our own comfort zone or the thing that we are think we are good at as writers. Some writers are just more interested in crafting poems and spend most of their time honing that craft. Some are more interested in working with factual stuff and so they take up journalism or technical writing. And some are interested in crafting fictional worlds and stories. This is where we get our short stories and wonderful works like Lord of the Rings, War of the Worlds, etc.

For me, well, it took me a while before I settle down on where I want to take my writing. These past few months, I’ve read dozens of articles and essays written by other people which made me realise the only kind of writing I’m comfortable with is sharing my own life story and using it to help me navigate through my feelings and thinking. All the disappointments, the sadness, the angsts, the joys and lastly, the thoughts that I have about certain things.

The other kind of writing that got me going was writing fiction. I love crafting stories, especially science fiction ones. And now I’m attempting to craft horror stories. But I’m well aware that I’m not a published author yet. Even then, it doesn’t stop me from writing and putting them up. Whether it get one view or ten views, it doesn’t matter.

So now you know why my blog doesn’t have a set theme or topic. The kind of posts I put up are seemingly everywhere. All because those were the things I was thinking about or have tried and wanted to share something about it. And when it’s time for short story or novels, I put those up here too. It’s why the url is wordsfromturbulenthill.com.

And what’s your kind of writing? Are you a poet whose words can moves the earth and make the sky cry? Or are you technical writer who can move people in the management of a company to take action? Or are you a script/fiction writer who can tell a great story that inspires people or get them to live a different life in their mind?

Writing even when you don’t feel like it

Every writer at some point don’t feel like writing. It could be exhaustion. It could be that he or she has no idea what to write about. The creative well has ran dry. Or in some case, just not feeling well and want to rest.

For me, I really didn’t know what I want to write about today. And the flu has caught me. Sleepiness and lethargy is all I feel.

But it’s important not to stop writing because the alternative of finding excuse to stop writing is just the worse thing you can do.

So what do you do?

Well, you can write about not feeling like writing. That way you are writing about something. And it’s definitely better than not writing. Precisely because of that, this piece of writing is here.

And of course, different people has different process. Some could pick up writing and letting it stop for a while without issue. Some will find themselves struggling going from 0 to 100 in a second and the constant act of writing is what kept them going. Just like a shark. If it stop swimming it will asphyxiate.

So you have to be honest with yourself. Which camp do you fall into. If you are like me falling in the second camp, then you better don’t stop. Keep writing. Find something to write about. For example, it could be even about the new pen you just got from the stationary store. You’d be surprise at how much words you can churn out talking about a pen.

Now that I put that idea out, it’s probably important for me to take my own advice. Rather than me writing about not feeling like writing only to make me wonder why I’m even writing about that.

Weird brain.