Are you writing for you or others?

If writing can be judged from 1-10, I use to work on a 2-3 level: Lots of emotion, lots or raw text. No spell check. No semblance of order. No proper sentences. I wrote for me, no one else. I didn't correct my work. I actually didn't know how anyway. And didn't want to know or learn. My short stories needed so much work that they were more ideas rather than stories.
After writing and correcting my first novel through 4 drafts I entered level 5.
Then a friend studying writing, ripped through my work, I was then at level 7, and stayed there until I received feedback from a NZ publisher and Stringybark. After that I had to study and learn how to write even better. Now I believe my work ranges around 8-9 and sometimes dips into 10. And I think that anything below 8 isn't publishable. However, even 8 is touch and go.
My advice to anyone and everyone is to get some 'real' critiquing done so that you approach even a 5-7 standard, at this level people can enjoy your work when they read it rather than stumbling over the faulty mechanics of your writing.

Pressie, Christmas present, not absent

I just looked up the word present; so many meanings behind that little word. You can also see how the word present came to mean gift.
Consider: Present a person to your King. (Interesting to note that that also makes them present for that day, as in not absent). Then you present a gift to your King. Then dumb it down to, Here's your present.
There is a chance I just wrote all this on a whim because I am procrastinating over fixing up a part of my novel that has been said have too much dialogue with too much geek info. Publisher included.
I guess I better get to work.

Writers of Melbourne - join us!

If you would like to become involved in Melbourne Writers' Social Group, go to: 

http://www.meetup.com/The-Melbourne-Writers-Meetup-Group

or

http://www.facebook.com/MelbWriters

We meet every week in the city for a chat about writing and to also discuss opportunities to write in a published world.

Melbourne Writers Social Group

http://www.amazon.com/MWSG-Anthology-II-Melbourne-ebook/dp/B00AMPC70O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1355349010&sr=8-3&keywords=anthology+melbourne


https://plus.google.com/u/0/114808982206132903247/posts

A publisher for you!

Hey, if you would like to get to know a publisher while she is starting up, then see this note directly from her:

"If you are not yet a member of The Story Mint go to http://www.thestorymint.com/ and register. This is an ‘invite only’ as The Story Mint is still in its early developmental stage."

There is an area you can submit a full length manuscript (novel) for her to consider.

A serial story that you can add to (although all chapters are taken for this current story - so maybe just give feedback on chapters already written, for now).

A place you can receive computer generated feedback on 250 words or so.

She is also looking for feedback on her site since it is only in its BETA stage and will need a lot of work before it is up and running correctly and is more appealing to the eye.

I hear the best way to getting published is to get involved with publishers that are just starting up. So now here’s your chance!!

Commas before a name (or sir, buddy, mate etc) and after a salutation

Long ago I didn't understand the idea of placing a comma before a name, such as: 'What are we doing here, John?'
It's why I tended to easily forget to add it. I still don't really understand why it is needed all the time, however I have come across a few instances where it would be confusing to leave it out. Therefore, I have realised that the comma is somewhat a necessity in these situations.

For example:
'That's a nice pen Dick.'
Be better if you did this:
'That's a nice Pen, Dick.'

I know, Dick, is not a name that is used often these days, but even if the name was Bob or Rod or Phil, it would still sound a little odd.

Check out this post by Rachel:
http://www.grammarerrors.com/punctuation/commas-in-direct-address/

Free writing & Stream-of-consciousness writing

To begin as simply as possible, start punching any and all words/sentences you can think of into your word processor (or pen to paper if you prefer), don’t worry about how insane what you type sounds, just type. Think of it as a dream you are having where anything can happen; you may be walking along a road that stretches for miles, then there is someone next to you and they're talking about how they love to travel, suddenly you are in Egypt, etc.
That’s very basic, don’t stop there, write anything that pops into your head. It could be that your arm becomes disconnected from your body and moves by its own accord, it finds a snake and they have a ‘romantic’ time together. An enormous tidal wave washes that away and you see from the corpses floating around you that the entire planet has been engulfed by floods killing all land life.
Sentences don't need to make sense, words don't need to be spelled correctly and a full stop doesn't need to be used at all. Just go!

Everything I have just mentioned sounds absurd, but this is how I first began to write. I later learnt that there were books written on this style/exercise of writing. It's called free writing or also stream-of-consciousness writing. Look it up if you like.
This should free up your mind and prove that you can write. After writing for fun with no direction, you can begin moulding a story that you are interested in and making it your first short story or novel.
Enjoy!

A soldier who knows he is going to die

Take a read from this small story regarding a soldier that has been captured behind enemy lines and knows he is going to die:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpLn5Ci1aL4

Well, you don't have to read it, you can have it read to you instead.