STEEMIT is the best teacher in the world!

in #steemit7 years ago

Now, I've always been against traditional education, something I've made clear in my posts. I've never wanted to attend college, as far as I can remember,there was never a subject that particularly attracted me.
Apart from writing, of course.
I've always wanted to do writing, to be a writer. And it was the only subject I ever loved enough to want to study it. So, naturally, I thought...well, if I'm going to go to any uni, it's going to be about writing.
Now, here, in Romania, there aren't many options when it comes to writing degrees.
So, I decided to look elsewhere and soon, my eye settled on the UK. I went to a university fair and was in awe of how many options they have – the fact that you can go and study Creative Writing seemed great.
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I began looking up universities and reading their course structure – what I would study, if I enrolled in a Creative Writing course. The titles were breathtaking, to me: Shakespeare, the poetry of Byron, the Beat generation, Irish poetry, and the best – Creative Writing workshops!
It sounded like Heaven. But I realized it wasn't....not really. See, the reason I was so pleased was that I loved all these subjects – Byron, Shakespeare etc – and the reason why I loved them was that I had studied them already!!

By myself.

I've read up on them, I've studied them online, I've participated in online courses. I'd already done those stuff. As for the workshops...really? I was going to pay 9000 pounds to go write at a school? Why, when I could write on my own?
See, I don't think you can teach writing. You've ever got a talent for it, or you don't. Same as with any art.
So, I decided against it.

Enter Steemit...

Too good to be true

When my mom, @ladyrebecca, first told me about Steemit I remember feeling very confused. So, you got to write whatever you wanted and people would read your stuff and you might even get paid for it.
Wow.
It sounds like a dream. What any writer dreams of hearing. Write for us and people will read your work. And you might even get paid.
So, I joined Steemit instead, and looking back – I realize I've made the right choice.
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1. You get a lot of feedback

You don't depend on one particular teacher to review your writing. Everyone is subjective and a student really shouldn't have to suffer or think they're a bad writer just because the teacher doesn't like their writing.
On Steemit, you get feedback from every corner of the world and from all sorts of people – some agree, some don't. You can listen to all sides and take suggestions. There's way more variation then what you'd get in a classroom.

2. Write, write, write!

Sure, you don't have to post something every day. But you want to. Steemit is very much like a drug, in that respect. You start writing to build a page and to know others, and pretty soon, you find you can't stop. You say you won't post today, but then you find yourself scribbling away a few ideas.
“Just a short post, I promise...”
And your friends and family become worried about you and are probably planning an intervention, 'cause you're always on your laptop and you're always writing and they think it might go to your brain.
That is, if your friends and family aren't already on Steemit themselves, of course.
I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.
So, Steemit makes you write. A LOT.
And you write about so many different things. Because you don't want to milk it – you can't write about one single subject all day, every day, because people might stop reading. So, you rack your brains and discover all these exciting new ideas you didn't know were in there and you hit the keyboard.
It's an amazing progress. Now, I'll bet you that the average Steemian writes more than a Creative Writing student in one year. And I'm not talking class notes, nope, just the stuff that comes from your head.
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3. The good, the bad and the weird

This gets me to my next point, you get to explore. Not just around the world, by talking and reading strangers' posts, but around your own head. As I said, you find exciting new ideas every day. Things you didn't know you were interested in. Weird thoughts that come out in the middle of the night and you write them down...'cause who knows, maybe someone else has them, too.
This is something that no workshop can teach you, I believe. Although they should. Just think how much you have learned about yourself by writing on Steemit, look at all the posts. I look back and I'm like when did I write that?
I think this should be mandatory for every creative writing teacher – just have your students write whatever is in their heads, whether they can't stop thinking about the cute girl next door, global economy, a randomly strange fiction story etc. Don't focus on what they write, or on structure or other stuff like that. Focus on production, on quantity. And variety, of course.
It's how you see what you're capable of – by writing whatever comes in your head.

4. Read, baby!

Stephen King (horror author and my own personal hero) once said that

“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.”

And I believe that's true, based on personal experience. I need to read a lot to feed my brain, my creativity. If I don't, my writing suffers, my ideas suffer, I just can't do it. Now, Steemit should not replace a balanced diet of novels, short stories, poetry etc. Despite the fact that you can find all those things on Steemit.
But the one thing you do do a lot – besides writing – here, on Steemit, is read. You have to read, in order to make new friends, to bring readers to your own blog. And you want to read, because you get to love the community and want to know what your friends think, what they have to say. You're exposed to a wider range of content than in any bookstore, in the world. Insane, scientific, fictional, lovey-dovey, banal, excellent, short and witty – we've got it all, baby.

5. The dough

I can't believe I almost forgot this. I was so engrossed in all the great features of Steemit I forgot about the money. It seems like a crucial detail, I know, but it's not, as anyone on Steemit will agree.
Well, not anyone – there are of course the scammers, spammers etc. But most people here are decent people who're here for content, not money. Which is amazing, really. I mean, everyone likes the money, sure. But most folks aren't here just for that. Most are here for the community.
Think about that – a community of friends, who are free to write what they want and talk about anything, and they get paid for that.
It's incredible. Aaand it's something I doubt you get to do, while in uni. Well, not due to the university, anyhow. Besides, uni takes up a whole load of time, so not as much to spend on Steemit.
I cashed out some money back in December, when SBD and Bitcoin were rocket-high and it filled me with a sense of incredible pride. I actually won money for my writing. It was like a sort of pay. And it wasn't due to some deal with a magazine or a publishing house, it was money from peers who had liked my posts.
And it wasn't something petty like 5 bucks, it was a pretty decent sum. Especially for someone who has never earned from writing before.
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It's a fantastic motivation for young writers and a great incentive. You get paid because people like what you write – a pretty good sign that you're on the right track.

I believe you learn by doing and that this goes for pretty much anything, but especially for art. You can't learn art by sitting in a classroom.

You learn by creating.

Thank you for reading! Steem on!

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I couldn’t agree more. I’ve learned so much in these 4 months on SteemIt, from reading other people’s post, but also from writing and reading my own.

At one point, not so very long ago, I realized that the writing that I loved so much when I was younger, had become more like a job. I had been in internet marketing for almost 15 years, and all I had been doing was writing salesletters and email pitches that were different from eachother, but still so alike.

It was only 2 weeks ago that I realized my articles on SteemIt were just as forced as the salesletters I used to write... It felt like I had forgotten how to write just for the pleasure of writing (I made a post about this here )

So, now I’m trying to let go again and to write without overthinking everything. I’m starting to feel the joy of writing again. If it hadn’t been for SteemIt, I would probably still be writing salespages, and do so for the rest of my life. Fortunately, that changed.

The more I try to write, the less good the articles are. The best ones are the spontaneous ones, that come up in the middle of the night.

So, all this to say that I can really relate to what you’re saying. SteemIt is giving me the freedom to grow, as a person, and maybe some day as a writer again... ;-D

P.S.: Stephen King RULES!!!! ;-)

Thank you - I was a bit confused when you said 4 months, since your blog says it was created this month , but then I saw it's just your new account ;)

Yeah, I know the feeling - I've felt this about my Steemit posts, too, that some feel mechanical. Luckily, a lot are spontaneous. They're me going with an idea in my head and developing it, seeing where it takes me. So there is a sort of balance, but I try to keep an eye on my writing, to make sure it doesn't become work.

I also write a lot of fiction that I don't post on Steemit (I guess I'm a bit shy about that), so maybe that could help you letting go? Because it's something that I know no one will read and it takes a bit of pressure off.

The more I try to write, the less good the articles are. The best ones are the spontaneous ones, that come up in the middle of the night.

Exactly, trying destroys everything. Never ever try. When I feel that I'm dragging myself to write, I just close the window, because I know whatever comes out is going to suck, so it ain't worth it.

P.S.: Stephen King RULES!!!! ;-)

This made me smile! Thank you for that :D I've always loved his writing, although I feel it's decreased in quality, in the past few years. Still, he has a deep-rooted place in my heart.

That too is the power of SteemIt. i have been struggling with it for a while now, and it feels really good to to find people you can relate to.
Maybe Its a good idea to pick up ‘freestyle fiction writing’ again, not to post, but just to stimulate writing for fun again. After all those years of non-creative writing, I’ve gotten a little rusty... i think I’m really going to take that advice and do something with it.
So thanks for the motivational support!

And I totally agree again on the Stephen King part. I’m a bit disappointed that these last couple of years he stepped away from the ‘horror’ or completely wicked stories, of which he was the absolute master. It’s a bit sad that books like ‘It’, ‘The Running man’, ‘The Stand’, ‘Cell’, ‘Cujo’, the masterpiece ‘The Shining’, one of my favotite short stories ‘The Long Run’ and so many others (I’ve read the entire collection) are followed up by books that kind of disappoint me. Still, I refuse to give up. I bought ‘Sleeping beauties’ a couple of weeks ago, but haven’t started it yet; i don’t want this one to be disappointing too...
But still I haven’t found any other writer in the horror genre that is playing in the same league..

By the way, the fiction you write of which you know no one will ever see it, there’s a big chance it is your best work. It might be a big loss for other people if you hide them from the world... But I do inderstand that you don’t want to expose your precious stories to a world of people that thrive on critisism,,,

So thanks for the motivational support!

I'm glad I could help :D

Yes, I have a feeling 'Sleeping Beauties' is a very feminist, socially aware (o whatever) book...and I just don't think that it's worth exchanging that really amazing, creative fiction of his to prove some tired social point.
I haven't bought it, myself. Don't know if I will. I made the mistake of getting excited for his son's, Joe Hill, book "Strange Weather" and it proved to be a collection of stories about racism, feminism, guns and all that...and he used to write such good horror stories before. Frightening.
But no, there's no one like him.

By the way, the fiction you write of which you know no one will ever see it, there’s a big chance it is your best work.

Possibly...I don't know if it's so much about fear or criticism, although that is very possible. I don't know...I've been trying to build up the courage to share some of that here, too. Maybe I will, soon.
By the way, I really appreciate this comment. It's so encouraging. Thank you.

You too
One last thing about Joe Hill. I read ‘Blind’ without knowing he was ‘the son of’. The first part really stunned me, I really thought I found someone who would be able to live up to King. But the ending was a little disappointing, if I remember correctly. I didn’t read any other books he wrote, but now I might go looking for his old stuff :-)

Blind? What's that? I mean, from what I know, he's written four novels - Heart Shaped Box; Horns; The Fireman; NOS4A2 - and I can't find 'Blind' among his short stories? Please enlighten me.
As a side note, his books are pretty good - I really enjoyed 'The Fireman', which is kinda like 'The Stand', but also different.
I think my favorite is 'NOS4A2', though.

I assume it was 'heart shaped box'. I searched only one website to find out how the book was called in English. A little silly of me, I should have double-checked ...

You learn by doing. Read. Write. Read some more. Write some more. You get better with time and practise. Not everything is about formal learning. Experience is a great teacher.

Yes, I believe so, too.

I completely agree. I also have my criticism regarding institutional education that is not done to educate people but to give them titles and get them a job. People who learn to do things do so because they want to learn, not because someone teaches them, someone can open the door for them of course, but they will walk the path under their own will.

Unlike you, my strength is not writing, it is oratory and reading, although that has not been an obstacle here, I think that people here are very open to listen to what you say, even if they disagree, and that's something that is really appreciated on the Internet, where usually people just want to be right.

Yes, that is a great advantage to the Steemit community - you're rarely reprimanded if someone disagrees (flagging) and most people would rather debate than have erratic monologues to prove they're right (like on Facebook or other social media).

I agree with your opinion. And I've written about this.

I also wanted to become a writer but chose to be a nurse instead.

Congratulations! You were nominated for a TROPHY TOKEN award HERE Please comment your Bitshares address to receive your reward! You can also contact us on Discord @Trophy-Token. Thank you for being a great Steemian!
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oh, that's nice. Thank you, but I don't have a Bitshares account. Could I get the trophy any other way? :)

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