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/lit/ - Literature


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10117770 No.10117770 [Reply] [Original]

>be me
>sign up for creative writing course
>short stories module
>get told to read carver's stories from the anthology (set text) for next week
>it's next week
>75% haven't read the stories and takes pride in being cool-because-i-don't-read-despite-wanting-to-be-a-writer xDD
>75% of the class, therefore, has fuck all to contribute in discussing carver
>5 people available to contribute
>they offer great contributions:
>'Uhm, like... He uses "he said" and "she said" way too much, like, omg...'
>'wasn't he an alcoholic? i bet that's why he stories are about desperate men'
>see the lights go out behind teacher's eyes
>teacher twitching from collective class autism
>half the class continues in this fashion
>can physically feel my shekels being pissed away
>second half of class is workshopping stories
>get in groups
>am sat with two males
>one writes military sci-fi (warhammer fanfic)
>the other literally couldn't be bothered to write anything
>read sci-fi guy's story first
>it's utter shit
>pass my story around (has to be better)
>they both half read the story and literally
>literally
>begin discussing anime
>JUST
>teacher comes over:
>'are you discussing anon's work?'
>'y-y-y-yeah! it's g-great!'
>great
>great
>paid for a limp discussion of carver and the sum total feedback of 'great'
>notlikethis.jpg
>come to kafka-tier realisation that i am the true loser. i should become part of the heard; i am taking writing too seriously... they are mostly in relationships, live fulfilled lives, and i am just a bitter /lit/ fag wishing for literary stardom
>class is over
>and so are many other things

>> No.10117777

Thats why you form private groups.

I learned alot from my CW classes and it was an overall positive experience, but you can greatly accelerate your growth if you have a serious group thats rigorous and no bullshit.

Seek one, or make one.

>> No.10117787

Not quite the same but when I was in highschool we were """learning""" poetry and the teacher was "telling" us the meanings and I questioned her on one of her thoughts because the poem was clearly a biblical allegory and she disagreed and I was sent to detention.

>> No.10117798

>>10117770
>join the heard

>>10117787
>failing to grasp that highschool is also about learning to obey authority

>> No.10117801

>>10117798
Lol if thats the point of HS I'm glad I dropped out. Its a fucking zoo.

>> No.10117803

>>10117801
>not learning to toe the line when appropriate for your own advantage

>> No.10117804

>>10117803
Or I can get what I want without asking permission like some slave. Its worked well so far.

>> No.10117809

>>10117804
Yes, unless what you want is a job or a future.

>> No.10117817
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10117817

>>10117809
>job
>not skills and self-employment

Niggas be crazy

>> No.10117825

>>10117817
You have those then do you?

>> No.10117827

>>10117825
I wouldn't be mouthing off if I didn't.

>> No.10118020
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10118020

>>10117827
>I wouldn't be mouthing off if I didn't

>> No.10118173

>>10117770
Creative Writing is time off from the reality of having a job, so you can use it that way

>> No.10118220

>>10117770
4th hand story here but i heard one time that some creative writing teacher had to ban stories about parties since all the suburban white kids wrote about them too often. kek. i will never be great but at least im not that bad. almost makes me feel worse about myself though, somehow.

>> No.10118258

>>10117770
This sounds a lot like my experience. Right down to the focus on Carver. Where you at, OP?

Anyway, my Prof was cool and had some good advice to offer. I feel the best thing I took away from those classes was learning what not to do. I also got a little confidence boost from reading all the shitty stories.

>> No.10118276
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10118276

>>10117770

>> No.10118357

I feel your pain OP. I took a 6 week long "introduction to creative writing" course. At the very first class, we all had to introduce ourselves and say which writers inspired us. There was a 40 year old guy there who admitted he had never read a novel in his life and an autistic woman who wanted to write a brexit-themed sci-fi novel.

>> No.10118358
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10118358

>be me
>have fuck school situation so I decide to take one course at a community college while I look for transfers
>lead by local mystery writer who thinks way too much about herself
>her writing is actually shit
>class is mind numbingly easy
>only have to write one short story and two poems the entire semester
>most assignments are elementary school level
>class is made up of old people and weird kids who didn't go to college
>only two other students stand out to me
>one because he's a 9/11 truther who won't shut the fuck up anout conspiracies and alex jones
>one girl because she's clearly only driven by identity politics but sounds like an okay writer
>eventually submit short stories
>mine is based off sherwood anderson's winsburg ohio but more modern
>it sucks but it's my first story and I knew that the bar was very low in the class
>class' writing is absolutely awful
>9/11 truther wrote about 9/11
>most people wrote sappy love stories or very autobiographical stories
>identity girl wrote the most tumblr story I have ever read
>gay transgender asian hate crime and rape victim runs away from halfway house in drag to colorado
>mfw she dropped the class before I could tell her why her story was trash