I suppose it all comes down to your reason(s) for writing, whether it be professional, personal enjoyment or trying to curb your inner demons. I agree with Japes insofar as a person always learns from his/her writing. Also, reading different books, journals and magazines can assist anyone in their writing. While writing can be a very personal experience, you are influenced by many factors around you (society, family, personal issues, etc.). Bite the bullet, as they say, and write no matter what. Iwan

Thanks for all the nice comments. It helps to make the journey that much easier when you have the support of those around you. Iwan

Thank you to all who voted and congratulations Chohole on a contest well won... Iwan

The same here. You were the first one to give me feedback on my poems. Wishing you all the best. Iwan

Thank you chohole.

This might sound like a clich but to know that my poem moved someone is reward enough for all the struggles I had in writing it.

Iwan

Thank you dialyn.

It was a very difficult poem to write and I battled with it for several months. However, I felt that I needed to put this poem behind me and move on with my writing. It is now a case of the writer distancing himself from his work and looking back on it as objectively as possible.

It is my first entry into any competition and I wanted it to be something special.

Iwan

Attached Link: http://www.renderosity.com/viewed.ez?galleryid=880724&Start=1&Sectionid=35&filter_genre_id=0&WhatsN

Not your convential love poem, but one I felt needed to be written. Thank you for taking the time to read this...

Iwan

Your comments are always appreciated Crescent no matter when you post them ;-) The story is coming along nicely, but I find myself constantly going back to the earlier parts (like this one) and making small corrections. Eventually, this will lead to a much better and well-rounded story. Of course, this means that I will have to post the finished product (whenever that may be) here on Renderosity. Thanks again for all your support. Iwan

Ironically enough, I had my 27th birthday on Friday and it was quite a bad day in many respects. However, on Sunday afternoon I watched "Dead Poets Society" for the second time in almost a decade and it reminded me of how important it is to 'let go' and break free from the strict, sometimes choking, guidelines society lives by. Best wishes, Iwan

Thanks jstro for the helpful tips. While I have been writing reviews for a while know, fiction writing is something new for me. I therefore appreciate all the input I can get. I will go through all your suggestions and see how best to implement them ;-) No worries dialyn, it is interesting to read about the comma. Especially for me who is just starting out with creative writing. Thanks all, Iwan

Thanks for the heads up Evo, Iwan

I forgot to add that everyone that celebrate Christmas should have a wonderful festive season! Iwan

It could be just me, but the outlines seem to be too well-defined. Iwan

How is a writer supposed to approach this conundrum then? I suppose one has to adopt they style one is accustomed to and persevere.

Thank you of all the comments. I really appreciate it. Apologies for the spelling of "centres" but I live in South Africa where we have adopted the U.K. spelling of words. I will have to "Americanise" my text for the Renderosity market. As for the other suggestions Jon, I have reworked the text so the points you raise should be vastly improved in the final version. Since this is my first attempt at writing fiction, I am a bit hesitant on expanding the vignettes into a full-blown short story but am willing to try. Crescent, you are correct (as always). I will need to do quite (wink) a bit of work on the sentence structures. There is a distinct lack of rhythm in this piece as opposed to my previous posting. As far as the typo is concerned, I can't believe I let that slip through. It is one of my pet hates (that's probably why it got through). All the best and keep them comments coming, Iwan