Do you find writing an effective outlet?

[Bruce C Ziebarth]

Until this summer, I was looking for a public outlet for my creative tendencies. I do some drawing but am too much of a perfectionist and end up tearing it up. I thoroughly enjoy writing. I began looking around the internet and found two websites for freelance writiers Helium.com and Associated Content.com. I began writing to both sites and find it calms me. It really helps to have an outlet for writing.

Feel free to check out my pieces, a couple are even on ADHD. My articles are listed at the bottom of the page.
My Associated Content Profile
My Helium.com Profile

Do you also find writing soothing?

[Mags Smith]

In answer to "Do you find writing soothing?"

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooh yes!

:)

[Gary]

For myself, I'll vote for keyboard over pen.

My penmanship is terrible because my ideas come so fast that my pen can't keep up. On the other hand, I type at 90 WPM so I just connect my brain to my fingers and let the words flow. Physical writing is very frustrating for me.

Perhaps for others being forced to go slower causes the brain to slow down?

[jo elleman]

Gary, I totally agree with you. I don't type 90, but I do think my typing comes just a little bit closer to keeping up with my crazy racing brain. When I really get going, you can tell because I type dyslexic and have to go back and unscramble the words after the thoughts are immortalized. Longhand is frustrating for me too. I start to hyperfocus more on the process of printing (I absolutely cannot write in cursive because my thoughts take over the ability to form the letters and I freeze) and my writing comes out so horribly stilted. When printing forces me to slow down, I second guess everything, and before I know it, tend to chop up my thoughts so severley that I can't stand it.

[Gary]

A writers' group sounds very interesting. Now the hard questions:

Do we want something that is for mutual emotional support and maybe some tips?
Or do we want a more skills-based group for helping each other develop our writing skills and getting published?
Or something else?

[Bryan Hutchinson]

For me, one word: YES! Writing has been life saving for me.

[Gary]

Definitely. An advantage of ADD is that I have a ton of story ideas just waiting to be written. That means that I can write the same way Beethoven did: Several projects on the go at once and I work on one when the spark hits for that piece. It may be slow but having ADD means never having to say "writer's block."

A disadvantage is that, since the story is already internal my brain tends to take short cuts when telling it to the keyboard. Fortunately I have a wonderful copy editor (my lovely wife) as well as the rest of our local professional writers' group.

My current projects are a murder novel, a hard SF series and a young adult novel.

I'd love to do TV/movie scripts some time but apart from local indie films that pretty well requires a Hollywood agent, membership in the WGA and a whole bunch of other hassles.

[Bruce C Ziebarth]

Gary,
I have found the same thing. I keep a notepad in my pocket. I jot down every article idea that comes to me. Obviously, I will never write all of them but it gives me a list of potential articles to go to when writing. I have found that this helps make more efficient use of my writing time. I do not have to spend time looking for a topic.

[Bruce C Ziebarth]

Several posts mentioned making a writers group. Gary made some great comments about what the group might do. I made a group called We are writers. I did not put much focus in the description to allow the group itself to dictate its function. Personally, I envision a place to post your own writing, links to articles you have written, tips, etc.

I have learned one thing about people with ADHD. You never know what the end product will look like. Many times, it is much better, profound, and useful than the creator imagined. I hope this group does the same.

[ronald Sorenson]

Writing is the GREATEST place my brain can go I love this place it is BLISS.............
Super Soul 2009


Pat Tillman forget not in thanks
Arizona cardinals super bowl dream
Died for the team doing for we
Waste not this time history a change
Celebrate on high cry only in joy
Team is one blended is strength
War a distance horrific such waste
Bonded create a new in view all race
See free do need this can we just be
The game of life a sport in sort’s team
Loser sore in mind war loss is life
President a new together we can do
Pat and his teammates will tell you so
Winning the game is not only the goal
Listen as one the trophy is in our soul
See in his eyes Kurt Warner tear is love
Family are we together all win the M.V.P.
Peace

-Ronald Sorenson
A.D.D. Poet
January 19, 2009
www.addpoet
www.adderworld.ning.com
www.a-d-d-free.com