I chose exile...I made a mistake

Join the workshop.

Fastest ways to lever up your skills. Great people. Great minds. The feedback you will get from your peers will be invaluable.

If you're serious about writing, join.

Don't worry; I'm always taking a 5-year hiatus from creative writing - and in fact so long as you're soaking up experiences, it does advance your writing skills.

yep, workshop is awesome. it takes work. and your experience with reading reflects my own. i was reading star wars novels, something like thiry six. went on to aliens and predator series books. then i graduated to thomas harris. clancy and grisham. then i tried chuck's survivor. id never read anything like it. i spent more than half of my life reading below par fiction. i blew through his books, through chris baer's three novels. craig clevenger has two out. stephen graham jones, i dont know any readers who can keep up with his output bwahahaha

the point is, you'll find a lot of great reads by reading around in here for recommendations. some workshop members now have book deals, brandon tiets and richard thomas name two. you'll find a lot of well known writers spend time here from time to time. this is a great place to learn about writing. plus, chuck has something like thirty six written essays on the craft (what his fans call "dangerous writing" and what he calls minimalist writing). plus there is an essay collection from visiting writers, which is free to anyone and can be found here:

http://chuckpalahniuk.net/features/essays

and here are some awesome short stories:

http://chuckpalahniuk.net/features/shorts

definitely read guts. something like five thousand three hundred and thirteen people passed out while hearing him read that story on a tour he did a couple of years back. read it in one sitting, see if you still want lunch l:

welcome to the cult. let us know when you want book recommendations.
-kabol

If you're serious about writing, there's really no reason to not do it, especially since it's only $40 for the whole year.

I came in with nothing but a self-published novel and have since gotten a book deal, a literary agent, and seen some publication in lit mags and a couple of upcoming anthologies. Bottom line: this place teaches you how to become better, and with all the resources available to you, it then allows you to get published.

Good luck,
-BT

JK - I ordered Survivor and also Invisible Monsters yesterday. Looking forward to reading those very much.

If you're serious about writing, there's really no reason to not do it, especially since it's only $40 for the whole year.

I came in with nothing but a self-published novel and have since gotten a book deal, a literary agent, and seen some publication in lit mags and a couple of upcoming anthologies. Bottom line: this place teaches you how to become better, and with all the resources available to you, it then allows you to get published."

Yeah this alone could sell it.
Your life must be pretty good at the moment.

Edit: who's the woman in your sig?

That's my cover model, Emily.

Good eye.

do you know the writer hubert selby jr? reqium for a dream, last exit to brooklyn? he is fucking revered as a writer, he never graduated high school, never stepped foot in college till he was fucking teaching it! im not kidding look it up, so why the fuk are you talkin about NEEDING a degree. you just need the right mind, think half these ppl r gonna be great writers?
the people that were meant to be writers will be writers, cant change that (wat happens, happens) all u can do now is swallow wat u observe and blast them onto the page. (i feel ya on the cannabis habit though,i got a nagging meth problem, but hey self destruction might be the answer. as said by a fictional charector in a fictional book, lol see the irony?)

yea thats cuz im not writing a story and it got ur attention didnt it, god do all of u do this cuz that is ur guys's biggest and only argument sry i dont grammerize(hee hee) wen i txt. (you are not your bank account, YOUR NOT THE FUKIN WAY U GIV SOMONE ADVICE) see dood this is wat im talkin bout, sry im done mybad (i doubt

the painful, animalistic process of your apparent need to "one up me" is inflicting on what me and others are here to do, which my friend is teach and learn. dark horse, this is a prime example of what you do not, do here. as you can see it is tiresome and fruitless and i am done having apart in it,welcome.

better?

You make this too easy. If a woman were this easy, someone somewhere would call her a slut.

wow! are you this primal? dude what the fuck do u think the spellchecker is for, get over your god complex that was good in elementry skkkkooool but its just sad now, im done this is to immature (maybe if you werent,wellyou youd be able to get girls that werent just sluts and ud stop bitching on a fucking website, wat is this face book hahahaaa this was fun.peace
(the way chuck writes it attracts people with a god complex cuz he makes people feel impowered with his "mind opening"way of writing, like chuck says"the children are the ones with no power so they grab onto any they can get, so watever views you have stick by em)

And then the mountain-dwelling sage left his wooden hut and screamed so all could hear: "I HAVE TROLLED THE TROLL."

hee,hee,hee, um yea, wow man u rule

I hav sex wit ur mom n she luvs it in the ass, lol, did u relly think i was any bettr then u? im just lyk u, i also ejacul8 everitime some1 acts lyk a grammer nazi,

hope you know iv bangin som nice tasty crystal this whole time, and thats made this real fun heh heh, fuk this site im out

I am beginning to doubt that Hellvirus has either the firearm or the methamphetamine that he claims he has upon his person. Indeed, he keeps claiming that he is leaving, yet keeps posting.

Hi Darkhorse,

As you can tell...

This place is buttloads of fun!

Emphasis on buttloads.

I do not appreciate that comment, Alecia.