Noticing Newbies

Welcome to Writing dot Com. You won't believe the incredible resources and support you're going to find here.

You mention that you "get bored" and leave off your stories for some time. Excellent! Most good writers do. Most of us won't admit we get bored. We like to call it Writer's Block or something else that implies how hard we're trying to finish it.

I find that I do an awfully lot of my best writing while I'm driving, or working in the yard, or even sleeping. If you have a story going, it just seems to follow along in the back of your mind and pop out from time to time. That's ok. Rome wasn't built in a day.

One thing I've found helpful is to keep a separate folder called "Works in Progress". It started out being just one or two stories I was working on or had just written but somehow they didn't seem finished quite yet. Its now one of my larger folders. But here's the good part...When I need to write and can't find any inspiration for a story, guess where I go? There's always something in there that has rested, refreshed, gained new perspective or a different point of view that seems to jump out at me. Sometimes it will reach out from that dusty folder and grab me in the car, the garden or the bed and I have to just get to the folder and get the words down on paper.

Never feel ashamed of how many unfinished works you have going. There are a lot of people out there who would love to have just one.

I'm not a big fan of posting unfinished works for a couple of reasons. That's just me and there are a lot of people both on and off this site who would disagree. My thinking is that, first of all I'm too proud to post stuff that I don't feel is my best. Second, I fear that if I do post a story before its finished, then it becomes a collaboration instead of my original work. On the other hand, I'm never too proud or stubborn to listen to honest criticism and try to improve my craft. There are a lot of great people on this site who will be happy to give quality, in-depth and honest reviews of your writing. Listen to what they have to say. You don't have to use each and every suggestion, but at least consider them. If you're lucky and talented enough to get published, you can bet that at least some of your readers will agree with every suggestion you get here. So every one you toss out is a reader who likely won't buy your second book. Don't let that scare you though. You can't please everyone and shouldn't be trying to. If you write honestly and with passion you'll be fine.

A couple of suggestions I would make to anyone posting their work:

Always, always run a spell check before posting.
Never, never belittle your own work with statements like "This is not very good" or "I haven't finished this yet". When you post your work treat it like you are submitting it to an editor and use phrases that sell what you've done and make me want to read it. When I see a title that grabs my attention, I'm excited to read someone new. Its almost like a slap in the face when I open it up and find a sub-title that says "This is a first draft". I usually click off and find something else to read and review. Its enough that you know its not finished. You don't need to tell anyone else.

If you need help with a piece, ask for it. Everyone on this site is here to help each other. The best way to get helpful suggestions is to review other people's work. Most will return the favor. Keep in mind that reviewers are rated by how helpful their reviews are and this is indicated by how many GPs the author sent with a reply to the review. Again, be honest here. Don't send a bunch of GP to someone who gives a high rating and no suggestions for improvement. But if someone takes the time to do a detailed review orfyour piece, let them know you appreciate them and be sure to read their work too.

Hey, somebody kick that soapbox out from under me. These are just some of the things I wish someone had told me a year ago when I was new to this site. There is so much great info and help here that it will take years to find it by just surfing around.

If I can help you in anyway to find what you need on this site or for a review or specific suggestions on a piece you are working on, never hesitate to drop me an email.

Again, welcome to WDC and have a great time here!