✍️ Writing
A community for writers, like poems, fiction, non-fiction, short stories, long books, all those sorts of things, to discuss writing approaches and what's new in the writing world, and to help each other with writing.
Rules for now:
1. Try to be constructive and nice. When discussing approaches or giving feedback to excerpts, please try to be constructive and to maintain a positive vibe. For example, don't just vaguely say something is bad but try to list and explain downsides, and if you can, also find some upsides. However, this is not to say that you need to pretend you liked something or that you need to hide or embellish what you disliked.
2. Mention own work for purpose and not mainly for promo: Feel free to post asking for feedback on excerpts or worldbuilding advice, but please don't make posts purely for self promo like a released book. If you offer professional services like editing, this is not the community to openly advertise them either. (Mentioning your occupation on the side is okay.) Don't link your excerpts via your website when asking for advice, but e.g. Google Docs or similar is okay. Don't post entire manuscripts, focus on more manageable excerpts for people to give feedback on.
3. What happens in feedback or critique requests posts stays in these posts: Basically, if you encounter someone you gave feedback to on their work in their post, try not to quote and argue against them based on their concrete writing elsewhere in other discussions unless invited. (As an example, if they discuss why they generally enjoy outlining novels, don't quote their excerpts to them to try to prove why their outlining is bad for them as a singled out person.) This is so that people aren't afraid to post things for critique.
4. All writing approaches are valid. If someone prefers outlining over pantsing for example, it's okay to discuss up- and downsides but don't tell someone that their approach is somehow objectively worse. All approaches are on some level subjective anyway.
5. Solarpunk rules still apply. The general rules of solarpunk of course still apply.
Click here to visit our solarpunk writing resource wiki!
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Goals:
There’s a writing conference in the big town down the road that represents civilization in these rural parts at the end of this month. Sadly, I have responsibilities that conflict and I won’t be in attendance. But the draw of this conference is that it lets local writers pitch to lots of publishers. This makes me want for a more coherent collection of publishable materials and “elevator” summations of the same. So I should prioritize getting my ducks lined up -for the next opportunity. Also, I’ve just got out of the habit of writing on the regular. Some more consistency would be great.
About me: I’ve been a broadcaster, journalist and lots of other stuff. I’ve spent some time penning some non-fiction on health and culture -none of it published, but I hope to update and edit and even self-publish if necessary. More recently I’ve worked on some speculative fiction regarding technological unemployment and knock-on effects and some Kilgore Trout sort of prompts. I write inconsistently around some absurd life -as I suspect lots of us do.
You make your hometown sound enticing and wondrous! And your other activities too. Glad to have you here, and I hope you get your shot with publishers one day, if that's what you're looking for.
Thank you! There are upsides to living in the Appalachian boonies for sure, but everything is pretty far away.
Man I'd love such a thing in my area! Provided that I don't write in this country's language (yet), so it might still be challenging. But at least it's a great way to know fellow authors!
Also welcome here! I'm very interested in that technological unemployment topic, and coincidentally I've read an interesting overview by Uncanny Magazine just this morning! Hopefully you find some inspiration and discussion around here 😄
Thank you! Appreciate the article!
Great goals, and that's nice that you have a relevant conference nearby - by the sounds of it, as a regular event you can plan around, even. Also, your background sounds like it would have exposed you to a lot of interesting raw material to write about!
I think many of us are with you on the goal of building a consistent habit of writing - that seems to be the gold standard for writers: that if you can actually produce words consistently, all else follows.
Actually you've inspired me - I'm going to open a text file and see what comes out right now.
Welcome to the writing club!
Thank you!
I was impressed and surprised to find such a resource this close to home. Some talented writers in the Huntington, WV area are really doing a service to their community.
Hope your session was fruitful!