It Sucks in Here: Writing in a Vaccum
See what I did there?
It's important not to get stuck in a rut of writing into empty space. A lot of us who write end up keeping our work to ourselves for the most part. Sure, we might show a few close friends or a trusted mentor, but fear keeps us from really seeking feedback. After all, what if the feedback is that we suck? But we can't give in to the crazy-brain.
As Sylvia Plath said, "The worst enemy of creativity is self-doubt." I have that printed out and taped up where I can see it at my desk.
Sometimes, the only way to get rid of the crazy is to get another opinion. But who can we ask? Eventually, everyone around you (and this is a promise) is going to get tired of comforting the crazy. That's not a reflection on them; they have lives, for crap's sake, outside of listening to you meltdown for the umpteenth time and waffle about whether or not that sentence needs a comma. So who else can we turn to?
This is where the webernet comes in handy. Now, often, the internet is, for writers, a hideous, sticky trap woven by the black widow of wasted afternoons. You could stay distracted for several lifetimes by the hilarious content on, say, Cracked alone, not to mention College Humor or, heaven forbid, a youtube search for funny cats (I am an enabler. Insert evil grin here.) But the internet can be your friend, too! Answering your questions, from the correct spelling of "misanthrope" to the population of Uruguay, Google is probably the single most helpful invention for writers since the keyboard. In addition to that, the internet has lots of platforms for us writers to connect, share our work, get feedback, and read a bunch of stuff worse than our own (for those days when we just need to feel better than other people).
I must admit that I have been guilty of writing in a vacuum. I have not participated in these online forums until now, so I am still what you young whippersnappers might call a "noob". Now get off my lawn, you rascals!
With that said, here are some of the various sites available for your sharing needs.
For the serious novelist:
Authonomy : Published/ sponsored/run by Harper Collins, this site is a place to upload your finished manuscript and hope somebody on the site feels like reviewing it. You can also review other people's manuscripts, rate them, and troll around looking for people who might be agents to clumsily blackmail via PM. Because, you know. That's easier than writing query letters. I just joined this site, and I would link you to my profile if I could figure out how. My username on there is palabracadabra, so if you want to find me and have me review something you've uploaded, I would be beyond happy to do that. Just, you know. After finals week, probably.
For everyone:
Writer's Cafe: A good site, from what I've seen so far. They have an easy upload form, and links for contests, advice, and all kinds of useful stuff. I like that they let you post a picture to go along with the story. I'm not sure if every site does that. It looks like a lot of the content is maudlin poetry and fanfic that goes on for chapters and chapters, neither of which is my personal cup of tea, but there's some good stuff on there, too. I actually posted one of my stories, "La Vie en Rose," something I wrote for short story class earlier this year. A little more slow than my usual, but check it out here if you want. I like that the site is .org instead of .com... no real reason, but I just trust .org sites more. .com seems like they're selling something. (No offense, blogger.com) I'm just Emily Pryor on there, so find me if you have stuff posted that you want reviewed! Here's a link to my profile.
It's important not to get stuck in a rut of writing into empty space. A lot of us who write end up keeping our work to ourselves for the most part. Sure, we might show a few close friends or a trusted mentor, but fear keeps us from really seeking feedback. After all, what if the feedback is that we suck? But we can't give in to the crazy-brain.
As Sylvia Plath said, "The worst enemy of creativity is self-doubt." I have that printed out and taped up where I can see it at my desk.
Sometimes, the only way to get rid of the crazy is to get another opinion. But who can we ask? Eventually, everyone around you (and this is a promise) is going to get tired of comforting the crazy. That's not a reflection on them; they have lives, for crap's sake, outside of listening to you meltdown for the umpteenth time and waffle about whether or not that sentence needs a comma. So who else can we turn to?
This is where the webernet comes in handy. Now, often, the internet is, for writers, a hideous, sticky trap woven by the black widow of wasted afternoons. You could stay distracted for several lifetimes by the hilarious content on, say, Cracked alone, not to mention College Humor or, heaven forbid, a youtube search for funny cats (I am an enabler. Insert evil grin here.) But the internet can be your friend, too! Answering your questions, from the correct spelling of "misanthrope" to the population of Uruguay, Google is probably the single most helpful invention for writers since the keyboard. In addition to that, the internet has lots of platforms for us writers to connect, share our work, get feedback, and read a bunch of stuff worse than our own (for those days when we just need to feel better than other people).
I must admit that I have been guilty of writing in a vacuum. I have not participated in these online forums until now, so I am still what you young whippersnappers might call a "noob". Now get off my lawn, you rascals!
With that said, here are some of the various sites available for your sharing needs.
For the serious novelist:
Authonomy : Published/ sponsored/run by Harper Collins, this site is a place to upload your finished manuscript and hope somebody on the site feels like reviewing it. You can also review other people's manuscripts, rate them, and troll around looking for people who might be agents to clumsily blackmail via PM. Because, you know. That's easier than writing query letters. I just joined this site, and I would link you to my profile if I could figure out how. My username on there is palabracadabra, so if you want to find me and have me review something you've uploaded, I would be beyond happy to do that. Just, you know. After finals week, probably.
For everyone:
Writer's Cafe: A good site, from what I've seen so far. They have an easy upload form, and links for contests, advice, and all kinds of useful stuff. I like that they let you post a picture to go along with the story. I'm not sure if every site does that. It looks like a lot of the content is maudlin poetry and fanfic that goes on for chapters and chapters, neither of which is my personal cup of tea, but there's some good stuff on there, too. I actually posted one of my stories, "La Vie en Rose," something I wrote for short story class earlier this year. A little more slow than my usual, but check it out here if you want. I like that the site is .org instead of .com... no real reason, but I just trust .org sites more. .com seems like they're selling something. (No offense, blogger.com) I'm just Emily Pryor on there, so find me if you have stuff posted that you want reviewed! Here's a link to my profile.
For feeling better than other people:
Yahoo! Answers . Just in general, this site is excellent for making me feel like a crapping genius next to the dung-flinging acne monkeys that skulk around this barren wasteland of the human intellect. The Books and Authors section is where people ask for writing advice. Disclaimer: I certainly don't think everyone who asks a question on there is an idiot. I mean, I frequently haunt the forums myself. I do think there are some prime examples of how not to write on there, though. In fact, you can look forward to a future post of how not to write: the Yahoo! Answers edition.
Anyway, that's all I feel like writing for now... Do you know of any good sites to post your work, talk about writing, or get help from other writers? If you do, drop me a comment, let me know!
Thanks for reading, and stop by again tomorrow for--wait for it-- Character Building Thursday! Yeah, you know you missed me.
Anyway, that's all I feel like writing for now... Do you know of any good sites to post your work, talk about writing, or get help from other writers? If you do, drop me a comment, let me know!
Thanks for reading, and stop by again tomorrow for--wait for it-- Character Building Thursday! Yeah, you know you missed me.
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