OK - I want to put a disclaimer in here now, since I had a while back an interesting experience indeed. I am here because I love writing and I want to improve. However, for me to improve I need people to be honest with me. In order not to be a hypocrite, and in fact to add to the self-improvement process, I will comment on other writers' work as comprehensively as I can. It will be honest. I always comment on what I consider to be strengths, and then I will use editor-style to point out weaknesses (note that strength and weakness is not the same as positive and negative). I tend to critique one-off stories. To date I have spent my valuable time doing just what I said, but so far I don't always get the same in return.
I should say that I try very hard to avoid ego here. I believe I have accepted criticism constructively, and with the exception of one person, my comments have been gracefully accepted. I have even made friends with such persons. I leave the assessment of my overall writing skills to others, and my comments are always directed to the work in question - not the person as a writer. I believe I'm a good critic - and this is a skill that isn't necessarily correlated to being a good writer (after all, I don't need to be a painter to spot a poor painting). I will always comment on grammar issues - it is inconceivable to me that this is deemphasized, as it is a necessary step in growth into the profession.
There - I mainly wrote this because a poor young writer decided to accuse me of character assassination for my critique - a contrast to the thanks from other writers. We all have different rates of growth of character.
My name is Gerry and I work in IT - it isn't a bad job, but it isn't the same as writing. It couldn't possibly be as good as writing for a living.
I started writing stories at the age of about 10 and have never not created worlds, characters, plots etc.
The biggest mistake I ever made in my life was not to pursue professional writing until a few years ago. Have a lot of catching up to do - don't have a problem with creating worlds, characters, constructing plots - but the discipline of writing is more than that. It's putting it all together into something publishable. And of course, every year I didn't try to get published is another year I had no chance at all getting past the "find an agent" obstacle course.
I have finished one "seriously publishable" novel, and am working on a second - in the high fantasy genre. I am also working on a YA novella. I am still trying to find the agent or publisher that will want to even seriously look at what I have written. I have no doubts at all that I will be published - the question is really about when.
Anyway, apart from a highly demanding, stressful job, as well as a three year old daughter, I am dead keen on getting into the profession. May the gods help me!
I am an administrator of The International Fantasy Writers' Guild, where I provide editorial input, including in an epublishing business.
I should say that I try very hard to avoid ego here. I believe I have accepted criticism constructively, and with the exception of one person, my comments have been gracefully accepted. I have even made friends with such persons. I leave the assessment of my overall writing skills to others, and my comments are always directed to the work in question - not the person as a writer. I believe I'm a good critic - and this is a skill that isn't necessarily correlated to being a good writer (after all, I don't need to be a painter to spot a poor painting). I will always comment on grammar issues - it is inconceivable to me that this is deemphasized, as it is a necessary step in growth into the profession.
There - I mainly wrote this because a poor young writer decided to accuse me of character assassination for my critique - a contrast to the thanks from other writers. We all have different rates of growth of character.
My name is Gerry and I work in IT - it isn't a bad job, but it isn't the same as writing. It couldn't possibly be as good as writing for a living.
I started writing stories at the age of about 10 and have never not created worlds, characters, plots etc.
The biggest mistake I ever made in my life was not to pursue professional writing until a few years ago. Have a lot of catching up to do - don't have a problem with creating worlds, characters, constructing plots - but the discipline of writing is more than that. It's putting it all together into something publishable. And of course, every year I didn't try to get published is another year I had no chance at all getting past the "find an agent" obstacle course.
I have finished one "seriously publishable" novel, and am working on a second - in the high fantasy genre. I am also working on a YA novella. I am still trying to find the agent or publisher that will want to even seriously look at what I have written. I have no doubts at all that I will be published - the question is really about when.
Anyway, apart from a highly demanding, stressful job, as well as a three year old daughter, I am dead keen on getting into the profession. May the gods help me!
I am an administrator of The International Fantasy Writers' Guild, where I provide editorial input, including in an epublishing business.
- Last seen right now. Member since May 25.
- My mood is
, and quote is "Lots of things are coming together, just fine.". - I am a 47 year old guy (Australia)
- When I'm not writing, I'm an IT Executive.
- I support the site as a gold member
- I am in the groups For Critical Critters and Critique, Storywrite Anthology Volume One, The Guild of Fantasy Writers
- I have 193 comments, 2 contests
My Lists
My Stories
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My name is James and I'm a ghost hunter.800 words, 6 comments, November 29. In Castles, First person, Ghost hunters, Ghosts, Light fiction, Mystery
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A lighthouse was built on a rock with an ancient legend.
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Themba wondered why the other children were so cruel.
Guest Book
1 - 3 of 3
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Quixotic : Am sharing the laughter on September 20
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nextandykaufman on September 12yo
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tallblondie : Welcome! on May 25Hi Gezza,
Welcome to the StoryWrite website!
My username is tallblondie but most people just call me Blondie. Our site is a community of people who all share a common desire to write and hopefully become a published author sometime in the future. It is also a place to sharpen your writing skills and display your creativity while being in a fun environment!
You will notice a gold medal by your name. This is a free trial membership. This shows you what options you have if you were a paid member of Storywrite.com. After approximately three days the gold membership expires, so take the opportunity to see all that our site offers to you.
We have a new members group on the site. This group was set-up to show you how to post your work onto the site and to give you an understanding of how the reading/reviewing of your work actually happens. If you have not already done so, I would suggest you take a peek into this group and see how this process works. http://storywrite.com/group/info/New+members+group
Along with a new members group, we have a New Members Contest that is held every month. Come and check it out. The contest is open to any new member.
http://storywrite.com/contest/4684
It is recommended that all new members to the site give serious consideration to joining a writing group as a method of assisting them in becoming an active member of the site. It is a great place to make new friends and get helpful critiques.
I have included below a few quick tips that have proven to be very helpful to new members in doing some of the basic functions necessary to get yourself set-up and running on the site. One in particular is fun things to do around Storywrite:
http://storywrite.com/column/show/161
To find all the emoticons
: http://storywrite.com/column/show/53
Chatterbox conduct: http://storywrite.com/column/show/57
Trolls or Cyberbullies: http://storywrite.com/column/show/151
Don’t forget to read the Storywrite Rules: http://storywrite.com/home/guide/rules
On the right hand side of the page is where you’ll find all you need to edit your stories, change your user info, change your picture, etc.
Thank you for joining the StoryWrite web community. If you have any questions feel free to ask! Have fun and keep writing!
tallblondie
Greeter
