Thursday, March 29, 2012

Do you have a community?

So, I finally joined an online writing forum, at Absolute Write.  There are a lot of people on there!

Some have been writing for a very long time. Some have been writing for a few weeks. Everybody has an opinion, but isn't that the way that goes?

In a way, the forum itself is a bit like Doberman Talk, but for writing. There are questions and criteria that the seasoned members have for whether an agent or publisher is legitimate, and the kinds of things we as writers should be looking at in contracts. There are discussions about grammar, and plot, and a suggestion to post your work or your queries for critiques. There are writing prompts and "off topic" forums (though is anything off topic, when you're a writer?)

Other than a few college classes, and two workshops since, I've never really been a part of a writer's community. I don't have people that I regularly share and swap work with. I have friends that will happily read my stories, but nobody that I get down to brass tacks with in quite the same way. I can get pretty thorny over critiques, but if you knew the critiques I had to deal with in college, I think you would have felt the same way. Nobody wants to read their story and have one of the only comments be "What does this word mean?" Everybody has a different vocabulary, I get that, but writers? I hold them to a higher standard. Especially if you're supposed to be offering criticism. I have a story somewhere (begging for rewrite) involving a mermaid and a fisherman's son, and the deals made. The comment I got? "This made me think of The Little Mermaid." Meaning, the Disney film. I could have cheerfully killed that peer reviewer with bare hands, especially because her story was about her first car, which was not bad idea in and of itself. But it was bad.

So, I've got hopes for this. They have a minimum post limit before you can share your work, which I agree with. They foster community, give and take. We'll see how it goes.

6 comments:

  1. Welcome to Absolute Write! I can tell you I learned a lot in the past year from reading and reading on their. I especially liked participating in the share your work section during the summer months.

    I feel fortunate that my college creative writing classes have some really eager writers who take it seriously. I have learned a lot from there too (I haven't learned to abuse a lot from that class, just to lazy to think of a smarter word).

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    1. Thanks for the welcome! I've looked at Share Your Work, and commented on a couple, but haven't made the post count yet. Maybe I'll post from my current novel in progress, but it'll still be awhile on that, I think.

      I guess if I'd actually been an English major, I would have muddled less in finding fellow writers; it's really what I should have done. I'm still friends (ish) with one of the better ones from those classes, anyway, which is nice.

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  2. You've taken an excellent step towards improving your writing. I really should have joined a CP group sooner. :)

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    1. Really, writing is a very solo thing for me, but considering my lack of sales, writing to my preference isn't the only game in town! Writing groups, online or otherwise, can really help clarify things.

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  3. Welcome to the Cooler. I hope you enjoy your stay with us. I have been a member for the better part of 2 years and I have really enjoyed my time there. I have learned a lot but the most important gain for me was meeting new people who shared my interest in writing. Not to shamelessly promote the forum, but this has to be one of the best communities I have ever seen online.

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    1. Thanks very much. Really, promote away! I lurked a bit on the board before I joined up, and it really looked (and continues to look) like an online environment I can take part in.

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