1. Adam Matlow

    Adam Matlow New Member

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    Hello there!

    Discussion in 'New Member Introductions' started by Adam Matlow, Dec 9, 2016.

    Just popping in to say hi!

    I'm a novice writer who for some reason thought it would be a good idea to have a go at writing a novel. I've managed to complete the first draft and am now onto the dreaded editing stage. I've lurked on these forums for a while, so thought that it was about time I introduced myself!

    I'm from the UK and write in my spare time, whilst holding down a full time job. I've not had any formal training / education in any writing related areas, so I'm learning everything from scratch.

    So er... Hi!
     
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  2. pamedria

    pamedria Member

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    Wow, congrats for finishing the first draft :)
     
  3. Adam Matlow

    Adam Matlow New Member

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    Thanks! It's taken me about 6 months. Actually, one thing I was wondering about is how do I go about getting people to read it? I have given the first chapter a light edit, and have made it available online, but am unsure how to go about getting people to read it. All I'm after is a sense of what people think about it, whether they hate it, like it or love it. I'm not after a full breakdown of everything that is wrong with it at this point (I'm sure there will be plenty!)
     
  4. pamedria

    pamedria Member

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    Do be careful about putting your work online if you want to publish the finished piece, publishers can get funny about it. Here they have a Workshop where you can paste parts of your work and people will critique it for you. I like to get chapters critiqued done one on one personally, but unless you have friends or friends who would be willing to read and share their thoughts, forums like this should be your haven!
     
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  5. Adam Matlow

    Adam Matlow New Member

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    Thanks for the advice. I reckon I'm going down the self-publishing route to start with, for many reasons, but the biggest being that I doubt I've written anything that would be good enough to be considered by a publisher. It would be great if I struck gold with my first ever attempt at writing, but I find that highly unlikely!

    Also, I find it very difficult to allow friends to read what I have written. It's strange, I'll spend months writing things, hoping that people will like it and then when it comes time to show people, I just can't!

    It has me very confused. Why would I write all this stuff if I didn't want people to read it?

    Fear of rejection? I suspect I'm not alone on that one.
     
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  6. Adam Matlow

    Adam Matlow New Member

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    Awesome advice. I'll post something in the Workshop, then run away and cower behind a rock.
     
  7. JayKazoo

    JayKazoo New Member

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    Writing a book is a pretty huge step towards writing a good book! Can't wait to see what you put out ^-^
     
  8. Adam Matlow

    Adam Matlow New Member

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    Well, I am looking for someone to read chapter one ...
     
  9. JayKazoo

    JayKazoo New Member

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    I'd love to help, but I'm a novice myself, so it may be hard for me to be constructive beyond telling you if it paints a good picture :') If you're alright with that, you can go ahead and send it in a pm!
    I also know a good basic article on writing pitches, if I can still find it.
     
  10. Adam Matlow

    Adam Matlow New Member

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    Awesome. I'll pm you with a link. If you ever want me to return the favour then let me know. Also, I am a massive novice myself. I'm just winging this as I go along, but it's been a hell of a ride!
     
  11. PenelopeWillow

    PenelopeWillow Member

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    I would not mind reading some chapters if you are needing some opinions. I would consider myself new to the writing community, but I have been reading for years :)
     
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  12. Adam Matlow

    Adam Matlow New Member

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    That would be great! I've sent you a PM

    :)
     
  13. big soft moose

    big soft moose An Admoostrator Admin Staff Supporter Contributor Community Volunteer

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    In addition to the writers workshop we also have a collaboration forum where you can ask for beta readers , but there are seperate admission criteria for that

    as regards first rights - while Carly and Pam are write about it not being a good idea to put whole works online if you want to trad publish them, all may not be lost in your case as this is a first draft so the final version is likely to be significantly different. It would still be better not to risk it but its not the end of the world that you have
     
  14. Adam Matlow

    Adam Matlow New Member

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    Thanks for that. Also, it's only the first chapter that is online - and you're right that it will probably change drastically from what it is now :)
     

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