This forum is slightly overwhelming for me. I was wondering if you're an extremely amateur writer, where do you begin here ? If I post few of my stories will people react to them? I mean will I get the much needed criticism from more experienced people? Obviously I don't intend to criticize other people's stories when I barely have a point of reference . I was thinking of posting a few stories, reading out the comments, then scour this forum for useful hints, tips and of course - reading all those amazing stories other people write. One question I have at the start is, what is the best online software to use for publishing, because I wrote a story on Microsoft Word but when I published it via Google Drive it completely ruined my "timing" and space. The story's tempo was completely changed. Essentially I am interested in finding software in which during writing process you're story will look the same when you publish it, and that's convenient for the readers, like a simple matter of opening a link . Many thanks in advance for any help.
It can be overwhelming for anyone just starting out. Remember that each of us felt the same way when we came here. Those who didn't either already had some experience in the world of writing or were full of themselves. Every reader is a critic. It's innate. Don't discount your opinion or its value so quickly. You will come to learn that an innocent eye, unencumbered by preconceptions is a rare and precious thing. You will get the critique you seek in this forum - you will - but in our forum we believe that giving critique is the road to learning. You will be expected to give a minimum of two critiques before you can post you own work in the Workshop. Do all of this! But in reverse order to what you stated. This last bit, I'm not exactly sure what you mean by the parts in bold. I'm not a fan of MS Word, I use Scrivener, but your terminology there, "timing", is throwing me for a loop. 'Splain me, Lucy. Wrey
Hi @The Despondent Mind, Welcome to the forums! We're glad to have you. Excellent question, by the way. To answer, I'd say first, please read the Forum Rules and consult the FAQ, for information about posting your own work (if you haven't already). Basically, you will do that in the Writing Workshop after you meet the requirements. Here they are as presented in the rules: To answer the rest of your question, the way to get the most out of this writing forum is to get involved. Browse through the forums and read some of the threads that people have posted. Participate in the discussions. Do not be afraid to add your voice/opinions. We have members of varying backgrounds and levels of experience. Everyone counts. Also, try browsing the workshop and reading what people have written, both works posted for critique and comments in response to them. I'm sure you'll find things that you like. Ask questions too (just try to use the search feature to look for threads that might have been posted on a certain topic). Altogether, just be open, have confidence, and have fun. Follow the same rules of etiquette that you would use with your friends or family. We're a fun community full of people who are passionate about what they do. You're more than welcome to be a part. Good luck and Welcome, ~Andrae
Doh! @Wreybies I was challenging myself to beat you and other mods lol. It's turning into a pass-time of mine. You win this round. Edit to add: to the OP, try not to be nervous. We all started as beginners, and there are plenty of beginners here. I'm more or less a beginner myself, just one with a little experience. Again, I suggest, finding threads that interest you and participating. As for whether or not you'll get critique, it goes up and down, depending on how active the workshop is, but I'm sure you'll get at least a few. I may hop in and read your stuff.
Thanks for the info guys, already this forum seems even better. I love how the workshop works, makes sense and is fair. I will try my best despite of my lack of professional terminology. My story does not look the same, the format widens which in turn alters the space between the sentences. The reader of the story does not see follow the same tempo of the story as I intended for him. I will give you a rough example with the exact copy of my post. Spoiler I will try my best despite my lack of professional terminology. My story does not look the same, the format of the page widens which in turn alters the space between the sentences. The reader of the story does not see follow the same tempo of the story as I intended for him. I will give you an example with an exact copy of my post.
Ok, ok.... I see now what you mean. Something similar often happens when people copy/paste text out of their word processor and into the forum reply window. It has to do with formatting "characters" that each platform uses, which may or may not be similar or compatible. When I copy paste from Scrivener into the forum, I get extra line spaces that weren't there in the original and other people get line spaces that are missing altogether depending on the platform of origin. I suspect something similar is happening to you. There is an incompatibility of formatting characters.
That's why I was looking for an online writing software which does not mess up my story and is convenient for the reader. But maybe I should take this to another thread ?
We have a few different subforums closer to the top of the forum main-page dealing with publishing and specific ones for self-publishing. Post there and you should get some good foot-traffic from the members. The bit I've already mentioned pretty much taps my own knowledge bucket dry on this particular subject.
