Hello to you all. I've just joined today, primarily because I write a lot of fantasy and nobody in my immediate circle of friends likes fantasy literature - so getting a fair critique of my work has been hard! I've penned one novel of 114,000 words which is currently in the professional proof-reading phase, and have started work on a sequel. My aim is to be a published author within 5 years. Some of the books I like best: "A song of Ice and Fire", "Wizard's First Rule", "Magyk" and a lukewarm enjoyment of "Harry Potter". My hobbies outside of reading & writing: Creative engineering (um, basically building to solve problems), hiking and football (I'm a referee). So, I've heard that writing anything on an online webpage makes it difficult to get it published later. What is the extent of this? Would I be able to post a section from a work-in-progress that undergoes changes before it is sent to a publisher? Would I be able to post the first paragraph of my work provided that I stop there? What's the deal?
TobiasJames - two of my favourite boy's names. Although, I actually prefer Toby than Tobias. Anyway, welcome.
Hello Tobias, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Review Room before you post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here. It is worth taking the time to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog. Also, be aware that posting a piece of writing on any public site, including this one, will greatly diminish your chances of selling it for publication. Removing the writing later does not alter that fact - once posted, it is irreversibly considered published. So do not post anything more than a small excerpt of any piece you are planning to submit for publication. If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Word Games, or the Review Room, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the forum rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Review Room, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize constructive critique as a vital writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. The Review Room forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Review Room forum). Also, please use the same thread for all revisions and additional excerpts from the same piece of writing. See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out the RPG forum for improvisational fiction. Also try our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
Hello Tobias, and Welcome I´m sure you´ll get good reviews to your story. Btw, since you are a fantasy fan, are you into video games? Do you know the game series called Final Fantasy? At last, I hope you´ll like to be here in the forums
I know Final Fantasy very well, up to FF10. After that, it just started to get silly. Thanks to Cogito for his broad welcome post, but I'd really like to know how much of a story you're "safe" to post before it becomes damaged goods in the eyes of a publisher. Like I said, I have one quite far through the pipeline at the moment and I don't wish to put it in jeopardy...
It isn't an exact amount. The more you post of it, the greater the likelihood of hurting your chances. A chapter of a novel is probably okay, but if it's already submitted, there's not much point. The best strategy is to create some writing specifically for critique, never to be published. After all, it's your overall writing skills you should be focusing on rather than a specific piece of writing. Learning to critique more effectively will help you look at any of your writing with a freesh eye, and find and fix your own work.
