I've been looking around at a few writing communities for quite some time today. And for the 15 minutes I've spent here I think this will be the community I become a part of, making new friends and learning as I go. After reading a few initial things I like the review system, and actually I haven't quite started my writing so there is no dire need for me to post my work right now. I am on the edge of learning for the time being, and where I do have goals of writing novels I know it would be unrealistic to start there. I've always wanted to write, but lost track of that while growing up through middle and high-school and throughout college. During 2009 I go the chance and completed a life goal I never dreamed would happen, and it also reminded me about some other things I've always wanted but always pushed off. So 2010 I made a simple goal for myself, write 1 short story each week for a total of 52 stories over the year. As well as reading 24 books, as I also lost touch with that edge and reading helps writing. Anyways, enough about a newcomer that is boring you... Time for me to go browsing and reading some bits around the forum! I did have a few general questions that came while reading about some policies; 1) How do you depict a user that is just saying, "Yea nice work, keep it up." Is there some way the community can rate/rank a post as useful? 2) I'll probably learn this quickly but, what are the average word counts for short stories? I hope everyone has a great day and thanks for letting me become part of the WF community.
Hello Blackbird, Welcome to the Writing Forums. We do have a reputation system (the scales icon to the bottom left of a post), but most frequently people just add a post saying, "Nice post." or somethink like it. Short stories run up to about 8000 to 10000 words. Flash fiction runs from about 100 to 1000 words, and short stories can overlap this range somewhat. 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 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!
