I am very pleased to announce several new forums that I believe will become great resources. The new Applied Writing Forum exists to help us grow as writers, to apply what we've learned, and to make progress towards our goals. This forum is composed of Advice, Insights, & Inspiration, Goal Tracking & Accountability, Collaborative Projects, and Resource, Tools, and Software. I am also considering, perhaps in time, adding a Success Stories forum where we can share successes and notify the community when we get published. The Advice, Insights, & Inspiration forum is a forum where Senior and Contributing Members can post sticky-quality threads. It's meant to act as a repository of resourceful threads. For those of you who are knowledgeable and experienced in particular areas, I encourage you to consider creating a thread in this forum. The Goal Tracking & Accountability forum is a forum where each member can create a journal thread to track writing or publishing progress and to keep publicly accountable. By publicly updating your journal with goals and progress you keep yourself accountable and increase the likelihood of completing your goal. The Collaborative Projects forum is a place where qualified members can network to find beta readers, free editing and design services, critique exchanges, and partners for other writing-related projects. This forum is not for advertising or paid services and will be heavily moderated. There's been requests for a place like this forum for several years and I believe we're at a stage where it can be used responsibly and as a resource. Lastly, the Resource, Tools, & Software forum is a forum where specific resources, writing tools, and writing software can be discussed. It will also be heavily moderated. There have also been requests for a place to discuss specific tools and resources over the past few years. Some entries in the writing resource section will create a thread in this forum once a resource has been added. Each of these forums have an "about this forum" thread with additional information. They'll also be updated with more info, rules, and frequently asked questions over the next few days. Please let me know what you think about these new sections. I'm especially interested in suggestions on how these can best be put to use. I'm also open to renaming Applied Writing if anyone has suggestions.
I'm especially attracted to a couple of your suggestions. A separate forum where we can find beta readers for specific projects is fantastic. This is badly needed for us 'novelists' who can't get complete critiques any other way than a full read of our piece. On the new forum we could either exchange pieces for critique, or simply 'pass forward.' I also would like to see a separate resource section for Software and Tools—and maybe specific computers. I don't think this necessarily should be mixed in with other resources, such as how-to-write or publishing advice. I'd like a separate one, just about software and computers. What works best, what doesn't, etc. I would find this INCREDIBLY useful. I'm probably least attracted to The Goal Tracking & Accountability idea. I feel this is a personal issue, and doesn't really need to clog up the forum. However, if other people want this, I'm fine with the idea. It's just something I will neither use myself nor look at for somebody else.
The new subforums (luv'um!) aren't updating in the side-bar, @Daniel . I think they should. ETA: Also, the new Science Fiction sub-sub-forum doesn't update the sidebar it either.
These look very cool! I'm hoping in the Tools and Software we can discuss stuff for self-published authors trying to design their own covers.
I only added Resources to the "Resources, Tools, & Software" forum as a second thought. It's mainly intended for software and software tools. If this seems to be the consensus I can remove resources from the title. Resources in the resource section of the site all won't make threads there, just selected ones (which are currently software tools). As for specific computers, I could probably add prefixes for Mac/Windows/Linux/Android/iOS. Nice catch, it should update now.
Yeah, I'd like that. Although some software may work cross-platform, a lot of it doesn't. No point in wading through tons of threads that aren't actually relevant to the computer system you use, eh?
why not just change 'resources' in the multi-subject title to 'software' and avoid confusion with the general 'resources' section?
There are some existing "stickied" threads that probably belong somewhere in the new forum. Are they going to be moved? Should we just start new ones? I'm thinking, for example, of the Great Writers' Quote Thread in General Writing.
I draw and work with digital painting, maybe I can give some advice I like the "Goal Tracking & Accountability" forum (I need something like that).
Hey guys, sorry for being MIA; I graduated, moved, and didn't have useable internet until today. Once I get caught up I'll put together a FAQ on these new sections. True. I'm thinking prefixes could be: Windows, Mac, Linux, Windows/Mac, Android, iOS, Android/iOS etc. I'm a little worried it'll get unnecessarily confusing, and it would be relying completely on the thread creator doing their research on the platforms. There's got to be a better way to do it. Originally, because though it was primarily for software, I didn't want to exclude other resources. I will probably end up changing this though. We can move them, though I hope to make this forum the absolutely highest quality. If there are threads you or anyone else think should be included, feel free to message me a link to the thread. I'll review it and move it if I think it meets the standards/requirements (which I'll make public in the FAQ once established).
I've renamed "Goal Tracking & Accountability" to "Goal Tracking" (and will consider Progress Journals), "Collaborative Projects" to "Collaboration", "Resources, Tools, & Software" to "Software", and added the NaNoWriMo forum. The old URLs will redirect to the new ones.
Congratulations! So is that 'schoooool's out ...FOR EVER?' And a new house, etc. Wow. I guess spring does bring many changes for many people. Hope you enjoy your new environment. (And getting your internet back!)
daniel... when i'm reminded of your age, it never ceases to amaze me that you accomplished so much, so 'young'... you were still just a teenager when you started this site, though it certainly didn't show in any way... no experienced 'old-timer' could have done a better job of getting it going and keeping it being the best writing site on the web all these years... now that you're degree-armed, the world is your oyster, sweetiepie... you've much to offer it... just as you've provided so much to so many here, for the past 8 years... go get 'em, tiger! love and hugs, maia
Thank you all. It does feel good to be finished. And Maia, I appreciate you saying that, but I can't help but think that WF and my career might have been better off if I skipped the degree and went a different route. But debating the merits of a degree is probably best discussed elsewhere.
you never know, daniel... could be that just a single connection you made in your uni years will end up being what cinches your success in life... and, if you hadn't been pursuing that degree, you two never would have met...
