Alright, first off, I'm not sure if this is the correct forum, so please let me know if I'm posting in the wrong place. Second, I'm not even sure if this is the best way to go about it, or if I should've just sent a mod or two this message, but if I'm in the wrong, I apologize and please correct me. Now then, I have a non-fiction short story that is substantially more lengthy than the other short stories I've seen on the site. So, is there a word-length per post? If so, what is it? Can I post it in two or three pieces? I didn't see anything in the rules that was completely clear, other than not posting entire novels, but I could've missed it. I just want to be within the rules and not be burden to readers, yet I want some feedback on this short story I've written. Thanks for your time.
This site discourages having multiple threads for stories, and is more about excerpts. I would recommend only posting a piece of the article, that way you retain all copyright material, and got help through a good portion of the story If you wanted to post the whole thing, you can, but remember that not a lot of people want to sit down and read a piece that goes on for several pages.
Well, I was thinking, I could post it in two pieces, but in the same thread. Post half, get feedback, then post the rest, and get more feedback.
Yeah, that's fine. When you post two threads up, they would combine them into one thread, which would be the same thing. Like I said though, and this goes for any forum, you should never post any entire works that you are trying to publish. Bad idea. Most publishing agencies won't take it, since it's already been seen and stuff, and it could be stolen. And the Forum doesn't let ya cheat, so if it's for, like, Scholarships or whatever, it might get locked.
You should post it all in the same thread. If you use multiple posts, then that is entirely up to you, but you should be warned that the longer a piece is, the less likely people will be to take the time to review it.
It is especially effective if you apply any helpful suggestions you receive for the first half to sharpening up the second half before you post that.
first, if it's not fiction, then it's not a 'short story'... it could be an essay or a personal anecdote, but only fictional works would come under the 'short story' category... next, you need to know that when you post an entire piece of work on any public-accessible site, you'll be using up the 'first rights' which is all most publishers will buy... even posting in so-called 'safe' sections for 'members only' or whatever, is considered by some publishers as being available to the public [you should know that pretty much everything online can be found in a google search], so why should they pay you to publish it, for people to buy, when they can read it for free?... there is some debate on that among writer's site habitues, but imo, it's better to be safe, than sorry... that's why it's best to only post a smallish excerpt for feedback... if you really need a critique of the entire piece, the only safe way to get that is to find someone who's knowledgable that you trust to give you an honest opinion and send it to them privately... love and hugs, maia
I don't really care about it ever being published. Judging from the responses, I should've clarified that earlier. Anyhow, thanks for all the feedback.
