Hi there, I'm requesting a shorter waiting time I have to wait before I get to post my story for people to review. I'm loving the community and forum - and really want/need to post my story. I have an exam coming up and want to improve my writing skills before this (~ a week and a bit). I look forward to posting my story, and receiving some constructive criticism to improve my writing. I really hope I can post my story before this time. I promise to stay around after, as my writing needs some work. I can't wait 14 days, and would like to be able to post in the next couple of days. Thank you
Hello and welcome! I suppose you have read the rules since you know about the 14 day-restriction, so you might also know that the Mods (I'm not one of them) have said that asking for permission to break those rules will be ignored. It is true that this rule is mostly here in order to prevent people from posting one story and then never return, but it is also true that this rule never CAN be broken. You see, what would happen when people realise that you were excepted from the rule? Suddenly everyone will hope that they can get such an exception as well and post there work right away, and the forum gets flooded with such appeals. Maybe we can break other rules as well, if we just ask? (Yes, I'm exaggerating, but you get my point). I'm sure there are other reasons as well which don't pop up in my mind right now. Please note: I'm am not a moderator, so what I have said is just how I believe they reason and may be incorrect. In that case I hope a mod will correct me. I wish you good luck with your exam, and I'm sure you can beat it as it is right now if you just put your back into it. //Komposten
Well, "a week and a bit" isn't much time for writing improvement, that's a long-term goal. And there are other ways than getting feedback for your own writing. You could start critiquing other user's work right away, not just because you'll need it before you can post your own piece, but also because you'll learn that way too. Spotting weak points in other stories is easier and you can remember that when you edit your own writing.
Your writing probably won't be improving a significant amount within the space of 14 days even if you did manage to get critique on here - and if your exam isn't till later, then you can certainly wait those 14 days. And, if you have an exam coming up, I'd say the best use of your time is in your bedroom/study room and actually revising. In the meantime, while you spend time doing what you actually need to do - studying - those 14 days will have passed and you'd be one step closer to posting a story. If you're looking to improve your writing skills, you could help yourself by posting in the forum and getting your post count up to the required 20. Ask for advice - there're some very talented and experienced people on here who're eager to help. That could help you improve your writing skills as much as actual critique could.
20 posts really isn't that much and 2 weeks isn't that long. Improvement in writing takes place over time - it's not the sort of thing where there are a few magic rules you can learn and viola! - overnight your writing goes from clunky and amateurish to prize-worthy. Engage in some of the writing discussions, read the stories here for review and the reviews that are given to them. If you have a particular question about writing, go ahead and ask it.
I appreciate that you have asked, Flop, but the rule is the rule - to which we have all abided - and it has a reason for being.
if you want to send me the first few pages, i'll be glad to give you a detailed assessment of the writing quality... love and hugs, maia maia3maia@hotmail.com
Have you read the piece about why you should write reviews? I know it's usually the task of mods to link to this kind of things, but I think it can be useful for you. If you want to improve your own writing, read through the criticism on other people's pieces, look at pieces yourself and try to see what is and isn't good about them; it will teach you to look at work critically and if you learn to pick up flaws in othe people's work, you can do the same for your work. Another thing: what kind of exams will you be having? Unless it's creative (fiction) writing you should be able to find rules about structuring your work. As far as I know knowing formal (essay) writing structures, grammar rules and spelling is enough for most exams. These things not too hard to learn as long as you take the time to study some rules. Improving your story writing won't be done in a week and a bit, whether you have people telling you what you're doing right and wrong or not. Developing your story writing skills is a process that takes many months, if not years.
Looking at the fact you've only got 2 posts, you need to spend that time meeting the other requirements. If you want others to review your work, you must start by reviewing theirs. In addition you need to join the community with a total of 20 posts. But don't look at it like a chore. You can learn a lot reading other people's work and critiques. Welcome to the forum.
