Ever since I can remember I've been imagining up worlds in my head. Other places that follow rules different from our own and other peoples. Many times I've tried to write them only to get bored as a fresh idea pops into my head. All my ideas tend to be epic, not fitting for a short story, but novels are long and hard. Well, I have progressed currently I am writing a novel and so far I've finished my first chapter and am working on my second in total it is over 18,000 words. I wanted to get some feedback from some people with more experience writing. I was wondering if my first chapter is too long to post? (~15000 words) In any case. This is me. Some random dude you don't know. Trying to be a writer.
Hello Sarudak, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Yes, 15000 words is too much; it isn't against the rules, but you'll be very lucky if anyone takes the trouble to dive into that large an excerpt. It's much wiser to start with a few paragraphs. Expect a lot of comments about writing style in a shorter excerpt. But posting your own work should not be among the very first things you do here in any case. 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. 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!
Ok... I understand. But I don't really want to post just the beginning of my story because it just seems so meaningless without the rest. Plus my writing was not so good when I started and has improved greatly. But if I post a middle part I fear it will merely be confusing as much needs to be explained...
You will find that if you post a small excerpt of your writing in a thread, members will be more likely to reply with a review and when you go over your piece, you may find that you are making the same mistakes throughout. If you are aiming at publication, you have to remember that 99% of publishers request that the piece is not a reprint and they want first electronic publication rights. Meaning, if you post more than an excerpt of your piece online, they can then reject your piece and say that it is a reprint and they may not wish to publish a reprint. (just so you know) ANyways, look forward to seeing you around the boards.
To be fair, the story doesn't really need explaining. It's your writing style and technique people will be critiquing, not really the plot of your story. If you want help with plot, you can start a thread to discuss it in the plot creation section, although you can't post your work there. I agree, no one is going to take the time to read a piece that long. No offense.. but I mean, we are all working on our own stuff too, you know?
Hey Sarudak, welcome to the forum! I have the same problem; I write short stories because whenever I try getting into a novel I get bored with it as new ideas come up, so I solve the problem by sticking with shorter stuff. If you really want to benefit here, get into critiquing others. It will greatly improve your own writing because a lot of times you'll come across little things you do in your own writing and you can then fix it in yourself and tell the other person. Also, you get to do a lot of reading, and there's plenty of good reading to be had here. In the end, just have fun. It's a great community here, take advantage. Good luck, Nate
That's good to know if I do ever get to the point of publishing. But how much is more than an excerpt?
There's no absolute measure. The more of the piece you publish olnline, the more likely it is to be rejected. If you start out a project with the intent to publish it when it is done, your best bet is not to post it at at all. Instead, post samples of your writing that best represent your writing style. The purpose, after all, is not to get people to check your manuscript for you, but to improve your overall writing skills, and your skill at critiquing your own work. In addition to not wanting to try to sell writing that can be downladed at no cost, publishers are looking for a professional attitude toward writing. Professional writers don't present large blocks of their current writing for prior approval before submitting to publishers.
