were do you post part of your novel?

I have some parts of my novel that i would like to post but I have no idea where I need to have them ciritic and so forth any help

 

I know that www.fictionpress.com is a popular website for amateur stories. I've never used it myself, but I've used the sister site www.fanfiction.net in the past. It's user friendly, but most reviews are 'good story, more plz?' styled reviews.

Fiction Press does have a 'beta reader' function which is more of a one-on-one critiquing. www.critters.org works similar to this as well, but you are expected to critique a number of stories every week in order to have your own criqitued.

I've never used any of these, but I know they're there for people to use. I hope it helps you.

 

Cough, cough

Carry on then.

 

^ He speaks the truth. BUT don't do it until you've posted critiques on 2 pieces in the Review Room. And the critiques have to be totally thorough, or else you will get shut down by Cogito.

 

I have a hard understanding with constructive critiques. sometimes a 'have what a great story' works for me. brought a tear to me eye once.

I believe there is a novel forum as Kyle pointed out. A fine place to lay a piece down on the wall. but as Marina stated, review a few first, pick out a few things even if you have to make them up, then you'll be in good steed.

in truth, critiquing others work is a great way to improve on your own. more should take that to heart.

best luck in your writings

 

I thought you were looking for a second place, besides here. Sorry for my useless advice.

 

Your advice is not useless. My comment was half-meant to be smartassed. The sites you posted are excelent places for additional viewing exposure.

 

lol that's okay Kyle. I was wondering why you coloured those 'coughs' thought you were hint about having a cold. gawd maybe one more puff and i better head to bed lmao.

mouse overs kill me sometimes, they like traps, you know

 

Haha, that just made my morning (ok, 1pm is the afternoon, but I only just got out of bed). Thanks man.

 

Am I the only one that doesn't like to post any part of a novel on a website? (At least ones I tend to want published)
I honestly prefer to send the first few chapters of a novel to a close irl writer friend for them to look over because I know how trustworthy they are..

I dunno, I guess I'm just paranoid.

Then again, if I were posting a novel that I didn't intend to publish (I do have a couple of those) I'd post them here and on fictionpress.com

 

i don't see why posting just brief excerpts of a novel would cause paranoia... since no one can sell just a portion of a novel chapter, no one would have any reason to 'steal' it...

and posting only short bits would certainly not jeopardize the writer's ability to sell the complete ms to a publisher...

that said, it's definitely a good idea to have someone knowledgeable take a look and see if the work is publishing quality, or not...

 

Yes but I e-mailed you and never recieved a responce on it so it would help to know if you would be willing to look at some of it

 

i certainly would... and i never got your email, or you would have gotten a reply instantly, or within a few hours, if it came in overnight... click on my email address below and try again, or give me yours and we'll try it from that direction...

 

Fictionpress is a good site. I don't post my novel anywhere though. I just tell people the summary of it and see how the idea goes over.

 

ok thanks maybe I can do a prolog and see what I get

 

I know posting a short excerpt shouldn't cause paranoia...but it does for me. I just don't want anyone to see what my idea is for the book (that I don't trust completely) and then decide it's an idea they themselves want to use. I wouldn't mind if they did that *after* the book was published, but before? I'd feel cheated somehow. It may not make much sense, but that's just me.

~Lynn

 

thing is, no two 'ideas' would be developed into the same story or book by two different writers, and the 'idea' contained in a brief exerpt wouldn't give away the plot, anyway...

so, if you want to keep your plot premise a secret, just don't post a synopsis... but posting a single paragraph for a critique of the writing quality won't be giving away anything anyone could use, other than that particular scene, which could fit into any number of plot scenarios...

i'm curious... if you're too worried about theft to post even bits of your work, what do you get out of joining writing sites?

 

I don't know now, I don't want my plot to be stolen even though nobody will write the same way. I have back up copies and only one make that two people who have read any of it so I can show it's my work

 

I've given you my opinion on this Chandler, but on a very basic general level for whomever reads this:

Copyright exists on a piece of work the moment it has been written. We can all debate for hours on end about the usefulness of paying for copyrighting and on how to prove it is your work: for the example at hand we shall presume it is a perfect world and you can instantly prove you have written something when you say you have.

Even in this perfect world, the idea of a story cannot be copyrighted. Rather, the words in the order you have put them in constitutes what you own. I can understand not wanting to give TOO much away about your novel, just in case someone with faster typing skills manages to write up your synopsis and get it published a month before your version (Although the likelihood of this happening, in my opinion, is slim.).

So i guess what I'm saying is this: You legally OWN your novel, not the idea's behind it. Post a snippet, not the entire thing or synopsis.

 

no one pays for copyrighting... the only thing that's done is to 'register' the already existing copyright with the library of congress... and all that does is enable you to recover court costs and damages, if you have to sue over copyright infringement or outright theft... and to bring suit, the copyright does have to be registered... otherwise, it's not necessary and professional writers don't bother, since their publishers will do that...

all aspiring writers should study up on the rules 'n regs, to avoid falling for scams, or wasting money on useless things like mailing the work to yourself [unless you're in the uk, where that does carry some weight]... here's where to learn all about it:
www.copyright.gov

 

That is what I meant by paying for copyrighting. Sorry that I was not in depth enough and thank you for adding to my post.

On the other hand, I have had many a heated discussion with people who disagree with your 'writers don't bother' statement. And even more with people who don't even know that copyright exists from the work being created. I guess it just proves your point: writers should know their legal rights.

 

i was only referring to 'professional' ones, as in the successful 'names' of authordom... such as the many i knew in my old life as an active member of the arts community in the renowned writer's colony town of westport, ct... where many of those big names, like bob ludlum and robin moore lived/live...

and i've never heard of a seasoned writer registering the copyright on a novel, though it's fairly common for screenplays and song lyrics...