this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2024
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✍️ Writing
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A community for writers, like poems, fiction, non-fiction, short stories, long books, all those sorts of things, to discuss writing approaches and what's new in the writing world, and to help each other with writing.
Rules for now:
1. Try to be constructive and nice. When discussing approaches or giving feedback to excerpts, please try to be constructive and to maintain a positive vibe. For example, don't just vaguely say something is bad but try to list and explain downsides, and if you can, also find some upsides. However, this is not to say that you need to pretend you liked something or that you need to hide or embellish what you disliked.
2. Mention own work for purpose and not mainly for promo: Feel free to post asking for feedback on excerpts or worldbuilding advice, but please don't make posts purely for self promo like a released book. If you offer professional services like editing, this is not the community to openly advertise them either. (Mentioning your occupation on the side is okay.) Don't link your excerpts via your website when asking for advice, but e.g. Google Docs or similar is okay. Don't post entire manuscripts, focus on more manageable excerpts for people to give feedback on.
3. What happens in feedback or critique requests posts stays in these posts: Basically, if you encounter someone you gave feedback to on their work in their post, try not to quote and argue against them based on their concrete writing elsewhere in other discussions unless invited. (As an example, if they discuss why they generally enjoy outlining novels, don't quote their excerpts to them to try to prove why their outlining is bad for them as a singled out person.) This is so that people aren't afraid to post things for critique.
4. All writing approaches are valid. If someone prefers outlining over pantsing for example, it's okay to discuss up- and downsides but don't tell someone that their approach is somehow objectively worse. All approaches are on some level subjective anyway.
5. Solarpunk rules still apply. The general rules of solarpunk of course still apply.
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Oh an idea: we could make a writing club community where people can post about process and post stories to get feedback. Then there could be a pinned weekly/monthly post that has goals and other general discussion and well as letting people say if they want motivational DMs
Sounds like a great idea! There could be a monthly or quarterly post to encourage people to link (or quote, if not too long) the various things they want feedback on in the response comments.
I did in a previous writing community run into the issue that people would, when somebody discussed general writing approaches, point back to their own previous feedback posts and find flaws in the posts to try to "prove" to them their more general thoughts on writing approaches was wrong. Which in my opinion scares people away from daring to post their work, when it later comes back at them in a more general discussion.
Therefore, I would only request people stick with "3. What happens in feedback or critique requests posts stays in these posts" which I suggested as a rule for that reason.
Super good point! Also I don't know if you saw, but we've been doing the writing club in this community. I think there are 3 or 4 of us who have been consistently checking in, but we have had a few people chime in just for the month. I can link to it if you haven't already seen those posts.
So far it has luckily been a very positive and motivational space :) no one getting weird and nitpicky, mostly just encouraging eachother to keep up with writing
The legend returns! Sorry I'm just seeing this now. I 100% I agree with everything you've said. As @hazeebabee@slrpnk.net said, luckily things have been cozy and chill enough in the monthly posts, that we haven't actually needed to enforce any rules.
I like your idea about the author actually highlighting what they want feedback on. I'll try to remember to include that in the next monthly post.
I think it would be nice if we could get even more people giving feedback, even if they aren't participating in the goals (gods help me, I'm asking for critics lol), but I guess that's just general community building, and hopefully will come with time.