โ๏ธ Writing
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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Hi everyone! I'm going to have to submit my master's thesis by the end of the year. I'd like to improve my writing substantially before sending off my final draft.
This month, I'd like to write a short essay or a short story. Get the ball rolling and all.
Welcome, you've come to the right place! I'll send you a reminder before I put up the February writing club post, just to give you a head-up and a chance to maybe give your monthly goal one last push. :)
I love your overall goal of improving your writing. I have the same long-term goal. Is there anything about your writing in particular that you're trying to improve?
Great goal! Do you have something in mind already for a topic or genre, or is that still open-ended?
Thanks for your questions!
I'd like to make my writing more valuable for readers by, among other ways, writing more clearly.
As for the essay, I'm not quite sure yet what to write about. I have a few little ideas pinging around in my head, but I don't know if any of them are worth fleshing out.
Enjoy the search for a topic. I love this period of a project, before you've decided what to work on, and everything is possible.
Actually, on topics: at the risk of getting too meta, I would love to hear about your process of coming up with an idea and how that eventually transforms into a completed essay.