Run a writing competition, and attract as many entries as you can: the internet makes it easy to find writers' groups and message boards where you can advertise your competitions for free. You don't even have to charge an entry fee: just get as many entries in, as quickly as you can. You don't need to ...
Six years ago today, a discussion called Learn Writing With Uncle Jim began on the Absolute Write message board. The Uncle Jim in question is SF writer James D Macdonald, who is perhaps better known as Yog, of Yog's Law fame. ...
There are lots of places on the internet where writers gather: I've written some general posts about them here. Many writers' message boards include a discussion forum and an area where writers can receive feedback and criticism on their work, but some of them are far better than others: it all depends, I think, ...
This piece is one of a small group of my published posts which recently decided to hide themselves from view and move to my drafts folder. I am inept, and don't know why that happened, but I'm posting them all again and hope that this time they stay where they're put. Apologies for any ...
Writers work very hard on their books and if they don't want to waste all that effort, it is essential that they present them in the best way possible. This means they must follow all available submission guidelines to the letter, and be courteous in all subsequent correspondence with the people they’ve submitted to: but ...
There’s a lot of confusion over who runs YouWriteOn, and how it’s related to Arts Council England. People seem to think that YouWriteOn is run by Arts Council England, organised by Arts Council England, or part of Arts Council England in some other nebulous way, but this is not the case: YouWriteOn’s only ...
There’s a certain sort of writer that I’ve met a lot of over the years: I’ll call her Angela. Writing means a lot to Angela. She considers it a form of high art: an expression of her true nature. She keeps her writing secret for a long time and when she finally lets her friend Beverly ...
If you want to succeed as a writer you have to read widely, read frequently, and read well. Not only do you have to read across many genres; you also have to understand what you’re reading.Those first few points are often discussed: but I’ve rarely heard anyone mention that last one and just ...
There are many websites which claim to help writers, but before you invest any time in them, check them out properly.Who are they? If the site doesn’t give the names and CVs or resumés for the website’s owners or staff, nor any sort of track-record to check up, then there’s no indication of ...
When I’m asked which writing sites I prefer, I usually send people towards Absolute Write or Zoetrope, which are free, or Write Words, which charges for membership. These places combine writers’ message boards with places to post work, and to give and receive criticism, and are populated by real, professional writers, ...
Over the years that I've been watching writers' message boards I've noticed a handful of people who always go that extra mile when it comes to protecting writers from the sharks. Over and over again I've seen them give detailed, concrete advice about publishers, agents, contracts and the writing world; I've watched them patiently explain how ...
I’ve worked in publishing for over twenty years now, and in all that time I have been amazed by the huge amount of misinformation about publishing which floats around on the periphery of the industry.As writers’ websites and message boards have proliferated across the internet, the amount of publishing misinformation has increased on ...
Following the flurry of responses* that followed my post yesterday, I thought it would be useful to give examples of what is considered to be good and bad message-board quoting etiquette.The first post in this thread is an excellent example of how to do it right. The poster indicates who wrote ...
I expect writers to have at least a basic understanding of the rules of plagiarism, and to respect the work of other writers, but it seems that I expect too much. This week I’ve read more than twenty cases of message-board plagiarism. And every case appeared on writers’ message boards.
I’ve had some of my most fun times interacting with other writers via the internet.I’ve also had some of my most frustrating times interacting with other writers via the internet.The fun vs. frustration factor of message boards works in direct proportion to the sort of writers who populate the site.