New to writing, advice, help, guidance, all welcome:)

[CarefulWhisper]

Good Morning everyone, hope you are all well.

Just throwing this out there, finally submitted my first piece, waiting for approval.

Any guidance, tips, experience, assistance you would be kind enough to share and offer, I would be grateful.

Good Writing All !

 

[Zenith77]

Working with a beta reader you trust - especially someone who shares an interest in the themes you write about - is invaluable, in my experience.

Remember you can't please everyone and someone will hate your story, however good it is. Focus instead on those that like your stories.

If someone gives you a 1-star vote it's because their tastes are really that discerning, and actually it's an honour that they read all the way to the end of your story. Wow. Go you.

When it goes live, don't forget to refresh the page every few minutes to see if anyone has voted. Important tip, this - I think one of us forgot to do that one time.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Congrats! It's a nerve wracking time.

Once it's up, add a link to your signature (click on your name up the top and copy/paste the story link) and let us know.

 

[CarefulWhisper]

Working with a beta reader you trust - especially someone who shares an interest in the themes you write about - is invaluable, in my experience.

Remember you can't please everyone and someone will hate your story, however good it is. Focus instead on those that like your stories.

If someone gives you a 1-star vote it's because their tastes are really that discerning, and actually it's an honour that they read all the way to the end of your story. Wow. Go you.

When it goes live, don't forget to refresh the page every few minutes to see if anyone has voted. Important tip, this - I think one of us forgot to do that one time.

Working with a beta reader you trust - especially someone who shares an interest in the themes you write about - is invaluable, in my experience.

Remember you can't please everyone and someone will hate your story, however good it is. Focus instead on those that like your stories.

If someone gives you a 1-star vote it's because their tastes are really that discerning, and actually it's an honour that they read all the way to the end of your story. Wow. Go you.

When it goes live, don't forget to refresh the page every few minutes to see if anyone has voted. Important tip, this - I think one of us forgot to do that one time.

Hey Zenith, appreciate the time taken for this, I will take it on-board definitely. Can I follow your stuff? Do you write?

 

[CarefulWhisper]

Congrats! It's a nerve wracking time.

Once it's up, add a link to your signature (click on your name up the top and copy/paste the story link) and let us know.

Defoooo... thanks everyone again... Easter Sunday !!

 

[Zenith77]

Hey Zenith, appreciate the time taken for this, I will take it on-board definitely. Can I follow your stuff? Do you write?

Pinged you a PM

 

[ElectricBlue]

Read threads here, ask more specific questions. There's a wealth of knowledge here, so trawling through the last two or three pages of threads will grab the main topics raised by newbies.

 

[Emilymcplugger]

Good Morning everyone, hope you are all well.

Just throwing this out there, finally submitted my first piece, waiting for approval.

Any guidance, tips, experience, assistance you would be kind enough to share and offer, I would be grateful.

Good Writing All !

If in doubt or stuck, come onto the board with your dilemma. Most of us are good with suggestions and some people have very specialised knowledge so there’s that.

Now it’s just a case of sitting back and waiting for views, ratings, and the very occasional comment to come in (They are SO rare compared to views and likes).

Here you can share everything except your name, address, license, registration and social security number. We’re like Preverted Authors Anonymous, and big congrats on taking the leap.

It’s all so exciting and nerve-wracking.

 

[alohadave]

Any guidance, tips, experience, assistance you would be kind enough to share and offer, I would be grateful.

Don't sweat the score. You'll likely be obsessed with it for a while, but it's not a reflection on you, nor is it validation. People score stories for all kinds of reasons and it's impossible to reason why they do.

Feel free to delete shitty comments if you want.

Now that you've submitted one, get working on the next one.

 

[CarefulWhisper]

If in doubt or stuck, come onto the board with your dilemma. Most of us are good with suggestions and some people have very specialised knowledge so there’s that.

Now it’s just a case of sitting back and waiting for views, ratings, and the very occasional comment to come in (They are SO rare compared to views and likes).

Here you can share everything except your name, address, license, registration and social security number. We’re like Preverted Authors Anonymous, and big congrats on taking the leap.

It’s all so exciting and nerve-wracking.

Thank you guys))

 

[Zenith77]

We’re like Preverted Authors Anonymous

Hi, my name is Z, and it's been 4 days, 6 hours, 12 minutes and 11... 12... 13.... seconds since I last hit 'publish'.

Still hasn't been published, though.

 

[Rustyoznail]

Hi Z, my name is Russ and I've been checking the score on my new story every ten minutes for the last six hours...

 

[gunhilltrain]

Working with a beta reader you trust - especially someone who shares an interest in the themes you write about - is invaluable, in my experience.

Remember you can't please everyone and someone will hate your story, however good it is. Focus instead on those that like your stories.

If someone gives you a 1-star vote it's because their tastes are really that discerning, and actually it's an honour that they read all the way to the end of your story. Wow. Go you.

When it goes live, don't forget to refresh the page every few minutes to see if anyone has voted. Important tip, this - I think one of us forgot to do that one time.

I've never had a beta reader or editor of any kind, but that's me. I have asked for opinions occasionally (usually on AH) about something I'm working on or something I've already posted.

You may want to give it a bit of time after it's posted (twelve to eighteen hours?) before you start checking on it. That will give some time for a significant number of readers to find it.

It's possible you won't get any comments at all; they seem to be pretty sparse in general on other sites as well. After about ten days to two weeks, the number of votes and views will taper off, and the situation will have stabilized. The score may not change again for months, if ever. (Yet the number of views will slowly drift up for some reason, and that will usually continue.) People may find your story months or even years later, and they will mark it as a favorite. Often they will find it because of some later story of yours they like.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Welcome.

Be prepared, once your tale goes up, to receive a bunch of attention from... oh, let's just say not the most welcome attention. It's normal, sadly. I replied to the ones which seemed nice, saying thanks but no thanks. I blocked and deleted others.

It stops in due time. If there's anything really nasty, don't be afraid to report it to Laurel.

 

[SimonDoom]

1. Focus, first, on whatever gives you joy in writing stories. Write for your own pleasure and focus on the aspects of this experience that give you pleasure. That may be completely different from what others like.
2. Don't let yourself be kink-shamed by those who don't share your kinks. Almost nobody likes everything.
3. Be realistic about your writing and if it has some holes take some steps through reading, advice, or practice to fill the holes.
4. Don't get down about downvotes and bad comments. We all get them. Focus on the positive.
5. Participate in this forum, keep your eyes, ears, and mind open, and learn from whatever others say, especially on how this site works. It may save some perplexity and confusion.
6. Most of all, just keep writing.

 

[Zenith77]

I've never had a beta reader or editor of any kind, but that's me. I have asked for opinions occasionally (usually on AH) about something I'm working on or something I've already posted.

Been writing since I was 15, published first on Lit in 2009, and always edited my own stuff - until I got a beta reader two weeks ago. It's been very helpful. Of course, each to their own.

 

[Zenith77]

Welcome.

Be prepared, once your tale goes up, to receive a bunch of attention from... oh, let's just say not the most welcome attention. It's normal, sadly. I replied to the ones which seemed nice, saying thanks but no thanks. I blocked and deleted others.

It stops in due time. If there's anything really nasty, don't be afraid to report it to Laurel.

That's a girl thing. Closest thing I've had to attention is when someone dinged my car with their shopping trolley. Maybe I should change my profile pic...

 

[gunhilltrain]

Been writing since I was 15, published first on Lit in 2009, and always edited my own stuff - until I got a beta reader two weeks ago. It's been very helpful. Of course, each to their own.

Just curious, did you find this person through Lit - the editor's forum and such?

 

[gunhilltrain]

That's a girl thing. Closest thing I've had to attention is when someone dinged my car with their shopping trolley. Maybe I should change my profile pic...

A girl thing? So far, I haven't blocked anybody, and I think I've deleted only one or two comments because they were completely irrelevant. The others I leave there to see where I've been. Needless to say, Loving Wives will always generate the most comments, although they are not universally negative.

Oh yeah, England. We call them shopping "carts." These are trolleys, although you would call them trams.

https://transportforthenorth.com/wp...-Cathedral-station-in-Sheffield-SuperTram.png

You're not anywhere near Sheffield?

 

[Zenith77]

Just curious, did you find this person through Lit - the editor's forum and such?

Yes through lit, no through the editor's forum. They're a fan who also writes, so we share similar interests - which I find helps a lot.

 

[Zenith77]

You're not anywhere near Sheffield?

I get a nose-bleed when I head north of Oxford.

 

[gunhilltrain]

I get a nose-bleed when I head north of Oxford.

I've never been there, but I've heard that some people get a nose-bleed south of Oxford. In the movie The Full Monty, the actors put on a Sheffield accent, and it took me a while to understand what they were saying.

 

[Zenith77]

I've never been there, but I've heard that some people get a nose-bleed south of Oxford. In the movie The Full Monty, the actors put on a Sheffield accent, and it took me a while to understand what they were saying.

Can't help you there, I only speak English.

 

[JessGabriel]

Working with a beta reader you trust - especially someone who shares an interest in the themes you write about - is invaluable, in my experience.

Remember you can't please everyone and someone will hate your story, however good it is. Focus instead on those that like your stories.

If someone gives you a 1-star vote it's because their tastes are really that discerning, and actually it's an honour that they read all the way to the end of your story. Wow. Go you.

When it goes live, don't forget to refresh the page every few minutes to see if anyone has voted. Important tip, this - I think one of us forgot to do that one time.

Hahahaha... I'm glad to know I'm not the only compulsive refresher. I try to restrict myself to every 6 minutes.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

That's a girl thing. Closest thing I've had to attention is when someone dinged my car with their shopping trolley. Maybe I should change my profile pic...

Indeed. That said, I see no picture and your profile under this name has nothing under gender. That's enough for the more knuckle-dragging crowd.