Unspoken Words

How To Survive Online Writing Forums

Some time ago on my original blog I posted about setting expectations for using online writing forums. The post developed into a set of three short articles that lived on my web site until I recently reverted back to blogging: one article on how to take a critique, one on how to write a critique, and one on things to consider before you post your story for critique. The articles have since been posted in the public area over at Critters Bar, the writing forum that I look after:

http://www.crittersbar.com/viewforum.php?f=56

They’re also available in pdf format under the title How To Survive Online Writing Forums, and can be downloaded as a pdf file from the Critters Bar forum or from the link below:

http://blog.bobjacobs.co.uk/downloads/htsowf.pdf

Feel free to download a copy. If you like it, find it useful, or wish to pick fault with it, do come back and post your comments.

The Story-A-Day Initiative

The story-a-day initiative is still going over in Critters Bar. I’m lagging behind now, only 18 stories posted in 25 days, and the last couple of days of July I probably won’t have the opportunity to write, so whatever I achieve will have to be done in the next 4 days. Fingers crossed. And who knows, I might keep going into August.

Wordpress Blogging

The new Wordpress blog seems to be fine. The layout of the chosen theme looks a bit screwed at work, but no-one else has mentioned it, otherwise I like the look. An upgrade to the blog software has come out already, so I’ve upgraded it this afternoon and that seemed to go okay. I’ve been getting about half-a-dozen spam comments a day for the last week. None of them make it onto the blog as I have admin approval selected, but it’s an irritation to have to go through them, so this afternoon I’ve installed wp-spamfree which is supposed to kill most spam. Time will tell.

Goldfish Writers Doing Swimmingly

Congratulations to the Goldfish Bowl Writing Group that I meet up locally with every couple of weeks. Last week the group celebrated its first birthday. It’s a small, friendly bunch of aspiring writers, never short of feedback and encouragement. Big thanks to Amy for the hard work she puts in to publicise and run the group.

For no sensible reason, I decided to revamp my blog. I know it hasn’t been running for long, but the one I was using was a Wordpress blog that came with the web hosting. As such, it came ‘as is’ and I had limited options about how I could change it. So, I thought I’d go the whole hog and install the Wordpress blog software directly onto the server, which gives me more freedom. It also means I have to worry more about site security, hacking, spam and that kind of stuff, but what the heck, what’s life without a little something to worry about?

I like the new theme, but I have noticed a problem with the 3-column display part-way down the page. Ho-hum. I’ll stick with it for now, but you may notice the theme (appearance) changing a few times until I settle with something that I’m completely happy with. Of course, often in life we’re not completely happy and we have to compromise, don’t we? See how it goes, eh?

The story-a-day initiative is still running over in Critters Bar where a small number of us are trying to write a new story or piece of writing every day for the month of July. So far I’ve just about kept up with the daily grind and have produced:

• Goodbye, Goldy, I Love You (670 words)
• Hemingway’s Ashtray (680 words)
• Unnatural Birth (750 words)
• The Last Elephant (670 words)
• Sharing a Cell With Oprah Winfrey (200 words)
• Untitled Story Part 1 (1000 words)
• Look Away Now (890 words)
• Imperfectly Formed (140 words)
• Random Chickens (740 words)
• Island Smile, Graceful Hips (620 words)
• Can’t Get You Out Of My Head (1600 words)

That includes what I think is my first real attempt at second person (Look Away Now) which was written to meet the challenge prompt for the Goldfish Bowl writers’ group which met locally on Wednesday evening, killing two birds with one stone.

I know that I’ll not be around on July 31st to write and post and probably not on 30th either, so if I’m going to succeed at this thing I’ll need to get two days ahead by then.

Total produced so far from the eleven stories above is just under 8,000 words. These are pretty much drafts, not particularly polished, though some may end up being polished and subbed (one has already been sent out somewhere).

I’m pleased with that output. Those who’ve kept track will know that I’m planning to start writing a novel soon, and that I’m assuming a rate of just 2,000 words a week for the first draft, allowing for the day job keeping me busy. If I keep the current rate up with the story-a-day initiative I’ll have knocked out around 22,400 words by the end of July, which is the equivalent of just over 5,000 words a week, and that bodes well for writing the novel draft.

Things I learned today from the New Scientist magazine:

• Last year 13 million people watched whales in 119 countries
• Almost a quarter of Londoners are creationists, believing that God created life in its current form
• A Taser manufacturer has just tripled the range to 30 metres
• Male muriqui monkeys queue patiently to mate with females
• Sperm damage is 12 per cent lower in men who have sex every day
• A 16-year-old girl in the US is equivalent in size and mental development to an 11-month-old baby
• Out of 46 women of the Hazda forager tribe in Tanzania, only one preferred “big” men.
• Light-bending metamaterials may one day be used to create an “invisibility cloak”
• About 60 million people live within 1 metre of mean sea level, and they’ll end up with wet feet by the year 2100.

This week the July Blast got underway in Critters Bar. A small number of us are trying to write a story a day for the month of July.

Rules, there are none. You write. You post. Write. Post. You make it or you don’t. Midway through the month ideas and energy are usually getting like rocking horse shite.

Quality isn’t an issue. If you want to crash something out and post it, that’s cool. If you want to polish it before posting, that’s cool too. What matters is that you sit down and write. Or stand up and write, it’s really down to you.

Can’t write every day? No problem. Average one a day and post thirty-one stories by the end of the month. It’s a personal journey, you don’t owe anyone anything. If you make it, great. If you don’t, no-one will hold it against you.

What happens to the stories afterwards? Sometimes nothing. Sometimes they’re polished until they shine and get subbed. Some of them will almost certainly appear in ezines or magazines.

Have you written anything today?

Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough.