# Places to start?



## Kolbe (Jan 18, 2010)

I'm a novice writer looking to start writing seriously. Are there any writing communities on FA? Or any daily/weekly prompts or something along those lines? 

I noticed the critique threads, I'll definitely be using those.


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## Rainwhisker (Jan 18, 2010)

To be honest, this is one place you can go, I guess? =p

It has a very good bunch of writers, I tell you that much; I'm reading these topics and I am learning a lot.

I'm not very experienced, but people here are willing to give criticism and comments if necessary; I am too.  So we could help each other out as we delve in the wonderful world that is writing! ^_^


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## Kolbe (Jan 18, 2010)

Rainwhisker said:


> To be honest, this is one place you can go, I guess? =p
> 
> It has a very good bunch of writers, I tell you that much; I'm reading these topics and I am learning a lot.
> 
> I'm not very experienced, but people here are willing to give criticism and comments if necessary; I am too.  So we could help each other out as we delve in the wonderful world that is writing! ^_^


Yeah, I've been browsing some of the threads here, they're incredibly helpful.

And maybe when I actually write something we can be crit buddies! =3


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## duroc (Jan 18, 2010)

The main place for writers on FA is the Thursday Prompt hosted by Poetigress.  You can check it out here:
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/723637/

And here is a list of writing groups on FA, but in my opinion, the Thursday Prompt is still the best place.
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/964574/


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## Shouden (Jan 18, 2010)

I agree that this is probably the best place to go. There are a lot of topics, with a lot of friendly advice. there's even a friendly writing contest.  anyways, have fun and don't be afraid to ask.


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## Kolbe (Jan 18, 2010)

Thanks everyone. <3

And that Thursday prompt looks cool! Can't wait to get started! Hope you guys don't mind if I watch you, too.


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## Shouden (Jan 18, 2010)

nope, go right ahead and watch.  Hope you like what you see/read.


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## Xipoid (Jan 18, 2010)

While not on FA you could always look into Critique Circle. I gather that it is a little more serious than the available communities here, although nothing against what is present.


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## M. LeRenard (Jan 18, 2010)

Hi and welcome.  If you haven't already, make sure you check out this thread.  Or any of the other stickies, minding the rules especially.
Anyway, you're in good company here, because most of us are novices as well.  Or at least amateur.


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## Kolbe (Jan 19, 2010)

Xipoid said:


> While not on FA you could always look into Critique Circle. I gather that it is a little more serious than the available communities here, although nothing against what is present.


Thank you for the link! I haven't written anything to put up for critique yet, but when I do it's going up on both FA and CC. 


M. Le Renard said:


> Hi and welcome.  If you haven't already, make sure you check out this thread.  Or any of the other stickies, minding the rules especially.
> Anyway, you're in good company here, because most of us are novices as well.  Or at least amateur.


That's a _very _helpful link, thank you. And it's good to know I'm not the only beginner. I've been to critique groups that had authors with published work in them. I felt so inadequate.


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## M. LeRenard (Jan 19, 2010)

Phalene said:


> That's a _very _helpful link, thank you. And it's good to know I'm not the only beginner. I've been to critique groups that had authors with published work in them. I felt so inadequate.


Sure thing.
Some of the people here have been published (including myself... once), but don't let that scare you off.  Best place to get advice is from people who know what they're talking about.  And anyway, this place is pretty relaxed and friendly for the most part.


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## Poetigress (Jan 19, 2010)

Hi. *waves* >^_^< As far as where to start, my standard advice: read as much (and as widely) as you can, write as much as you can, and don't just look to places in the fandom for writing advice and critique -- there are loads of resources out there.


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## Atrak (Jan 19, 2010)

Wow. Not only do you like to give free hugs, but you live in the same state (I'm assuming you're not in the Asian country ) as me. I like you already  .


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## Loup-lacrima (Jan 19, 2010)

I'm popping in and out of the Writer's Bloc on a semi-regular basis and everyone seems friendly and helpful, which is excellent 

I'm a published writer of short stories (none of them furry, so far), also about to be published in six anthologies over the coming year, so I must be doing something right *chuckle* although I'm not sure what it is 

I'd just like to share a couple of my thoughts on starting out. 

1 - Write constantly is a big one. It really doesn't matter what you write, be it a story, a blog or just a few thoughts in a diary or on a forum, writing every day is a must.

2 - Don't be too hard on yourself. When you are starting out it is easy to see the work of other writers and get discouraged. Honing your craft is a huge part of being a writer and constantly comparing yourself to others is really not helpful. You will eventually develop your own style/voice, just give yourself time and practise.

3 - Read everything you can lay your hands on, across every conceivable genre. Reading widely helps you understand differing writing styles and helps you see what you feel you might be capable of, or prefer to do. If you are aiming to write in a particular genre, then spend plenty of time reading within that genre. This will give you a feel for what that readership expects and help you see if you can fit into that style.

4 - Most important of all - *Enjoy your writing *- I don't think this can be stressed enough. If you are not enjoying what you are writing, stop. Move on, do something else, write something else, but never try to force the story onto the page. Believe me, if you don't enjoy the story, if it feels wrong to you, it will be that and doubled to the reader. Write what suits you and what you love. Your enthusiasm and passion for the story will come through and draw in your readership.

Ok, just a few little thoughts from me. I hope to keep an eye here and interact a little more. I haven't had a chance to look at the prompt thread yet, but I do have a question. Are the prompts aimed at furry stories only?


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## panzergulo (Jan 20, 2010)

Phalene said:


> I'm a novice writer looking to start writing seriously. Are there any writing communities on FA? Or any daily/weekly prompts or something along those lines?
> 
> I noticed the critique threads, I'll definitely be using those.



Well, there's one prompt that I could recommend...



duroc said:


> The main place for writers on FA is the Thursday Prompt hosted by Poetigress.  You can check it out here:
> http://www.furaffinity.net/view/723637/



...but Duroc was faster than me. ...well, I could point you towards one helpful thread here at the Bloc...



M. Le Renard said:


> Hi and welcome.  If you haven't already, make sure you check out this thread.  Or any of the other stickies, minding the rules especially.



...but Mister L. R. was faster than me. Dammit. So, I just repeat that those two places are probably the best you can get around FA and FAF... also, welcome. I don't know about the atmosphere around here, I don't log on often enough, but to my experience some of us get a bit out of control now and then, so I can't say we're all nice 'n' friendly... I remember being ignored during my first two or three months in FAF... so I feel already irritated as you face this helpful and friendly welcoming whereas I received nothing. Yeah...

Anyway, if you take part to Poetigress' prompt, I'm looking forward to see what you write. I'm a promptist myself and try to read at least some of the responses others come up with. I won't be reading as much as I have been reading, because of various reasons, but if your -- or any other writer's -- response is short enough, and I have the time on the corresponding day/week, I'll probably drop at least some sort of a comment.


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## M. LeRenard (Jan 20, 2010)

panzergulo said:
			
		

> I don't know about the atmosphere around here, I don't log on often enough, but to my experience some of us get a bit out of control now and then, so I can't say we're all nice 'n' friendly... I remember being ignored during my first two or three months in FAF... so I feel already irritated as you face this helpful and friendly welcoming whereas I received nothing. Yeah...


There goes panzer again, boo-hoo-hooing about how mistreated he was in his early days on the forum.
;-)
We have moderator control now, though, so the behavior issues have been mostly alleviated.  Some folks still give harsh critiques, but the pouncing and the gang-bangs have all but disappeared.  Actually, it's a fairly dull forum most of the time, but that's better than the newbie hunt we had before.


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## Shouden (Jan 20, 2010)

I would warn you about a guy named foozball, but I haven't seen him around in a while...but he tends to be very critical of anyone who isn't him, and lacks a little thing called tact. I know he means well, but he tends to come off as a bit arrogant and self-centered. There are a few others like that, but fooz was the guy that gave me my first bad experience on FA.

Also, feel free to try your hand at the Anthrofiction contest. Sounds like more and more writers are entering, and it can be fun. I'm going to try to get back into participating, if I can work it around the other projects I'm working on.


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## foozzzball (Jan 20, 2010)

Worrying about me is absolutely the most important thing you should do while starting out writing seriously. Yes, _absolutely._ _Fear me._

How do you start?

Forget about communities and prompts and all that stuff. Just write. Sit down, write. That's how.


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## M. LeRenard (Jan 20, 2010)

Ha ha... oh, you guys.  You still haven't made up?

Anyway, the point of the prompts is to get ideas rolling around in your head, and to get you to write something at least once a week, so it's really not a bad place to start.  Foozzz doesn't like groups because he has it in his head that everything in writing is absolutely 100% subjective, so advice from other people might be detrimental to your freedom of spirit or some other hokey nonsense.
At least, that what I've gleaned from all the times he's corrected my absolute statements about things.  Nudge nudge, wink wink.
Really, the buck does stop with the writer, though.  But I don't think 'do whatever you want' is particularly helpful advice for a beginner.


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## Poetigress (Jan 20, 2010)

Could we all keep our commentary about other members to, say, private messages or something like that, instead of a public thread? I know it's unreasonable to expect writers with big egos (myself included) to all get along, but it seems like a good idea to keep the 'watch out for this person because they think this-and-that' type of stuff to a minimum.


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## M. LeRenard (Jan 20, 2010)

If I thought it was going to end up in a flamewar, I would have taken action, PT.  That's all the rules stipulate: no flamebaiting.  I think it's okay to give certain people the benefit of the doubt.


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## Lazarus (Jan 20, 2010)

The Thursday prompts also get you feedback, and good feedback too. Almost all of what I've gotten is constructive, so although we are far and wide in the different styles and wanted impacts with our writing, it is the Thursday prompts that ultimately bring us all to the same spot each week.


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## Murphy Z (Jan 21, 2010)

Hi, some more advice:

Rewriting is very important. Just about nobody gets it right on the first try.

Read a lot of stuff here and see what works and doesn't. 

If you want feedback, etc. from other people, you'll have to give them some first. It might take a while and some people might not respond back, but keep trying.

Use different sources to get ideas.


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## panzergulo (Jan 21, 2010)

M. Le Renard said:


> There goes panzer again, boo-hoo-hooing about how mistreated he was in his early months on the forum.
> ;-)
> We have moderator control now, though, so the behavior issues have been mostly alleviated.  Some folks still give harsh critiques, but the pouncing and the gang-bangs have all but disappeared.  Actually, it's a fairly dull forum most of the time, but that's better than the newbie hunt we had before.



There. I fixed it for you. Also, your attitude isn't helping. This is only the second thread in which I have ever made mention of the lack of response I faced as a forum newbie. So I don't get that "again" thing. And why do you have to degrade me to some goddamned crybaby with that "boo-hoo-hoo". You shall not bully the newbie, but bullying me is okay, is that what you're trying to say? All I'm saying is, being nice and civil doesn't always pay back.

Foozzzball is an okay guy, even if a bit harsh now and then. He has given me some very good constructive criticism and feedback on my Thursday Prompt responses. Don't believe what other people say, you have to deal with each person individually to really figure out how they treat other people. Bladespark and Tanzenlicht can be a bit rude, Poetigress and TShaw can be a bit blunt, heck, I have seen even Duroc replying to not-completely-nice-way in one thread, and he's very easy-going and laid-back guy most of the time. So yeah, we all have good and bad days and what some people conceive as humor some other see as bullying.

Now, this "M. L. Renard" guy... he's a real troublemaker. First he gets himself into a mod position and then has continued demonizing and belittling me. He's the bad seed around here. But I also know he has sense of humor. ;P


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## M. LeRenard (Jan 21, 2010)

You know I love ya, buddy.


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## ekobor (Feb 6, 2010)

www.oneword.com

A new word every day to think and write about.... in 60 seconds. I like to do this everyday, though the time limit always makes me sad.

http://www.seventhsanctum.com/generate.php?Genname=writechallenge

Have this generate 10 prompts, pick the one that calls to you, and write. Don't think about how great or poorly it is written, just get it down.
Then... do it again.
Or for a challenge  write the first one that pops up.
I like to do two or three of these a day, about 1000 words each.

http://writeordie.drwicked.com/

Try this if you are a bit masochistic. Set it for ten or fifteen minutes. Again, don't worry about how well it is written, just write it out. When the time is up, reread what you wrote. On a separate file, edit it. Compare the two. Better yet, have someone else compare the two. Which bits do they like best?


Other than those my only advice is just write. The more you write, the more comfortable you will be with your writing, the more you will be able to write. Find someone outside of your family to read your writing. Listen to their critiques. That's really all that you need to write, and write well. Endless energy for typing/handwriting and an open mind to take in suggestions. 
Perhaps a bit of inspiration. =P


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## Altamont (Feb 6, 2010)

Welcome to FA! As everyone else has said already, the Thursday Prompt is a great place to start, as is just writing what you ant and posting it in the critique thread. I've been wirting for a long while but my actual experience in sharing my work with everyone on FA is just beginning, so we're in the same boat


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