Your thoughts, please

MajorDrums · Aug 11, 2006

i'm not sure if this has been discussed(not sure how to search for it) but has anyone felt a little hesitant about initially joining a forum like this? i mean, we're WRITING about WRITING. some of us (myself included!) have not been published yet, always looking for great ideas for our books. what if you write a great post, want to expand on an idea introduced in your post, but another writer has already taken that idea? what about one-upmanship, p***ing contests, what have you? do you think that happens here on this forum? or am i just being distrustful and paranoid, and that we are all here just to help each other?

Marlys · Aug 11, 2006

What do you mean by another writer has already taken that idea? You find out that it's been done before? Or that someone else was inspired by your posted excerpt to write along the same lines?

Either way, I wouldn't think it matters much.Take the idea "a group of people get stranded on an island." Somebody's going to come up with Lost, someone else Gilligan's Isle, and a third writer Lord of the Flies.

If you think you have an idea that's so incredibly original that it's a race to get it to market before someone else, just keep it to yourself.

As to your other questions, on any large board, some negativity is going to exist. If you see it happening, back away and find another thread to hang out in.

Andre_Laurent · Aug 11, 2006

I haven't seen much blood flowing here. It's actually a nice place to hang out while one is procrastinating.

Bufty · Aug 11, 2006

Welcome Lividay,

If you're thinking of posting samples of your work for critique in the Share Your Work forum - relax. Nobody is going to pinch anything.

Are you going to pinch an idea of mine, or anyone elses? Of course you're not. Even if you did, I don't care because I could write it better than you. The same way as you could write your idea better than I. Stop worrying about nothing.

Or to put it a different way, stop thinking you've come up with the most brilliant and original idea for a story - ever. What matters is the calibre of the writing.

Come on in, the water's fine and the folks are friendly.

Shadow_Ferret · Aug 11, 2006

I guess I've never thought about that. But like Marlys said, it's the end result that counts. The beginning ideas may be the same, but the finished products are unlikely to resemble each other. Look at all the stories on space aliens coming to earth. Same premise, but you can have War of the Worlds, E.T., The Thing, Close Encounters, etc.

And if you're worried someone will steal your story verbatim from the sharing forum, well, you have the evidence there that you came up with the story first. Clear cut case of plagiarism, no? Anyone who knows this stuff better, maybe they can comment.

MidnightMuse · Aug 11, 2006

I agree with them. No one's here to steal from anyone, and if they did - it wouldn't end up the same thing.

We're all writers here, published or not-yet, so we all have so dag-nab many of our own ideas cramming up the works, we certainly don't have time to go around pilfering more!

Relax, look around, and see for yourself. And welcome to AW

Siddow · Aug 11, 2006

Writers are, in general, a helpful group. The majority of us have so many of own ideas bouncing around, we just don't have the inclination to steal yours. The thing to remember with large groups like this is that there is bound to be a time that personalities clash. But the nice thing about online groups is: when that happens, you shut down your browser and walk away. Nobody's going to chase you out into the parking lot to get the last word.

writermom · Aug 11, 2006

Andre_Laurent said:
I haven't seen much blood flowing here. It's actually a nice place to hang out while one is procrastinating.

I agree!

Except, of course, when someone posts spam in the novels forum - then everyone jumps on that person like ravaging wolves.

Andre_Laurent · Aug 11, 2006

writermom said:
I agree!

Except, of course, when someone posts spam in the novels forum - then everyone jumps on that person like ravaging wolves.

Wolves have to eat too. :Shrug:

writermom · Aug 11, 2006

Andre_Laurent said:
Wolves have to eat too.

Don’t get me wrong… I love when the wolves are fed. It’s the highlight of my day. :e2teeth:

ChaosTitan · Aug 11, 2006

In real life, I tend to be shy. On online message boards, in the great anonymous world of the Internet, I'm pretty outgoing. I had little hesitation when I first joined this board, and jumped right in with both feet (once I got a hand of the forums, of course). I'm unpublished, and I know that some of the pubbed writers on this board know a heck of a lot more than me. But I'll still offer advice and an opinion, because I'll never know if the next person to read the thread smiles and nods, or groans in disgust.

Some people post very little because they feel they don't have anything to offer, or that when they do post, no one is listening.

Post anyway. We're all writers here, and we're all (for the most part) adults.

And don't be nervous about the wolves. They mostly live in TIO, anyway.

allion · Aug 11, 2006

I admit that I was shy. I lurked a lot to get a feel of the place, then poked my head in and introduced myself. No one bit my head off, so I figured it was a safe place to hang out. There is a remarkable lack of flame wars here as compared to other places in cyberspace.

You will learn a lot here. It's a very cool spot to be.

Karen

Billytwice · Aug 11, 2006

There is one big problem with this forum.
There are so many interesting and helpful people on it one tends to spend far too long reading (and writing) on it.
I find I can easily lose an hour a day browsing and bantering when I should really be working on something.
But I am not dependant on writing to earn my living so I have an excuse to continue just enjoying myself...

Your thoughts, please

MajorDrums

Kidnapper

Marlys

Resist. Love. Go outside.

Andre_Laurent

Bufty

Where have the last ten years gone?

Shadow_Ferret

Court Jester

MidnightMuse

Midnight Reading

Siddow

I'm super! Thanks for asking

writermom

In the never-ending edit cycle

Andre_Laurent

writermom

In the never-ending edit cycle

ChaosTitan

Around

allion

Character assassin

Billytwice