Hello! I come here looking for a beating... um, I mean critique :D

Calliea · 12-07-2012, 09:39 PM

Hey,

I've registered as Calliea, though that's a pretty random nickname. I usually go by Echo, but it was too short

I suck at introductions, I used to write that I have 2 cats as an ice breaker, but now I don't, so I'm doomed to be bad, sorry!

Oh wait. That kinda worked too.

So let's see, I came here because I was looking around the internet for clues about writing a book query, I wrote one, but I never stop to doubt myself so I hoped I could find some people here who would be kind enough to take a look and tell me where did I go wrong/where did I go right.

Lurking around I've discovered that I need to have 50 posts to post that question of mine, so I'm gonna go and see if I can maybe help someone else to put forth some good karma and energy

Well, yep. I don't know what else to say, so I'm gonna post a baby seal instead:

WillSauger · 12-07-2012, 09:45 PM

Welcome!

And you shortened my job of telling you that you need 50 post to post in the SYW section. But, but, but, you should read the stickies in Query Letter Hell and revise your query, while you work up your posts.

Hope you enjoy your stay.

Write_Askew · 12-07-2012, 09:48 PM

Calliea, Welcome!

I think you did just fine. The addition of the baby seal was perfect. I spent a few seconds lost in the "aww".

You're right- you do need those fifty posts to get some review action going. In the mean time, check out all the forums. Get to know people. Get to know the site. There's something for every mood here. I'm personally very fond of the office party, because it always gets me a laugh.

When you're ready, hit up the SYW forums and read the stuff in there. Also, take some time to read all the stickys and FAQs. They are an invaluable resource to a budding writer. They truly are. There are also great threads out there for every genre and even places to find writing buddies and betas.

Good luck and have fun!
WA

Calliea · 12-07-2012, 09:51 PM

Thank you both for the warm welcoming

I've browsed through the various FAQs both here and on other sites and blogs, but there's one thing no tutorial will teach you: does this bloody thing seem interesting to a stranger?

What I know is how to build a query, how to personalize it, etc etc etc, but it's all for naught if the thing is simply boring or starts with a wrong hook

And yes, when in doubt post baby animals. Can't go wrong with that

thehairymob · 12-07-2012, 10:15 PM

tpolen · 12-07-2012, 10:18 PM

Welcome from a fellow newbie!

drzimo · 12-07-2012, 11:13 PM

Welcome to the Forum!

regdog · 12-07-2012, 11:18 PM

Take some time and read the Newbie Guide and the Stickies found
at the top of Forum pages. They are your best guide to learning about
Absolute Write.

Please read the FAQ about posting photos.

In fact we have lots of brilliant FAQs check them out.

Don’t make a mad dash to reach your 50 posts. Take some time to greet fellow newbies, critique other members’ works, or join a discussion.

Announcements, Events and Self Promotion is for active members only. All obvious spam will be deleted on sight!

regdog · 12-07-2012, 11:19 PM

Take some time and read the Newbie Guide and the Stickies found
at the top of Forum pages. They are your best guide to learning about
Absolute Write.

Please read the FAQ about posting photos.

In fact we have lots of brilliant FAQs check them out.

Don’t make a mad dash to reach your 50 posts. Take some time to greet fellow newbies, critique other members’ works, or join a discussion.

Announcements, Events and Self Promotion is for active members only. All obvious spam will be deleted on sight!

August Talok · 12-08-2012, 12:14 AM

Greetings and Salutations!

BRDurkin · 12-08-2012, 01:03 AM

Welcome aboard!

KellyAssauer · 12-08-2012, 01:13 AM

Hi Calliea!

Welcome to AW!

Don't forget to read about AW basics in the Newbie Guide!

Questions about the forum software can be found in the FAQ's menu in the handy blue bar at the 'top' of this page.

This common acronym list helps identify our mystifying abbreviations.

Before you ask that Newbie question!!

See if Katiemac has the answer here.

and check out: Sara's 10 Basic Writing Tips.

If you're looking for critiques please read the 50 Post rule.

Questions about posting writing to the Share Your Work (SYW) area are explained here.

This link covers the most common problems found in the Share Your Work posts.
*Worth reading no matter how long you have been here!*

AW is a community built on the foundations of respecting your fellow writer and helping each other, it's the basic building blocks of how and why AW works.

Welcome to our community! =)

-kelly-

Fun social links:
The Office Party
Kelly's Soft Asylum

Tepelus · 12-08-2012, 01:33 AM

Hello, and welcome!

Calliea · 12-08-2012, 02:32 AM

As far as abbreviations go, the one that I fail to decipher is MB. It appears, from what I've seen, mostly beside YA which stands for, I guess, Young Adult [what a beautiful sentence I made here... not

]. I don't see it on the list, so could someone enlighten me about that one? ^^

I've looked around the SYW forums looking for something that I could help with, but I find myself not even close to confident enough to want to criticize other people. I ended up reading the critiques and nodding with a wise impression, but I don't feel I have knowledge required to post a valuable input there :<

Once I'm more confident in my judgement skills I will gladly help others, but for now, I feel like a babe in the woods, so it would be arrogant of me to tell others which path should they take.

But I find that there are many other topics around where people ask for opinions and alike, and those discussions I gladly join

It's been a while since I've talked on any forum, but I used to do that a looot in the past. It brings some memories

L. Y. · 12-08-2012, 02:45 AM

Hello.

to the Water Cooler!

Darkh0rse · 12-08-2012, 05:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Calliea

As far as abbreviations go, the one that I fail to decipher is MB. It appears, from what I've seen, mostly beside YA which stands for, I guess, Young Adult [what a beautiful sentence I made here... not

]. I don't see it on the list, so could someone enlighten me about that one? ^^

I've looked around the SYW forums looking for something that I could help with, but I find myself not even close to confident enough to want to criticize other people. I ended up reading the critiques and nodding with a wise impression, but I don't feel I have knowledge required to post a valuable input there :<

Once I'm more confident in my judgement skills I will gladly help others, but for now, I feel like a babe in the woods, so it would be arrogant of me to tell others which path should they take.

Hi Calliea, and welcome from another newbie.

I have no idea what MB stands for. Matte Black? Messy Business? Mass Biotech? I'm sure someone will come along and help.

In regards to posting in the SYW, I think you just have to consider this:

If you put your work in SYW, wouldn't you like to hear not only from those who can provide you with a line by line critique of all the technical stuff, but from just an everyday reader who might like or dislike your work and is willing to provide you with the information as to why they feel a particular way about it?

I'm not an author or editor, but I -am- a reader, extensively, of various genre. So, I try to help people understand what about their work hits me, makes me want to read it, or things I might get confused about.

Just because you aren't a well-known published author, doesn't mean your opinion my not be invaluable to someone. So, just take the plunge

rwm4768 · 12-08-2012, 08:31 AM

Welcome. The baby seal was nice.

Snowstorm · 12-08-2012, 08:40 AM

Welcome Calliea! Thanks for the seal pup! See you 'round the boards.

Griffin Hayes · 12-08-2012, 04:41 PM

Hi Calliea. Welcome!

Calliea · 12-08-2012, 07:45 PM

Griffin, the cover of Hive is terrorific : O [you guys need a decent scared emoticon here, my : O turned into a red blush

]

Samball49 · 12-09-2012, 07:49 AM

Welcome!

12-07-2012, 09:39 PM	#1
Calliea Hush, hush... Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Where Lindt chocolate grows on trees Posts: 119	Hello! I come here looking for a beating... um, I mean critique :D Hey, I've registered as Calliea, though that's a pretty random nickname. I usually go by Echo, but it was too short I suck at introductions, I used to write that I have 2 cats as an ice breaker, but now I don't, so I'm doomed to be bad, sorry! Oh wait. That kinda worked too. So let's see, I came here because I was looking around the internet for clues about writing a book query, I wrote one, but I never stop to doubt myself so I hoped I could find some people here who would be kind enough to take a look and tell me where did I go wrong/where did I go right. Lurking around I've discovered that I need to have 50 posts to post that question of mine, so I'm gonna go and see if I can maybe help someone else to put forth some good karma and energy Well, yep. I don't know what else to say, so I'm gonna post a baby seal instead:

12-07-2012, 09:45 PM	#2
WillSauger The Beast I Worship. Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Las Vegas, Nevada Posts: 3,684	Welcome! And you shortened my job of telling you that you need 50 post to post in the SYW section. But, but, but, you should read the stickies in Query Letter Hell and revise your query, while you work up your posts. Hope you enjoy your stay. __________________ Don't Fear Failure. "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn" -- Alvin Toffler.

12-07-2012, 10:15 PM	#5
thehairymob If I had a brain I'd still be dumb Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Scotland Posts: 8,776	__________________ http://www.billyyoungsbooks.co.uk

12-07-2012, 10:18 PM	#6
tpolen New Fish; Learning About Thick Skin Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: KY Posts: 34	Welcome from a fellow newbie! __________________ Books & Such www.teripolen.com

12-07-2012, 11:13 PM	#7
drzimo practical experience, FTW Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 433	Welcome to the Forum! __________________ http://www.nationsmith.com Facebook Twitter

12-07-2012, 09:48 PM	#3
Write_Askew practical experience, FTW Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: Missouri Posts: 143	Calliea, Welcome! I think you did just fine. The addition of the baby seal was perfect. I spent a few seconds lost in the "aww". You're right- you do need those fifty posts to get some review action going. In the mean time, check out all the forums. Get to know people. Get to know the site. There's something for every mood here. I'm personally very fond of the office party, because it always gets me a laugh. When you're ready, hit up the SYW forums and read the stuff in there. Also, take some time to read all the stickys and FAQs. They are an invaluable resource to a budding writer. They truly are. There are also great threads out there for every genre and even places to find writing buddies and betas. Good luck and have fun! WA

12-07-2012, 09:51 PM	#4
Calliea Hush, hush... Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Where Lindt chocolate grows on trees Posts: 119	Thank you both for the warm welcoming I've browsed through the various FAQs both here and on other sites and blogs, but there's one thing no tutorial will teach you: does this bloody thing seem interesting to a stranger? What I know is how to build a query, how to personalize it, etc etc etc, but it's all for naught if the thing is simply boring or starts with a wrong hook And yes, when in doubt post baby animals. Can't go wrong with that

12-07-2012, 11:18 PM	#8
regdog Starscream AW Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Admit it, you'd go Decepticon for him too Posts: 34,340	Take some time and read the Newbie Guide and the Stickies found at the top of Forum pages. They are your best guide to learning about Absolute Write. Please read the FAQ about posting photos. In fact we have lots of brilliant FAQs check them out. Don’t make a mad dash to reach your 50 posts. Take some time to greet fellow newbies, critique other members’ works, or join a discussion. Announcements, Events and Self Promotion is for active members only. All obvious spam will be deleted on sight! __________________ A DOG OF WAR Click the cover, it's a link Loyal Tierza struggles through the heartache and despair of WW2 to find her boy. My First Blog-Marriage My Second Blog-The Boy In The Striped Pajamas Help find Tracey Cooeedownunder's sister is missing No Rest For the Wicked Click to buy. Haggis has a story in it.

12-07-2012, 11:19 PM	#9
regdog Starscream AW Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Admit it, you'd go Decepticon for him too Posts: 34,340	Take some time and read the Newbie Guide and the Stickies found at the top of Forum pages. They are your best guide to learning about Absolute Write. Please read the FAQ about posting photos. In fact we have lots of brilliant FAQs check them out. Don’t make a mad dash to reach your 50 posts. Take some time to greet fellow newbies, critique other members’ works, or join a discussion. Announcements, Events and Self Promotion is for active members only. All obvious spam will be deleted on sight! __________________ A DOG OF WAR Click the cover, it's a link Loyal Tierza struggles through the heartache and despair of WW2 to find her boy. My First Blog-Marriage My Second Blog-The Boy In The Striped Pajamas Help find Tracey Cooeedownunder's sister is missing No Rest For the Wicked Click to buy. Haggis has a story in it.

12-08-2012, 12:14 AM	#10
August Talok Aut Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam. Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: On a pale blue dot. Posts: 562	Greetings and Salutations! __________________ A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit. - Richard Bach My..."The Truthful Liar" Blog / My..."Nerd Out With Me" Blog/ My Movie http://sneakersandsoul.com/

12-08-2012, 01:03 AM	#11
BRDurkin Trigger-Happy Pyromaniac Writer Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Lakeview, OR Posts: 677	Welcome aboard! __________________ Latest Blog Post - Updates and Inspirations (04-03-13) WIPs: Kricket's Song - Beta Reading (Fantasy) Kricket's Key - 65,525/90,000 (Fantasy) "Abyss" - Sci-fi Short for Kindle, Rated 5 Stars (7 Reviews)

12-08-2012, 01:13 AM	#12
KellyAssauer The Anti-Magdalene Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: The The Nutcracker Suite Posts: 33,194	Hi Calliea! Welcome to AW! Don't forget to read about AW basics in the Newbie Guide! Questions about the forum software can be found in the FAQ's menu in the handy blue bar at the 'top' of this page. This common acronym list helps identify our mystifying abbreviations. Before you ask that Newbie question!! See if Katiemac has the answer here. and check out: Sara's 10 Basic Writing Tips. If you're looking for critiques please read the 50 Post rule. Questions about posting writing to the Share Your Work (SYW) area are explained here. This link covers the most common problems found in the Share Your Work posts. Worth reading no matter how long you have been here! AW is a community built on the foundations of respecting your fellow writer and helping each other, it's the basic building blocks of how and why AW works. Welcome to our community! =) -kelly- Fun social links: The Office Party Kelly's Soft Asylum __________________ What Genre is my writing? Literary & Misfit Writers Group Kelly's Soft Asylum* *social fun thread - title suspect to change Tears are peanut & helplessness.

12-08-2012, 01:33 AM	#13
Tepelus Order of the Dragon Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 4,927	Hello, and welcome! __________________ Cast Your Eyes On The Ocean, Cast Your Soul To The Sea. When The Dark Night Seems Endless, Please Remember Me. My Blog. You know you want to. My deviantART page. I draw and photograph, too.

12-08-2012, 02:32 AM	#14
Calliea Hush, hush... Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Where Lindt chocolate grows on trees Posts: 119	As far as abbreviations go, the one that I fail to decipher is MB. It appears, from what I've seen, mostly beside YA which stands for, I guess, Young Adult [what a beautiful sentence I made here... not ]. I don't see it on the list, so could someone enlighten me about that one? ^^ I've looked around the SYW forums looking for something that I could help with, but I find myself not even close to confident enough to want to criticize other people. I ended up reading the critiques and nodding with a wise impression, but I don't feel I have knowledge required to post a valuable input there :< Once I'm more confident in my judgement skills I will gladly help others, but for now, I feel like a babe in the woods, so it would be arrogant of me to tell others which path should they take. But I find that there are many other topics around where people ask for opinions and alike, and those discussions I gladly join It's been a while since I've talked on any forum, but I used to do that a looot in the past. It brings some memories __________________ http://viridian-echoes.com/

12-08-2012, 02:45 AM	#15
L. Y. They are all perfect.... Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: The 5-0 Posts: 3,672	Hello. to the Water Cooler! __________________ Write. Edit. Rinse, repeat.

12-08-2012, 08:31 AM	#17
rwm4768 practical experience, FTW Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Missouri Posts: 5,486	Welcome. The baby seal was nice. __________________ My writing blog: http://ryanmuellerwriting.blogspot.com/ WIP: The Man in the Crystal Prison (Upper MG Contemporary Fantasy): 66K Revising and Editing White Fire (Epic Fantasy): 114K Revising and Editing.

12-08-2012, 08:40 AM	#18
Snowstorm A bit of snow's better than nothing Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Lost in the Wyoming mountains. Don't try to rescue me. Posts: 10,295	Welcome Calliea! Thanks for the seal pup! See you 'round the boards. __________________ Blood Atonement: A Pioneer Trail Mystery release August 22 by Writers AMuse Me Publishing. Clear and Convincing Evidence, a contemporary mystery, is under contract! Blog Twitter Facebook

12-08-2012, 04:41 PM	#19
Griffin Hayes One evil little baby step at a time Join Date: May 2011 Posts: 2,774	Hi Calliea. Welcome! __________________

12-08-2012, 07:45 PM	#20
Calliea Hush, hush... Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Where Lindt chocolate grows on trees Posts: 119	Griffin, the cover of Hive is terrorific : O [you guys need a decent scared emoticon here, my : O turned into a red blush ] __________________ http://viridian-echoes.com/

12-09-2012, 07:49 AM	#21
Samball49 practical experience, FTW Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 159	Welcome! __________________ My blog: http://foodexercises.com/

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