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  Noticing Newbies  1. About this Newsletter 2. A Word from our Sponsor 3. Letter from the Editor 4. Editor's Picks 5. A Word from Writing.Com 6. Ask & Answer 7. Removal instructions   Welcome to the Noticing Newbies Newsletter! Our goal is to showcase some of our newest Writing.Com Authors and their items. From poetry and stories to creative polls and interactives, we'll bring you a wide variety of items to enjoy. We will also feature "how to" advice and items that will help to jump start the creation process on Writing.com. We hope all members of the site will take the time to read, rate, review and welcome our new authors. By introducing ourselves, reviewing items and reaching out, we will not only make them feel at home within our community, we just might make new friends! Your host this week: Cubby    Passionate about writing? Take your passion to new heights - with an online Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, available only from top ranked National University. Choose workshops based on your interests. Work with experienced and published faculty. Prepare for a variety of career opportunities. Use a state-of-the art online system: Study where and when you want. Click here to get more information!   ** Image ID #970199 Unavailable ** WritingML Tags: A Treasure of Creativity! When I discovered how to use WritingML Tags, I felt as if I'd found a wealth of ways to be creative. I must admit, I do go a bit overboard at times  , but I find that it's a wonderful way to express my emotions and unleash feelings that cannot always be found in words alone.As a Newbie, you can sometimes feel overwhelmed trying to figure everything out right away. I've been here two and a half years and I still don't know it all! And this wonderful site is always coming up with new and improved ideas to challenge us with. Below you will find a few samples for you to get started with. The first part of each line is what you would type in order for the outcome to appear at the right of each arrow. {b}{c:blue} blue {/b}{/c} --> blue {i}{c:khaki} italics {/i}{/c} --> italics {e:laugh} -->  {e:cry} -->  {e:angry} -->  {u}{c:red} underline {/u}{/c} --> underline {x}{c:orange} strikethrough {/x}{/c} --> strikethrough {e:balloon1} -->  {e:balloon6} -->  {e:flower1} -->  {e:flower6} -->  {e:right} -->  {e:left} -->  {e:star} --> And these are only a few examples! For a complete, detailed list of WritingML Tags, click on Author Tools to the left of your screen. Scroll down to WritingML Help. Basic Tags is a great topic to begin with. You will soon unbury a treasure of information, so start digging now!  Got questions? You might find some answers here...
~~~And Now... For Our Featured Newbie Presentation!~~~
Excerpt: “My sister and I were playing with our dolls when a sharp knocking came on the door. My mother hurriedly wiped her hands on her apron and went to where my father was standing in the doorway speaking rapidly with someone in a dripping trench coat. The men shook hands, and the stranger walked away. My mother clapped her hands to her mouth when she saw what he had left behind. On the doorstep was a tiny Jewish boy, who looked about seven or eight. He was very cold and wet, and his nose and ears were bright pink. His face was extremely pale and sharp, and he was frowning fiercely at my father, who quickly pulled him into the house.” She smiles sweetly with the memory. “My mother, having gotten over her initial shock, had fetched a towel and was busily wrapping up the child. My sisters and I had jumped up from our game and were staring at the boy, who was still frowning angrily. I wondered if he liked dolls.
Excerpt: Wendy was up early as usual, to check her garden. She counted her carrots and one was missing. She counted again to make sure, then rushed upstairs calling, “Aunty, come quick and look.” Aunty Nora was only half dressed. She grabbed her dressing gown and slippers, and hurried to join Wendy, who took her arm and hurried downstairs, along the passage and into the garden. Wendy showed her the carrots and Aunty counted them, then said, “My, that IS strange, one of them has disappeared.” Wendy was not happy.
Excerpt: As Alana reached the box she saw that the design on the top of the box was different from the design on the front. The top looked as if it was just a very intricate knot. She reached out to touch it, she couldn't help her self, and as soon as her hand touched the box, it was as if it felt like it was vibrating. She closed her eyes and just let her fingers roam over the soft feeling of the finished wood and the sharper edged of the designs carved into the sides of the box.
Excerpt: I'll try to write this down I'll see what I can do But when the words appear, be warned My emotions will show through
Excerpt: i can see him looking at me, and my first instinct is to look far, far away. But I fight it, and stare straight into his eyes until i can't take the heat anymore.
Excerpt: A sob shakes her, and she falls down on the crackly dead grass. She huddles into the tattered remains of a long white dress, her black skin and closely cropped wooly hair blending into the black bark of the tree behind her back. She can’t see her arm, but she can feel the warm blood trickling down into her calloused hand, staining her skin, feeding the forest. The trees pull at themselves, itching to rip her to shreds, to feed. Great Places for Newbies to Check Out!
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter! http://www.Writing.Com/main/newsletters.php?action=nli_form  Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter! http://www.Writing.Com/main/newsletters.php?action=nli_form Don't forget to support our sponsor! %%NL_AD_BOT%%  ~ Yeah, Feedback! ~ Starr Phenix  Wonderful article! I am pretty much in line with your system for reveiwing. I find it to be a little intimitdating to try and explain to someone what I feel may be lacking in their work because the last thing I want to do is discourage or hurt anyone's feelings. I love honest, constructive criticism, but I've come across a few who don't seem to appreciate it the way I do. It's very discouraging when you can't give back what you feel others have given to you. Thank you! Reviewing can be a pretty touchy thing. Members like yourself are the ones who will truly benefit from encouraging feedback. Those who cannot deal with constructive criticism make it difficult for reviewers who are only trying to be helpful. My advice to the latter would be to set their rating options to Does not allow ratings.  b_boonstraGood question. I struggled with a writer's block for a while, so I hope to pick up writing again soon. Aiming for children I hope to write informative, as well as attractive. To tease the young reader, tickle their brains, so to speak. And make a smile appear upon their faces, as there is enough dull literature to read. Informative books have become a huge part of writing. Publishers are very attracted toward fiction stories that also include facts in which children can learn from. And of course, teachers love these type of books also. I like your description of teasing the young reader and tickling their brains! ashrose_backI think this was very kind of you.I really liked the review and rating section I usually get confused on how to rate a poem or story oh and i really loved the colorful appearence it was a really cute newsletter @$Hr0$E Thanks! I'm glad you found my guidelines helpful. Rating is not always an easy thing to do. Antonio  I enjoyed your article but I respectfully disagree with your rating definitions. Grammar yes, typos yes, spelling yes, but perfect puncuation? That's like saying Machaelangelo couldn't sculpt because of the way he held the chisel. If every author was judged according to his or her ability to place a comma, editors would have all the best sellers and poetry would be virtually impossible. Publishers don't have editors for nothing. I actually didn't mean for my guidelines to be written in stone, but a loose example for those who are unsure of where to begin. I don't mind your respectful disagreement at all.  I just happen to be better at the technical part of reviewing than the content. I think it's great that we all have strengths and weaknesses that are unique. But truly, in my humble opinion, a 5.0 rating should be perfect, punctuation included. I do agree with you about the editors, authors, and bestsellers. That's an excellent point. Sometimes I think I'd make a better editor than writer. Thank you so much for your great feedback! schipperkeCubby: Your experience reminds me of something that is very difficult: putting a rating on personal items like a blog, or a journal, or a photo. With a blog, you can comment on the individual entries, or start a discussion with the author. But I agree with you, if you have a difference of opinion about something, that doesn't mean you rate a piece lower. How do YOU rate a personal item?? Schip If I have a difference of opinion that might affect the rating, I will not rate a personal item. I do, however, try hard to push those feelings aside and rate the item according the author's gift of keeping me interested enough to want to read more. As in a blog, I don't feel personal journals should be rated as something that is written for possible future publication. I pour out my feelings and experiences in my blog, and don't feel it's fair for someone else to tear it down. The person who gave me a 1.0 hurt me deeply and I have not written in my blog since. Silly, isn't it? I'll get back to it eventually. I have at least a dozen or more diaries upstairs in a closet. I've always enjoyed writing down my feelings. You are right, though, putting a rating on personal items can be difficult. kilterThanks for including Mara's Flame, it was much appreciated. Hamish You are very welcome! It was my pleasure. D.R. Pedraza  Great points. I hope everyone reads the rating system structure again! Chemdog Thanks! It's my own system so I'm sure others might make a few adjustments to it, but it is a basic guideline for those who are somewhat confused about how to rate. Puditat Aw, Cubby. Another beautiful editorial. I'm sorry that it was borne of a bad experience, but it sure fired a great lesson for us all. Good writing. Thank you so much.  Sometimes we grow from adversity. Meg: Writes Daily in 2006 What is it that you would most like to achieve in your writing? I want to write something that I feel is good and then, if I share it, hope that it makes my readers feel something and have some kind of emotional reaction to it. Don't get me wrong - publication would be great recognition, but I need the personal satisfaction and emotion first. I think you have the right idea here. If you write from your heart, you will most likely bring out emotional reactions in others, too. If you can achieve that, your writing will be recognized. lynkHi Cubby, I'd just like to say that I was really moved by your editorial this week. I too have lost sleep over low ratings. I think we have to remember that although we are talking to people we can't see, they are real people made of flesh and blood, with thoughts and feelings the same as our own. Lynne. Thank you, Lynne. Yes, sometimes it's hard to imagine that these low raters are flesh and blood with similar feelings. It's true, though. I appreciate you bringing that to my attention. But I have to wonder if they think of the writers they are handing 1.0s to as real people with feelings, too. Kamie What is it that you would most like to achieve in your writing? Peace ... I find its a place to speak my mind and share my soul without making anyone else feel awkward. R, Kamie That sounds like a very satisfying achievement indeed. Thank you for sharing. megsie2584Cubby, you did a great job with this newletter. Your explanations of what the ratings mean in relation to how they may make the author feel are especially good. Thank you for tackling this topic. Thank you and you're welcome! Ratings will always be a challenging topic I'm afraid, but hopefully my last editorial helped clarify rating guidelines somewhat. StephBee  Your "letter to the editor" was great and really helped to define the guidlines in which to give ratings. I really appreciated it! Thanks much! Steph I'm so glad you found it helpful. Thank you so much! PastVoices What is it that you would most like to achieve in your writing? Even more than being published on a regular basis, Cubby, I would like to believe I am as good as everyone says! I sent a piece to a new editor last week. Awesomely, within 15 minutes (she wasn't even working in the office, they forwarded it to her at home) she called. Not only does she want that piece, she was headed for my portfolio here and wants to meet with me later in the week. If she gushed any more on my talent and writing skills, I would have been flying. Then I landed back on earth and had to be me again! Another good Noticing Newbie Newsletter here. I really appreciated your breakdown of the points in your estimation. Newspaper ON!! Oh, Nanette! That is absolutely wonderful! I'm so happy for you! And you have just proven to many of us that editors really do look at portfolios here at Writing.com. Now that you have arrived back on earth, I truly hope you have begun to believe you really are as good as everyone says. Congratulations on your achievement. Spheric Hi Cubby, I really enjoyed reading the Noticing Newbies newsletter this week. This is information every newbie can use as they venture into the realm of reviewing other writers’ works. I have received many three star and lower reviews, myself. Things like, "Wow! This is really good." with three stars attached. Or a longer, very difficult to understand review where the reviewer informs me how poetry should be written, tells me I did just what they suggested, and then gave the piece one and a half stars. I think they were truly trying to be helpful, though I didn’t ask. We have to remember, I think, that like some of us writers, many of the reviewers here are beginners too, and some are even children. When looking at the rating a work receives with the review, it is important to analyze the source and the comments provided. To me, the reviews themselves are much more important than the number of stars attached. I may ask a reviewer to clarify something they said, but I never question a rating. I just accept it, five stars or two, and move on. A rating of three stars is considered “average”, but what does that mean? Is it average for people in general or for those who profess to be writers? I choose to use the former when reviewing, so it is rare, though not unheard of, that my ratings will drop below three stars. I believe that calling something “less than average” is usually too discouraging. Opinions, which are what reviews are, cannot be right or wrong; they are only one person’s view, whether they are positive or negative. If they are helpful, use them; if not, ignore them. That said, as writers, we all need positive feedback and encouragement. Luckily, there is plenty of that to go around here at writing.com, which is one of the things that make this site so special, and I intend to continue to use that also, as I work on developing and honing my writing skills. “You can learn new things at any time in your life if you are willing to be a beginner. If you actually learn to like being a beginner, the whole world opens up to you.” – Barbara Sher Peace and Love, Spheric What a wonderful quote and how very true it speaks! Your feedback, Spheric, is absolutely priceless. And your outlook is a healthy one that all of us should try to practice more. I'm so very appreciative for your insight and I thank you for allowing me to share your email with our readers. Quote: "My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way." --Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) Cubby's Question of the WeekNot including yourself, who has inspired you the most to write... an author, friend, family member, or someone else? ** Image ID #970201 Unavailable ** See you again on June 15th! Love, Cubby ")  Next week's editor will be... Puditat Have a question or comment for the Editor? http://www.Writing.Com/main/newsletters.php?action=nli_form  To stop receiving this newsletter, go into your account and remove the check from the box beside the specific topic. Be sure to click "Complete Edit" or it will not save your changes. |
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