  Noticing Newbies
This week: Cold Feet? Edited by: Jay's debut novel is out now!  
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This newsletter is dedicated to helping new members find their way around Writing.Com, and for members who have been here a while, too. 
Since we have on average somewhere around 300 new users each day, the ones who are most likely to get read and noticed are the ones who stand out. While a certain amount of garnering reviews is based on being in the right place at the right time, taking some time to polish your Portfolio and the way you present yourself in the community will do wonders to improve your odds of being read, rated and reviewed by your fellow Authors!
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Hi everyone, I'm Jay's debut novel is out now! and I'll be your Noticing Newbies Editor for this week.
I notice every once in a while in my travels on the site that I am not alone in my fear of sharing my writing with other people. While it is really thrilling to do exactly that, every single time I hit the "Create Item" button I get that sinking feeling at the pit of my stomach. Ugh, no one is going to want to read this! What a terrible idea. (Really, I have an embarassing number of Static Items currently set to "Private" for exactly this reason.)
Don't get me wrong. I love to share. Mostly. But right when I'm working on a piece, or when I don't know if a piece is any "good" at all, I clam up, I get shy.
Don't worry, you're not the only one. This instinct often prevents the writer from sharing one's work before it is ready. The problem is, sometimes it prevents sharing at all.
I like to think of this as getting "cold feet." As a writer, I know I am most likely to get these cold feet when I am:
trying something new for the first time.
entering a contest I haven't entered before.
come to think of it, just about every time I write something... stories, poems, reviews, newsletters, journal entries, grocery lists...
I can't be the only one out there who gets this way, but I would like to encourage you to just post it. The worst thing you could get is a bad rating and review. Well, yeah, no one really revels in getting a review with a low rating and a list of things that need vast improvement, at least it got a review, right?
I almost wonder if the thing we fear the most is the silence on the other end of the line. I don't think I know a single writer who thinks that they get "enough" reviews and comments. Certainly not on Writing.Com, at any rate. I think it's unlikely anyone's going to say, "You know what? I've been getting entirely too many reviews lately! This has to stop!"
So this month's newsletter is short but sweet: I am going to encourage you to just dive right in-- the water's fine.
If you have never posted an item here on Writing.Com before-- Do it! It is easier than writing an excuse for why you didn't post an item here on Writing.Com.  If you're worried about who will see your work or if other people will like it or not... remember that everyone worries about that at some point or another! We're all here to learn, read, write and discover. That's what this community is all about and that's what makes it such a great platform for your writing.
If you're nervous about entering contests, try dipping your toes in the water with dailies like "The Writer's Cramp" [13+] and "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge" [13+]-- low commitment contests make it easier to knuckle up for bigger contests. You can do it! To paraphrase a Wayne Gretzky quote, "You miss 100% of the shots you never take," so go ahead-- take a shot. Don't be disappointed if you miss, either. Odds are, you will miss quite a few times. But every shot you take, every story or poem you write, brings you closer and closer to success.
If you're worried what other people will think of you-- remember, this is a site with 60,000+ registered members and on average something like 300 new members a day... The odds that anyone is going to look down on you for being a newbie are pretty slim! A lot of the members of Writing.Com pride themselves on cheering on other newbies and I have to say-- I think this makes or community pretty darn unique. I've been a member of a number of other writing sites and really, this is the only one of those that I've found has so many resources dedicated to nurturing new members of the site. So go ahead, take advantage of it!
The only one who can decide whether you jump in or not... is you.
(But I say you might as well jump.)
Until next time, everyone!
Jay's debut novel is out now! |
This month's picks: Get 'em while they're hot!
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Feedback from "The Other Kind of Ratings" :
Twisty  writes:
Thanks for the tips and taking the time to write this. I appreciate it
Jessica Washington  writes:
I really love reading this newsletter cause it reminds me that I am not the only new person on here and it gives me information on how to get noticed. Thank you so much for this newsletter
Good to hear it! I'm glad my editorial was helpful for you! 
Steve adding writing to ntbk. writes:
Thanks for displaying some of the great newbies we have in this community. All cream of the crop and worthy of reading. They've all been reviewed and mentioned this as the source of the visit they received from this writer.
Copenator out!
Aw thanks, Steve! 
billwilcox
Content Rating is so important. I give this newsletter an 'A'...
 Grade A Fancy, I hope! Ah, but I digress. Thanks, Bill!
I look forward to hearing what you have to say about this month's issue!
Do you have cold feet too? Break the ice and let me know what happened when you finally jumped in... |
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Noticing Newbies: December 07, 2010 Issue [#4116]
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