  Noticing Newbies
This week: More, More, More... 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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So.
The holidays are, for all intents and purposes, over. 2011 is on its way and with the new year come all of those promises we make for ourselves as we see an opportunity for a fresh start.
This year, though, one of my personal goals is to reinforce better habits as a writer and as a member of a writer's community. I will save most of the soliloquy for my entry for "Dear Me: Official WDC Contest" (and you should enter too!) but the gist of it is: I want to make the most of my Writing.Com experience in 2011.
I am setting some goals for myself that I'm hoping will be attainable.
Some of the things I'm hoping to do:
Review more!
Like I said last issue, I can't think of anyone who thinks they get "enough" reviews. I want to spend more time on reviews, because I notice a marked improvement in my own writing when I review others' work more often. Reviewing more of the items I read and sending the author my honest feelings, even if they aren't a long line-by-line commentary on the piece, would really help the author to know that someone is out there and reading their work!
Enter more contests!
Like the father says at the beginning of the movie Little Miss Sunshine, there is no point in entering a contest you don't think you will win! That doesn't mean "don't enter contests," it means "Put more effort, time, and care into your entries to make sure they are top contenders!" I know I am not the only person who waits until the last possible squeaky second to polish my entry for a contest, and while I have done quite well in a few arenas this year, I certainly have a lot of room to improve! I suppose this point goes back to the whole "more reviews" thing, but I should send more comments to other contestants as well, especially when they write powerful work that deserves recognition. 
Play more...
"Play," I suppose, could be defined more precisely here as "participating in activities that really don't have any purpose except amusement." I love word games and I get hooked on them, but then go for months at a time without playing again. What gives?
Write more!
Honest. I will.
And maybe even... Rewrite more.
I hope my goals will inspire all of you as well, to come up with goals for things you would like to do in 2011 here on Writing.Com.  And that leads us to this month's question:
What is your Writing.Com goal for this year... Stash enough Gift Points for that snazzy Premium Account, maybe? Write that novel (or rewrite that novel)? Join a new Group? Make a new Group? Surely there is something you want to do this year.
How do you plan to achieve that goal?
I'll publish the best ones and see how we progress in 2011!
Until Next We Meet,
Jay's debut novel is out now! |
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Feedback from last month's editorial, "Cold Feet?" :
Fiona Hassan  writes:
When I first posted my work here, it was a while before someone reviewed it. The few people who have commented on anything I've written have been complimentary, but I'm scared they are just being polite. I wish I could advertise more or enter contests or something, but I barely have time to get on and read the newsletters. :(
Sorry to hear that! A certain amount of maintaining a 'profile' on Writing.Com definitely depends on being online frequently-- the Random Reads are "by Online Authors" so that list specifically refers to members who are logged in at the time. The more you log in, the more visible your account will be. Much as I hesitate to advertise, I will suggest that paid accounts (even a Basic, which costs under $20 USD for a one-year subscription... that's about the same price as a year of Writer's Digest) allow you to post more items, which in turn allows you a higher level of visibility in the community. It's a really big place and in my experience, even when real life pulls you away for a while, this community is always here for you when you return.
Indexmind submits the following:
Thank you so much, this type of newsletter really help!!
g.krasteva writes
As a new writer in the site one big THANKS! The tips were and still are great and helpful...
Glad to hear it!
Regina di Spade submits the following:
The Revised Guide for the Dead and Deceased. This is the introduction to a guide for and about both the dead and undead,and should be read with the other chapters which are on my profile. It is still updating.
Matt Bird MSci (Hons) AMRSC submits the following:
I have to say that 'You miss 100% of the shots you never take' is one of the best quotes I've ever heard. I may not be a newbie now, but I still get nervous when posting something different- my first poem is attached.
Thanks! It is one of my favorite quotes and it was recently featured in "Crack Kraken's Code Contest [Round Over]" [13+] 
Emotion submits the following:
 " Lost" E: telling someone how much i love t
Can i know anything more about self publishing?
Can you just take alook at my piece and give me some opinion from you.
I actually don't know much about self publishing other than my work I've published by posting here on Writing.Com. Anyone have some suggestions for this author?
Cubby  writes:
Great newsletter! It can be very scary to post an item. I like what you said though, "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?" Yes! A bad review may be taken seriously or discarded... simple as that. You might feel a little wounded, but you'll get over it, believe me. We've all been there!
Again, great newsletter...
~Cubby ")
Aw, thank you Cubby! Yeah, I still have that whole folder full of items that I am too darn chicken to open up and make public  One of these days.... 
Emeraldawn writes:
Thank you for this article. I really struggle with this and you put it in a realistic perspective for me. Very timely information for myself as well as many other Newbies.
atwhatcost writes:
The courage needed to share our writing is greatly reduced when I realize no one will ever come up to me on the street and groan, "Oh, so you're the one who wrote THAT story. Aren't you embarrassed?" No one can tell who I am in real life just by my screen name and location.
Another thing that helps is an adage I learned when I was 20. "At 20, everyone worries about what others will think. At 40, everyone stops worrying about what others will think. At 60, everyone realizes no one was thinking about them anyway."
Then again, when it works, I wish more knew who I really am. ;)
Angel
When I saw this newsletter, I had to laugh wondering why someone would want to write about cold feet. Then I realized just what "cold feet" was. It made me realize that I am the same way. Here I can encourage anyone else to put up a new static item, but when it comes to writing something for myself I'm the same way. Thank you for this helpful newsletter.
apparently it is a less common expression in other parts of the world. Another turn of phrase might be to "chicken out," which I probably used there as well, which is to say, to climb back down the ladder to the high diving board when you just aren't ready to jump yet. At least, that's how we used it... Anyway, yes, cold feet like backing down or chickening out or...
Fi submits the following:
Would love reviews, tips, suggestions, etc.
That's all for this month's feedback...
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Noticing Newbies: January 05, 2011 Issue [#4168]
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