[Semi-OT] CritiqueCircle

[Leitz]

Hey all, for those of us who want to improve our writing craft, (and some of us really need improvement!) CritiqueCircle is useful. You submit a story and get feedback from various other members.

There's a free level you can join at, and the system works on the concept of "credits". You start off with enough credits to submit one story and you can earn credits by critiquing other's work. Most of the pieces are in the 1K-3K range, and you need to write a decent (300+ words) critique, but it becomes easy to do after a few tries.

[ShawnDriscoll]

Interesting. I just recently bought some writing software so I could write Traveller adventures.

[Tiikeri]

Originally Posted by ShawnDriscoll

Interesting. I just recently bought some writing software so I could write Traveller adventures.

Which writing software did you get?

[ShawnDriscoll]

Originally Posted by Tiikeri

Which writing software did you get?

Scrivener and Scapple.

Originally Posted by Fovean

Writing is hard. There’s no software that will make it easy.

Very true. For me, it's like programming. Putting my thoughts to printed page, etc. Then there is the layout/format design to do. And the art. And so on.

[whartung]

Originally Posted by ShawnDriscoll

Very true. For me, it's like programming. Putting my thoughts to printed page, etc. Then there is the layout/format design to do. And the art. And so on.

The hard part for me is that the writing is "unprompted".

Most of my "writing" is prompted by something else. A question to be answered, an opinion, perhaps unsolicited, offered. In either case, it's a reactionary thing.

Arguably, so is my programming. Here is Task, make computer do Task.

The game for me is I need to break down a story/article/book in to the series of questions I'm being asked, and then respond to them. With something as a driver, it's really hard to put stuff to "paper" for me.

[Fovean]

Where I stumble is the rewrites. I’m pretty good at getting things down, sometimes rambling, sometimes concise, sometimes way too terse. But once I’ve “finished” I have a hard time getting back into it, to shape it and sharpen it. Thus many of my efforts never see the light of day.

It’s disappointing at times, my apparent apathy, but I don’t let it get me down. For me, most often, the process is the product.

[ShawnDriscoll]

Originally Posted by whartung

The hard part for me is that the writing is "unprompted".

Most of my "writing" is prompted by something else. A question to be answered, an opinion, perhaps unsolicited, offered. In either case, it's a reactionary thing.

Arguably, so is my programming. Here is Task, make computer do Task.

The game for me is I need to break down a story/article/book in to the series of questions I'm being asked, and then respond to them. With something as a driver, it's really hard to put stuff to "paper" for me.

Characters should be character-driven is all. Just like when role-playing. They'll write for themselves.

[whartung]

Originally Posted by ShawnDriscoll

Interesting. I just recently bought some writing software so I could write Traveller adventures.

Does it work? Did the software write Traveller adventures?

[Proneutron]

Originally Posted by Leitz

Hey all, for those of us who want to improve our writing craft, (and some of us really need improvement!) CritiqueCircle is useful. You submit a story and get feedback from various other members.

There's a free level you can join at, and the system works on the concept of "credits". You start off with enough credits to submit one story and you can earn credits by critiquing other's work. Most of the pieces are in the 1K-3K range, and you need to write a decent (300+ words) critique, but it becomes easy to do after a few tries.

How many of the "critics" are successfully published authors?

[Fovean]

Originally Posted by Proneutron

How many of the "critics" are successfully published authors?

Does that really matter? It seems the point of the OP was to offer an opportunity for new and unestablished writers to help each other and learn to grow together.

As someone who has written a Traveller adventure that was actually published, and then subsequently failed to deliver on more ambitious ideas, I’d say check it out before you throw shade.

Writing is hard. There’s no software that will make it easy.