Scottstud94 wrote:As one of the... forum veterans... I suppose you could say, I see where he's coming from.
The art of great writing seems to have disappeared. I see great stories on here oh yes, but nothing like 2009-2010.
Scottstud94 wrote: The art of great writing seems to have disappeared. I see great stories on here oh yes, but nothing like 2009-2010.
Chris12 wrote:No offense to the writers we have now but i enjoy the older stories more. Maybe because at the time it was all new to me while now, I’ve kinda read it all already.
sarobah wrote:
If the great stories are the true ones, then by now they have probably all been told. Unless some of us spend an awful lot of our time playing TUGs, there aren’t going to be many new stories to tell.
bondagefreak wrote:
Am I straying too far from the subject ?
drawscore wrote:My definition of a "professional writer," is a person who has written for publication, been published, and has been paid for his writing.
Drawscore
bondagefreak wrote:I do not understand the link between professional writers and amateurs (non-professionals) in this discussion topic. The vast majority of writers here are non-professional and write as a hobby, however, this doesn't necessarily have a link to the previously mentioned "quality decline".
The site grows and attracts more and more users, many of them wanting to start out by composing text (whether Fictional or Non-Fictional). I am very much leaning towards the idea of composing a collective sticky post offering tips and guidelines about how to start off a good story.
As Jason mentions, some will not listen. But I am quite positive many new and not-so-new writers here, would benefit from the advice experienced ones here have to offer.
I believe it is safe to say that for the majority of our members here, what is most important in a story is for the readers to feel involved somehow. You cannot write clumps of non-involving text and expect readers to enjoy. I feel this is the issue we are dealing with here. Many of our new stories, start off with no setting description, no details, no content...just words. "He did this" "She did that"...etc
Loads of events and actions without detail, packed into one short chapter...this is not something many of us like to read. When I am looking for stories to read here, often the first paragraph or two, will tell me in advance if the story will be of interest to me or not. When I see undescriptive "detached" text in the first paragraph, I immediatly leave the story behind.
This is not a problem that will go away, but I believe we can, together, influence the quality of the stories we accumulate here over the next few years.
A sticky post should have as a purpose, to give advice about how to start out and develop a storyline and most importantly, to give advice on how to make the story interesting and involving for the readers....ex: cliffhangers, making out the characters so they become "real"...etc
Such a thread should also contain links to some of the forum's best stories.
Many writers learn and improve their skill, by paying attention to how more experienced ones write.
If a few of us put our minds to it, I am quite certain this can be achieved.
Of course, such a project would need backing/support from the moderation group.
xtc wrote:As a former professional, are you putting yourself forwards as a co-ordinator/sub-editor?
bondagefreak wrote:
One of us can assemble/put together all the tips and advice ...