Angsty Vampires - Actually Even Worse Off LJ?

[aggienaut]

   So I've been looking around for any good off-livejournal web sites for sharing and getting feedback on creative writing. I found this website called Webook.com and have uploaded a number of my short stories there. About 24 hours later I think maybe one of them has one view, but I'm willing to be patient -- it looks like other things have comments. Unfortunately nearly every other story I've read there has been absolutely rife with angsty 16 year old girls, vampires, magic elves, and every fantasy cliche imaginable. I suppose anything on the internet is going to be filled with that stuff though.

   Anyone else know of any other websites that might serve this purpose? Or perhaps have personal experience with webook and wisdom to share about it?

Comments

[pavel-lishin.livejournal.com]

I was just reading about one last week, but I don't remember for the life of me what it is.

When in doubt, I ask reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/fiction

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Webook contacted me back in 2008 to try to set up some sort of partnership with Idol. I wasn't impressed with them then, and from what you are saying, they don't sound very impressive now.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

I'm sure I'm far too impatient, but I've gotten one view in 24 hours, which is.... not the level of exposure I was looking for. And I've invested several hours of reading people's absolute tripe of entries and giving THEM feedback, in hopes someone would reciprocate. Maybe livejournal really IS the best place out there and I should be ashamed for thinking there might be somewhere else out there ;D

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Reddit is still utterly a foreign concept to me. I feel like the old person who believes the internet is "a series of tubes" or some kind of black magic. All I know about reddit is it scares me because I don't know what it is!

[one-time-pad.livejournal.com]

Tubes is a bit of a misnomer, but I can personally assure you that deep magic is involved. ("The More You Know ...")

I haven't really found an effective place for feedback on long fiction. For short stuff, I stick with particular LJ communities, if only to refine my process. Anything longer than 2000 words, though, and people run screaming. (In fairness, I don't write about vampires, and I use big words.). So I'm stuck asking people out in the Big Room With The Blue Ceiling for their thoughts.

[lawchicky.livejournal.com]

This! I haven't found a decent alternative at all.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

People in that mythical place known as "IRL" sometimes can be compelled to show an interest in writing????


Actually I was already thinking the best thing really, if I was going to be sitting in one place long enough, would probably be to simply sign up for a creative writing class at the local JC.

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

::sigh::

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

I gotta say, your whole enterprise is looking pretty good right now. I've been languishing about on Webook for over 48 hours now and still nothing at all. Not even in response to my forum posts (I posted a "tap tap is anyone alive here??" post in the main forum and no one responded, that's not a good sign). Someone did give me a "constructive!" stamp on one of my critiques of their story ... and still didn't bother to comment on mine. Rude!

But LJI comes but once a year, what's a fellow to do in the mean time???

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

AND it's still advertising a writing contest on their front page that closed on June 24th.

[one-time-pad.livejournal.com]

People in that mythical place known as "IRL" sometimes can be compelled to show an interest in writing????

The power of coffee compels them! (Just not very well.)

A class certainly couldn't hurt; it'll help you push the boundaries of your voice and introduce you to new things. Most importantly, it will force you to read and write a lot ... which is about the best form of instruction you can get. Just be wary of classes that promise untold riches or a surefire formula to success. :-)

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

I took a creative writing class at Davis, it was fun. The best part was actually getting feedback about my stories from real live people. (:

Though as I recall, I still had to read all their stories, which were at least 80% about girlfriends/wives/daughters feeling neglected. Seriously.

[one-time-pad.livejournal.com]

Sounds like the instructor missed the unspoken part of the First Rule of Writing: "Write what you know. But, y'know, not literally."

[emo-snal.livejournal.com]

Oh the instructor was a bit of a character. Her name was "Eve Imagine," which you may be shocked to learn was NOT her given name. In talking about herself on the first day she managed to use the word "artist" at least 15 times. Well that's an arbitrary number I just made up but it was a lot. It was clear she had this deep seated psychological need to be seen as "an artist."