Ganondork
goo
Hey there guys! With my recent increase in activity on the forums, I couldn’t help but notice that the Writing forum isn’t receiving as much attention as it used to. It’s difficult to see one of my favorite forums on the site to be so disjointed and generally ignored. This particular forum is filled with stories that have very few replies. Why this is, I don’t have the faintest clue, but I will also assume responsibility for it. I am very much guilty of simply posting my work on the forum, then not branching out and reading any stories. For this, I apologize. However, words can’t bring activity back to the forum; but actions will.
So what are we going to do? I personally will try to read more stories, and comment on them, and I ask that people also join me and do precisely this. I will reach out to people who I think can make meaningful contributions to the stories, and help encourage new writers. That’s the most important part of this; many older writers have a following already, but newer writers don’t have anyone. It shouldn’t be solely up to them to ask people to read their work; it should be us, as a community, to reach out and give their stories a chance. Who knows, you might make a friend along the way.
Does this mean that new writers shouldn’t branch out to other writers? Absolutely not. Just because you are new doesn’t mean that you are exempt from trying to branch out; it’s a two-way street. That’s essential to the idea of a community; you become part of the Dungeon Gaming Network family once you submit your piece to the Writing forum. Due to this, you should also give other writer’s pieces a chance, just as they should give yours a shot.
Because of all of this, I’m proposing a new policy: comment on a story, and they comment on yours. The idea is very simple, and stated in the title; when you comment on someone’s story, the writer should then give your piece a chance. This can be the start of a friendship, as well as help keep the Writing forum active. It will bring us all together as a community if we are all commenting on each other’s stories.
So what should the substance of the comment be? That brings up my second proposal: give a compliment, give a critique. Too often I see people just saying things like, “Great chapter, can’t wait for more!” But it hardly helps the writer other than by stroking their ego. While we as writers do enjoy being complimented, it should be our primary desire to improve, and critique is the best way to help point a writer – new to the art or not – in the right direction. I’m not asking for you to give paragraphs of critique, but rather to give a nitpick; something simple like telling them that their piece could do better with more details, less dialogue, or any other thing that comes to mind when you read their writing.
I know it will take a bit of time before this really helps the Writing forum gain more activity, but each step we take will be great in the long run. This is all about being more open to new writers, as well as helping each other improve – we are a community after all! By working together to improve each other’s pieces, we encourage new writers, more stories, and more enjoyment overall. These small ideas can create friendships, as well as teach you a bit more about writing; it’s a win-win no matter how you look at it.
Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this, and I hope that this helps my favorite forum get some more activity!
So what are we going to do? I personally will try to read more stories, and comment on them, and I ask that people also join me and do precisely this. I will reach out to people who I think can make meaningful contributions to the stories, and help encourage new writers. That’s the most important part of this; many older writers have a following already, but newer writers don’t have anyone. It shouldn’t be solely up to them to ask people to read their work; it should be us, as a community, to reach out and give their stories a chance. Who knows, you might make a friend along the way.
Does this mean that new writers shouldn’t branch out to other writers? Absolutely not. Just because you are new doesn’t mean that you are exempt from trying to branch out; it’s a two-way street. That’s essential to the idea of a community; you become part of the Dungeon Gaming Network family once you submit your piece to the Writing forum. Due to this, you should also give other writer’s pieces a chance, just as they should give yours a shot.
Because of all of this, I’m proposing a new policy: comment on a story, and they comment on yours. The idea is very simple, and stated in the title; when you comment on someone’s story, the writer should then give your piece a chance. This can be the start of a friendship, as well as help keep the Writing forum active. It will bring us all together as a community if we are all commenting on each other’s stories.
So what should the substance of the comment be? That brings up my second proposal: give a compliment, give a critique. Too often I see people just saying things like, “Great chapter, can’t wait for more!” But it hardly helps the writer other than by stroking their ego. While we as writers do enjoy being complimented, it should be our primary desire to improve, and critique is the best way to help point a writer – new to the art or not – in the right direction. I’m not asking for you to give paragraphs of critique, but rather to give a nitpick; something simple like telling them that their piece could do better with more details, less dialogue, or any other thing that comes to mind when you read their writing.
I know it will take a bit of time before this really helps the Writing forum gain more activity, but each step we take will be great in the long run. This is all about being more open to new writers, as well as helping each other improve – we are a community after all! By working together to improve each other’s pieces, we encourage new writers, more stories, and more enjoyment overall. These small ideas can create friendships, as well as teach you a bit more about writing; it’s a win-win no matter how you look at it.
Thank you for taking time out of your day to read this, and I hope that this helps my favorite forum get some more activity!