Alexandra Laine: 36 year old 'Jill of all traders and a master of none.' I've not lived the most conventional life. Left home at a young age to explore the world and never really went home again. I still travel extensively with my husband and two sons. Married my first boyfriend at nineteen (a boy I had a crush on since I can remember having crushes) and ever since have not stopped laughing, arguing, smiling and crying. My life took a dramatic turn a few years ago with the diagnosis of a terminal disease for my two year old nephew. Years were spent supporting my sister and her daughter while we helplessly watched the most beautiful and precious little boy slip away from us. Both my parents suffered sever medical problems the days and months to follow. To say it changed my life would be an understatement. Work, entertainment, friends, nothing felt the same. I withdraw from all but my immediate family for a time and just read. I read all my old favourite novels and some new, and then....I started to read my old journals and stories that I had locked away and all but forgotten. I turned back to writing; my first love from the age of ten. To rewrite history through my eyes had been cathartic and healing. I write for no one but myself. I have a deep urge to purge an idea or dream out, and in doing challenge myself to reflect on why I felt the need to write that. Was it any good? Could I have made it better? I examine and question everything I write. I encourage my readers to do the same. I am here to learn and improve. |
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I totally get why people don't want to give honest constructive criticism. I have given a few low star's (never below three) and have not been well received for it. ( I always try to fully explain my rating clearly, fair but straight forward.) However, in my defence, I am part of a very loving, support, ripe your throat out with a smile writers group. We only meet once a month, hence my need for additional forms, but I have to say after I licked my wounds the first few times, I came to love it. Crave the critique, the harsher the better. It challenge me and I loved them for it. Praise can come from your family and co-workers, your boss if your lucky...this...this open vain of the inner self through creative writing....this is how we grow. At least that's how I'm feeling about it today. - | ||
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Not going to lie, I'm not sure if this form is working for me. It feels like you are forced to review a whole lot of stuff your not really interested in reading to earn 'star points' and then maybe, maybe your stuff gets read. I guess I'm just bummed out cause I have several loyal readers from FanFiction that follow my stuff that are interested in coming over to take a look, but the site is not set up to search and find new postings. From how it feels a select panel decides first if you are worthy of being presented on the site. Then my few three and four star honest critique reviews come back to haunt me. I just want my stuff to be read. To be honest, I'm not sure this form is right for me. Thoughts? - | ||
Absolutely NOT true. All premier members have the same deal when they post their writing. They get a couple of "free reviews" and that's all -- UNLESS they promote their work with a certificate and member cent pumps. As far as anyone reading it, the writer chooses the title and category. If you want someone from the outside to read it, maybe they have to become a standard member first. Most of us don't want nonmembers reading our work because it would be difficult to get published. Tell your friends to pull down the profile tab at the top of the page, Search "find a member" and then click on your name. That will take them to your Profile. They can click your Portfolio and everything you wrote will be there for them to read. I think recent stories and poems are also available from the Home page by pulling down one of the tabs at the top of the page. No "panel" decides whether or not you can post on the site. All that's required is Premier Membership, in other words, dues. - | ||
If you want your friends from the other site to be able to find you, all you have to do is let them know your screen name here, and they can go to your profile (the Find a Member button is under Profile on the main menu). I'm not sure how many features can be accessed by non-members, but a standard membership is free and that certainly lets people find and read your work. The committees, like Norma said, have nothing to do with being presented on the site. They just decide who wins in some of the site contests, the reviewer of the month contest and so on - nothing to do with general posting. Were you thinking of the Recognised Writer award? That's quite a recent thing, I don't know how it works (I'm presuming it's also a committee) but that's a sort of achievement award, not a 'this is good enough to post' thing. Have you found the forums yet? They're a good place to ask questions and talk about stuff (relevant to writing or otherwise!). That's where your profile note showed up, hence all the replies. If you look under that Profile tab on the menu again, you'll see the forum button. - | ||
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you'll have a hoot here steve - | ||
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