Welcome… I’m New Here! Hello. I'm Del and I'm happy to enter this community.

[Del Arca]

I'm figuring out how to navigate this platform. Any insides are most welcome.

 

[Vagabond Heart]

Hi and welcome.
@Jonny will be sending you info as soon as he spots this post.
I will get easy soon, I promise.
Nice to have you with us - what sort of thing do you write?
Xx

 

[Pamela Jo]

It would help if you tell us a litte about yourself. This is a chance to demonstrate your voice.

 

[AgentPete]

Welcome @Del Arca - persevere with it, it's worth it And always lots of help available if you get stuck.

 

[Jonny]

Hi @Del Arca a very warm welcome to the colony.

Nice to have you here and hope you find Litopia a fun and informative community.

This is a good place to check out (How-to guide) to see a lot of what goes on and how to navigate the site.

If anything is unclear do please contact me and I’ll be happy to assist if I can.

 

[Sedayne]

Hi @Del Arca Nice to meet you x

 

[RK Wallis]

Welcome aboard @Del Arca enjoy looking around!

 

[LJ Beck]

Welcome Del! What genre do you write? What are you working on now?

 

[Del Arca]

Hi and welcome.
@Jonny will be sending you info as soon as he spots this post.
I will get easy soon, I promise.
Nice to have you with us - what sort of thing do you write?
Xx

Hi.
I write SF and fantasy.

 

[Del Arca]

It would help if you tell us a litte about yourself. This is a chance to demonstrate your voice.

Well, my profession is engineering and writing is a hobby that has grown over the years. I recently started to look into how the publishing market works since I now have over a dozen full drafts of novels which I would like to share with the world. (mainly SF and fantasy) But I'm a bit of a cave person. I don't have people around me who are actively reading and in the past, I never had the chance to be involved in literary activities. Books are adventures I take in the solitude of my living room which is not helpful if I want to become published.
I'm struggling between two decisions. One is to take my chances at publishing which looks like a very painful process, implying that my free time will go into learning how to get published, editing my works, finding people to try my novels, and so on, which means less time and energy for writing other stories. The other one is to keep writing for myself and let my work die on my driver. After all, I have no idea if what I'm writing is worth publishing but after trying to find an agent and receiving tens of rejections my doubts are growing bigger. How do you even know if you have what it takes to write a story that people will want to read?

 

[BrianY]

Del, how do you find out if you have anything worth reading? Start by sharing in groups like this one. Then find a local writers group if you can and share with them.

 

[Sedayne]

Well, my profession is engineering and writing is a hobby that has grown over the years. I recently started to look into how the publishing market works since I now have over a dozen full drafts of novels which I would like to share with the world. (mainly SF and fantasy) But I'm a bit of a cave person. I don't have people around me who are actively reading and in the past, I never had the chance to be involved in literary activities. Books are adventures I take in the solitude of my living room which is not helpful if I want to become published.
I'm struggling between two decisions. One is to take my chances at publishing which looks like a very painful process, implying that my free time will go into learning how to get published, editing my works, finding people to try my novels, and so on, which means less time and energy for writing other stories. The other one is to keep writing for myself and let my work die on my driver. After all, I have no idea if what I'm writing is worth publishing but after trying to find an agent and receiving tens of rejections my doubts are growing bigger. How do you even know if you have what it takes to write a story that people will want to read?

Hi @Del Arca,

Like you I'm a solitary creature (with a bit of an inferiority complex because I have an MSc rather than an MA), and I've been writing for several years now with no readers to speak of. I joined Litopia at the beginning of March and it's completely changed my approach. I've learned so much about my own writing from reading and critiquing other people's work and have gone back to rewrite and improve my own. I have used the Lab to get critiques for my first chapter, which was quite nerve-wracking but ultimately uplifting, and I'm hoping to put some more of my early chapters up there soon.
Before joining Litopia I thought I had three completed novels. Now I realise I have three drafts of novels. I thought I was nearly ready to submit my work to an agent, and now I feel like I'll never be ready, but that's okay. I am loving the editing process, and I know that my work will stand a much better chance of being picked up by an agent by the time I do feel confident enough to submit.
I've learnt so much since joining Litopia. Everybody is friendly, and the shared expertise is invaluable. Sci-Fi and fantasy is not my genre but there are lots of SFF writers on Litopia who will be a great resource to you – and you to them. It's a two-way thing. Definitely worth reading and critiquing some of the other writers in the Lab first, then when you feel ready, let us read some of yours.
Best wishes,
Rachel

 

[AgentPete]

I'm struggling between two decisions. One is to take my chances at publishing which looks like a very painful process, implying that my free time will go into learning how to get published, editing my works, finding people to try my novels, and so on, which means less time and energy for writing other stories. The other one is to keep writing for myself and let my work die on my driver. After all, I have no idea if what I'm writing is worth publishing but after trying to find an agent and receiving tens of rejections my doubts are growing bigger. How do you even know if you have what it takes to write a story that people will want to read?

Hel Del.
That's a very common, modern dilemma. No quick answer, I’m afraid, Any answer will start with “It depends…”.
Really, this is the sort of thing we discuss in Huddles, because every answer… depends…

p.

 

[Del Arca]

Welcome Del! What genre do you write? What are you working on now?

Hi. I write SF and fantasy. Right now I'm writing the second volume of a novel that happens in space. I haven't refined a blurb but I suppose I can describe it in one sentence as follows: Imagine Darth Vader and Padme working together for and against the empire while they both absorb something from the other's behaviour and go through arches that bring them in the grey (no more light against darkness but shades).

 

[Del Arca]

Hi @Del Arca a very warm welcome to the colony.

Nice to have you here and hope you find Litopia a fun and informative community.

This is a good place to check out (How-to guide) to see a lot of what goes on and how to navigate the site.

If anything is unclear do please contact me and I’ll be happy to assist if I can.

Thank you, @Jonny.
I read through the guide. About the Lab, do I need to be a full member to use it, because I can't find the buttons to create the 'New Laboratory Project' and I don't see other lab projects in the 'Home' feed so I can give feedback. Am I doing something wrong or I can't do it without full membership?

 

[RK Wallis]

@Del Arca you don't need to be a full member for The Lab. In The Lab, top right is a big green button. If you still can't see it, just let Agent Pete know We have just had an upgrade of the forum. There's still some bugs and that might be one of them.

Joining a writing forum is a step in the right direction on your writing journey. Here, you can show other writers your work (and we've all been in your shoes). Here, you can test the water because out in the reader's world, they're brutal.

 

[AgentPete]

Thank you, @Jonny.
I read through the guide. About the Lab, do I need to be a full member to use it, because I can't find the buttons to create the 'New Laboratory Project' and I don't see other lab projects in the 'Home' feed so I can give feedback. Am I doing something wrong or I can't do it without full membership?

Del, you should be able to post a new project now. We delay this privilege for new members, but you ought to be able to see this now:


Let me know if you can't and I'll investigate.

 

[Pamela Jo]

. I thought I was nearly ready to submit my work to an agent, and now I feel like I'll never be ready, but that's okay. I am loving the editing process, and I know that my work will stand a much better chance of being picked up by an agent by the time I do feel confident enough to submit.
I've learnt so much since joining Litopia. Everybody is friendly, and the shared expertise is invaluable. Sci-Fi and fantasy is not my genre but there are lots of SFF writers on Litopia who will be a great resource to you – and you to them. It's a two-way thing. Definitely worth reading and critiquing some of the other writers in the Lab first, then when you feel ready, let us read some of yours.
Best wishes,
Rachel

I remember that feeling. Afraid to send into an agent. I think Huddle helped me get over that.

To me it's like having a market stall. it;'s really good to see what others are selling, and what people like. From that you determine how you present your own wares. If you don't want to sell your own wares- cool. But it's kind of fun to try. Think of it was going to the ministry of funny walks for help developing your style.

 

[Jonny]

Thank you, @Jonny.
I read through the guide. About the Lab, do I need to be a full member to use it, because I can't find the buttons to create the 'New Laboratory Project' and I don't see other lab projects in the 'Home' feed so I can give feedback. Am I doing something wrong or I can't do it without full membership?

Hi Del,

As per @AgentPete 's reply above you should be able to participate fully in the Lab. Both to give critique and submit your own work.

 

[Jonny]

@Del Arca

The button to start a submission is the large lime-green oblong positioned to the right of the Labs main title page.

Clicking this will open a simple form which is easy to follow and will guide you through the process in a matter of minutes.

 

[LJ Beck]

Hi. I write SF and fantasy. Right now I'm writing the second volume of a novel that happens in space. I haven't refined a blurb but I suppose I can describe it in one sentence as follows: Imagine Darth Vader and Padme working together for and against the empire while they both absorb something from the other's behaviour and go through arches that bring them in the grey (no more light against darkness but shades).

Cool! There's a few of us SFF writers on here. I'm also working on a story set in space. Great to have another SFF writer here!

 

[Del Arca]

@Del Arca

The button to start a submission is the large lime-green oblong positioned to the right of the Labs main title page.

Clicking this will open a simple form which is easy to follow and will guide you through the process in a matter of minutes.

View attachment 18877

@Jonny This is what I see:
But when I click Post thread I see this

and when I click 'The Lab' I have a form where I can fill in data about my story and a 'Submit' button. I suppose that this is it (although the instructions page confuses me)
While about being able to critique after looking around some more I assume that there are the forums labels as 'Need a critique'
Although the filtering option is not helping in single out the 'Need a critique' posts.


Let me know if I miss anything.
Thank you for helping out.

 

[RK Wallis]

a form where I can fill in data about my story and a 'Submit' button.

this is normal...