Litopia - a sleeping dog?

[Alistair Roberts]

I think discussing work in progress is the core of what many of us might want or need? It's certainly useful, although I also need to get a small group of beta readers to fine tune my work.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

If anyone wanted to put up a short sample, say, up to 200 words, or run a pitch past us, I expect they'd get feedback, Houses or no Houses. Members have tested bits and pieces out here already. People here have only ever been constructive, as they were on Litopia in its previous incarnation. Even so, the writer doing the asking may need a quilted body suit, if they genuinely want people to shoot straight from the hip.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Well that's what I call straight shooting! Also quite reasonable too.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

I remember someone's feedback on my first novel draft, ow ow ow ow I used it, without ripping their head off. It was excellent feedback. It did the book a heap of good, after a wee time out so as to look at it again fresh. I hadn't found my 'voice' and was told I was in danger of using Enid Blyton's owowowowow.

 

[Richard Sutton]

I have to stumble through this before I can get back...


Took this today after the weatherman forecast rain at 2PM. The image was taken after that. No chance of rain today. The Goundhog was right!

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Lovely, but you'd want to stay indoors!

 

[1408]

Wow, @Richard Sutton that's a beautiful picture!

 

[NickP]

The two things a writers' site needs are writers and somewhere to share work.

Bring back the Houses!

 

[Jennifer Stone]

I'd be happy to help anyone if they need anything reading, I'd be willing to put my own narrative up for consideration, I welcome all feedback, good or constructive, I hold no grudges for scalding remarks. How else will I learn?

 

[Marc Joan]

I would wait for the Houses before you post any of your work--assuming that the Houses are password-protected. The Colony is open for anyone to read, and if you post your work here, you are leaving your brilliant ideas and perfect prose exposed for anyone to steal. In my day job, I wrote an article, of a rather technical nature, and put it on a website; within a few weeks, the entire piece, verbatim, was proudly displayed on the website of a competitor in India. Obviously I was not credited. I grant you this occurred in the world of commerce rather than the world of fiction writing, but the same principles apply, I think. Guard what's yours very carefully.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Ah well, I send copies of my completed novels to various relatives. Mostly encase this pc should self destruct and try and destroy my work! But either way the copyright is yours on an original work, and said copies give proof of when you wrote them

 

[tabby3]

I have to stumble through this before I can get back...
View attachment 43

Took this today after the weatherman forecast rain at 2PM. The image was taken after that. No chance of rain today. The Goundhog was right!

Looks like home to me.

 

[Marc Joan]

Ah well, I send copies of my completed novels to various relatives. Mostly encase this pc should self destruct and try and destroy my work! But either way the copyright is yours on an original work, and said copies give proof of when you wrote them

Perhaps I am overly cautious, but my suspicion would be that the copyright law is your friend if you have a big publisher behind you, or deep pockets, to make sure it is enforced. Failing that, good luck in pursuing plagiarists through the medium of a foreign legal system. So to be on the safe side, I would keep your work substantially out of the public eye until a publisher or similar has invested in it. Only my opinion, and I am not a lawyer.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

That was rotten, Marc. That's a big consideration. One click and this page is tweeted. Though I wouldn't myself worry if it was only a fragment being shared.