New here and nervous about my first attempt

[mildlyaroused]

Another tip, and this might be slightly controversial, is to rate your own story during that half hour between when it's published (7am) and when the New Stories lists go live (7.30am). That way, when people look at the lists, your story is more likely to catch their eye. (It can take a while for the scores to update, which is why I recommend doing it during that grace period.)

I've always rated and favourited my own stories. If I didn't like them, I would't have written them!!

 

[OldDog_NewTricks]

Well…I finally had a few minutes and sent my first story off for consideration. I’ll check back in here if and when it gets published.

 

[CyranoJ]

The things that are worrying me are this...

My advice: don't worry. Write what works for you, dive in and do it. Don't concern yourself with anything but the story you want to tell.

This is a great environment for that: you're not auditioning for an agent or a publisher. You're just auditioning for Laurel. All you have to worry about is that your story follows the rules of the site.

You'll get to the point where you want to refine your craft and chat with other authors about it. That will be its own kind of fun. But that comes later. A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Just go in and do it and let the chips fall where they may.

 

[angelwingsub]

That's really sweet you share Lit with your wife!

Good luck with your story!

 

[OldDog_NewTricks]

Thanks to everyone again for the kind words. I don’t get much time to write or get online, so my apologies for the late response.

@intim8 I’m not sure yet how to add a link or set up a signature. Enough poking around on my profile area and I might figure it out. The couple that left the comment on your story wasn’t us, but I do like the idea of leaving a comment from now on. I wish I had been doing before.

@mildlyaroused I truly am a “work in progress” when it comes to writing. It’s a new medium for someone who has the “gift of gab”. I did OK in English, but much better in Creative Writing. Like a lump of wet clay newly dropped on a spinning wheel…

@Bramblethorn I’m quite sure my writing will never be “perfect”, but then again, whose is. Shoot for the stars, but be happy with the moon is where I should be, but hope for the best and plan for the worst is usually where I am.

@BobbyBrant I would normally use my wife as my “beta-listener” but I wanted my first time to be a surprise for her. She will probably have that job in the future.

@AG31 I could only wish that it was a Cialis type problem. Look up a condition called MCTD (my wife has this) and 35 years of beating my body up working construction just don’t make for many “stars aligning” physically romantic nights. We’re lucky that our largest sexual organs are our minds.

@StillStunned New Story Advertisements just seems like self-promotion. I absolutely do not mean that in a bad way, but I’ve always considered myself a “behind the scenes” kind of guy. I’ll add something to the What Have You Posted Recently thread. The vibe in this forum seems a bit more laid back.

I’m working on my next story, but as always, it’s like molasses in January. It’s ironic that the two ideas I recently started mentally working on have similar themes published in the last week or so. But then again, great minds are supposed to think alike, aren’t they?

 

[TheLobster]

@intim8 I’m not sure yet how to add a link or set up a signature. Enough poking around on my profile area and I might figure it out.

Click on your name in the upper right corner and pick Signature from the menu. You edit it just like you write a post; the icon that looks like a chain link is for inserting links.

 

[Ssbbw4u1974]

I'm not a professional writer. Hell most my stories are around the 800 word mark.
I submit them and wait a few days, and miraculously they get published.. I'm my own worst critic, as are most of us, right?

In the words of someone amazing..
"You never know if you don't try".

And besides, if it doesn't get approved, there is usually feedback as to why.

Good luck!!

 

[WhiteTailDarkTip]

I won't repeat the advice of other, but simply add: Listen to your story.

Run it through a text-to-speech application or website and hear how it sounds to you. Do the words flow the way that you want them to? Are the pauses and breaks in the right places and do the emotions or inflections implied by your words fit the mood you want? To a large degree, punctuation and spacing will influence these things and you can adjust for those in your writing.

Listen also to the vocabulary in your story. Some authors have a tendency to use different words when writing than they would when speaking. Focus on what you want your readers to "hear" when they read your words and how you want them to hear it. When telling a story, do you want your listeners to have to jump up to research the words you are using?

I know I'm late to this particular thread but this is something I do religiously. I read my text aloud.
It's a great way to catch typos but beyond that it helps to give flow to what you write. Sometimes what a character says on the page is at odds with how it sounds spoken aloud. This last one has made me fret over paragraphs where I want something said but can't work out how to do so without sounding in some way constructed (often my subconcious comes to the rescue, usually at about 4am)
Another thing it will highlight is whether you have a tendency to overuse certain adjectives.
Above all, take your courage in your hands and put something out there. The positive responses are such a boost, believe me!