Need help from any level of writer beginning to expert

[cafmike]

ok I have always wanted to write a book, but I am just not good enough. So I want to do the next best thing. Write part of a book. I looked around the internet but I just couldnt find a site that did this and I was shocked. So I created one. I just started it. I need some help though. I think this could be amazing.Just Imagine writing a book that gets published. I think this is very possible. With the power of the internet there will always be somebody working on the book,editing and we will have thousands of ideas and suggestions.

The purpose of the site: To write a fiction book. Please help if you can, I think I made it pretty easy to use. We dont even have a beginning yet.

OurfirstNovel.com

[psCargile]

I think your problem is that you don't want to do the hard part of writing. You want to ride the success of others that may be better at this than you. Those that are serious at writing are not going to be interested.

I've been wanting to publish stories for a long time now. I've been lazy about it. I never wanted to take notes of my ideas. I never wanted to structure the story with an outline and define the plot. I wanted to let the story write itself and figure out were it was going. These are the wrong steps. And for me, it's been a fast way to let a story die out. I have a lot of good starts, too many. Very few finishes. Very few.
So I've gotten serious about writing. My motivation is money. I'll be retiring in 26 short years and I don't have any faith in Social Security, and very little in the 401K.
I know I'm not going to break into the publishing world with a novel. So writing a novel now is a waste of time. You can't reach the top of the ladder without using the lower rungs. My goal is to hone my short story skills so that I can tell a great story in under 6000 words.

Publishers and editors aren't scouring the internet for the next big thing. If your dream is to be discovered on the internet, you're wasting your time. Your start should be with an updated Writer's Market book. Plenty of tips are there by published authors. Search for publishers that publish your genre. If they have a website, go to it and learn about them. If they give instructions on manuscript format, then format your manuscript just as they say, NO DEVIATIONS. If you deviate, your manuscript gets thrown away. If you can't follow simple instructions, they don't have time for you. A lot of people want to get published, make the editors job easy. If they want a cover letter and or a synopsis, give them one. If they give you advice or hints on how to write your story better, follow it. Go to writer's conventions and network, meet people, and get noticed. Submit your work to more than one publisher. Keep working at it. Nevermind rejections. Every author has been rejected many times. Why should you be any different? If you hone your skills, eventually you will create a story that gets someone's attention.
And of course, when you read a story, pay attention to how the author writes.

Now, I haven't done any of that, yet. But I'm serious about it and plan to, health willing. I'm working on my short stories. And it takes a lot of effort.

If you think that writing is an easy meal ticket that you don't have to work at, you might as well quit now.

But if all you want to do is goof off with a couple of friends on an internet project, have fun.

[RobAB]

I have started one myself and was looking for some assistance or some help too. I have a nephew who wrote a short book and was published but did not go very far. Check out newbe writer in the writers cafe.