Part One I found the NextBigWriter while surfing the internet for information about writing classes and workshops. I’ve been missing the camaraderie and energy of a workshop environment, so I thought maybe there was some kind of forum online that I could join.
I was attracted to this site because of its format. Before you can post writing to be reviewed, you have to review other people’s writing. By giving reviews, you earn credits. You spend credits when posting your own writing. It virtually guarantees you will receive feedback on your writing.
Of course, not all feedback is equal. The big question in my mind was whether I would get any useful comments on my writing. I decided to give it a try. You can sign up as a Review Member for free, which means you can read and comment on writing but not post your own. I joined as a Writing Member and paid for a year subscription, which cost around $50. You don’t have to join for a year if you just want to test it out, but the per month fee is higher.
The process of setting up an account is pretty easy. You have to give yourself a pseudonym, which becomes your screen name. I chose Barrington Greene as my pseudonym, in case anybody is looking for me on the site. I ignored the warning about not being able to change your pseudonym once you entered it, and I regret that. In retrospect, I should’ve just used my real name, but the site seems to encourage anonymity. Maybe it’s so people will feel more comfortable giving tough feedback? Fine with me.
The first thing I did after getting my account set up was check out the Site Forums. The topics include categories like “Writing Tips and Advice” “Getting Published,” Self-Publishing” “Writing Contests, Challenges, Prompts and Games,” and “ Reviewing Tips.” I clicked on the “Reviewing Tips” forum and read some of the posts. Here’s when I started to think maybe that I made a mistake with the year-long subscription. Most of the posts in this section are complaints from people who thought they were reviewed too harshly. Quite a few posts argue that poetry is subjective and therefore shouldn’t be criticized too harshly. I read the poems by some of the people who posted, and the reviews. The reviews were not wrong. The poems needed a lot of work.
On the other hand, there were some good posts about reviewing. One reminded people that we give our writing up to review because of how subjective our own readings are. Most of us have loved a poem we’ve written unconditionally and it took someone else’s reading to make us reconsider.
Overall, I got the feeling that there are some reviewers who review many things quickly because they just want to earn credits and post their own work. That didn’t seem to be the majority, though.
I was ready to start reviewing and posting my own work. In the next issue of The Writing Assignment (April 14), I’ll chronicle what happens and tell you whether or not The Next Big Writer is the next big thing.
--AB
6 comments:
Who knows where to download XRumer 5.0 Palladium?
Help, please. All recommend this program to effectively advertise on the Internet, this is the best program!
there was a contest (all writing due June 10, 2010) on TheNextBigWriter.com and I was about to enter--but then it told me that I had to join the website. And to join it costs money. I saw this as a scam. They lure you by using a contest, then make you pay to become a member. >.<
This is so true. It's a great way for the site to make money by luring you into a contest. The $50 a year isn't so bad because online classes cost a lot more.
The time involved on TNBW was ridiculous. In the beginning, I had to read A LOT to post my writing. I stopped using the site, and now my time is mine again to polish my own work.
There was good and bad to it. I did like getting other people's views on my writing, yet one shouldn't be obligated to read 100 chapters of a book from different authors, lol. I'm exagerrating, but it's somewhere up there. That's what a paid editor is for.
Good luck to you all with their writing,
MKM
I've been a member there since 2008 - almost 11 years. Like all sites, it has its pluses and minuses. Of course, everyone has their own personal of good and bad. For the most part, I've enjoyed my there very much. My writing has improved significantly and I have three novels published now. It just depends on what you're looking for and what the site has to offer.
I agree you have read a lot in order to acquire sufficient points to post your own writing. I'd like to see a better balance there. Do some folks complain on the forums frequently? Of course they do. But, it's my opinion after reading the posts of many of those folks, their writing needed significant improvement - as mine often does. But, one has to remember, if you post your work for review, you have to have thick skin. You if you're just looking for a pat on the back, you have friends an family. If you want constructive criticism for the purpose of actually improving, it's a pretty decent site. You soon learn who offers legitimate suggestions an who just toots their own horn only to be heard.
As far as the requirement to join as a paying member to enter a contest, I see no issue with that. The fee to join is very minimal. Keep in mind it's a contest, not a writing exhibition. Winners receive cash, free professional editing services, etc. Contests tend to draw more reviews of your work, if you entered.
I have nothing to do with the ownership or administration of the site. I just think it's a decent site that suits my purpose (to become a better writer) for a very decent fee, about $16.00 every three months. I used to teach at a major university in the midwest. If I were grading it, overall I'd give it a B+ - very good but room for improvement.
Just my thoughts, FWIW.
I have tried to find the forums, including the "Reviewing Tips" forum. Gleaning points takes a lot of work. I typically spend an hour or two on my critiques. Thus far, I have two members of the site who have not commented on my work, one critique I spent over two hours working on. I have found the reviewing tips section, but I have not been able to find its forum.
Can anyone tell me if there are significant numbers of writing/writers in TNBW writing and asking for critique of Literary Fiction? As a basic member I could find absolutely none. Since I don't read across genre this seems like a problem in writing or receiving critique that is knowledgeable and related to content. Much of what I read in TNBW while generally competent writing, reads as completely formulaic to a particular genre, which I can maybe be helpful to, but is disappointing as a reader. I agree the poetry here is fairly limp and sentimental so its pointless to crit people who don't aspire to better work and clearly don't read great poetry. If they did it would be obvious to them how much harder they need to work.
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