Great Writing

Just over a year ago I was a hobbyist writer with an audience of one. In many ways, that audience of one is still the one I want to impress the most. My wife, Lisa, has suffered many of my pieces of writing and given good advice; but she was an audience of only one. I had it in the back of my mind that one day I’d be published. Following her encouragement I sent some work to a literary agent, only to receive a polite refusal about two months later.

In the August of 2006 we got broadband. We must have been the last family in the known universe of both of our boys to be wired for unlimited internet access. (Along with: all our friends have Sky, PS3s, iPods etc etc ad nauseum) No longer would Lisa or I shout, ‘You’ve been on there long enough, when you pay the phone bill you can stay on all night.’

Truth be known, since that time, it has been me who has been online the most. I blame this on an inability to watch television without annoying my family. I ask questions and make comments, which to them, seem stupid or obvious. I also get bored very quickly. I also blame it on my discovery of the Great Writing website.

About a week after our broadband had been switched on I stumbled across GW. I’d never been a member of an online community before and was wary of virtual relationships and communication. Despite my reservations, I signed up and posted my first piece. Within an hour I’d had a few hits, a private message, and some feedback. From that moment on, I was hooked.

For someone like me who had more or less written in a vacuum, GW was a revelation. Coming home from work and finding a couple of e-mails alerting me to awaiting reviews was, and is, a real thrill. Just before I wrote this, I totted up the number of hits my pieces have had – over thirty-five thousand! (Some pieces have been removed) I know every hit does not represent a read, many probably gave up in disgust or boredom before they’d got much further than the first few sentences – but to go from an audience of one to thirty-five thousand hits in a year is quite something.

I don’t post this statistic to boast; in the real world of publishing, hits on GW mean nothing, but in this last year, they have given me something to write for. More than that, being a member of GW has put my writing into context. I realise that there are a whole range of writers out there. Some are excellent, some are okay, and some are downright awful. I’m aiming for excellent but have more than a fair way to go.

I’ve learned from kind and constructive comments on my work where my weaknesses lie. Working on these issues has hopefully improved my writing. I’ve learned I can only write poetry that approaches acceptable when I have something important to write about. It’s not within my comfort zone, and no matter how hard I try, competence always seems to be at least one step away. I’ve learned that the most important opinion is my own – influenced by others or not. If I’m unhappy with something, that’s the most important thing.

A very sincere thank you to all those who have taken the trouble to review. It is down to you that I now have the confidence to submit things into what Gerard calls ‘the real world.’ No luck yet, but I’ve told myself it’s only a matter of time and persistence.

Great Writing is not just about submitting work. It’s a show case where members and none members come to read. I’d approximate I’ve read ninety-nine percent of what has been posted in the Short Story, Poetry, Not News, Scripts, Comedy, Non-fiction and Kids forums since I’ve been a member. I’ve laughed, cried, sighed in disgust, been jealous, wished I’d never started reading something, challenged, educated, been haunted by pieces when I’ve gone to bed, been angry, depressed, cheered up. You name it, I’ve had the reaction. But mainly I’ve learned. I decided early on that if I read something, I’d do the writer the courtesy of leaving a review. This is often harder than it sounds. Excellent pieces are easy, awful pieces aren’t too hard, but challenging and mediocre pieces take work. In thinking about and reviewing pieces, especially the challenging ones, I think I’ve learned more about my own writing. Thinking hard about how other writers ply their craft can only impact on how you go about it. Reviewing can be hard and intimidating, but it is something that a lot of us could do a lot more of and benefit from.

Something I would have poured scorn on a year ago: virtual or online friends. There was no way I was going to make virtual friends – but I think I have. Writing opens up something of ourselves that we usually choose to keep hidden. We all share, to some extent or another, emotions and opinions that are usually safely locked away in the subconscious with all the raving imps of doubts, fears, loves etc. In doing so, we open ourselves up, just a little, in a way we might not with others who are close to us.

Great Writing – the online writing community. My thanks to the faceless ed and nascent. Ta very much.