Typing Tuesday: How Critique Sites Should Work

I’ve been a member of several critique sites in the past.

Inkpop 2009-2012

Figment 2009-2013

Wattpad 2010-2014

Hexbound [Valorpen] 2012-2013

I think I know a little about what I like and what I don’t like about writing sites geared toward young writers after the experiences I’ve had with these four.

Inkpop: 2009/10-2012 

The basis is that inkpop was built around the idea of critique. You swapped with other writers to receive respectable feedback on your work, to have spelling and grammar errors pointed out to you, so you could grow as a writer. The goal was growth, community, and maybe–if you were lucky–a review of your manuscript from the HarperCollins editorial board. But only if your story received enough list adds and generally good, critique-based comments to work its way up the ranks to the Top Five spots. 

 It shutdown and sold itself to figment.

Figment: 2010-Present 

Like inkpop, figment fosters a sense of community. There’s more poetry than full novel-length manuscripts on figment, and some critique but not nearly as much. Basically it’s a community of aspiring writers like any other. With interesting polls and forum threads geared to the lives of young teenagers.

Wattpad: 2006-Present 

Wattpad is a platform for anyone to share their stories. There’s an array of genres to choose from, and the Canada-based site does well for itself in attracting writers from every area, both published and unpublished to post their work and socialize. Primarily you’ll find poetry, teenage angst, an ocean’s-worth of fanfiction, and maybe a few original works. There might also be a handful of your favorite authors hanging out there too.

Hexbound/Valorpen: 2012-Present 

Valorpen is the place for writers to get feedback on their novels before they publish, and create connections with other like-minded people. Valorpen offers a variety of tools to keep in touch with readers (followers) and your fellow writers (friends) to create a unique environment to share your writing. This is the closest site to inkpop that I’ve been able to find. Not that I’m active on it anymore. But that’s probably because it was created by some ex-members of inkpop itself.

Now, those all being explained, I think there are some important things to consider in how a website should work. Or how I think a website for younger writers should work. 

First, I think it’s a good idea for writers to be able to receive helpful critiques from their peers. If you want to be a writer, then you’re going to get critiqued. There’s no way in avoiding it. So why not foster that experience online where there are hundreds if not thousands of other people willing to give you helpful, constructive feedback on your work?

I also think it’s important to have a rule for original work only. Fanfiction may be a good way to spend one’s initial time writing in the very beginning. I know I wrote fanfiction when I was first starting out. Granted it deviated from the original book a little too much to be considered straight-up fanfiction at times. But it’s where a lot of writers first learn to stretch their wings a bit. 

However, fanfiction, in my opinion, is not suitable on a young-writer site geared toward critiquing. No one’s going to want to critique a fanfiction. Let’s be honest. It’s like critiquing the original book and there are pieces of character development and setting that you can’t change due to the original manuscript the project is based on.

So keep your fanfiction to the fanfiction sites only, please. There are hundreds of them out there. Just do a Google search.

Also, I think it’s important to offer the opportunity for a critique from a literary agent or editors. Such as what inkpop did and what Valorpen appears to do. However, I think there’s something wrong with the popularity ranking on these websites. Inkpop’s original ranking system (before they switched it in 2011-12) is what I think works best. 

It worked as a duel system, where work would get “picked” or up-voted if it was liked by the members. Added to a “pick’s list”. It’s overall rank on the site would be dependent on the number of picks it received as well as the trendsetter rank of the members who’ve picked it. You increased your trendsetter rank by critiquing others’ work more often with honest feedback.

They switched their ranking system to something in the vein of how Wattpad operates, with simple votes regardless of a member’s ranking having any weight. The most read, most voted stories ended up in line for the editorial review board’s consideration.

Both ranking systems, in theory, are fine. But in the Internet world where you have a bunch of pre-teens and teenagers scrambling for attention, reward, and praise, the systems can be easily abused and manipulated. Popular stories on Wattpad tend to be fanfiction based around werewolves or Harry Styles. 

Popular stories on inkpop were originally original fiction from the mind of an aspiring author. Then it changed to whoever could be annoying enough or spam the other members enough to get the most upvotes by members who didn’t know how the new system worked yet. 

Projects that would have originally reached the board no longer made it due to the spammer twelve-year-olds who joined the site illegally. (There’s actually two or three cases of this that happened. I witnessed it.) And let’s face it, when we’re twelve we all write trash. Doesn’t matter who you are.

So there needs to be considerable attention to the ranking systems on the site. I believe figment simply recommends the most-read projects or most “hearted” projects on their site, with no editorial review either.

I haven’t explored Valorpen to it’s fullest extent yet, but it appears they have an editorial board, though there’s no way to tell how the ranking system is played out there either.

All in all I think critique sites should remain for unpublished authors to post their work on. I think it’s good to have a support group of other writers who are starting out just like you are. If published authors would like to join, they shouldn’t be allowed to post work that’s already, or soon to be, in print. They should be there to critique and help aid these aspiring writers in any way they can. Advertising shouldn’t go into it.

The critique sites should host original work, have a ranking system that works in duality or in trinity (3-factors) to account for the rank of a project. I believe works marked as complete should only make it into the Top 5 (as 5 is a good number of manuscripts to review), and that until a manuscript is finished, it should retain it’s rank at 6, bypassed by the next complete project ranked below it. This way the author has motivation to both finish the manuscript and will inherently learn the rule to never submit unfinished work.

I believe ranking of a member should be based on the number of critiques given, and also on how many up-votes or cherry-picks as they were affectionately called on inkpop, those comments receive from the other members. The rest comes down to popularity, not based in read counts, but in votes or “picks”.

Essentially, I want inkpop back, with a group who is ready to work and critique, that has member ranking and will only read ‘complete’ works of fiction for review. I want a place I can go that isn’t filled with heady girls squealing over a sexy werewolf boy or Harry Styles. I want a safe place to post my work where it’ll be critiqued and I won’t have to worry about plagiarism or stolen covers (both of which I’ve experienced on other writing sites and I’ve had to threaten with lawsuits). I don’t want to have to do that again.

So that’s how I think critique sites should work. Anyone have other suggestions?

Tweetables:

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@hannahhuntwrite reminisces on the days of inkpop and #writingcritiquesites @HarperTeen @Wattpad @figment

What do you look for in an online #writing #community? @hannahhunt shares her dreams of a #critiquesite on #TypingTuesday

Typing Tuesday: Why Published Authors Join Writing Sites

I should have written this rant last week when it came to me. But if I had you would have gotten a lot of rage and swearing and I’m not necessarily about posting that stuff on the Internet and having it attached to my name. I feel like sitting on this was both bad and good.

Bad: because I’ve lost the initial conviction of fiery rage that came along with the idea of this post so you’re getting a version that’s been watered down by time.

Good: because I’ve had time to cool off about this and actually form an argument.

So, without further adieu, this is my take on the droves of published authors joining writing websites such as Wattpad, Figment, Movellas, and potentially Amazon’s WriteOn, and several other platforms.

I’m going to start by saying I was initially excited when I found Beth Revis on Wattpad, closely followed by Scott Westerfeld, Melissa Meyer, and several other friendly faces around the YA Sci-Fi world. Not to mention, James Dashner’s on Movellas. I was thrilled to see authors trying to connect with their readers in a bit of an unorthodox sense.

Then they started posting their books.

Now, I understand you posting sample chapters, and that’s fine. That’s what Melissa Meyer’s done, or what she had done last I checked. But when you go on posting full books? There’s no point. Because essentially you’re just handing readers the manuscript and they don’t have to pay a thing for it. You’re essentially joining a virtual library. And that’s fine if that’s your intetion as an author. But let’s face it, you’re in the game to make money once you’re published. It becomes a life source, selling books. So the main goal I see of authors joining writing websites is to find more readers.

Which is also fine.

But to post your entire book, and have it get million of up-votes to being in the top ranks on the site’s popularity scale doesn’t achieve anything. Because these sites are created for young writers, or unpublished writers, to express their work. They deserve those top spots and by published authors posting their polished, and professionally edited work, you’re dashing someone else from a chance at getting noticed or receiving validation for the hard work they’ve done in writing their first novel, or first full fanfiction even. 

So I’m okay with authors joining to get closer to their readers. I’m okay with them posting samples. I’m fine with them encouraging other writers and posting How To’s or Writing Help “books” online to encourage and teach. 

But when you’re posting your full novels just to garner attention in a desperate attempt to sell more books, I want to light something on fire. Preferably every copy of said posted-book at my local Barnes and Noble. And granted, I have no idea if this is the author’s choice, or their publishers setting up these accounts, or WHAT the main goal of it all is. But it seems like selling more is up there, and I don’t think this is the way they should go about it.

I think there should be separate ranking systems, one that the published work of publishes authors is sorted into, and one for the emerging writers on the sites. That way users have the ability to choose to read something written by a 13 year old just starting his or her writing journey, or something by a stay-at-home parent in their 40s that has been polished to perfection instead of just venturing out of their house and getting a copy from their local library.

That way, the published work can be popular, but so can the slew of fanfiction and original work that gets posted on these websites. Because some of the sites, if enough popularity is garnered, will bring in editors from different publishing houses to review the most popular work like Inkpop.com had. Or they’ll hold competitions for a favorite on the site to have the potential to earn a publishing contract. And this is a brilliant idea. (Every execution of it has been wrong beyond belief from my experience, but that’s a rant for another time.) And if there are published works earning those top editorial-review spots, the editors aren’t going to be able to do anything because the DARN BOOK IS ALREADY IN PRINT.

So it’s not like two publishers can own the rights to the same manuscript. So there’s no point for full stories to be going up. And there’s even less of a point for allowing published authors to add their stories to the same vein as the emerging writers, because it totally changes the dynamic of these sites. 

When inkpop first started out, everything was about building each other up. Commenting and editing each others’ work to ensure it was the best it could be by the time it hit one of those Top 5 spots and earned an editorial review from the people at HarperCollins. But around the time of 2011, three years after I’d joined, it was all about the number of votes and comments and swaps one could arrange to get their project, no matter how crappy it was, into that top spot for the glory and fame of being able to say, “I’ve been there.”

Writers got really cocky, and there was a giant flood of thirteen-year-olds or younger’s posting fanfiction, which wasn’t even allowed on the site. It made all of the original Inkies furious, and slowly we all started leaving. We went looking for new places to find those critique groups, that shameless editor who would rip your work apart but show you all the good parts to keep and how to tie it all back together in the end, but there was nothing.

We tried figment only to get dashed by Hipsters who think they could write poetry, and more fanfiction. Wattpad is a cest pool of fanfiction, though there is hope for original work to get attention. I can attest to that as can several of my inkpop friends. But there hasn’t been another site that offered the same level of critique. 

That’s the purpose of these places to be honest, or that’s what they should be. And published authors no longer need critiquing because they can’t change the contents of a book that’s already in print. So they’re expanding the gap between the original intent of these sites and their surface use for advertising and self-promotion. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love it that they’re reaching out and joining sites that their readers use, but they shouldn’t be there to promote their own work when so many others are struggling to figure out how to work the elements of plot, setting, and character. They should be there to teach. Not advertise.

What do you think? Should authors not join writing sites? Should they not post their published work? Should they have their own categories on sites like Wattpad, Figment, and Movellas? Comment below, I’m curious.

Tweetables:
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@hannahhuntwrite talks about #authors joining #critiquesite @Wattpad @figment @Movellas #yalit #yareads

Is it okay for published authors to join writing sites that are meant for #critiquing young writer’s work? via @hannahhuntwrite

#TypingTuesday features the topic of #authors using #critiquesites like @Wattpad and @figment to #advertise to readers via @hannahhuntwrite

Thoughtful Thursday: In a Land of Opportunity

I’m slowly learning something, and it’s not to take the first offer you get. On anything. Ever. Especially if you’re looking for something better than what the other person is selling.

I learned this when I started applying for colleges, and again when applying for jobs. I’ve refused a good handful of schools and a few potential employers just because they weren’t quite the right fit or didn’t sit well with what I wanted.

But it’s taken me a long time to do that with my art and my writing.

(Credit)

My art was easier, because anyone could save an image on the internet to their desktop and call it their own. So I’ve stopped posting what I make publicly. But with writing there are so many traps to fall into: the disable copy+paste functions on websites. The inherited copyrights passed out to the authors of anything they post (even this blog is technically copyrighted from post #1 way back in 2009(?) before I even knew what blogging was.

And then there’s the promise of feedback. Of helpful critiques. Of finding someone who wants to be a beta reader, or better yet, catching the eye of an agent or editor by posting on these widely-known sites like Wattpad, Inkpop, or Figment. 

There’s also a promise of opportunity, being featured, doing guest posts, interviews, etc. All on these very small scale but seemingly big-scale platforms. Not that Wattpad is small by any means, but the opportunity of having a story featured there, doesn’t measure up to the opportunity of having my work published and mass-distributed by one of the big five houses in the future.

So I’ve learned to pass up on certain opportunities. 

I recently got a note from Wattpad staff asking if I’d like a sticker on one of my project covers as a promotional aspect they’re doing to a certain movie coming out mid-summer. The deal would also have one of my projects featured on the movie’s profile’s reading list under a certain genre. 

It sounds like a good deal, right? Promotion means more reads, and it’s just a little sticker tag, right?

But it’s turning out to be so much more than that.

I turned them down because the genre/category they wanted to feature the project under didn’t sit right with me. I didn’t see any aspect of the category within my project at all. So I felt like they were mislabeling the piece. 

I also only post first-drafts on Wattpad. I do this for a very specific reason: because I know I can improve from there. And if people steal from the first drafts of my stories, I’m doing so many rewrites in the long run that it probably won’t matter all that much (plus everything’s copyrighted so if they steal I get to sue….. even if it is the first draft and I’ve got a whole new version done and ready for agents to read.)

But with the projects all being in first-draft form, they’re obviously not my best work. So I don’t want something I’m not ridiculously proud of, or something littered with spelling/grammar errors featured and idolized. Because that lowers the standards for publication essentially, or the standards young writers might set for themselves before pursuing publication. If that makes sense.

I also turned them down because, no matter how much I love to see the read counts on my pieces go up and up and up, it means more people KNOW about the story, which means if/when I publish it, some might say they’ve already read the thing and pass it up. Which wouldn’t help me in the future when I’m a broke writer living out of a cardboard box.

Because let’s be real here, advances don’t cover all that much usually, and you tend to have to pay it all back if your book doesn’t sell. So don’t go spending it the second the check’s in your hand.

So I told Wattpad no. I didn’t want the feature.

Because I’m starting to learn that there are better opportunities waiting down the road, and if I take the one in front of me, I may not get the others, much like what’s happened to me in the past. So we’ll see what comes next. 

Care to share?

Have thoughts on whether or not I should have turned down Wattpad? Have a similar story to share? An opinion on the opportunities of the publishing world, even? Comment below!

Updates: It Feels Like It’s Been Ages

I feel so bad for not blogging for the last month and a half, but I feel like I’ve run out of interesting things to blog about.

Except the ideas that I’m currently working on, but knowing me, I’ll drop all three of them by this time next month, so they’re really not worth discussing until I get past 50k with any of them.

But basically my life’s been a mishmash of school, writing, shuttling my younger brother around on the weekends, and sleep. Lots of sleep. College is hard, guys, and Hannah needs her sleep. I am in no way a night owl.

Unless of course it’s 2am and I’m writing and can’t stop until I finish that one scene because it’s just too damn important for sleep.

But anyway, I’ve been having issues with people responding to my giveaway e-mails after they win books. So here’s what I’m thinking about doing.

I want to list all of the books I have on my shelf to give away, and then during the months of November and December, I’ll open up a raffle for the world to come and pick what they want from my bookshelf. Of course tweeting about the giveaway, following my blog, liking my facebook page, following me on Wattpad and other social media will always grab you points. But I really like comments and so I’ll be asking for a few different kinds of those on the contest’s main post and elsewhere.

But what do you think about the two-month holiday giveaway of books that I’ve accumulated over the past three years? I’m hoping it’ll go over well if you’re willing to help me promote it.

In other news, the blog should be getting a better redesign before the end of the year. Or so I hope. So you’re only stuck with this layout–or something similar to it–for a while longer.

Edits on Divine

I took Divine down early (well, I didn’t delete it, just substituted all of the chapters with filler text about how I’m submitting for publication like I’d planned to do come June). A lot of you might be wondering why, and I’ll be honest with my reason. Mainly it’s because I’ve had a sudden change of heart about the plot and plan to be doing edits all summer to make things right.

And yeah, well, that’s about it. Also, I’ve always been weary of posting my work online. I mean, I have random side projects and things that I know will probably never see the light of day again, or won’t end up finished, and those are typically what get posted on sites like Wattpad, just because I’m paranoid about my work.

Anyway, Divine’s been taken down, I plan to spend the summer editing, and we’ll just see how it goes. I do plan on continuing to post other work, like Secrets or Runner, but those may also get taken down, and I’ll hope you’ll respect my choices.