Whether you need to improve your communicating skills, or
are a professional with years of experience, improving your writing skills
enhances your chances of success.
Additionally, whether you're a beginning writer, or are thinking
about becoming a writer, in today's publishing world you need all the help you
can get to be successful.
Greg Gunther, one of the current Administrators (Admin) of
the lists, said, "We have a History page
on our website that says how we go back to 1986, and have run continuously
since then. All the more amazing, since it has always been free and run by
unpaid volunteers."
How good is it? Members include every level of writer, from
the new and aspiring to publishing professionals like Gary Presley, who also
serves as an Admin. This unique mix benefits members who contribute thoughtful
article critiques and participate in enlightening discussions about writing
issues. All things considered, regular participation can help writers acquire
skills they would learn in college writing courses.
IWW writers, now and in the past, claim membership and
regular participation gives writers more skills than a college writing course,
in part because of tips and information members share about publication and
marketing.
Hosted by the computer department at Penn State University,
the IWW group provides this free service to writers from all over the world.
Check out IWW
Showcase of Successes .
Writers routinely give each other valuable feedback about
their writing, and confront the pros and cons of every conceivable writing
technique. Writing Discussions (DICS) include topics like self-publishing,
writing software, grammar, ebooks, etc.
When I determined to improve my writing, I looked around for
places to get feedback, and came across that fascinating online community. I
had authored three books, and you'd expect that between me and the editor my
publisher assigned, the books would be error-free by the time they were
published (1982 and 1991), but that's far from true.
The day in 1996 I joined Internet Writing Workshop ,Nonfiction,
Writing, was the day I began learning not only how to write. Perhaps more important, as a member of MarketChat, I learned how to market my writing. Access The World and Write Your Way To $$$ resulted and became the ultimate online resource for writers.
IWW requirements are minimal, a combination of four
submissions (SUB) and critiques (CRIT) a month. Ie: writers offer helpful
suggestions (critiques) to improve another writer's work in exchange for
receiving helpful suggestions to improve their own writing.
Of course this takes some getting used to, and that's
actually one of its benefits.
·
By offering critiques to other writers, you gain
practice as an editor.
·
Reading a wide variety of writing and seeing
what other writers suggest broadens your thinking.
·
The experience changes writing from an isolated
activity to a shared one.
In today's rapidly fluctuating publishing world, up-to-the
minute information is vital to a writer's success. During its 18-year
existence, Internet Writing Workshop evolved from a handful of writers besotted
with the web potential to interact with writers worldwide to offering specialty
lists to everyone who chooses to join. They include:
Critiquing Lists: Fiction; Lovestory; Nonfiction; Novels; Poetry; Practice; Prose/Flash-fiction; Script-writing; Child/Young
adult .
For example, Creative Nonfiction Discussion list (CNF-D) is
a list you should join if you like analyzing the personal essay genre.
IWW has the distinction of being one of the first writing workshops
on the Internet and ranks among the top free workshops for writers, and it
ranks among the top free writer's lists.
Learn more about, and/or join, here: Internet
Writing Workshop. To become a new member, send a message to
writing-workshop-request@lists.psu.edu with a copy to pvgreg@cox.net, or
gepresley@gmail.com, following directions on the website.
Now, let's talk about a few basics. "Here's how it
works," Greg said. "You will select the lists (groups) you want.
After sending in your application, you will soon begin receiving emails. You
may see so many emails that they seem like a blizzard. New members may
experience annoying parts of the IWW that need getting used. We have several
solutions. The first is to understand what the emails are about, and to delete
the ones you don't want."
List Admins welcome questions, help smooth new member's
experience, and direct them to detailed instructions, a needed. New members
find it easier if they join one list and get used to interacting before joining
more lists.
Jerry Waxler, non-fiction list member, says, "I
actually look forward to scanning the submissions and critiques, which I keep
in a special folder away from the normal flood of email I get from everywhere
else. Many people adapt to these emails and actually look forward to them. As a
long time member, when I go to look at my IWW inbox, I feel like I'm relaxing
with my writing friends."
Rather than receiving numerous individual 'Writing' emails
every day, I elected to receive 'Writing' in digest form, which lets me quickly
scroll through a single daily email.
Greg said, "My job in the workshop is primarily to add
new members. Gary does that as well, from time to time. If I were unable to
serve, he would take over. Our jobs are basically to keep the machinery running
smoothly.
"We can always use new members. We encourage our
members to promote IWW in any way they can, and truly appreciate their help."
Pam, a nonfiction member in Hawaii says, "The huge
benefit of having your work critiqued, and of learning how to write better by
critiquing the work of others is the greatest. Just as it takes a village to
raise a child, it takes a group of critiquers to raise a writer to a higher
skill level. And it takes a group of critiquees to raise the bar on their own
work. Each critiquer offers different insights on ways to improve a writer's
work."
The Yahoos members share often include thank yous to their genre group, such as, "I wouldn't have had my article accepted by the magazine without this group's editing help," and "IWW has done it again, gotten me an acceptance instead of a rejection."
Writing skills are highly prized in today's jobs market.
Join Internet Writing Workshop today to begin polishing yours.
