Just thought I'd write and say hello, so hello. This is my first time on this site, although I've been posting to others for a while now. I have (previously) only written short fanfic stories with an adult theme, but fanfic doesn't count as writing so I gave that up and wrote a book instead, just to see whether I could. Also to see if I could create my own characters and give them a really good build up before I got them into bed. There's also some dodgy plot or other going on but it's just incidental. So, (and I realise there'll be all sorts of etiquette I've missed), if anyone would care to read the first chapter then I'd be very grateful. I posted it to my page though I have no idea if everyone has access to it or not. Not to worry if not, I can disappear off to LJ again and I'll still be smiling. Thanks.

Hi Sap and welcome to WW. If you've got any questions do give Dee or Nik the Site Hosts a shout.

WW is such a big, busy site, you'll find you get the most response to your piece and most consistent feedback if you join a group, as there you'll find people committed to critting and being critted. There are all sorts of groups: you might want to look particularly at the Intimate Moments group, which is, shall we say, a specialist one. But there are also several others which might suit.

Emma

Hi Sap, and welcome to WW

As Emma says, Nik and I are here if you need help finding your way around the site. I've had a quick look at the piece you’ve uploaded – it’s a bit long for a detailed crit, so it might be worth posting a message in the group’s forum asking for just an overall impression.

A good way to learn character building is to read as much as possible, and analyse what the writer is doing to create the impression in your head. Also read other uploaded work, especially in your own group, and see what sort of feedback they’ve got.

Best wishes,

Dee

Hi and welcome to WW, Sap.
Just wanted to say there's nothing wrong with fanfic; it provides a very good grounding to new writers, and, after a quick peek at your piece, I can see it's benefited from the practice.
As the others have said, it is a good idea to join a group for reviews (I write Children's and Fantasy, so I'm probably not the best person to comment on it), and I would suggest uploading a 1000-1500 word extract to start, as people get a bit daunted at the thought of reading and commenting on posts longer than a couple of thousand words at a time.
Good luck with it.

- NaomiM

Hello all. Thanks very much for being so friendly, and for the good advice. I will go off and join a group now. One of my main questions was how long is a chapter - in fanfic I was doing about 2.5K as an average but I thought for a book I should probably write more hence the splurge. Also - I know reading new authors is always a bit of a trauma because you are never sure if they are going to be rubbish or not, so thanks again, I appreciate it.