Vision: A Resource for Writers
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Holly Lisle's VisionForward Motion in a NutshellBy Robert A. Sloan©
2002, Robert A. Sloan
Three
top reasons why Forward Motion has helped me as a writer. First,
there was chat. I met my ilk. I met a whole herd of ilk moving in the same
direction, toward publication. Word count wars and constant topical discussions
on specific writing problems kept me focused on what I was doing. It was amazing
to meet people who posted entire sentences in chat! For the first time in my
life, I wasn't considered weird. The pressing issues ,ideas, and technical
problems that occupy way too much of my time and energy were common ones with
this group. No matter what the trouble, I found someone in Forward Motion had
gone through it, or was struggling with it now. For the first month, I didn't
even know there was a site outside of chat. Second
in value to my writing would have to be the workshop aspect of the boards. I
have found threads on every one of the boards that have taught me nuts and bolts
techniques I couldn't find anywhere else. There are open workshops and question
and answer threads where I can find experts on just about anything. I know where
to find a dolphin expert or a quantum mechanic. I'm mentioning the site as a
whole because I couldn't say whether the critique boards, topical discussions,
classes or articles have had the most effect on me. It's more that I go through
all the boards and go to all the classes and workshops and use everything that's
there. Third
would have to be measuring and mutual support for progress. Sections like Daily
Count, Organizational Boot Camp, and Writer’s Fitness all give me a way to log
what I'm doing. Support is always there. People pay attention to the weblogs and
the taglines with word count in chat as well as the Progress Threads for every
writing marathon that comes along. I've participated in three marathons now: the
Anvil Press 3 Day Novel Competition, the National Novel Writing Month, and, most
recently, March Novel Writing Madness. Member "Allikat" coined the
term “Extreme Writing” for this kind of lunacy, and she's right! We've
turned novel writing into a sport! We're all runners and we're all coaches and
we're all cheerleaders. With
all the enthusiasm, positive energy and dedication I've found at Forward Motion,
I've improved my writing in quality and quantity. And I've had a lot more fun
doing it than ever before in my life! Thanks to Holly, Zette, the moderators,
and everyone in the community! You are the greatest! |