I wrote several stories for a few years before ever deciding to send one to post on the library. I've always read a great deal which helps with writing. Reading helps with grammar, with sentence structure and phrasing. Still, sometimes I'll read an old entry of mine and see the mistakes I allowed to stay in the finished work when I submitted it, they stayed because I missed them when I proofread it. Some of them are pretty blatant too.
When I write something and send it in, if I don't like it, I don't send it. I've got a lot of stories started that I've never finished and probably never will as I wrote myself into a corner I can't find a way out of.
Finally, once you submit a story and it get's posted on the site, don't be discouraged if you don't see a lot of comments. I have a six part series I submitted and it was posted, it got one comment, one story generated one comment, that's it. I spent two years on that series. Meanwhile, I have another story I wrote in one afternoon, really on a lark, got loads of comments from people who really liked it.
Really, write about things you know and you like, if you don't like it, you can't expect others to enjoy it. Trust me, it's a kick when people like your work. |