Even if you don't fancy yourself a writer, everyone can be a critic. Making work available to the masses is what online sites like this are for. Membership to the site is free and easy, and with a basic account you can comment on stories and articles alike, as well as join in the discussions on the forums. All of us that write are looking for feedback on what we make available, without it, it's difficult to know what our shortcomings or strong points are. Just think, your comments could lead to a special mention in a best seller down the road, or an unexpected career in literary critisism.

Writing is all about description, giving the reader the means to see what is going on in the story. It's also key in developing a character that comes to life on the page. Most of us do some research into who our characters are and what they look like, but I know I personally find myself working on a draft and reusing the same terms and phrases over and over, knowing that at some point in the revision process I'll make changes, add more detail, or rework the parts that I don't like. Lists of traits and details about characters can take some of the repetativeness out of our work and we can concentrate on the story instead of realizing part way through a paragraph that we don't know if Suzy will actually eat anchovies on her pizza or not; and if that dress she's wearing is an empire style or strapless.

For any existing members, and anyone interested in having a personal space to write, we will be offering blogs for our members. Having a space to share personal experiences or just to blather about every day things is a great way of getting into the writing habit. This is a feature that, later on will be available only to advanced member accounts, but I'm going to make them available for anyone interested during the beta. If you sign up for an account and would like to set up a blog, please let admin know so your account can be adjusted.

How many times have you sat down to write, a great idea for a story churning around in your head. Three people go on a long weekend in the woods and what happens, you stop writing after a few pages because you don't know how they will react. For me personally, character development is first and foremost in writing a believable story. It doesn't matter if it's contemporary drama or science fiction. If you don't know or can't connect with anything about the people in the story, then it doesn't matter if it's a brilliant plot or not.