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plkphoto View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote plkphoto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 3:12am
Originally posted by Kmax Kmax wrote:

This is great thank you for doing this. I feel like I have followed the directions but i still cant create a link.
I got as far as shortening the Google Drive Link and that Bit.ly version opened fine in Facebook.
Im on a Mac and tried both Firefox and Safari and now I'm losing my mind.
This is as far as I can get. Looks right but doesn't come up in preview and on my other posts it doesn't work. Im guessing it wont here either. And yes-A video or screen shots would be super helpful for us newbies.


Your link worked fine for me… I've deleted them from the quote because this area (Creative Writing Corner) is open to the public and you might want to remove them from your reply above. But if you copy/paste those links into your story post in the Review subforum, they seem to be working and should copy/paste okay. Otherwise do the same thing again! I ended up at your Google Drive story when I clicked. Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (4) Thanks(4)   Quote topangarose Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 4:09am
Nixie- This is a great post.

Can I just add, in case it's not completely clear yet... a copy of something I have already put on three people's threads? Pasting it in here, so maybe it will be easier to see in this thread for all the new people, If I'm repeating, sorry, I skimmed above, but it bears repeating:

 Instead of linking to your actual story in your signature-- link to your story THREAD on NYC.  If you link straight to your story, we have to go looking for you to critique your story and many won't bother. It's hard with this many contestants to find.

 Linking your thread takes a person right from any post you make right to your story thread. If you critique another's story on their story thread, they can just click on your signature and get straight to  your story thread. Once they get to your story thread they will find the link to your actual story which you've placed in the first post announcing your story and title, etc.

It's the easiest way to get as many critiques as possible. If you comment on another's story and they haven't commented back, this could be why. They just can't find you.

To find the URL address to put into your signature... go to your story thread page and copy the URL at the top of that page and insert THAT into your signature, NOT your blog or googledoc URL.

To see what I mean, just click on my signature below and see where it takes you. (Then read my story!) - (Hah! Just kidding)


Hope that helps someone!





Edited by topangarose - 28 Jul 2016 at 5:24am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote plkphoto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 4:19am
YES!! YES!! To what topangarose said. :)

The link (or shortened bit.ly or tinyurl) in your signature should take you to the first post in your topic in the review thread… 

Then people can click on (or copy/paste) the link to your story.

Not only is this easier for us to leave feedback -- it's also necessary if you plan to publish your story somewhere.

You want people to find your story from anywhere, and your signature goes on all your posts… which means if you comment in the Creative Writing Corner and have a link to your Google Doc -- anyone can click on it and go read your story… Posting like that (or on an open access blog) is considered pre-published by some journals. Which will reduce your chances of getting good money for your story.

But, if you link to the Review post, random person from the internet can see the link and click on it, but they'll get a "please log in" message and won't be able to see your post. Only forumites can see the posts. In the publishing world, having your story posted in a private group like this is just considered a writer's workshop -- so not pre-published.

In that vein, it's also good to use Google Docs and set privacy settings to "people with link can view" so that it's not searchable. Or on a blog, have it password protected and give the password in your Review post.

Big smile

You can see an example in my signature.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nixie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 7:41am
plk has the right of it - I want the original post to stand alone no matter what happens on an external server. I absolutely support linking such files in the comments, and encourage you to include a headline matching the wording above to the viideo/resource. Even YouTube cancels and/or removes files and accounts. :)

K - your link is fine.  Stories don't "preview" the way a video does. That's OK.

plk and Rose - I added some shiny red highlights to draw attention to the core concepts. Does that help?


Edited by nixie - 28 Jul 2016 at 8:11am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote plkphoto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 7:49am
Originally posted by nixie nixie wrote:

plk and Rose - I added some shiny red highlights to draw attention to the core concepts. Does that help?

Yep, yep! Looks good. 

I just wanted to clarify a bit in the comments -- too long for the all in one post to hit all the little details, but I thought it was good to mention the "previously published" conundrum. Smile
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote nixie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 8:11am
Originally posted by plkphoto plkphoto wrote:


I just wanted to clarify a bit in the comments -- too long for the all in one post to hit all the little details, but I thought it was good to mention the "previously published" conundrum. Smile

I think that's perfect.  Like Scarlet's videos, it adds value, and by appearing in the comments, it keeps the main post short, simple, and focused on the essentials.  A great way to consolidate the content in a way that doesn't overwhelm, but does give a central resource.

(and for that reason, I am going to prune some of my comments once we have this bit sorted out - if they don't pertain directly to the post above, I am gonna remove them once resolved, to try to keep the thread clean for those who need info without wading through crap.  I encourage others to do the same. )


Edited by nixie - 28 Jul 2016 at 8:11am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote The Red Lion Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jul 2016 at 9:46am
nixie, you're rockin' it this year with the useful posts! I would recommend all new forumites read this--because wow there are a lot of new people this year! Hopefully this can get pinned (or at least bumped back up at the start of each new round/contest).

Keep being awesome.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote ShroudedWolf Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jul 2016 at 12:33am
Sometimes I don't like critiquing with constructive criticism, because I think the authors think I'm being mean.  I explain my critiques and have only the best intentions, but am pretty straight-forward with what I think.  I do give them things I like as well.  It's hard to have people feel bad about things I write to try to help them.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote plkphoto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jul 2016 at 8:28am
Originally posted by ShroudedWolf ShroudedWolf wrote:

Sometimes I don't like critiquing with constructive criticism, because I think the authors think I'm being mean.  I explain my critiques and have only the best intentions, but am pretty straight-forward with what I think.  I do give them things I like as well.  It's hard to have people feel bad about things I write to try to help them.

Check out Jenna's blog post that I linked in the first post HERE. It gives some tips for how to avoid that. 

But really, most of us want to improve, and the only way to do that is if people tell us what they think. Of course, as an example, let's say you hate horror as a genre… You shouldn't go onto everyone's story that wrote horror and say, "I hated this story because I hate horror." That's not constructive for them… That's an extreme example, but I've seen similar comments that were slightly more subtle.

The other thing is, give constructive FEEDBACK, not constructive CRITICISM… what's the difference? you might ask… Feedback helps the author understand both what didn't work and also what DID work. That's important. What did you like? Why? You can always find something you liked… And, for what didn't work, don't focus on every single nitpicky detail if there are structural problems. Figure out what level the problem comes in, and address that. If you loved a story but found a few grammatical problems, by all means point them out. But if you were really struggling to follow a story, give a few pointers for what was confusing, but don't worry about nitpicking a spelling error.

I generally try to give around 3 "this really worked well" and 3 "you could improve this" suggestions, sandwiched in between some overall impressions (both positive and negative). If you balance positives and negatives, then it doesn't feel so much like critique/criticism, but more like nice helpful, constructive feedback.

And ditto for authors -- before you get upset, remember everyone's trying to help out. They're not trying to be mean. Wait a day before responding to the feedback -- whether your response is positive or negative… give yourself time to digest it and get over the knee-jerk reaction.

Smile


Edited by plkphoto - 29 Jul 2016 at 8:30am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote maiaco Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jul 2016 at 8:45am
Originally posted by Kmax Kmax wrote:

This is great thank you for doing this. I feel like I have followed the directions but i still cant create a link.



Kmax, I see you've created a post in the Review forum, so the best thing to do is to put a link to that post in your signature. 

Copy and paste this into your signature and it should work;

[URL=http://forums.nycmidnight.com/group-23-scifi-laundromat-tongue-ring_topic12981_post148473.html?KW=#148473]Dont drink the Kool Aid[/URL]
No baby acorns were harmed in the writing of this story

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