From: Strata812 <hospitals@erols.com>

From: Gary Kleppe <KLEPPE@execpc.com>

RPM - acct 3/5 <rpm39788@Bayou.UH.EDU> wrote:

Now that this little spamfest is in full bloom, I'd
like to ask all you aspiring and suddenly prolific
writers something.

Write a story.  Write a full blown story.  I'm talking
about something at least 20K in size.  Something with
a modest plot to it.

You folks have dipped your feet in the writing pool,
now it's time to swim.  Okay?

So, Rod, does this mean you're volunteering to C&C some of the stuff
that these new authors will be putting out?

I should hope so.  It's so difficult to get responses if you're a new
author.  It's really intimidating, coming to the ML and seeing as how

the

most active members always C&C and talk to each other, where as new

authors

who post fics get hardly any response at all.

I do understand that people read their favorites first.  If I saw the

next

part of "The Pursuit of Happiness" or "Hearts of Ice", and then someone

who

I never heard of, I'd read TPOH or HoI.  Just it'd be nice if the more
established authors, when they had a little extra time, would read a

fic or

two by a relatively unknown  people, and make suggestions.  I know I've
posted maybe... 3 or 4 FFIV fics, and have gotten replies from Azusa

and

Phillip Masters... that's it.  I also got one reply for a Ronin

Warriors fic

I posted.  This isn't to say that no one's reading them (which...

actually

is probably true ^_^) but that's what some people assume.

Besides, how do you become an "established" author, if no one reads

your fic

to begin with?

I think that you will find that most fic's on this ML are read quite a
bit, the
problem is that most readers don't respond.

And in all honesty I don't see that it will ever change that much as a
general
rule.

However there are ways around this behaviour that allow you to get C&C,
well -
ways that worked for me the few times I tried them. ;-)

Find a story that seems reasonable to you, preferably not by a "big
time" author,
and send its author a bit of C&C.  Repeat once or twice, then *ASK* that
author
to C&C the fic you want C&C for.

This method requires a bit of effort on the writers part, but almost
always
gives results.

Good Luck. ^_^
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"The Major"             |  "Funny Games, Strange Cartoons, Confusing
David Bateson           |     Computers and too many Books!  No
                        |     wonder you're weird."
majorb@one.net.au       |       - My Sister.
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