Community Profile

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Literally Aspiring

lit_aspiring is a community dedicated to providing motivation and support for aspiring writers in all stages of the writing process. We're here to help you through rough patches, encourage you to keep up with your writing, and provide discussion on topics from getting your idea on paper to getting published.

Writing and editing are typically solitary activities, but this community brings literally aspiring people together to discuss tips and techniques, what works and what doesn't, and even share their work and offer feedback.

lit_aspiring isn't just for writers - it's for anyone interested in becoming a part of literature in some capacity or function. Such aspirations might include (but aren’t limited to) individuals looking to become professional:

~ Authors
~ Editors
~ Publishers
~ Literary Agents
~ Publicists
~ Literary Illustrators

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The intent of this community is to help people create/finish/publish their own original work, not live in the shadow of an already published piece. Fan fiction is great and serves its purpose (in fact, many of our members wrote or still write fanfic!); however, this is a community that supports the creation of original fiction. If you are aspiring to become an author, editor, or anything else listed above, then we welcome you to join! Here are some topics of community posts:

+ Feedback - if you have stories, excerpts, or anything else you need an outside opinion on, feel free to post it (using lj-cut please), including a line or two about the work so people know what they're about to read. Remember: Anything you post might be commented on. While no one will be flaming your work, don’t put anything up if you’ll be too sensitive to hear what others think. Constructive criticism is helpful!
+ Books We’ve Read - the key to being a good writer is being a good reader. Reading books is the best lesson for knowing what’s appealing and what isn’t in writing.
+ Personal Experience - if you have experiences or information that might help others, do share. People will benefit from knowing what to expect from writing, editing, trying to get published, and anything else. We are all at different stages in our writing, and it's always useful to have a guiding hand.
+ Helpful Links - if you find any site you think might be beneficial to this community, please post a link and let us know!
+ Venting/Griping About Aspiring - if you’re feeling frustrated about your aspiring efforts and need someone to lend an ear, maybe we can help or make you feel better. Everyone gets insecure and down, and sometimes it feels better to know you’re not the only one.

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Like any community, we have some expectations of our members. Mostly, if you can do unto others as you would have done onto you, we'll all get along fine.

Rules

1) Be respectful of fellow members. If you feel the need to offer criticism of some kind, do so in a polite and constructive way.
2) Be insightful. This isn’t a place to criticize or boast without reason. That's what your personal LJ is for.
3) Be concise. If you are posting something very lengthy, be sure to use lj-cut to spare scrolling for people just browsing.
4) Be receptive. If you post some of your writing, it will likely be commented on. Writing is a living thing, which means it's going to grow and change. Remember, all editing suggestions are made for a reason, so thank the person for their comment and then think about whether or not their suggestion is one you want to take.
5) Be on topic. First and foremost, this is a community to help support those aspiring in fields of literature. Thread Hijacking is okay, but try not to get too crazy.
6) Be sure all your entries are friends only. Some people are sensitive about their writing, and only members of the community should be commenting.
7) Be considerate of the community’s purpose. While we encourage people to post their own original writing, please realize that if you're not an active member who takes time to comment on other posts, others might not take their time to comment on yours. Do not become upset with those who do not respond to your work in the way you had hoped. This is a place for many people to grow, not for one person to be showcased.

If you think you can follow these simple rules, lit_aspiring wants you as a member!

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New members

After joining this community, please tell us a little about yourself and your goals in literature! Here's a questionnaire to fill out:

Name:
Age:
Aspiring to be:
Influenced by:
What I'm working on:
Anything else you feel like sharing:

Please keep in mind that lit_aspiring is not a beta service - we are not here to critique your work if we know nothing about you or your goals - so let us get to know you through posts and comments! We really want to hear from people in all genres and all stages as long as you're showing an interest in improving your writing.

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The following members are moderators for the site. They have my confidence to maintain the purpose of this site and are listed alphabetically by their username, not by importance:

Melissa
climbingvine22 - Aspiring Author/Editor

Jen
deviousgeke - Aspiring Editor

Lauren
ellajobberknoll - Aspiring Author

Courtney
oy_angelina - Aspiring Author (and our Fearless Founder)

Sara
princesslo - Aspiring Author/Editor

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Members (99):

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