Scrawl Forth ... !

About

Scrawl Forth - The Opera Community Writer's Group!



Howdy,

Call me ... David.

Well, my full name is David Scott Aubrey.

But you can call me, David.

Welcome to Scrawl Forth - The Opera Writer's Group (the very first group I've ever started up on Opera)!

"Hey, David", you might say. "How's it goin'?"

"Sweet", I answer enthusiastically. Because I'm zealous that way.

"Quick question", you might say. "Why another Writer's Group on Opera? Aren't there already a couple out there ... ?"

And that's a good question. Were I of a mind to, I might answer, "Well, the creators of the the other writing wonderful writing groups I've found in the Opera Community seem to have up and disappeared (resulting in the groups ... slowing down, some), so I thought I'd bloody well start one of my own, since I'm planning on sticking around a while ... "

So, what does that mean ... ?

Simple:

Here's a group you can join where you can post your writings - just 'to get 'em up somewhere', or to see what people think.

"Writings ... ? What writings ... ?"

Fiction and non-fiction. Anything from short stories to essays.

Post poems! Post articles you've written. Heck, even post your favourite quotes!

Whack something up about things both writing- and non writing-related.

Recommend a good read for the rest of us by posting about who your favourite author (or what your favourite book) is (and even why)!

Post questions or information related to copyright issues (it can be a confusing subject; let's get some clarity up here as a reference we can all use)!

Post about writing-related news. Heard about a competition? Let us know! Won a competition? Let us know, too!

Post about any writing markets you've heard of. Post about any work you've had published! If getting published isn't your bag and you write just for yourself, post about that, too. No, you don't need to post the work ... just write about your passion for it!

Post about what works for you when you're writing. What inspires you? Do you have a specific routine you need to follow when writing, or do you only write when the mood takes you?

Do you have a special place that's the only place in the entire universe where you can write? Can you write anywhere? Really? Anywhere ... ? How about on the back of an elephant? That volcanic, Jovian moon, Io? Underwater?

Come here and learn about hyperbole ... !

We could work together to get some sort of grammer-oriented rules here for the sake of reference (I know damn sure I'm not certain what a 'past participle' is!). Then we could choose whether or not we want to break those rules!

Do you find physically writing with a pencil or pen better than writing with a computer? Do you prefer to forge your fingers into deadly weapons - capable of poking through anything - by prodding away at an old-fashioned typewriter? Or is a computer your way to go (to ... uh ... forge your fingers into ... uh ... )?

What are some of the best resources you've discovered online for writing? What's your favourite writing software? Is literacy a problem for you - or someone you know - who'd like to read better (and/or write), but can't? Any word on where literacy can be taught (both online and off)?

What is pacing? What's an outline? Character development ... where do you buy that? And ... can you afford to be without it, or, do you even need it?

We could have 'Writing Workouts', where members could post writing exercises for us all to try our hand at, for the sheer fun of it! For instance ... share your life story with us! For a challenge, do it in 500 words or less! Or do it in 50,000 or more! It's all good!

Share your inspirational stories! Do you have an example where belief in yourself changed a situation for the better? Do you have a story to share to beat the usual doom and gloom shoved down our throats by the news?

Submit links about writing-related sites you like.

You know ... that sort of thing. :)

(If there's a category I haven't covered, contact me and I'll probably create one!)

Bear in mind, I have absolutely no ties to any publishers, I'm not a professional writer, and I'm the sort of person who thought Travis should have won Big Brother 2007 (not that there's anything wrong with that). So I have no way to help you get your work published ... except for putting it up here where people can see it ... !

If I can figure out how to do it, I'll create The Opera Writer's Group Chat, too.

Please, jump in and contribute! Be part of the community! The way I figure it, we all share a common interest! Even if you don't feel confident enough to post a story (or whatever) but want to write something, get scrawling, anyway! Drop in and say 'G'day', simply because I'm Australian (which might explain why the word 'favourite' might not have looked right to some of you up there ... ) ;)


Looking forward to it,

- David (aka Clean). :)



CAVEAT:

I only write what follows so that you can all feel confident posting here. Writing can be a deeply personal experience, and you should have somewhere supportive where you can share your writing to others (if you want). Besides, I'd like to promote an atmosphere in this group which I've found to be prevalent throughout the Opera Community in general; one of understanding, support, positivity, respect and - above all - fun! Having said that, 99.99% of you reading this don't even need to read it. Really! But there's always someone who needs some of what I say below spelled out in letters ten feet high and glowing with skin-melting radioactivity ...



I'm not a censor, but some of the things posted here could very well contain what a censor would like a 'Mature Content' label stuck on. Far be it from me to mention anything about swearing and suchlike, because some of my own stories (and blog posts) contain so much swearing, it's like they were written by a pit bull suffering from a dry socket. So swear 'em if you got 'em. Personally, I find a general rule of thumb is to try to make it relevant, as opposed to gratuitous.

Subject matter ... ? Violence? Erotica? Up to you.

In any case, if you happen to be looking for something to read the kiddies before bedtime, please, check it out, then use your own judgement.

If you're posting, use your own judgement.

If some troll decides to post anything blatantly copyrighted without the copyright-owner's permission, I'll have to take it down. And probably ban the troll. Because that's the kind of all-powerful cuss I am. After all, anyone posting here (yes, me, too) needs to also go by the Terms and Conditons set down by Opera as well.

Don't fret! It's all just common sense.

The main rule I must insist on is, "No personal attacks". Please, don't denigrate anyone's writing (or anyone, in general, for that matter). We're all human. You don't have to like someone's story, or article, or whatever. That's all good. But you might find that positive ideas towards improvement as opposed to barbs about their ancestry work out better for everyone.

Now the really harsh bit:

To put that another way, I will leap down the throat of anyone who has descended to a personal attack, and ban them like the hand of God foisting heavy stone tablets off onto Moses from ten miles up. Because it's my group, and I say so. So there. To be fair, I'll warn - once - and if it goes on, they're off.



Again, the above was so that everyone can all feel confident posting here.

Rules

1. No personal attacks. Please, don't denigrate anyone's writing (or anyone, in general, for that matter). We're all human. We're all here because we share the same interest (writing).
2. Please label 'Mature Content' if you think it'll have mature content. No pressure, of course. It's up to you. But people could be after something they can read their ankle-biter ...
3. Please, no blatantly copyrighted stuff. Post a quote, or something, if it's relevant, but attribute with a link where possible ... or, at least a credit. I will remove any of those scanned copies of the latest Harry Potter book.
4. Please whack a word count in there somewhere at the top of stories, articles, etc., so people can decide if they can read what you have to say in one sitting, or need a toilet break, or something!