Introduction
Do you want writing help or feedback on your work but can't, for the life of you, get any? Do you want to help out other writers, but aren't sure if people will actually listen to your feedback? Well, you're in the right place! Just take a look around and see what catches your eye. If you have questions about how anything works, check out the FAQ below.

FAQ

Guidelines
Like I said, this isn't meant to be a group with membership or anything like that. It's just people who want to help putting it out there that they're willing to help. That being said, please keep the following guidelines in mind. (Many of these are written with feedback in mind, but obviously still apply to other forms of writing work.)

Be Respectful
We're all writers here. Treat them like people.

If you are a patron, please do not rush up and demand help. Servers reserve the right to refuse service for any reason. You may also hear negative things about your work. These are (presumably) not meant to insult you, so don't take it personally.

For servers, remember that, while it's okay to say negative things about someone's work, you also have to explain why, preferably with examples from the text. Insulting or dismissing someone's work is not okay.[/b] It's one thing to say that characters act in a stupid way and entirely another to say that the work itself is stupid.

Be Honest
If you don't know when you'll finish something or you don't think you'll be able to work on a piece anymore, please say so. Making up dates is a good way to lose goodwill.

If you give feedback, it's in your best interest to not say things just for the sake of saying it. If you don't see problems, then you shouldn't make some up so you can keep up your image of someone who tears work apart.

Similarly, don't talk about subjects you're inexperienced with, because that's a good way to propagate misinformation and/or look like an idiot. If you're unsure about something, look it up and check if you're using it correctly. Be up front if you're not entirely sure how something is supposed to work.

Be Specific
It's a common misconception that "negative feedback = good feedback". This is patently false. Good feedback frequently says negative things, but negativity in of itself is not a good thing.

Good feedback includes three things: what you think, why you think that, and specific evidence showing that you actually read the story. The more specific your explanations, the easier it is for your patron to understand why you came to the conclusions you did and fix things that didn't quite work out.

Note that "Offering suggestions for corrections" is not on that list. You certainly can offer suggestions if you have ideas that might help to fix the work, but it is by no means necessary. If you don't know how to fix something, don't present yourself like you do.

Be Thorough
This doesn't mean "say everything". Nitpicking isn't that useful (unless you're proofreading, in which case you should pick nits like the world is ending) because it doesn't address the fundamental issues. When you give feedback, try to cover all of the major topics you can and explain yourself with specific examples.

Be Open-Minded
Not everyone writes the same way. Don't criticize someone's style just because they're using that style. Just because someone didn't write a story the way you should have doesn't mean their story is bad. You can talk about why a stylistic choice (e.g., point of view, tone, or language) is disadvantageous, but don't say it's straight-up wrong. Authors usually have reasons for idiosyncratic choices.

You may not agree with all feedback that you get, and that's okay. People have reasons for saying what they do, and you don't have to agree. At the very least, figure out why you disagree.

Be Analytic
Remember that nobody's feedback is the end-all be-all. It's all well and good to get data on your story in the form of feedback, but it's useless unless you actually think about what it means. Don't blindly make changes in your story because someone told you you should. Consider their view and why you had your story that way to begin with, then evaluate if you should make the suggested change.

Similarly, if you're giving feedback, try to deduce the intent in the work. It makes a world of difference if you understand what the author was trying to do.


Remember, giving feedback is important because it helps to develop critical analysis skills for both parties involved. You don't have to be skilled as a writer to give good feedback. Just as long as you remember to explain specifically why you think what you think, you're good.[/spoiler]
Patrons
the Servers list (if you want revision, ideas discussion, feedback on your writing, etc.) or References list (if you're just looking for information) below and see what fits your needs. To avoid getting feedback you already know (e.g., explaining how contractions work because you made a mistake), make sure to proofread before submitting your work to anyone. If you don't know what to look for, take a look at this handy list of things to ask yourself!

1. Have I read my story out loud at least once?
   
2. Have I checked my story for spelling and grammar mistakes?
   
3. Have I gone through and tried to remove redundancies and wordiness?
   
4. Is my dialogue punctuated correctly?
   
5. Do I know what all of my words mean?
   
6. If I have jargon of any sort, have I done the research to know that I am using it correctly?
   
7. Can my story stand on its own without the context of a different story?
   
8. Does anything change over the course of the story?
   
9. Can I summarize my story in one sentence?
   
10. Do I have a conflict and resolution?
    
11. Does my conflict line up with my resolution?
    
12. Are all of my plot elements introduced in a logical way (i.e., are not deus ex machinas)?
    
13. Have I removed all sections of my story that don't contribute to the plot?
    
14. Are my character motivations clear?
    
15. Do my characters' actions drive the plot?
    
16. Can I describe my characters' personalities and prove it with examples from the text?
    
17. Does my dialogue sound like something that would come out of a real person's mouth?
    

Feel free to suggest more things to add to this list.

If you are asking for information, make sure you know specifically what you want to know.[/spoiler]

Servers
(For organization's sake, information services are listed separately. Servers can be listed in both places if they offer both.)
t that you want to offer, this is the place to be! To get listed, just make a post here or PM me with the following information:

• The service(s) you are willing to offer (e.g., feedback, ideas discussion, proofreading). Please make sure that you can actually deliver on whatever you're offering.
  
• Your focus in writing/details on service(s) (i.e., your writing strengths).
  
• The type of writing you are willing to work with (e.g., wRHG pages, poetry, short fiction, essays, first drafts). Please only work with things you have some experience with.
  
• Anything you would like your patrons to do before contacting.
  
• Preferred method(s) of contact.
  
• (If desired) links to examples of your service or writing.

If you are offering information services (meaning strictly reference, not discussing hypotheticals or ideas), list your topics, sorted by the following:

• Your firsthand experience (Things that you actually do or have had happen to you. i.e., practical experience)
  
• Your secondhand experience/knowledge (Things you have studied. i.e., theoretical experience)
  
• Information you have access to from other sources (Most likely firsthand experience from a friend)
  
• Preferred method(s) of contact.
  

Remember, it's okay to not know things. Just make sure when you're giving information that's it's clear what the extent of your knowledge is.
[/spoiler]

References and Resources
s you have information on, please post them so I can add them here!

Writing Tools and Resources
Apps and Software
Draftin--collaboration, version control, copy-editing, and more (requires account):[/B]
https://draftin.com/
Hemmingway App--highlights writing issues like passive voice, complicated sentences, and adverbs:[/B]
http://www.hemingwayapp.com/
Grammarly--grammar, spelling, and word choice checker (requires account):[/B]
http://www.grammarly.com

Grammar and Style
Oxford Dictionaries, allows you to search UK or NA dictionaries, also has articles on BrE and AmE differences:[/B]
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/
Dictionary.com, please check example sentences when using a word:[/b]
http://reference.dictionary.com
Purdue OWL, general writing:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/1/
The Grammarist, phrase and word usage, has an extensive list of commonly confused words:[/B]
http://grammarist.com/
Dialogue punctuation:
http://theeditorsblog.net/2010/12/08/punctuation-in-dialogue/
Commas:
http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/commas.asp
Commonly confused words:
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/commonly-confused-words
Run-on sentences:
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/runons.htm
Sentence fragments:
http://www.chompchomp.com/rules/fragrules.htm
http://www.chompchomp.com/handouts/fragrules.pdf (honestly, the printer version is way easier to read)
Semicolons:
https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Semicolons.html
Dangling modifiers:
http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/danglingmodifier.htm
http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/danglingmodifier.pdf
Apostrophes:
http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/apostro.asp
Words to use instead of "said":
http://www.spwickstrom.com/said/
Writing tones:
http://www.mshogue.com/AP/tone.htm
The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, a phenomenal reference for general grammar and style:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37134

Research
Firearms
Basic gun safety:
http://offgridsurvival.com/firearmbasics-gunsafety/
Parts of a gun:
http://offgridsurvival.com/basicpartsofagun/

Medical
[B]Cardiopulmonary resusci

Out of curiosity, is this not similar to Gather in nature?

This is distinct in that it's meant to facilitate one-on-one feedback.

From what I understand, Gather is more group- and discussion-oriented. If you want general writing stuff, you'd be better off going there, but if you need or want to offer something specific on discrete works, you would have a better time looking here.

Ah, I do see what you mean in that. It's similar to the old "Mentorship" program I tried holding here. I do wish you better luck than I had.

Now this is something Stickpage writers need, a mentorship program. I'm not really familiar with any writing mentorship programs in the past, but I think it's really cool that writers have a particular thread like this in which they can talk to different people based on their specialized writing forte.

I'm sure this will be successful, Jesse. :D

Ah, thanks for the sticky, mods!

This is probably as good a time as any to say, once again, that there's really no point to this thread if nobody signs up to give or get help. You can be any skill level to help and do whatever you think you can, whether that's proofreading, feedback, discussing ideas, or other general things.

Ironically enough, I actually have some CnC for this as an entirety.

Jesse, no one from FA can deny your reputation, but the truth is, most of the people here didn't come from FA and your past reputation doesn't carry over here. Now I know you did a lot of internal work with your tournament, but masses need to see things externally as well. Outside looking in, it'd be easy to picture you simply as royalty requesting knights to serve until you get out there and actually lead the fight. You haven't been very active here, and truthfully, that doesn't give people much reason to believe in you. If you want them to, lead the charge and get your name out there, give a few CnCs just for doing it and then see who comes to your aid. Don't give up on something people can't even see you fighting for.

If that sounded rude or anything, I apologize, it's 2am and I shouldn't be awake right now.

Assuming you show this is something worth fighting for, I wish it the best, but until then don't blame people for not signing up.

I know I'm a fairly inactive literally who, which shouldn't matter because this isn't like a tournament (where a reputation helps people know that you'll keep everything running). The point of this thread is to let people come forward and directly offer help to people who ask for it. Except for any feedback I personally give and making this thread, I'm not running anything. I pitched this before posting specifically because this is a place to facilitate people working directly with other people, and that can't work unless there are both people to give and request help.

I also realize it's a bit presumptuous to only give feedback by request, but here's the thing. I gave in-depth feedback on every tournament story in the Valley of Dreams and still saw the exact same mistakes being made over and over. The scores actually went down in successive rounds, presumably because people didn't care as much about their stories as time went on (which, realistically, is to be expected). My point is, as much as I'm willing to give feedback, it's not that useful unless people actually want it, use it, and analyze it, and I'm not wont to putting literally hours of time into giving feedback that doesn't make a difference.

If people don't want to join in on this, then that's fine. It's just a way for people to work with each other, especially when writers can't find the help they want by generally asking for feedback.

Apologies for the double post.

I recently realized that some people might want help in research for stories and that it would seriously help if there were people who could offer specialized knowledge that is harder to find information about. I'm talking about things like military experience, martial arts, firearm or other weapon use, or even just living in a certain country (I would personally be very happy to know someone who was in emergency medical services). Obviously, not everyone cares about stringent research, as a story that involved people with the forces of god smacking someone else with an orbital satellite wouldn't be all that unusual around here. But for the people who want to inject reality into their works, it's great to have someone with first-hand experience.

If you have this kind of unique information or access to someone who does and are willing to share it, please feel free to post up here, listing first-hand experience before the rest of the stuff. Obviously, not everyone wants to talk about all of their life experiences.

Topics that may be useful (obviously not an exhaustive list):

• Culture/Language (remember that cultures vary wildly even within a country)
  
• Physical Experiences (e.g., broken bones, surgery, drowning [geesh], car accident, physical therapy)
  
• Martial Arts (do specify what kind, as they are all very different)
  
• Use of Firearms/Gun Safety
  
• Medical Services
  
• Military Forces
  
• Law Enforcement
  
• Law/Court Matters
  
• Specialized Knowledge (e.g., physics, history, literature, chemistry, economics, computer science beyond basic levels)
  
• Specialized Skills (e.g., care of horses, carpentry, sports, music composition, teaching)
  
• Specialized Information [General] (e.g., birds, aviation, manufacturing, anatomy, ecology, telecommunications, owning a dog)
  

(The difference between those last three being that Knowledge is more studying academically [as in a college or university], Skills is practical, and General is specific points of study or pet projects. Obviously there's some overlap. You don't have to categorize your knowledge anyways, so it doesn't matter.)

On a similar note, if you have informative resources on certain topics (like this medical first response guide which I am finding very helpful), please feel free to share it with your fellow writers! I'm adding a resources section in the first post.
ETA: The resources section has been added with a few basic articles. If you have anything that you think should be added or topics that would be nice to have under there, please let me know!

(Personally, I have experience with medical research labs and have seen an open surgery. I can provide information on classical and (limited) quantum physics, electricity and magnetism, and anatomy. I also have access to information about Chinese culture, especially in rural areas, as well as hospital procedure and requirements to work in the medical field.)

If you have some topic that isn't listed that you desperately need a first-hand resource for, feel free to request it! I doubt that everyone will post everything they know.

Keep in mind that this isn't supposed to be some way to get someone to do research for you. It's just a way to get access to information that might be more difficult to get from secondary sources. If there's something you can easily find with a two second Google search, please don't bother someone about it. When you request something, make sure you know specifically what you want to know. It's really not fair to call someone up and ask them to "tell you about botany".

I know stuff about guns. Also I'm British so that's some culture I'm happy to talk about. North-east. Teesside. Also, I can help with characters and abilities.

Dumping
http://www.spwickstrom.com/said/
http://www.mshogue.com/AP/tone.htm

Also I want to help the only way I can
Service(s): Feedback, Suggestions
Focus: Concepts (Characters, Setting and Plot)
Work Requirements: Drafts, outlines, summaries and character sheets
Patron Requirements: I can tolerate passing messages back and forth, but I would prefer if you were to catch me online and engage in some live discussion through Skype/IRC/etc. It can help if you were to tell me what you want and perhaps we can negotiate on something.
Contact: PM, VM, DeviantArt, Skype
Examples: Daydreams and Concepts

yeeeaahh...it's not going to work out, isn't it?

Thank you! You've been added to the first post. Resources have been added to the front page, as well as a page on mental illness and abusive relationships. I'll add more pages as I think of them.

WafflesMgee, right now I've got your contact information as "PM", but if there are some alternate ways you prefer, let me know.
Similarly, GuardianTempest, it would help if you'd link your DeviantArt (GuardianTempest on DA is a deactivated account). I don't actually know what VM is, so if that's something you can link, that would be helpful.

I know that this place is inactive, but it helps a lot to post and show that these services really are out there.

Added a little extra to it, characters and abilities. I'm fine with just PMs.

Quote from Jessepinwheel

Similarly, GuardianTempest, it would help if you'd link your DeviantArt (GuardianTempest on DA is a deactivated account). I don't actually know what VM is, so if that's something you can link, that would be helpful.

VM Stands for Visitor Messages, perhaps I should've mentioned that at the start. Also, Here's a link to my DeviantArt account.

The front page has been edited.

Just a note, there's a sort of format for if you're being a server. Copied from the Servers and Reference Information section:

To get listed under Services, just make a post here or PM me with the following information:

• The service(s) you are willing to offer (e.g., feedback, ideas discussion, proofreading). Please make sure that you can actually deliver on whatever you're offering.
  
• Your focus in writing/details on service(s) (i.e., your writing strengths).
  
• The type of writing you are willing to work with (e.g., wRHG pages, poetry, short fiction, essays, first drafts). Please only work with things you have some experience with.
  
• Anything you would like your patrons to do before contacting.
  
• Preferred method(s) of contact.
  
• (If desired) links to examples of your service or writing.
  

If you are offering information services (meaning strictly reference, not discussing hypotheticals or ideas), list your topics, sorted by the following:

• Your firsthand experience (Things that you actually do or have had happen to you)
  
• Your secondhand experience/knowledge (Things you have studied. Only list topics you're confident about.)
  
• Information you have access to from other sources (Most likely firsthand experience from a friend)
  
• Preferred method(s) of contact.
  

If you don't fill in a part, I'm going to make up some generic default answer.