A world of stories...

Ok, so up until this point I've mostly pointed out a few helpful websites for aspiring web novelists to share their stories that they have already written. But what about those of us who haven't written anything? What about those of us who have a lot of super awesome ideas in our heads, but can't figure out a way to get those stories onto the page (or screen, as our case may be)? These are exactly the kinds of questions I was thinking about when deciding what I should write about today.

Everyone has a story. If you were born, are currently living (let me know how you're reading this if you aren't alive-it'd make an interesting story) and are experiencing this wonderfully strange thing known as life, you have a story. And everyone's story is important, whether it be about good times or bad.

However, not all stories are fit for the traditional method of telling them, namely books. That's where web novels come into play. Not only is there no cost to you to publish your bestseller, but you also get free feedback from your readers! How cool is that?

That being said, you still don't want to write an entire novel about your smelly gym socks. So what makes a good web story? Actually, a lot of the things that make good book stories make good web stories. Strong settings, great, engaging characters, witty dialogue (or not witty, depending on your character) and a good story. These are all characteristics of a good story.
But I'm not a writing expert by any stretch. I'm still learning, just like you. So what I like to do when I'm thinking up ideas for stories is to ask myself if I would want to read what I'm writing. If the answer is no, then I better quit, pronto! If the answer is yes, I should have others read what I've written and ask for contructive feedback. That's where those websites I posted earlier come into play! Getting feedback about your stories, even if it's negative, can be super helpful when writing a story. The instant feedback that web stories provide helps you figure out what people are digging and not digging about your story. It's so fast and seamless that it almost makes you forget you're not a bestselling author. Yet. You'll get there someday, and so will I. Well, maybe we won't be on the New York Times Bestseller list, but we'll at least be able to reach our readers on the web. And who knows. Maybe one of them is the person in charge of Scholastic or Random House...You never know.

Happy writing!