What do writers most want or need?

[Black Dragon]

We're always trying to improve Mythic Scribes in new and creative ways. We want this site to become something far greater than just a writing forum.

In doing so, it's helpful for us to think outside the box. Your ideas and suggestions play a vital role in this process. So here's the big question for you:

What do you, as a writer, most want or need?

[Benjamin Clayborne]

Well, I really just use the forums, so all my "wants" are about that; please forgive me if that's not the kind of suggestions you're looking for, but that's all I've got.

I'd like it if when I log into the site through Facebook, the site would leave me logged in for more than an hour. I typically leave my browser open for weeks and come back to the site ~3 times a day to check new posts. Having to go through the login rigmarole each time is a little tiresome. (It's not a huge deal, just inconvenient.) Also, it would be cool if it was possible to configure "New Posts" to ignore certain sub-forums, e.g. if I don't want to see any posts from the (for example) "Introductions" forum.

[Amanita]

I really like the side the way it is.
And think that it's one of the best fantasy-writing forums out there. Seriously.

Also, it would be cool if it was possible to configure "New Posts" to ignore certain sub-forums, e.g. if I don't want to see any posts from the (for example) "Introductions" forum.

I'd like to have this too.

Something else that might be helpful: The "Writing questions" forum could be divided into a sub-forum for general discussions such as "What makes a good villain" and one for author-specific questions such as "Is it realistic that this character does X when Y happens."

[Lord Darkstorm]

What I like is being in a place with other writers. I think the best thing going for the site is that it is clean (not overly complex to get around). Well, and the nice people who are here as well.

While there might be more things people might want, you have a lot already.

[Devor]

I've only been on these forums a few times now, but something I've noticed is that people feel very protective of their ideas and sometimes only share broad details about what they're actually doing. I think, as someone who is aspiring to be a writer, that what I really need is a place to feel comfortable about sharing even some of the most specific details I'm working on. I find that when I'm faced with actually presenting my ideas to someone I will suddenly see things in an entirely different light - before they even react. Being able to share with people who've been thinking about similar ideas would be immensely helpful, regardless of their input, if only I and they weren't so scared of having their ideas stolen.

So that to me is the problem that you should work on. I'm not sure how.

[Black Dragon]

Thank you everyone for the feedback thus far.

We'll see what can be done regarding the Facebook login and the new posts. There are certain limitations to the software that we have to work within.

Being able to share with people who've been thinking about similar ideas would be immensely helpful, regardless of their input, if only I and they weren't so scared of having their ideas stolen.

Hmm... I suppose that the problem is this: the possibility of having your ideas stolen is a real one, and I'm not sure that there is any foolproof way to eliminate that. So yeah, we all keep our best ideas to ourselves. I know that I do.

What about entering into a collaboration with another writer on a joint project? Perhaps under such circumstances people would be more willing to share, since they are working together on a common story. We have toyed with the idea of creating a mechanism or a forum for matching people up with potential collaborators. But is that something that people really want?

Also, would people be interested in creating a novel as a group collaboration at some point?

Keep these ideas coming, folks. You never know what may spark someone's imagination, and lead to the next big idea.

Also, don't limit your responses to issues related to the forum or the blog... or even the internet, per se. We want to think outside of the box. So let us know what you would most want or need as a writer, even if you weren't using the internet.

[Elder the Dwarf]

We have toyed with the idea of creating a mechanism or a forum for matching people up with potential collaborators. But is that something that people really want?

Also, would people be interested in creating a novel as a group collaboration at some point?

Yes and definitely yes. I think I would do much better on a collaborative work, but as I don't know anybody that would be interested in the thing (also, I'm a closet writer at the moment. If I published something today, I wouldn't tell anybody in my every day life). However, for me to collaborate in something with another author, I'd have to at least finish something good myself first, because as of yet I don't trust my writing ability completely and I can't see why someone else who considers themselves a legitimate author would trust it. In the event of a group collaboration, I would love to participate and play at least a minor role. I may not end up deserving co-authorship, but a mention in the credits perhaps.

[Lord Darkstorm]

What about workgroups? I actually was part of one earlier when I started writing. It did quite a bit for me. Having a smaller group that can interact and help each other, and maybe someone more experienced to help push them along?

[Benjamin Clayborne]

We'll see what can be done regarding the Facebook login and the new posts. There are certain limitations to the software that we have to work within.

Fair enough. I'm a web programmer by day, so I'm well aware of the kinds of limitations you mean. ;-) That said, I would imagine that the login timeout is probably a single config variable that can be changed somewhere.

Hmm... I suppose that the problem is this: the possibility of having your ideas stolen is a real one, and I'm not sure that there is any foolproof way to eliminate that. So yeah, we all keep our best ideas to ourselves. I know that I do.

I'm less concerned about this, I think, because frankly, story and character and world-building ideas are a dime a dozen. It's the hard work of creating a story, characters, and world that are consistent and interesting that has value. Think about it this way: If you'd said "boy wizard goes to magic school" to any number of writers in the early 1990s, how many of them would have come up with something a tenth as interesting as Harry Potter? You could even have tossed a whole bunch of plot points and character biographies at them, and most people still wouldn't be able to knit it into anything nearly as well as Rowling did.

[Codey Amprim]

Edit: In answer to your question, I would say: "A useful, and valuable education." Why else have we come to this forum? To learn from each other.

Here's an idea: An Online Fantasy Writing Academy. Throw Mythic Scribes in the mix and you've got yourself something quite nice, something I'd like to partake in. Could the site offer something like this? Maybe a collaborative effort amongst the members, especially with dealing with guidelines?

This may be a bit on the large scale, but it would definitely be something unique. My university barely offers anything fiction, but its the closest and most convienient for my situation. A college all about fiction, primarily fantasy-fiction... could open some doors.

Thoughts?