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Ask HN: Is there a Hacker News for writers?

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Re: Ask HN: Is there a Hacker News for writers?

#21

Post by sodality2 »

campbellmorgan wrote: post #10

I have discussed this idea with friends who are writers / artists. Call me a cynic, but while many writers / artists aspire to collective shared knowledge, the reality of both the writing and art market is that unique knowledge is an important differentiator and an asset to their careers. If you do find a fascinating, rare 19th century travel journal in some online archive the last thing you are going to do is share…

Is this any different for those in the typical HN fields - software engineering, IT, etc?

Re: Ask HN: Is there a Hacker News for writers?

#22

Post by Noumenon72 »

shagie wrote: post #11
gpmcadam wrote: post #7

Not really for sharing links, but for discussion there's https://writing.stackexchange.com And for general use of the English language, there's: https://english.stackexchange.com

As a fork of the community from Stack Exchange, there's also https://writing.codidact.com

Why did they split? Why do they exist? I don't see a link explaining why.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a Hacker News for writers?

#23

Post by golergka »

sodality2 wrote: post #21
campbellmorgan wrote: post #10

I have discussed this idea with friends who are writers / artists. Call me a cynic, but while many writers / artists aspire to collective shared knowledge, the reality of both the writing and art market is that unique knowledge is an important differentiator and an asset to their careers. If you do find a fascinating, rare 19th century travel journal in some online archive the last thing you are going to do is share…

Is this any different for those in the typical HN fields - software engineering, IT, etc?

I've never saw a software engineer hoard some knowledge for a competitive edge. I guess it's blue/red ocean market difference multiplied by the fact that average engineer can feel pretty successful with his career, whereas an average writer is anything but.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a Hacker News for writers?

#24

Post by k3ylebe3nzle »

I have been a part of and creating online communities for 20 years now and there is not going to be anything like HN for "normal people" anytime soon.

The reason HN works is because we are all in the same area and somewhat experts (or trying to be). The problem is that NO OTHER community is online nearly 100% of the time. So there is no writer HN, no science HN, the only thing that comes close is Reddit or 4chan because those are kids, who are also online 24/7.

Real people are in the real world, only techies and kids live online.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a Hacker News for writers?

#25

Post by k3ylebe3nzle »

chrsig wrote: post #5

I really hope HN is able to supply a few communities. My wife is a writer/editor, so I'd love to share one with her. I showed her HN, and the level of discourse that happens here, and she was really surprised at the level of discourse that happens here. If nothing else, maybe someone with some motivation sees an opportunity to create such a community. May or may not involve cloning dang.

Not going to happen. Writers dont live online 24.7

Re: Ask HN: Is there a Hacker News for writers?

#27

Post by kradeelav »

dont__panic wrote: post #14
chrsig wrote: post #5

I really hope HN is able to supply a few communities. My wife is a writer/editor, so I'd love to share one with her. I showed her HN, and the level of discourse that happens here, and she was really surprised at the level of discourse that happens here. If nothing else, maybe someone with some motivation sees an opportunity to create such a community. May or may not involve cloning dang.

I have quite a few friends who don't work in tech who regularly read and even comment on HN simply because the discourse is worth it. I'd invest a few dollars into the "clone dang" kickstarter. At the very least he should consider writing a book on fostering communities through tasteful moderation.

Definitely would count myself as a not-tech-industry person (graphic design manager instead with a passing interest in linux) who pulls up HN every morning. :) Far more interesting topics on here at it's worst than most news sites at their best.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a Hacker News for writers?

#28

Post by soneca »

campbellmorgan wrote: post #10

I have discussed this idea with friends who are writers / artists. Call me a cynic, but while many writers / artists aspire to collective shared knowledge, the reality of both the writing and art market is that unique knowledge is an important differentiator and an asset to their careers. If you do find a fascinating, rare 19th century travel journal in some online archive the last thing you are going to do is share…

That's not my experience at all. I am trying to start a new career as a fiction writer, and writers are very interested in sharing knowledge. I say this for both professional, published authors and wannabes like me.

I was part of a long creative writing course (about 9 months), and our class of 20 formed a bond of helping each other A LOT. Sharing tips, beta reading, posting about prizes, open calls for literary magazines, etc.

In this class, we decided to start inviting published authors to share tips for beginners. We got mostly positive responses. Professional writers would spend about 2 hours with us (online) sharing tips and answering questions. All of them were very transparent about how they write and gave useful tips on how to get published. They said things that would be impossible to learn without talking to a professional author.

So I call you a cynic, as you asked me to, and a wrong one at that.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a Hacker News for writers?

#29

Post by alisonatwork »

I am not a writer, although I know a few. The most interesting place I've encountered, and a place that almost inspired me to write myself, was the one and only sci-fi convention I ever attended. Note that it wasn't really a convention focused on TV/movie/comics fandom, although a few of those creators were on panels too. Mostly it was sci-fi and fantasy novelists discussing industry topics in panels, taking questions and hobnobbing with attendees between sessions. I'd definitely recommend trying to find a convention with a more writer-y focus, especially if you are interested in genre fiction.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a Hacker News for writers?

#30

Post by technofiend »

There's a genre-specific discord for litrpg and although it was originally geared towards readers many of the authors hang there. Verified authors get a tag and probably even their own channel, but I'm not sure about that since I'm not a verified author. The downside I see for authors is like HN it could prove a distraction, possibly even more so if the general public discovers it for all the usual reasons.

It sounds like a great project for someone who wants to spend the time and energy moderating a forum, slack, discord or what have you. The issue will be gatekeeping "real" and aspiring authors from people who just want a way to @ their favorite author about something. It would potentially be a great place to get advice if people took the time to direct new writers.

As an aside - the podcast Writing Excuses is a great place for new authors to find hours of advice from established authors in several different genres. The show regularly rotates in new guest authors, keeping the topics fresh despite being on their 15th season. Of course like any entrepreneur they have something to sell - their books and writing workshops - but for all that their advice is sincere and useful. https://writingexcuses.com And there is allegedly a discussion forum somewhere on the site although I've never sought it out.

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