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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?

#41

Post by technofiend »

Bayart wrote: post #32
technofiend wrote: post #30

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…

Is it related to the litrpg sub-reddit ? I ended up there semi-randomly (reading far too many Chinese webnovels) and it's a pretty nice place for discovery, as a reader.

Yes, as I recall it's the one linked from the litrpg reddit site.

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

#43

Post by mellosouls »

seydor wrote: post #31

There is a hacker news for everything, it is called reddit

See the other comments wrt dang. There may be a few well-curated/moderated subreddits but the noise to signal ratio generally seems to be considerably higher on Reddit generally, though there are undoubtedly diamonds there as well.

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

#44

Post by PuppyTailWags »

blockwriter wrote: post #15

It's difficult because there is not a lot of news or pressing issues in fiction. Contemporary fiction is not robust enough for it to be the basis of an aspiring writer's study. Canonical works are. This is distinct from coding, where new methods, and news about developments in technology, are directly applicable to the best work being done. You would need to create a sense of urgency about literary criticism, but thi…

> there is not a lot of news or pressing issues in fiction

Are you sure about this? One of the biggest publishing houses is being sued by the DOJ to stop a merger. Publishing houses have recently started splitting advances into thirds and quarters over 2-3 years. There's an unprecedented quitting of agents, leaving many authors afloat with no rep. Barnes & Noble recently and suddenly changed how they market hardcover childrens literature which will likely sink debut authors.

This was all subjects within the last 2/3 weeks btw.

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

#45

Post by sinecure »

whoooooo123 wrote: post #33
purim wrote: post #16

Taking this further why aren't there more communities like HN? What makes this place so special and obnoxious at the same time?

HN is heavily moderated, and it has a nerdy subject matter that selects for a certain type of audience. Those both help, but I think the biggest thing that makes HN so great is its peculiar business model. I don't know if YC keep this site running purely out of love or if it's a calculated ploy to make money, but if HN is profitable for YC then it's in a very indirect and hard-to-quantify way - e.g. YC startups using…

Moderation is such an interesting art. There is moderation like trimming a bonsai tree... the effort is to keep everything healthy and beautiful, but not to avert the nature of the plant, to embrace its natural growth... then there is moderation like on reddit, which is politically and advertising motivated to force the community into a given shape, like trimming hedgerows. Either step in line or get pruned.

If anything HN feels like it has a lighter touch with moderation than most other places online, and I have never seen them outright censor certain political views or show any sort of favoritism towards any one company or group. I think much of that comes from having a small, passionate community that can manage the task of behaving and debating in good faith.

If someone could figure out the method for crafting communities like HN for other interests... that person would be a treasure to the internet.

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

#46

Post by swatcoder »

sinecure wrote: post #40

I've spent decades exploring online communities (haven't we all?). From forums to 4chan, from Digg to reddit to hacker news. I would say that hacker news has one of the highest quality, most engaged and passionate user bases around... a rare feat. To replicate a place like this for other interests would be a dream. I think the recipe for a good, interests based community is limited moderation, small scale, and a non-…

That’s interesting that you laud “limited moderation” while celebrating Hacker News.

I think of HN as standing out for having more comprehensive guidelines than most communities, a user base that respects and voluntarily enforces those guidelines, and formal moderation that allows few exceptions to slip through.

We’re lucky that they’re good guidelines and that we have a community that broadly appreciates them, but “limited” is not a term I’d use for the moderation here.

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

#47

Post by Starlevel001 »

Most writing spaces are full of incompetent people who are terrible at what they do, give bad advice, blame everyone else for their problems, and have wildly incorrect opinions on topics that they aren't qualified for.

In other words, most writing spaces are just like HN. Take your pick.

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

#48

Post by svnt »

soneca wrote: post #28
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 maga…

To understand this more fully you’d need to appreciate two things.

One is that while there are a lot of things that people will share with you (they often want to share their expertise/craft and be good humans), there are a number of things they won’t share with you.

Two is that when you are starting out you are in a position where almost all information from an experienced artisan is helpful. That can mean you may easily miss what they are not telling you.

This is not to say they are misleading you or hold ill will because the information they withhold from the conversation would not be useful to you anyway, as you are not in a position to use it or be a threat to them.

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

#50

Post by germinalphrase »

boplicity wrote: post #39

Hacker news partially works because of the way the community is built; there are people here at all stages of their careers, which is unusual. (Anywhere from successful startup founders, to teenagers just interested in the topic.) A corrollary community of writers would be wonderful, though I do think it would likely require the backing of an institution parallel to Ycombinator. Fortunately, there are many organizati…

Do you happen to have any experience with The Loft?
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