Questions

How do you go about becoming a serious writer, especially when at a young age? I’m very interested in going into the field, and everyone has to start somewhere… The problem is, I don’t know what to do after I finish something. I don’t know what competitions would be rewarding, or what kind of programs could help me in pursuing a career.
- x_lollipopx

What creativity sites (so, writing, art, music creation, acting, craft, anything to do with creativity) do you know of and like? Why do you like them? Who would you recommend them to?

I like
http://www.notebookinhand.com because it’s for all ages, covers all aspects of creativity no matter what it is, and requires a certain level of intelligence in the members- those who type like idiots do not survive. It also has *locked* sections for your writing, which means you don’t lose your first publication rights if you’re posting it up for critique. It also runs a webcomic, does stuff for charity, and has competitions. And it’s small enough that you quickly get to know the other members, and also they’re wanting to welcome you.

http://www.nanowrimo.org - very good for writers of all ages and levels of talent who need instant help- If it’s September- December. The rest of the year it’s quite quiet but still useful.

http://www.deviantart.com -post up your art and get critiques, and you can sell your art.

http://monthlymuse.boardzero.com/forum.html Just joined this one, it seems like it will be good for critiques, and it’s nice to join a brand new forum and get it going.

http://www.etsy.com - if you’ve got craft to sell. They have good forums too.
- N G

I’m always giving advice on how to get rid of writers block, because i can usually overcome my own cases of it. But i haven’t been able to write a decent passage for almost three months now. It’s for my book that i’m writing. I have around 35,000 words written out, and i’m aiming for 60,000 at the minimum. I have every important scene written out for the book. Now i need to focus on the background, almost white noise of everything. The parts where it’s pretty much just everyday things, but funny, or witty, or maybe with underlying importance. I just can’t seem to find any inspiration for it.

Any suggestions? I’ve tried listening to music, writing other sections of my book, writing other plots out for other books, reading, even writing short stories for upcoming competitions. I’m at my wits end here.

Thank you in advance. :]
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- Homburg Molly