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I first started using online writing communities back in 1996 when the Internet as we know it today was still just a baby. Back then I used the MSN Internet access service and found their writing communities. I remained there for some time and eventually spawned a short story and poetry ezine for a year or two. After that life got in the way of my writing and I didn't use any online resources or communities.

However, my wife recently got me hooked on Authonomy (www.authonomy.com), a site put together by Harper Collins UK where writers post at least 10,000 words of their manuscript and then work to get other site members to read and back their book. The more backings you get, the higher you move in the rankings, and each month the Harper Collins editors scoop up the top 5 manuscripts to look over and determine if they will offer them publishing deals or not.

Thus far they have not offered any deals, but their reviews have been quite insightful. Ironically they have picked up three novels from the top 100 and offered them publishing deals, something that gives the community there quite a bit of hope.

The site is free and quite addictive. Despite that their system has some flaws and is relatively easy to game. Myself and a few other Authonomists have branched out on a bold new experiment (well, more bold than new) to create our own community. Its called Writers Wrule (www.writerswrule.com) and focuses on quality of review and feedback. There is a ranking system with possible shiny prizes for the top manuscripts.

We're also adding contests and competitions where writers have to write cross genre stories, or collaborative stories within fixed time frames. We're looking to enhance our abilities through exercise and healthy competition. Mostly, we're looking to create a vibrant community for writers to grow and improve.

One of the unique aspects Writers Wrule has is the ability to rate reviewers. This encourages folks to write thurough and thoughtful reviews that are more than just fluff. We want constructive feeback that will help the writer grow in their abilities. Reviewers who write poor reviews will have less impact on the overall rankings than reviewers who write better quality feedback.

Authonomy is a great site, and I imagine I will stay active there, but most of my focus will be with Writers Wrule. Both sites are free and have no charge associated with getting your manuscript listed and gaining attention and getting feedback.

Learn more about this author, Michael Cooper.
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