how long?

[zwag]

I took a writing course some years ago and I'm kind of in the process of re-reading one of the books and plan to re-read the other as well. I re-read where it said that you shouldn't expect to see a sale of your work in five months. The author may have been talkng about acceptances and rejections too although he/she wasn't talking specifically about web writing or this site. As a new writer, do you think I should wait and read and have my work critiqued that long before I submit it?

I heard that this is a good site for beginners. Are there writers who started their writing career here and took six months to submit their first article, especially with the possibility of being kicked off after three rejections?

[Celeste Stewart]

It's a whole new era with the Web. If your writing skills are up to the task, submit away! I sold my first article within a day or so if I recall.

[jadedragon]

I would say CC is a very inappropriate site for beginners. I've got a university degree with honors, a huge vocabulary, love to read, and have written reams of material for work and fun. I also published over 40 articles in November on a site with less stringent editing before starting to write for CC. I still got hammered with some rejections on my first articles submitted to CC. The standards at CC are purposefully high to allow us to charge decent prices for our work.

There is no benefit to hanging around CC forums asking questions for 6 months before submitting articles. It is not a social club (though it is a very friendly place), but a place where we want to make income. There are many writing sites tthat are appropriate for practicing on. These sites do not pay or pay very poorly, but you can get published immediately and maybe make a few pennies or dollars. Only submit to CC if and when you can produce top quality error free content, otherwise it is just a waste of time.

[michellehoman]

Jadedragon is correct in that it is not an appropriate site for 'practicing' your writing skills. However, if your skills are solid, it doesn't hurt to read over the submission guidelines and give it a shot. If you are unsure about your your writing skills, there are a number of great sites to try. I started out on one of those, and as I found success, I was confident in giving CC a try. So assess your skills, decide which site is right for you, and start writing! Good luck!!

[Celeste Stewart]

I agree. CC is NOT for beginners. In any case, the more you write and get feedback, the more you will learn. So, don't sit back and watch on the sidelines. Keep writing! If you're not quite ready for CC, that's fine, there are other places. If you are, that's fine too, but again, watching isn't going to help as much as actively writing, proofing, editing, and critiquing.

[Debbi]

I recently had a new author ask me in email to look over his or her work and make suggestions. I had to be brutally honest and reply that I did not think he or she was ready to write for CC. I suggested several other sites that would be more appropriate for beginning writers, such as Associated Content, Helium, or Demand Studios. CC's standards are too high for most beginners and being permanently banned due to repeated rejections on grammatical, punctuatuion, and clarity issues is too great a risk. Starting your writing career at CC is like trying to work as a surgeon before you've even learned First Aid. The patient (or article) could easily die!