I didn’t know TNBW was in danger of folding until Dirk posted his warnings. I started out in Booksie and quickly saw that the site was strictly for beginners - that if you were serious as a writer, you needed something more advanced. I did learn some things there, but knew this was the “ minor leagues.” Maybe it’s changed in the interim, I don’t know. But I’ve been happy at TNBW and have run all my books through here. But if the site goes down, I’ll labor on without it. I’ve seen bestselling authors commit errors I naively considered disqualifying, based on what I’ve learned here, and lord knows I have my own recurring faults. But I’ve been in the business long enough to realize that these miscues don’t matter all that much if you’ve got a good story to tell and are reasonably competent enough to have it engage a reader. I know of several good writers who have left the site, presumably because they felt it couldn’t make them any better in ways that actually counted.
Basically, I use TNBW now as a Beta-reader audience, and I plan to continue as long as it’s possible to do so. I’ve made some good friends here over the years, and I’d like those relationships to continue, regardless of what happens to TNBW.
Jack, you and I joined within a month of each other, and I can relate. We've weathered the transition from the old site to this newer one, and despite its ups and downs, it's become a warm haven to share our writing among like-minded souls. I noticed the site's traffic dwindling since the Crash of '23, but it hit me only recently that the message board has grown stagnant without any fresh posts coming in. I initially joined because of the Strongest Start contest, and I've remained loyal ever since.
I've been advocating for a new writing contest here for months now—something more substantial and inviting to new writers, much like how I was drawn in. The newcomers use their free points and then disappear, but perhaps a longer contest would encourage them to stay beyond the initial excitement of free points.
However, I admit I'm not familiar with the inner workings of this site, so my suggestions may be off base. I've never been a fan of the other site; it lacked the depth I found here. I value constructive feedback more than mere praises like "Good job!" or "Keep writing." Here, I've accumulated over 2000 points over the years, tokens of the laughs, conversations, camaraderie, and friendships forged here. If this site were to close, those points—though of no value to anyone but me—would be lost, sort of like kicking old friends out the door.
For now, I'll observe how things unfold and reluctantly migrate to the other site if necessary, but not without a sense of loss for the community we've built here.
MJ
