Writers always have questions. The same creativity that drives them to create new stories also brings up broader ideas. Writers need a safe, encouraging place to ask questions. The discussion forums provide a place where questions can be asked, answered, discussed, and branched into other ideas.
Many writers are concerned that their questions are too simplistic or that they should somehow know the answer already. For this site, though, all questions are welcome. There is an expectation that writers will not know a lot of the aspects of how to write stories, which point of view should be used, how they can create more dramatic moments, how they can make their dialogues crisper, and so many other topics. The discussion forums allow everyone to contribute their own thoughts and ideas, which the writer can accept, or ignore, or modify to their own tastes.
A huge benefit to the discussion forums on Create Great Stories is that the topics are discussed by a writer’s peers. Instead of following an assigned authority or expert, the writer gains the wisdom, knowledge, experience and ideas from a wide variety of other writers.
These discussion forums allow a writer to ask any question, explore any topic, and dive in as deep as they’d like without feeling inferior. There’s a great satisfaction from delving into a subject until an answer or answers are made. The writer feels equipped to incorporate what they’ve learned into their stories, or their writing lives, emerging with an accomplishment of fully understanding a subject.
Because the discussion forums are enclosed within the protective enclosure of Create Great Stories, writers do not have to be exposed to harmful, antagonistic and profanity-filled discussions on outside sites. Any member posting a topic or reply that goes against the site guidelines can be disciplined, including having their membership cancelled without refund. Topics and replies can be deep and even dark and frank but stay within boundaries.
There are three general discussion forums at Create Great Stories. One of these is devoted to general discussions about fiction writing. There is another forum for suggestions for improvements to the site, which are always appreciated. There is also a forum for general topics, serving as a catch-all for anything that doesn’t fit into other categories.
Any member can add topics and replies. The constant back-and-forth of new topics and replies and replies to replies can make the whole process interesting and fun. While discussions should never take the place of writing stories, they can serve as a great place to talk and discuss and grow.