absolutewrite.com

adam7 says:

The best use of this site is Other.

Comments: Nasty, unprofessional, abusive, bullying, childish. Site has gone downhill in recent years and writing is no longer the focus. Serious writers are run off by all this stupid insanity, and the level continues to sink. Terrible site. Avoid.

j_jammer (Power Visitor)

The best use of this site is Entertainment.

Comments: I agree with one of the reviews talking about the Water Cooler. I posted on this site for a few months. I was ban due to not conforming to the way the cliques wanted me to. I don’t conform and I certainly do not agree with how packs think. I think for myself, thank you very much. Writers are pretentious when they’re not published. For some reason it takes going through publishing to gain some form of humility. Or maybe not even then. I do not suggest any writer to go to this forum to gain anything of use. If these writers cannot accept a different view, then really what value do they have in a world that’s full of them? I suggest joining a writing group, not a website that can’t give you more than fake pats on the back. The owners of Absolute Write are not talked about well around the web. They should be on their own terrible list to not associate with.

theoriginaljenna (First Time Visitor)

The best use of this site is Research.

Comments: I checked it out all I read was negative posting in the Writers Beware section very unprofessional and bullying going on.

psnbob says:

The best use of this site is Research.

Comments: I went to this site to see what kind of warnings they had as new writer. My REG FLAGS went straight up after noticing that many of the posters are all either a group of authors and small press publishers grouping together to promote sites only that they like and backlash at other small presses, agents or authors. I don't trust them! I don't like them! I didn't find the site useful at all. In fact they encourage negative feedback of small presses and such. Too bad they themselves don't get any back lashing because ban you immediately.

Facebook User says: The main focus of Absolute Write is the "Water Cooler", a huge forum which addresses authorship of any kind. It has begun to suffer from a typical ailment that creeps in most long-standing Internet forums: the dreaded Clique Mentality. This occurs when a relatively small set of users contributes the vast majority of posts, combined with a set of unwritten rules--which are often rather unclear to anybody else than the clique itself. Hapless outsiders who violate these clique conventions will often find a mob of old-standing users pounce upon them like a group of ravenous wolves. I'm not joking--it's not a pretty sight when it happens. I have seen posters on Absolute Write being bullied merely for disagreeing with a clique member on a fairly minor matter. The mob will pull any trick to discredit an outsider: ridiculing, twisting words of out context, and fairly often rather nasty personal attacks. People with few to no publishing credentials will get told that heir opinions are unimportant and that their writing likely sucks. The irony is that most clique members are themselves writers of mediocre fare dwindling in the lower parts of the midlist, if that. This is confounded by the huge reverence for literary agents throughout the site--often to absurd levels. Whatever you do, don't say anything about agents that could be interpreted as anything other than admiration, if you don't want the mob to go after your blood. Don't expect the moderators to do anything to curb bullying of forum members. If anything, they encourage it, since they are often part of the cliques themselves. I guess it just shows that the distance of the Internet will even bring out the worst in people who might be considered fairly cultured in real life. If anything, I blame the moderators for letting their forums slide down this slope. My advice would be to simply read some of the forums of your interest and keep an eye out on the "Bewares" section.

When I decided to get serious about writing, I did a lot of research on the Internet. I wanted to know how books got published, and how, someday, my own work might make it into print. There are a lot of great sites out there for writers, but Absolute Write is the one I keep returning to again and again--particularly the forums. I've followed the "Learn Writing with Uncle Jim" and "Ask the Agent" threads for months, and while it's a lot of reading, I consider it time well spent. I'm always learning something new. I even started lurking in the screenwriting and nonfiction forums, and have begun to think about writing other things, not just novels. Among the useful information are warnings about scams perpetrated against unsuspecting writers. A previous reviewer has taken exception to some of the forum regulars' ongoing battle against PublishAmerica, a vanity press that markets itself to aspiring authors as a "traditional" publisher. PA is currently one of the largest scam outfits taking advantage of new writers, and the impetus behind that thread is the desire to put an end to their deceptive--and often abusive--practices, as well as to keep any more authors from falling into their clutches. Yes, the truth is often ugly and hurtful, but within that thread is an education in how books are marketed and sold, how real editors (not recent college grads with spell-check) work, the proper role of the author in promoting his or her book, what new authors can expect as far as advances and royalties, copyright law, and much more. Of course, you don't need to delve into the PA madness to learn about these things. While many published authors and people who work in the publishing industry participate in the forums, they are very newbie-friendly. I can't praise Absolute Write enough--it's informative, inspiring, and it's made this business of writing far less mysterious and intimidating to me. If there is one resource I recommend to all of the writers I meet, it's AW. Now, if you don't mind, I've got a book to write...

I have never bought one of Jenna's books but still got tons of help and useful information from her site *for free*. You don't have to wear an 'I [heart] Jenna' T-shirt to benefit from the information the site provides--but I'm not swearing I wouldn't buy one if it was on offer.

Absolute Write is dedicated to helping writers avoid pitfalls and ripoffs, while discussing how to write better. Sometimes the truth can be harsh, but ultimately all writers can benefit from getting the truth about writing and tips on avoiding vanity presses and other scams.

Absolute Write has many forums which hold valuable information for writers of all genres. They apparently have a strong following. I know of one person in particular, which has expressed to me that she has learned much from the Absolute Write website and its authors. I must say that I am in no way against any one person on the Absolute Write forums. My review is simply to attempt to provide my personal perception, as is a review given by any reviewer. My main concern with Absolute Write is the manner in which its writers and members express themselves on the thread titled, The Neverending Thread. They seem persistent in consistently observing the public authors forum on one particular publishers website. They then copy phrases, statements, words etc. from that same forum, paste it onto The Neverending Thread, and begin to dissect it individually while pointing out what they feel are valid disagreements on their part. I am completely in favor of the freedom of speech that we all enjoy in this country. I am also in favor of the right of each individual to express their opinions and thoughts freely; however, I believe that it is imperative for all writers to convey their messages and meanings in a professional manner -- one which does not belittle or ridicule others. It is my hope that many glean from the wealth of information on this site; meanwhile ponder carefully the behaviors, attitudes, and actions of those writers on The Neverending Thread.

Absolute Write offers many informative articles for writers as well as those looking into becoming writers. There's not much here you wouldn't find on other writing sites, but the content is useful. Judging by those who use the forum, Absolute Write is frequented by out of work writers with plenty of time on their hands. When evicted from their playground, they took up residence in other locales where they still..you guessed it....spend all their time posting. Unless you're a regular poster, don't expect to fit in.