“Stand Out from the Crowd!”: Literary Advice in Online Writing Communities
AbstractThis chapter provides a detailed analysis of the different levels of advice online writing communities offer aspiring writers, from the overt provision of “writing tips” and guidelines, to the role of authoritative intermediaries such as moderators and beta readers, and the peer-to-peer feedback provided by way of ongoing informal comments. Case studies will be taken from bespoke writing platforms such as Wattpad, but will also consider the role of fan communities and the kinds of support structures they offer. Analysis will focus on the extent to which advice is predicated on the traditional formal features of the writing (dialogue, characterization) or on reader engagement and self-promotion. It will also explore whether such advice is prescriptive and reflective of practices and norms inherited from traditional cultural gatekeepers, and the degree to which the work produced within these communities can ever be described as experimental, playful, or subversive.