Are you self-conscious about letting others read your writing? Do you think twice before leaving your notebook out in the open where someone might see your ideas in black and white? Do you turn off the monitor when composing on the computer so that no one can come up behind you and catch a glimpse before you notice? (Okay, that last one’s not me, but I do have a writer friend who does this.)

For years I kept my notebooks tight to my chest. At my desk I would have one hand shielding my words like a grade school student protecting their test answers from straying eyes. I was afraid that if someone I loved reacted negatively to my writing, I’d loose heart and give up all together. The only time I would let my family read my work was after it had been published. There was something about submitting my stories to strangers that was much easier than having them read by friends and family.

The more I was published, the more my confidence grew. I went from one extreme to the other, pouncing on the opportunity to ask relatives and neighbors to “read this over and give me an honest opinion.” But I soon ran short on family members and those willing to be put on the spot. I found that when my children told me my story was great I was wondering if they were just sparing my feelings. When my husband picked an article of mine to pieces and told me how to completely rewrite it, I was thinking all the while, What does he know? He’s not a writer. But the solution is not to go it alone. Help is just a mouse click away in the form of online writers’ forums.

Many children’s writers have found a supportive network at ICL’s Writer’s Retreat. This is a great forum for sharing questions, concerns, glories and disappointments. You’ll meet a welcoming bunch of writers, positive and supportive in so many ways.

The web is full of opportunities for fellowship in a writing community. Forums offer a way to connect with others who share your passion for creating characters, conversations and worlds with words. Whether you have five short minutes or several hours, when you log in you’ll “meet” with writers of all ages and stages of writing experience.

You may need to join more than one forum to have all of your networking needs met. Some of them are heavy on moral support. Others are a bit more competitive. Some are specifically for children’s writers and others seem to be laden with fantasy and sci fi writing. One thing is certain, with a little investigation you can find just the help you’re looking for.

Many of these groups allow you to post your work and have it critiqued by other members. Even if you choose not to post your own writing, reading the efforts of other writers and the comments offered up is an invaluable tool in the writer’s hand. You can get a feel for different points of view, tones, styles, and genres. If you decide to get brave you can attract feedback on your own short works of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays, lyrics and scripts. However, be forewarned, posting your work may prevent you from being able to offer first rights in the future (depending upon your target market's definition of "published," as does posting it on any website.) To protect your saleable rights, some sites offer a password -protected forum for those who are looking for tips on a near-finished piece before submitting. In this case only registered members can read your writing and it is deleted after a short number of days.

Stephen King is quoted as saying, “Only enemies speak the truth; friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty.” I’m not suggesting you go online to make enemies. Strangers will do just fine. There are loads of forums out there where faceless strangers will give you an honest critique.

On one particular forum I posted a short excerpt of a young adult story I was working on. I wasn’t sure if the first paragraph was working as a hook. I had been nosing around the site for a few months and finally felt ready to share something. This site did not have a forum for children’s writers and I had yet to see anyone post writing for teens or children. But it proved to be a great experience. There were writers on that forum between the ages of fourteen and eighty-eight. I introduced my piece as targeting a YA audience, requested comments from all, but especially was interested in YA opinions. The feedback I received was tremendous.

Feed your competitive side. Some sites offer monthly write-offs: a competition between writers on a particular subject that allows anyone (once a registered user) to participate. Entries are scored and commented on by a panel of reviewers. You garner some feedback and get your pen moving (or keep your typing fingers nimble), and most importantly keep your creative juices flowing.

Got questions? Go ahead and ask. These sites have boards for asking for tips and advice on everything from plagiarism to meter and poem types to grammar. Would you like to take a peek into the “favorites” list of other writers? Check out writing tips and advice to find the sites your writing peers find most helpful.

Looking for a little instruction on tone and voice? Check into Writing 101. Knowledgeable writers share their expertise on everything from formatting your manuscript to writing queries, synopses, and finding an agent.

Do a little comparison shopping. Ask other aspiring writers about online workshops and writing courses.

Read any good books lately? Pop into the reading forums, a natural offshoot of most writing sites, to discuss your favorite book, classic literature, read book reviews, and recommend to others.

Kick back and unwind. The lounge is always open for lively debates, carefree conversation, word games, or just a place to vent about how your week is going.

No matter which forum(s) you decide to add to your favorites, it’s likely to offer motivational help, grammar tips, helpful business tactics, prompts, challenges, success stories, word games, tips on characterization, tone, voice, dialogue, sentence structure, discussion of legal issues, and more.

If you’re ready to break out of your shell, get comfortable at the computer and introduce yourself to a whole new society of writers. Here are a few sites to start with:

http://forums.institutechildrenslit.com:6080/mb/index.html
http://www.writingforums.com
http://www.writersdigest.com
http://www.writersbeat.com
http://www.writermag.com
http://www.arcane-artistry.net
http://www.wordtrip.com
http://www.storycrafters.net
http://www.verlakay.com/boards/index.php
http://www.write4kids.com/cgibin/discus/discus.cgi