I don't know anything about the particular class you referenced earlier, but I still believe there is no substitute for learning some craft from a teacher, and then reading and giving critique on a story. You really need to be able to do this for a longer story than is available on a site like this one, although critiquing here can help as well. When you write a story, it's helpful to have 5-10 or more people read it and be able to give you their thoughts and impressions, and have a discussion, again, ideally in person, but it could work online, too. You might be able to find this in a critique circle or group, too, so keep looking. (This can be more difficult to find online when it's not in a class setting -- you need people to be committed, and when there's a live meeting, that puts pressure on people to get the stories read and come up with some thoughtful comments. This is possible online, and if you have people who have paid any amount of money for a class, they're more likely to be dedicated to critique, so an online class can facilitate this process. But again, there's no reason that it should be impossible to find in a non-class setting.) I'd say to keep looking, and if you can, try to make it a goal to meet up with other writers in person -- it really can be very helpful and encouraging. If there is a university near you with creative writing classes, you might be able to ask one of the instructors for any advice, too. I agree with Maia on the free stories -- yes, there are some good ones, but there are also a lot of horrible ones, too. Try to find some online short story magazines -- there are some good ones available for free or for low cost, and they at least have some editorial process and gatekeepers, insofar as a story has to be accepted in order to be published by the magazine. But of course, there are varying degrees of gatekeeping, so try to be aware of who they're publishing. (Checking out the submission process might give you some insight as to how selective they are.) Remember, too -- not everyone who can write a novel can write a short story, and vice versa. They are slightly different skills. Although working on either one should improve your writing.
liz... unfortunately, online magazines that don't pay professional level fees for fiction also either can't afford professional level editors, or will be featuring writings that fall short of professional quality, because the best professional writers wouldn't be submitting their work for free or minimal fees... or both... those i've checked out over the years have proven this, as i've seen too much seriously flawed writing on too many of such sites... so if mans should take that route, he'd be unknowingly using flawed material as examples of good writing to learn from since, with his current level of experience and skills in english, there would be no way for him to tell the good from the not-so and the poor... which is why i recommend he only read/ study the works of well-known and well-respected authors who are generally considered to be paradigms of literary excellence...
I think you might be confusing threads, Maia -- we're talking about thegeek, who I think is from the U.K., not Mans, who I believe is from Iran. So I don't think command of the language is an issue for Geek. (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm mistaken.) But nevertheless, you raise a valid point -- there is a lot of bad writing out there. But there are also many good sites with good stories. There is the issue of determining good from bad, which really can only be overcome with practice. There are, however, sites that do provide access to short stories, that aren't exclusively devoted to them (i.e. The New Yorker). So, if free access is the primary concern, perhaps geek (and anyone else seeking the same) could google the names of well-known authors, and find online links to their stories (Raymond Carver, David Foster Wallace, George Saunders, etc.)
I personally think that this is a great idea for a story. I love books & movies about crime & I would definitely love to read the book you may be writing. However, you should expand the book over a long period of time so there is more depth to it, this way it builds up emotions for the big climax. You should ask some other people that have been to prison about what their experience was like so you have a wider range of knowledge & not just your own. It's a fantastic idea though!
i sure did, liz!... thanks for the catch... and yes, what i said does still apply, though i got the name wrong... only non-relevant part is about the 'english'... your suggestions re good mags that can be read online and googling the best s/s authors' works are good ones... love and hugs, maia
