Indie Author News discovered this new site for writers to publish a Short Story online and get feedback (if you like) from its readers.
Anthony Blackshaw (Burrst.com): It's best if I start by explaining bursts. To write a burst you need 15-30 minutes and optionally a random sentence as your starting point. Once you have these ingredients you simply put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and write. There should be no prior planning, no predetermined end, and definitely no proofreading or editing until your time is up. The idea is to give your imagination freedom and help you stay inspired.
What's the goal of Burrst?
The aim of Burrst.com is to encourage more people to read, write, listen and narrate fiction for 15-30 minutes every day by allowing writers to share their bursts.
“Yet another” site for writers. Why do we need one?
There are lots of sites for writers and there isn't a single difference that sets Burrst apart, instead it's a combination of things borrowed from lots of other sites (not just writing sites) to make something unique.
Can anyone use Burrst.com?
Anyone can read but you'll need an invitation to write. That doesn't mean we'll contact you (although sometimes we do), just that before you can write or post comments we ask you to provide us with an example burst. Building a community of writers who are clearly passionate about writing and who support what we're trying to achieve with Burrst is far more important than the numbers. Members also play an crucial role in building the community; over time invites are given out to writers which they can use to invite others.
How much can writers contribute?
No more than 1,250 words a day. Writers can post one burst of up to 1,250 words each day. Burrst is about writing and sharing daily, and so we've made it impossible for individual members to post multiple bursts at one time.
For 24 hours after a burst is posted it gets a boost in its popularity to help make sure new writing gets showcased along with previously popular bursts. That means a new burst with 2 likes will be shown as more popular than a burst with 20 likes which is over 24 hours old.
How do readers discover and follow new writers?
You can explore bursts by popularity, those just in, those from debut authors and those that include an audio version. When you discover a writer you really like you can choose to follow them, which sounds a bit creepy, but actually it just means their latest bursts will show up in your Following list - so you never miss one of their posts.
How does the audio support work?
I'm a huge fan of The Moth podcast which broadcasts true stories told live, the fact that the stories are audio means I can listen to them on my way to and from work which I love. So audio support was always something planned for Burrst.
Uploading an audio version of your burst makes it accessible to a wider range of people and is a great way to further promote your writing.
Can readers leave feedback?
Members are discouraged from giving feedback on bursts unless the author asks. That doesn't mean you can't like a burst (which helps to boost its popularity), or let the author know how much you enjoyed it, but critique is at the author's discretion.
If you want feedback then you just mention what sort you're looking for when you post your burst, the point is, it's your choice.
Is Burrst.com commercially motivated?
As crazy as it might sound Burrst was an idea bashed about for a couple of weeks 6 months ago, it got completely out of hand and ended up (with the help of lots of people) being built.
Everyone involved in Burrst is passionate about either writing, the web or both. From day one it was about creating a community we wanted to be part of, not about where the revenue stream would come from.
There's no cost to be a member, we don't advertise on the site, and you retain the rights to everything you post.
When did Burrst.com launch?
We launched on the 22nd of June, so right now we're a small community with big aspirations and we'd love for more folks to get involved.
Thank you for the Interview, Anthony.
If you have 15-30 minutes to spare today why not then come and read, write, listen or narrate some fiction.
3 comments:
Neat site. I'm stilling checking it out. Nice interview.
Surely a cool site for penning down those spontaneous 'burst' of thoughts. :) :) I would surely like to try it.
Interesting idea and I like it.
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