Hi all, can I ask when you post snippets onto your blog are you afraid that someone will steal your work? How much do you put on the blog! And do you feel that it helps with your work! I've been wanting to put my work on my blog but have been afraid to do so!
Thank you Garry, I will do just that.. I will also looking into DeviantART :) thank you very much for the advice...
Hi there Myrisha
While I can't really say much about the blog as I don't really use them, so my speaking is from experience of using DeviantART to share my work - it's not really the same thing but near enough :)
I can say with some degree of certainty I doubt people will steal your work. A lot of the time you'll find that people like ourselves, those who like to create works of literature, poetry, and the like, are often proud of what we do, whether it be a hobby, past time or career. We like our work to be our own as it's how it's best appreciated. However, saying that, there's always the threat of your own stuff being copied but there are usually methods of protecting this such as licenses which may be worth checking out if it really worries you. Usually, though, if they're artistic enough, they'll have their own ideas.
How much is up to you but most of the time people will share chapters or excerpts; short pieces that give an idea of this particular section of the story. Personally, I've always shared excerpts for the pieces of writing that I felt were the most well-crafted and gave the best impression on my personal writing style. Other things I would personally look for in sharing were things such as imagery and how this part of writing spoke to a reader. Other times, it may be a good idea to post some parts you're not particularly fond of too.
However, while I say all this, the main motive for sharing your work is to get your voice heard. It's a big world with a lot of people and a lot of voices - it's comforting to know that I have a particular portion of the internet, and the world, dedicated to myself and my work in which people can hear my voice.
Usually sharing one's work helps a lot as there are always a lot of people around who will happily read your work and give you some feedback. While not always positive, in these communities it will usually always be constructive. If it isn't, then you can safely ignore it.
You shouldn't be afraid to share it. The feedback you can get from sharing work helps so much. It can help with things from your writing style to spotting your own mistakes early on all the way to helping with confidence.
These were just some thoughts that popped in to my mind as I read your question. I hope they've been helpful.