When I began blogging, Jennifer Chait was the reason I landed my first gig. She was and is someone I admire with much more experience. I took a page from her book and offered the gig to a friend who was looking to break into blogging when I was ready to resign.

Without a supportive community of writers, I don’t see how a new writer can feel comfortable or have anyone to look up to. That is one reason I love this blog/community and the Absolute Write forums. Nearly everyone, new and veteran, is supportive, friendly, and generally full of good advice.

I love the new design!! I’ve been away for a couple of days dealing with strep running rampant through my house and I come back to a whole new page! Awesome!

A successful freelancer answered a few of my questions when I was starting out and I don’t think I would have had as much confidence in myself without her encouragement.

As for competition–creating competition is one of the best things anyone can do for their business. I write ebooks for a living. Recently, I started a blog that, hopefully, will help people write their own ebooks more effectively. If a reader takes that information and becomes a competitor, that’s fantastic. I’ll have to work harder and smarter to get the jobs I want.

For someone who is easily lulled into complacency, I need that challenge.

I know I have said that there is no such thing as a stupid question, but come on! Sheesh!

Now I agree that we should lend new writers a helping hand, I still feel very new some days. However, my thoughts are with becky on this. She said that new writers should at least try to find the information first. Far too often I see writers coming in and asking questions that have already been answered. I have no problem answering again but I have to draw the line when the someone posts looking for the answers to their questions or continues to ask the same questions when they don’t feel they’ve gotten enough answers or still don’t understand. Maybe that’s a different topic entirely but I’ve seen simply too much lately.

On the same hand, I read a post on another blog about just how unhelpful some work at home discussion boards are. The writer talks about how many people on discussion boards (wahm ones in particular) are simply after their own agenda and how many posters on these wahm boards will ever be completely truthful and in many cases lie to you. I don’t agree with it (I did write my own post and view on this at my own site).

Still, it’s sad to see that other writers would choose not to share what they know. I can’t imagine not helping someone who needs it, but I think that in order to be a writer, you have to start looking for the information yourself and not rely on everyone else to fill in the blanks.

@ Becky: The only thing that I don’t like is when someone asks whether I can “get them into writing.” I can point them in the direction of jobs but that they would have to send out apps and do the work necessary to get started themselves. Some people don’t like that idea very much, unfortunately.

As far as the “how do I make as much money as you do” question is concerned, the answer is always the same: Work hard and do good work. (Rinse and repeat.)

I love the new color palette.

And I’ve seen people leave discussion groups because they bragged about how great they were and people asked how they did it. That person told them to research it. And they thought they were by asking about it!

I love to help people and share my knowledge. I’ve done it in all of my jobs. I see no reason to hoard info – it doesn’t give me any more job security. You win so many more friends by being generous.

I admit, though, that new writers should at least try to find info and get a base of knowledge before asking an experienced writer. Then the new writer will be able to form more specific questions rather than, “how do I make as much money as you do?”