Cyber Authorship: Inspired Writing for the Internet Age
By Amelia Harper
In February of 2012, a North Carolina father took a handgun and leveled nine shots into his teen daughter’s laptop, recording the whole event in a YouTube video that went viral on the Internet.1 The crime? His daughter had posted disrespectful comments (complete with profanity) about her parents and the chores she was being forced to do around the house. This incident has ignited a firestorm of controversy about the situation, but the father, an IT professional, made the point that he intended: Anything that you post on the Internet can have a far greater impact than you realize.
For writers, especially aspiring ones, the Internet can be a wonderful place to hone your writing skills, publish your thoughts in a public forum, and receive feedback from others. So often, writers, especially teens, are frustrated because they do not have anyone to read their words. By starting a blog, posting notes on Facebook, or simply writing emails, you expand your audience and your purpose in writing. However, there are several aspects of cyber writing that you need to carefully consider first. (more…)