groz...
copyrighting written work is not the same as 'patenting' [no double t]... that's for physical items one invents, not intellectual stuff people write... and, if done properly, with an attorney, no one in the patent office [or elsewhere] is going to steal your work...
bt...
getting your work printed/'published'/posted anywhere has nothing to do with its being copyrighted... see below...
pk...
in the us, your written work is automatically [and 'officially'] copyrighted the moment you finish it and put your name on it... doesn't matter if it's on paper or on a hard drive or disk...
all that's done after that is to 'register' the already existing copyright... and you can do that at
www.wga.org [if screenplay or tv work],
www.wgae.org [if book, play, poetry, song lyrics], or
www.copyright.gov [if you want government registration]...
none of those are
required to claim ownership of the copyright for your work, but it makes sense to do so, in case there is ever any question about who wrote what...
the uk has a similar system, but i don't have the details...
one way to get free feedback is on forums like this one... but, if you hope to sell the work some day, don't post the whole thing, or no one will be interested in it, as it's already on the net to read for free...
if you can't afford to pay an editorial service for feedback on a whole story or book, you'll need to find a knowledgeable someone who'll look it over for free... just be sure to check out whoever you go to, because all who offer [whether free or for a fee] may not be all that good at it...
