Hello to everyone, I've been looking for a decent place to have a jolly decent chat with knowledgable folk who have similiar interests and so far I've been very impressed. A word about me for those patrons of writingforums who are nosey...

I live in Harlow, I'm originally from Inverness. I've been writing for pleasure for many years, and as a result loved English far better than Maths in school :)
I'm 26, I work in retail, I'm a complete wreck physically (you wouldn't believe it). I'm addicted to Radley handbags, good reads, an affectionate cat, salt and vinegar twirls, saxophone music, playing my Alto sax called AJ, and the colour purple. I use a macbook, it's all my fiance's fault, and we are photographers. Here's a link to our website: www.westonphotographics.co.uk

Let me know which photo(s) you like.. :)

The wedding is in three weeks and I've been offered a publishing deal for my first novel 0 only they want £5997 upfront so I've just self-published on Lulu.com and am contemplating my next move, plus planning hen nights, wedding, cakes, dresses, writing my sequel and working fulltime. ARGH.
Perhaps my name should be manic0312 LOL Get in touch if you want to, I don't mind, there are a few spare minutes in my day to communicate with fellow writers!! :)

Welcome sportslady! Seems like you've got a lot on your plate right now! lol. I'm also engaged and know how you feel, and my wedding isn't even two years away, but we are planning early. Glad you are making time for the forums, though! You'll love it here! Congrats on getting published or at least someone wanting to publish you, haha. If you ever want to chat, just send me a message! Welcome again!

Welcome to the forums and congradulations on the offer of being published!

Hello Sports Lady, Welcome to the Writing Forums.

Posting your own work should not be the very first thing you do here. It is really worthwhile to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog.

If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Word Games, or the Review Room, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ (http://www.writingforums.org/faq.php) as well, and be sure to read through the forum rules (http://www.writingforums.org/showthread.php?p=101625#post101625), too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate.

As for the Review Room, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize reviewing as a critical writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. The Review Room forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Review Room forum). See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? (http://www.writingforums.org/showpost.php?p=65432&postcount=1) for more information.

And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out our Weekly Short Story Contest (http://www.writingforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=75) and Weekly Poetry Contest (http://www.writingforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=76). They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites.

Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!

Welcome to the forums :) good luck with the publishing.