Hey, registered a few days ago. I thought I should check in here and present myself. I'm a norwegian 18-yo girl and a, um, hobby writer. I absolutely love reading, which I do quite a lot in my spare time. My favourite things to read are fantasy stories or medieval-inspired novels (preferably both in one, haha). I'm obsessed with the "dark ages". When I'm not sitting with my nose hidden behind a fantasy book or my laptop screen, typing away, I take photos with my Canon camera, hang out with my human and animal friends, study, blog or go for walks in the Swedish woods. I also train judo, and when I remember that I have a rather good electric guitar I play that too. I could never live without music - it's a very big source of inspiration for me. I've been thinking about registering on a writing forum for some time now, as I'm in the process of writing a novel and might like some feedback. Also, I want to better my English; I lived in England for a few years but I feel that my language skills need to be improved somewhat. Perhaps it's starting to rust a little I'll probably hang around here and read some of the posts - and I'll post something myself too, if I dare! Greetings from Stardust.
Hello Stardust, Welcome to the Creative Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Writing Workshop before you try to post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here anyway. It is worth taking the time 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. Also, be aware that posting a piece of writing on any public site, including this one, will greatly diminish your chances of selling it for publication. Removing the writing later does not alter that fact - once posted, it is irreversibly considered published. So do not post anything more than a small excerpt of any piece you are planning to submit for publication. If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Writing Prompts, or the Writing Workshop, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the site rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Writing Workshop, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize constructive critique as a vital 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. We also impose a two-week waiting period before you may post writing for critique, to give you time to become familiar with what is expected and how the site operates. The Writing Workshop 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 Writing Workshop forum). Also, please use the same thread for all revisions and additional excerpts from the same piece of writing. See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out the RPG forum for improvisational fiction. Also try our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. 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!
Greetings Stardust. I'm also a "newbie", and like you was a litttle shy when I first joined. Most folks here don't bite...just nibble round the edges. LB
