Hello, some people call me John. Those people, however, are sadly delusional as my name is actually Greig. I've never been part of any sort of community dedicated to writers, and what they write. So this is a nervous, tentative leap into the unknown for me. I guess I should share a little about myself with you. I hail from the small country of Scotland and I bring you gifts of mutton and song. I've always fancied myself a writer, though I was never confident enough to pursue the goal realistically, hence my studying of the far more 'respectful' occupation of lawyer. I realised that I had in fact been published in several magazines and small newspapers but still ticked the "unpublished" button when I created my profile. Maybe it's because I wasn't paid (much) or that I don't consider my writing worthy of being considered "published", who knows. I won two poetry competitions whilst in High School, though I always felt a bit like I had cheated somehow, when I won. One girl even cried during the reading, which only caused me great shame as this girl was feeling more passion from something I had written than I had felt whilst writing it. Anyway, I love to read, and I've always enjoyed helping others. I hope to learn a lot here, and if all goes well, make new friends! I believe the correct protocol for new members is to spend some time reading other peoples work before posting your own. I always had that intention anyway, don't want to appear rude, do we! Anyway, I feel like I have rambled on long enough now. So I will end it with a simple, how do you do? I hope we speak soon!
Hello Greig, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Review Room before you post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here. 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 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 as well, and be sure to read through the forum rules, 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 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. 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). 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!
Hello, call me Agent or Vatani. I am new here, I hope you like it here. Because I do, I got a lot of help here already. I so happy for the help too, thanks peeps. I'm not into writing poem by I like reading them. So I ramble alot too, lol.
Welcome, John... Greig. Sounds like you'll fit right in here. When I first joined, I couldn't wait to do a couple of reviews so I could post some of my work. And now here I am, about a month later with a dozen or so reviews, and I still have yet to post any of my own stuff. I'm having a lot of fun though, and am learning quite a lot. Here's to wishing you more of the same...
Thanks, guys! @:Vatani: I think we are all prone to a ramble now and then! @Naiyn: You're doing a public service, I'm sure you'll post your own work when you are good and ready. @Melzaar: Thanks!
