I find it ironic, and if I may be a bit too dramatic, as well, I find it somewhat poignant, that I cannot think of some catchy description to for my introduction, which would justify to me that I can be, and perhaps even should be a writer. I mean after all, I am here because I wish to be considered a writer or at least at this point a benign settlement would be to at least "feel" like a writer. Alas, here I sit at my not so trendy, and nearly ancient computer; at 4:30 am feeling outdated, out numbered, and out witted by own meandering middle aged brain, which absolutely refuses to allow me to move forward on my quintessential, story. However, as a distraction, I sought guidance from the ominous oracle Google, and discover that, although I find no specific address to my personal quandary, there are conservatively 1,000,000,000 prospective places* which the great oracle suggests I might find more information as to my sojourn to be a writer, or as mentioned, a settlement of at least feeling like a writer. As to my personal salutations, my name is Rex**. I live in the recent tumultuous weather stricken state of Missouri. I am a husband, a father of two step children, and one son, and to add to the excitement, I will soon be the father of a baby girl. Her name will be Teagan, which means "little poet" in some ancient Irish language, which really has no meaning to anyone but her mother and I. I assure you, I will read the rules, and do my utmost best to learn the procedures for posting, and provided I have the necessary allotted time, and earn the trust of your members, I may even commit to learning the secret handshake. Until then, I will read whatever strikes my fancy and hope to learn the secrets to becoming a writer. Peace Rex NOTE * I say 1,000,000,000 when in fact I do not have the actual number to cite. However, I felt that approximating 1 billion, would seem more legitimate. As well, the original intent of providing a anecdote citing the numerical representation of a googolplexian although a more appropriate approximation, would have violated the forum's posting rules. NOTE** The author does not proclaim to be original in significant means, thus the choice of screen name reflects that lack of originality. No fancy handle, however efficiently is the author's real name, and as well only has three letters.
Hello Rex, Welcome to the Creative Writing Forums. Secret handshake? Why didn't anyone tell ME about the secret handshake! 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 Word Games, 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 forum 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!
