Hello. I'm Tsukuru and I like to write. I want to get into contests and hopefully get published, and I figured it would be a good idea to join a writing forum to get some of my work read over. So before I actually look for it, which section would I want to go to to show off a bit of my work for just general feedback?
Hello Tsukuru, 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. 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 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? for more information. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
Hi Tsukuru! Welcome to WF! Before you post any of your own work, you must review (and by this, I mean thoroughly review) at least two pieces by others in your favoured section of the Review Room. Spotting others' mistakes makes it easier to spot your own, which, in time, will help you improve your own work. After you have given two pieces a thorough review, you may post your own work in your chosen section of the review room. Good luck.
I just want to say that the review before posting idea was brilliant. Whoever came up with that is a genius.
I like to write all fiction. I have a series going that is science fiction entitled The Hacker, which is a post-apocolyptic world in which robots have taken over and humans are fighting just for survival. Mostly, I write historical fiction in which I create a non-earth world but maintain medieval ideas. If you check out the short stories section, I posted No Rest for the Weary(I know you said that posting a story shouldn't be the first thing I did, but I will definitely do more reviews than posts in the future. I just finished that story and I was hoping for some commentary, that's how I found this forum). I am currently thinking about writing a short fiction story in present times about a normal high school student. Mostly, however, I write because I enjoy the control it gives me; I like to create the world, I like to run the character's lives, and I like making them do whatever I want. Or sometimes just giving them a personality and running with it.
That sounds fun - I'll definately check out your story. Funny, I'm doing a post-apocolyptic story, but it's a screenplay. I'm no good at prose. I've tried medieval (and I didn't know how to spell that before I read your post - thanks!) a couple times, but I always get all historically inaccurate. Too many "gotta"s, "gonna"s, and all that - it's embarrassing. Ooh, I do present-time stuff, too! It's fantasy, though - with monsters. Namely fauns and gargoyles. Do you like monsters, Tsukuru?
I do. I've been known to write a bit of fantasy in my day. It's been awhile, though. Maybe I'll pick it back up.
What kinds of monsters did you write about? Did you make them up or did you use stuff from mythology? Both are so much fun!
I combined preexisting mythology with my own ideas and sometimes mixed races. My first attempt at a novel (now cancled because it was written horrendously with no hope for revival) had people that were a mix between lizardmen and dwarves. Really I like to make my own monsters, but sometimes it's hard to stay away from the convenience of preset monsters.
lizardmen/dwarves? They sound adorable! I do the same thing - it's hard to make up a 100% origional monster, 'cause there are just so many that already "exist"! Have you read any Filipino mythology? They've got some pretty crazy monsters! The Awsang is my favorite
D'aww~! :3 I had one monster, it was this horribly ugly gargoyle-thing with one eye and he had this disease that gave him all these giant tumor-looking things that would pop and drip pus. It was really icky, and he was really mean, too. His name was Cupcake :3
Thank you very much Rumpole. That gargoyle sounds lonely. You should give him/her an equally digusting friend.
