Hey all. I'm Zayne/Lygo/'Oi you'. 22, Drama student, studying in Wales but originally from Birmingham, England. I write a LOT, but still not quite as much as I'd like due to study committments (Bloody essays...). My main focus at the moment is theatre, as I'm soon to be negotiating with a local theatre company to hopefully get my first ever performed piece. As I write this, I'm supposed to be doing an essay, which ought to suggest to you just how woefully terrible I am at 'focus' and how easily I slip straight into the dangerous realm of procrastination. Ironically, I'm hoping to find focus by signing up here, getting to know some other writers and hopefully finding a place I can bounce around ideas and get some motivation, rather than being stuck with thirty people who think musical theatre is high art (Not to be judgemental, but... come on.). That's about it, really. I consider myself pretty easy-going, I'd like to think I'm pretty easy to get on with and I hope to give and get a lot to and from you fine folks on the writing forum!
Hello Zayne, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Posting your own work 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. 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. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out 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!
Thank you kindly for the informative welcome. It's reassuring and encouraging to be made aware of such a structured approach to submissions and I completely agree on the point of critical analysis improving one's own ability. I can tell I'll be spending quite a lot of time reading through the works on offer here and I'd bet a large sum of money that I'll most likely learn a lot simply through the experience.
I'm... supposed to be! All of my friends at Uni so far have tried to explain and get me in to Rugby, it just... isn't happening. I realise that's a bit blasphemous, living in Wales and coming from England, but I figure if I avoid the whole thing completely, I can't possibly get into an argument when the subject comes up. That's the theory, anyway...
