Good afternoon, I just wanted to introduce myself briefly Long have I been in search for a decent writing forum. Many others are rather overwhelming or have inapproachable communities, others again are unstructured or the criticism one receives is superficial and not quite what I have always been seeking. From what I've seen, this one looks well-structured, and I like the fact that the whole thing is organised around giving and receiving criticism, so that should come in handy. I am really looking forward to working with you! About myself: I am 25 years old and currently studying English in the UK. In terms of writing, I am a novice: while I have always written a lot, only recently have I turned my attention towards creative writing, mostly due to not knowing where to find a decent audience. Few of my friends and family appreciate it and they show little interest in what I have produced. Also, as I indicated above, I never know whether I am on the right track, as finding decent, constructive criticism seems to be scarcely available if one doesn't know where to look. But I do like writing both prose and poetry, and I hope I'll be able to improve my writing of both during my stay here. Being an English student, I am forced to be quite selective, so my knowledge of 'pulp fiction' (God I hate that elitist distinction) is rather low outside of Dan Brown & Rowling. The greatest joy in reading prose I get from Victorian novelists such as Dickens or the Brontes, but I also enjoy newer things like Orwell (whom I personally consider a wonderful writer in terms of style). In terms of poetry I'm not quite sure; I like modernists like Pound & Eliot or the late Yeats, but also the Decadents and Romantics, so I suppose my taste is quite well-spread. With that being said, while I am forced to look at these texts from an academic perspective, my actual knowledge of creating prose & verse is very limited, and my knowledge of contemporary writing is, as stated above, nearly nothing. But what I really need the most, aside from good criticism, is a way to find my own voice in writing, and I really hope to be able to find it here. With that being said, I think I've occupied enough of your time. Thanks for reading and getting to know a bit about me, and I hope we'll get to know each other over the next few weeks/moths/years Reprove
Good morrow, for such it still is in my slice of life, and well-met in this, our little forum. Be sure to read the New Member Quick Start and the Forum Rules. As for finding your voice... A strange mission it is, no? One part knowing why you are writing, two parts conveying that why, a half part style, and bake until golden brown for substance. My advice is to give the advice you hope to get. Use the work already in the Writing Workshop as raw material in your quest. You're an English major, yes? Apply the same mode you are learning in class to the task here and thence to your own work. Wrey
The title of this thread (and Wrey being the last poster) scared the shit out of me. Don't do that! Anyway, welcome to the forum.
Thanks for the kind words, both of you Is it really strange trying to find a voice? In the past I have always written slightly archaic, especially in poetry. Always regular meter, regular rhyme schemes, out-worn imagery. I know why I wish to write - it is an inner drive towards wanting to create something beautiful with language. But in trying to imitate the 'old masters' it never sounded like anything individual, but just like an old imitation. 'Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal'. Recently I have started using more open verse forms, sometimes even free verse, and what I have been writing about seems more real, at least I hope and believe so, so I might be on the right track. In any case, yes, I enjoy writing about writing as much as I enjoy writing things myself, so that shouldn't be a problem, which I hope my first criticism of a poem in this forum has proved A lot of hoping going on in this post! Take care! Reprove
No, no. I didn't mean the wish or the will to find your voice being strange, but the journey itself. It takes you to odd places. There are times when I look back over old writing of mine and it's painfully clear to me who I was reading at the time I wrote the item. Here I've aped Storm Constantine and over here is Frank Herbert, oh, and this one over here, yes, I had a short literary affair with Richard Morgan. I've learned that part of my personal journey in finding my voice includes having to put away my reading while I'm writing. I'm sure this won't be true for everyone, but for me....
