Hello everyone! My name is Rob, and I have been writing mostly for my own personal enjoyment. I struggle with grammar and sentence structure, which is why I came here. I seek the advice of fellow writers to help me flush out my ideas. But I honestly like reading other stories and reviewing them in a constructive manner. I find that the more I write in general about anything, the more I learn. The more I can learn, the better I will become. I mainly write quickly, and in short story form. I have not had good success in anything super long. I struggle with character development beyond the short story length. I also have ADD and with this amazing ability I find my hands sore and bleeding from trying to type or write fast enough to keep up with my imagination. Many of my stories are raw, and need help. I hope to help others by sharing my ideas on your stories first, and in so doing, I can learn more about myself. Thanks Rob
Hello Rob, 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. 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 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!
Hi, Redwing, and welcome. Sounds like you've been lurking for a while. I'm sure you'll find lotsa great help here. For grammar guides, I'd suggest checking out the SPaG forum, the stickied links in particular, as well as Cogito's signature (Mechanics of Dialogue).