Hello, my name's Chris and I'm completely new here. I stumbled over the forums when I googled around for creative writing, looking for a place where I could gather ideas for characters and plot lines and bounce those on like-minded people. From what I can see, I've found just the place for that. A few things about me: I've, so far, written some a lot of short stories in German and English, though most of them rest in a folder on my computer - where they best stay till doomsday (reading through some the earlier ones, I fear unearthing them might bring about just that!) What I love most is writing fantasy stories - not the historic type that floods bookstores nowadays, but modern ones. My role models are Tolkien for his skill in creating an epic world without loosing himself in sidelines and unimportant details while still not overfreighting his work with symbolism, J.K.Rowling for her genious with subtle double meanings, and Kim Harrison with her gift of always keeping the inner conflicts of her main characters burning hot. Currently, I feel a plot for a multi part novel taking shape in my head, though I'm not ready to bring it down to paper yet. Hopefully, I'll find time over the holidays to lay out the basic plot lines and sketch my main characters, then I'm sure I'm going to have a question or two for the forums here.
Hey BitPoet! Glad you found us and welcome to the forum! We have a lot in common such as writing short stories and novels! Hope to see you work soon and if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
Hello Chris, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Bit by what? Or is there a poet somewhere with a wound matching your pearly whites? 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!
