Hello. As you can see my nickname's Profanity. Usually when I join someplace with this name, someone tells a joke about profanity not being allowed. I've read your rules - you guys can't make that joke! Whew. So yes... I'm new here. I'm not really a writer, I practically don't write, but I'd like to. Even if I barely do it, I still enjoy it very much. I'm still not quite sure how things work around here and how good do I have to be to throw my work out there (here) for you to see, but hopefully I'll understand this machine soon enough. Anyway... I honestly don't know what else to say, except: Hello, new people. Oh, and I've read the rules and this bother me a little: "Posting in the Writing Workshop requires 2 or more constructive critiques of other members' work for each new posted work." . Now I do realize that this is completely fair, but... I'm really shit at reviewing, honestly, I suck at it big time. Not to mention, my total inexperience would bear no weight in the form of CC. I don't really know where I'm going with this, so I'll just stop!
That's why you need to practice it. Getting critique does very little to improve your writing. Giving critique does far more.
I've never done many critiques, outside of Eng Comp a couple of centuries ago, but I'm finding that doing them here is tightening up my own work, which, right now, is a novel 8 chapters into revision. Give criticism a shot. You'll be a better writer for it. Welcome here.
But it just feels almost ignorant to even think about critiquing someone in an area you've barely dipped your fingers in. Though, maybe that's exactly why I don't quite understand this particular approach, because I've barely dipped my fingers in. Well, if that's how things work here, I guess I'll have to deal with it. Right, well if I hang around here, I'll have to give it a shot, a shot. Thanks!
How's it going, Profanity? I've used you a lot over the years and I just wanted to drop by and say thanks for all the good times.
No problem at all, I love to be used as much as I love using myself. I think he's a one of a kind friend, always comes trough eventually! Not know for subtlety, but effective no doubt!
Welcome, Profanity. The thing to remember about reviewing is that even if you haven't written a whole lot, you must, to some extent, be a reader. You can always point out your reactions to a piece as someone reading it for the first time -- what may have confused you, what struck you about the characters, whether you had a good sense of the scene, whether the dialogue struck you as realistic, where you may have gotten bored, etc. If you thought it, someone else will have as well. And always remember, both when receiving or giving criticism, someone making a suggestion doesn't necessarily mean that the author should make the suggested change. There will always be conflicting advice. The most important thing is to consider what everyone says. One person not understanding something doesn't always mean the passage is confusing. Many people, however, not understanding something means there is probably something confusing about the passage. So don't be afraid to put your thoughts and impressions out there. As long as you honestly thought something, there's nothing wrong with pointing it out.
Welcome to Writing Forums, Profanity! I hope you find what you're looking for here, whatever your interests in writing. This forum aims to provide the best workshopping resources on the internet, and to that end we have a few rules which you should familiarise yourself with before you get stuck in. The main section of the site is the Writing Workshop, where members can post their writing in order to receive critique of their work. However, before we allow members to post their work, they must have met some basic requirments. Firstly, you must have been a member for fourteen days, and have made twenty posts on the forum overall (please note, posts in Word Games do not count towards this). This is so that members, when they post their work, have familiarised themselves with the forums and contributed to them (as well as hopefully learned something for themselves). Secondly, members must provide two constructive reviews of other people's work for each piece of their own that they wish to post. This is because we believe that the focus of workshopping should be equally upon giving reviews as receiving them, as they allow a writer to practice and improve their editing skills, which they can then apply to their own writing. Beyond the Writing Workshop, you will find that we have extensive forums for discussion of aspects of writing, as well as a community area for general discussion. We also run periodic short story and poetry contests, which are good for challenging yourself and expanding your skills. If you have any questions or problems, then the moderators (myself, Cogito, Lemex and Dante Dases) should be your first port of call. Any technical problems with the site itself should be directed to Daniel, the site administrator and owner. I would recommend you have a look over the rules so that you know what to expect, and what is expected. But aside from that, I hope you enjoy your time here. Banzai
