Hello forum people! I've just joined up and hope this website will become one of my main haunts online. I'm not a writer. In fact, I have never done any serious creative writing. But, as I'm sure you can imagine I am one of the millions out there who have always wanted to take it up and tell a story of my own. A little bit about myself; I am in my early 30's, an expatriate living in a former Soviet Union satellite country (I won't say which at this time, because my visa expires in 3 weeks and I will be moving on to somewhere new). I love good stories, whether they be in novels, audio books, movies, intelligent television series, or simply spoken tales told by the people I meet. Many genres interest me, from literary fiction, to sci-fi, to biographies, and yes even the Harry Potter books. As I am getting older I feel that writing could become a passion in my life. A grown up hobby. Something that will last my whole life.
Welcome GreenTea, i'm sure you'll bump into many other people haunting this site hope to see you around
How does it feel to be surrounded by so many who share the same interest? I for one am about half your age and I feel the same way. I've been a writer ever since, and I want to keep writing for the rest of my will-be married life. Have fun. :]
Hello Green Tea, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Any relation to Ice T? 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!
Welcome to the Forums and such. Enjoy your time around here and I hope you find your path to literary enlightenment.
