Hello, before I get into this forum I have a few questions. 1. I have been to a lot of forums; some were very active but everyone was extremely rude, explicit, mean, etc. Some were alright, but very boring and inactive. So how is the community of this forum? And is it very active? 2. Critism; I have a problem with accepting constructive critism for some reason. I really should fix that. But anywho, this could go under the category of how the community of this forum is but I just might get a better detailed answer in this one. I'm a fairly well writer, but I'm probably not the best, I'm more creative than anything else. So, if any of my stories end up not the best, how well does the community respond to it. I don't appreciate a lot of bashing so this could help me decide. 3. Age range; some forums I was with a bunch 8 year olds - 12 year old, so the maturity of the forum was very low, so in order to "fit in" my maturity level had to act low. So in order for me not to stand out in a bad way, what is most approiate. Those are my questions, thanks and please answer!
Hello! Welcome! To answer your questions from my perspective as an active member here: 1. This is a very active forum. You're going to run into one or two rude people everywhere you go, but it's not tolerated here. The moderators are very good about staying ontop of things, so though it's unlikely, just report a problem if you run into one. But I've been here for about four years, and I've never had an issue with anyone. 2. No bashing is allowed here. Only constructive critiques. You have to learn to differentiate between the two. Even if someone is saying they dislike something about your writing, that doesn't mean they're bashing you. People here are really just trying to help you improve. There are a lot of creative minds on this forum, and you'd be surprised how much you can learn by listening to what they have to say. NOTE: You must post at least two constructive critiques before posting your own work here. (This rule is to make sure people are actually contributing to the community instead of using it just to get feedback on their own work.) 3. The age range really varies. We have teenagers and we have adults. (I started when I was 16, but now I'm 20.) But even the teens we have here, at least those that I've met, are pretty mature. Most people here really enjoy writing and are serious about it. That's not to say that everyone here is mature. I haven't met every person, so I can't make that assumption. You should be fine here. Go forth, review, and write!
As a member of 4ish days myself (and a refugee from another forum, but that was a year ago...) I'd like to say Welcome. This looks like a good bunch of people to me. I haven't had any problems or seen posts where people have. 1. This one isn't "very active" comparatively, but there are always people around willing to read stuff. I don't have the official numbers but I think that most things get about 20 people looking at them the first 24 hours and 3-10 commenting. The number of comments usually depends on if you have anything to add. If the first person to review something said everything I wanted to say, I don't leave a comment but I still look at the writing. 2. I'd recommend for this, writing more comments for other's people's stuff. If you want to learn how to take it better, there's no better way to learn where a critiquer is coming from than to do a bunch yourself. The community responds well to story that aren't up to their prime yet. I've never seen anyone go through something and point out everything that was "wrong" (writing is so subjective anyway). 3. I haven't gone around looking for ages. I can tell that some of the writing is by people with lots of life experience and some by those with less. I haven't it it making much of an impact on the forum as a whole. I would define a normal level as "confident in their own decisions."
Hello Siberith, Welcome to the Creative Writing Forums. 1. Rude or offensive behavior is against the rules, and we DO enforce it. We try to keep the place pleasant. 2. You won't start out by getting critique. You'll start by learning how to effectively give criti9que, and hopefully you will find it a valuable approach. See more below. 3. The minimum recommended age if around age 13. We have many members in theiur teens, and many in their 20's. The top of the age range is around 80. I.m 57, myself. Please read How to Use the Writing Workshop before you post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on 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 Writing Workshop, 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 Writing Workshop, 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. We also impose a two-week waiting period before you may post writing for critique, to give you time to become familiar with what is expected and how the site operates. The Writing Workshop 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 Writing Workshop 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 the RPG forum for improvisational fiction. Also try 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!
Hey, We have everyone on here from 12-year-olds who write fanfic to seasoned bestsellers who've had 20+ books published. In general, I'd say the majority is adults who are active writers and pretty good but not published yet or who are in the first-time-publishing process. People are really friendly here, and no one is mean in reviews (if someone is, just report them to the mods and know that they're a slim minority). However, people can be blunt when someone starts a thread like "I have a cool story but I want permission before I write it, so what do you think" (not that wording obviously, but to that effect). Just remember that no one writes your story but you, and people will give wonderful help. Welcome!
Really? Who has published 20 books? That's cool. Siberith, I've only been here a week, but its my observation that you are dealing with real people, with busy lives, so they won't be flooding you with responses 30 seconds after you post. On the other hand, since they live in the real world (not that I have a problem with those of us who don't) they give you a pretty good perspective of how the human race would react to your writing. As for the critiques, there are some members (my favorites) that don't pull punches. I try to be friendly and light, but I won't pretend to like something I don't like. I will however suggestion a fix.
Hi and welcome. The predominant age range here is 20- 24 years, with 14-19 years as a running second. The average age is also 28. Like others have said before, we're not the most active group, but we're open and very receiving to new members. Hope you enjoy yourself here.
