Howdy, I'm new here and I suppose I should tell you a little about myself. I have a B.F.A. in Acting. I have always loved writing and probably should have gone to school in the English department, but I was young then and still had delusions of moving to New York and making it big on the stage. I feel that I am a good Actor and could probably do okay with it, but I just have no desire to act anymore. I have focused on plays for most of my writing career. I have written several full length plays as well as shorts. A few of my shorts have been produced. I would love for one of my full length plays to be produced, but we will see if that ever happens. I really enjoy poetry slams. The combination of written and performance art is obviously right up my ally. I have won a couple of them, but am pretty sure it was because of the performance and not the writing. The writing still needs a lot of work. Recently, I have been hiding in my basement when ever I am not at work dealing poker, and writing short stories (in the Horror genre). I have decided that I am going to focus on fiction for the time being. I really look forward to getting critiques on my short stories and poems in the near future. Nice to meet you all. ---ZHM P.S. I read voraciously and would love if you more experienced writers pointed me in the direction of your favorite short stories, novels, and poetry. Especially if they are not very well known. My favorite genre for fiction is Horror/Science Fiction. Theodore Sturgeon is way up there on my list. P.S.P.S. Right when I hit submit I realized that the title of this should have a semi-colon instead of a coma after the word "Stage." It upsets me that I can't change it.
welcome don't worry about the semicolon. I've come to realise its the story and how easy it is to read not the grammar that is important. Have fun
Hello ZHM, Welcome to the Creative Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Writing Workshop before you try to post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here anyway. 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!
Hi ZHM! I've enjoyed reading your reviews so far and I hope to read your work sometime. I'm new here, too. I assume the title of this entry is a reference to Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.? Clever! (He's one of my favorites).
LOL. I just watched a lecture on youtube by Kurt Vonnegut. In his words; "Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college."
