My name is James Murphy, resident of western Maryland and I am hopefully seen as an amazing gentlemen by all those that cast their gaze to me. With that out of the way, I am thankfully a self-published author through the lovely folks at Lulu.com, because rejection stinks and it is tough to find an agent willing to latch onto something called I Drink Rat's Milk. I suffer from writer's block quite a bit, and tend to start ten dozen things before settling on something, but I realized a few days ago that the secret to my success with the first story was outlining, so I started doing that and am now at least a few pages into my new story called Horseshoes & Hand Grenades about the wonderful world of robot fighting. I am always trying to do something original and not a hacky premise, and I look up to those more famous authors that can some how pump out a new book every few months (or so it seems). I hope my stay here is fantastic.
Hello James, Welcome to the Writing Forums. 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!
I actually like to review other people's work, which is hard given that I am one of the only writers I know. Most of my friends find what I try to accomplish fascinating but are not exactly 'readers', so it makes it hard for me to get good feedback on my own work. Because of that, I guess when I get a chance to see someone else's work I at least try and take the time and say something constructive about it. I will do my best not to be overly critical or hurtful, because I know how much that kind of stuff hurts me. I already see some things in the Review Room that I want to take a look at when I have a bit more time, and I look forward to seeing what others have to say about some of the stuff I do. I need a place like this one in my writing life.
I Drink Rat's Milk? I have no idea what it is about but I have to read it! The title is bizarre. Welcome and have fun.
