Hey, My name is Liam. I signed up to these forums about 3 years ago and have not posted a thing since due to general laziness and forgetfulness. But I'm going to try and make this time stick! Some of the real reasons I'm here again is because I'm a musician and in a band. We write our own songs and I compose a good 75% of the music, but the lyrics come from our singer who writes them painfully slowly so I'd like to be able to write them and help out (I usually help out but I'd like to expand my contribution a bit further than the generic "baby,dont leave" type lyrics) I used to write a few years ago in school but have pushed it aside since leaving and I found it really rewarding and theaputic so I desperately want to pursue it again, not for financial gain or dreams of writer stardom but just to express myself. I look forward to putting some of my work on this site and seeing what you guys and guy-ettes think of it! I am however a bit rusty, so can anyone give me any advice on getting started again? (Or better yet, a sticky with ALL the necessary information on that I have somehow missed) Thanks
Hello Liam, 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!
