If this forum's anything like the ones I've been part of previously, there are hordes of new users posting introductions, sticking around for a few days, then never showing up again. I don't plan to be one of those. I'm not very good at giving critiques, so it might take me awhile to get into the review section, but I'll do my best. I've only been writing for five years, so I know I'm a little behind the rest of the members here. I started daily practice when I was very young. I was almost twelve, I believe, when I printed off my first story and left it on my dad's desk. The next day, I burned it, regretting letting anyone even see the first sentence. It was a poor excuse of an action flick about four teenagers who beat up gangsters. All four of them were older than me at the time, and I had no basis on which to write such characters. Their personalities were all perfect, and the plot was too random to be considered a plot at all. I think I've come a long way since then. Currently, I'm a high school junior and have tested out of every English class available at the college. I've only ever finished one story since my first one, and it was a short one from about two or three years ago: seventeen thousand words describing the tale of an assassin, two schoolgirls, and a college soccer player. It was a very amateur, anime-style plot that I didn't like at all, but I told myself that I would definitely finish it, and therefore did so. Although I decided that I hated it, I salvaged three of the characters and set them all in different stories that now don't totally fail, but that I haven't finished. My favorite genres are fantasy, action, Christian, young adult, and steampunk. My least favorites are romance, erotica, and memoir. They're just boring to me. My earliest influences came from The Hardy Boys, 1-190 or something like that. I didn't like the new ones at all, because they completely destroyed the characters. But again, that was a long time ago. Currently, I'm reading Michael Grant's latest series, starting with Gone: currently my favorite book. Being sixteen, I read young adult. I just can't get into adult literature. I'll pick up some bestseller, read the first page or two, and shut it. I can't seem to relate with the characters at all. It could be that I'm just picking up all the wrong books, though. My reason behind joining this forum is to become a better writer: synonymous with probably 90% of the users here.
Thanks for the welcome. This forum uses the same general layout as ConceptArt, and my memories of that site are associated with the harshest words I've ever read. So, in truth, some part of me was slightly afraid to read a reply here. But no I see there was no reason to. I'm far more adept as a writer than as an artist. I shouldn't be worrying about things like that. Thanks again, Eunoia. -- *Hey, I could use fear of harsh words as a character flaw!*
I think most forums use this layout powered by vbulletin. We're all pretty friendly here, and if we're not, that's what the mods are for. You could
Hello Boriol, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Review Room 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 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 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!
