Hello everybody! I just joined and am excited to have a place where I can both talk about writing and get some feedback on my own stories. Writing workshops are a bit far between at my college, and getting good criticism outside of class is pretty much impossible. But not anymore! So please, be harsh with my stories! I'm 21 years of age, and am majoring in fiction writing. I prefer modern-ish realism, I guess (Raymond Carver and the like). Three books that I always come back to as a way to guide my writing are Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson, The Night in Question by Tobias Wolff, and Nine Stories by J. D. Salinger. That's all I can think to say at the moment. I look forward to participating in many good, writerly discussions with everybody!
You are SO lucky to be able to actually STUDY writing!!! There's no such course here, and it's almost like an afterthought when it appears on the syllabus. P.S. I've wanted to be a writer FOREVER. Nobody can stop anyone from writing, of course, but it doesn't usually mean you'll be any good. And, unfortunately, I don't think I'm any good. I hope you are though...looking forward to reading your posts.
Hi bhugy and welcome! I'm studying Professional Writing and Editing at the moment which is great! And I'm sorry to here that workshopping at your school doesnt go so well. You should come to mine! Although I live in Australia so that might be a bit of a problem, lol.
Hey, hey K.S.A.! I'm sorry to hear that you can't take any good writing classes! All I can say is keep writing, and keep reading to improve your writing. Some class exercises that helped me were ones where we had to pick a short story, make a list of specific features of the story, and then describe what sort of effect those features achieved. Then we had to try to use those features in a short piece of our own. This always helped me get a little bit closer to achieving in my writing what I admired about my favorite stories, so try it out if you haven't already. You never know! P.S. Don't count yourself out yet! If you're still alive, you can still improve. I also look forward to seeing your posts. See you around the forums!
Hey Midnight_Adventurer! I'd love to come to Australia, but unfortunately I don't have the resources at the moment, haha. Anyway, it's nice to meet you!
Hello bhugy, 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 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!
