A humble greeting to all, as I am new to this particular forum. First off, my name is Rachel, though a common nickname I bare is Rochelle. I am fourteen years of age, with my date of birth being the ninth of December. I have been writing for several years now, though I haven't much to show for it. Most of my past works have been scrapped and discontinued for personal reasons, some being that they were absolutely horrid as in my earlier days, and some for the simple reason that I couldn't get myself to enjoy writing or reading it anymore. I am currently working on a new novel, which is in the earlier stages, but I have high hopes for it. I do wish to delve into more short fiction writing, as well as poetry and the writing of lyrics. My preferred genre is Fantasy, closely followed by mystery and science fiction. I do not read as much as I would like, but I do enjoy reading, about as much as I enjoy writing and drawing, another passion of mine. I have a particular liking of mythical and fantastic creatures, such as Mer, Angels, Fairies, Centaurs and other things of the sort. I come to these forums for several reasons. A main one being to discuss story, character and plot with fellow fiction novel writers. Just a small conversation on character development between a few people can be enough to spark an amazing idea, and help tremendously. A second reason, and an easy one to achieve, meeting and befriending other writers. People to have intelligent conversation with, and not worry about not being about to read their "chat speak" and bad grammar. I can be silly and lighthearted, or I can be serious, down to Earth and mature. Either way, I hope I get to know some great people, and that I make a great new friend for somebody as well.
Hello Rachel, Welcome to the Writing Forums. 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!
