Hi there! I'm George, 36 years old and currently a resident of Mississippi. I've been reading since the age of four and writing since the age of six. It's something I've always loved, but I've only gotten truly serious about it in the last five years. I write mostly contemporary fantasy and science fiction. Even my rare 'mainstream' story is written via the viewpoint of those genres. I mostly try to avoid fantasy cliches and strive to do something more like 'slipstream' or 'the new weird' or 'new wave fabulism', without the tendency that those writers have for opaque ambiguity and a seeming dislike for endings. In other words, I want my stories to be stories and make sense, even if it's a strange sort of sense. In a nutshell I'm striving to use the concepts of the unknown and unknowable, of the uncanny and unexplainable, as a lens to view the everday mysteries of human nature. Due to my life-so-far I tend to focus on characters either riding the edge or swan diving from it. I write mostly about the 'lower class' or impoverished of America, and try to show that they too are important and have stories to tell, as culturally rich as any other group. That said, I don't do 'woe-is-me' or 'the-poor-are-inately-noble' stories. I'm strictly a short fiction writer, and prefer that as my reading material as well. I enjoy critiquing stories, and strive to be helpful and diplomatic. I concentrate on things like flow, character issues, narrative cohesion and integration of metaphorical material over grammar, spelling, etc. It's not that I think those things are unimportant, it's just that I tend to think first of the former -- and others seem to have a better eye for the latter than my own! My science fiction is rare because I am insanely picky about it. I consider it the hardest genre to write by far. My few succesful attempts are some of my proudest moments. Hope to read and crit and get to know you all. -G.
Hello George, Welcome to the Writing Forums. I'm also very picky about detail in science fiction. Keeping the science plausible and as accurate as I can borders on obsession. It also means I don't pile up the word count as quickly as some. 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 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!
