Hi all, Having recently stumbled across this site, I decided to take a leap and join, having debated the best way to develop my writing in general. I've been dabbling for a number of years and though I have never felt it an option to do anything remotely seriously, recently I have decided to look into the realms with an air of seriousness, if only to satisfy my curiosity. I think the key point here is to say that my writing is done, first and foremost, because I enjoy doing it, like I'm certain many others do. That said, it would be very nice to know that it's not terrible, contrived drivel, hence my new found curiosity. I have been working on my current pieces for the last 2 years and have enjoyed the time I have spent on them very much. The trouble is, I am my own worst critic and what's more, I am too frightened to provide my works to friends. I have given a number of excerpts to people and had fantastic feedback, if lacking in the necessary level of criticism. So, what I think I am desperate for is impartial, critical appraisal from people who do not know me. I'm sure I'll spend the next few days/weeks reviewing the contents on the site prior to making any effort to share but I thought I should say how-do as a matter of course. Many thanks in advance.
Welcome to Writing Forums, Curupira22! I hope you find what you're looking for here, whatever your interests in writing. This forum aims to provide the best workshopping resources on the internet, and to that end we have a few rules which you should familiarise yourself with before you get stuck in. The main section of the site is the Writing Workshop, where members can post their writing in order to receive critique of their work. However, before we allow members to post their work, they must have met some basic requirments. Firstly, you must have been a member for fourteen days, and have made twenty posts on the forum overall (please note, posts in Word Games do not count towards this). This is so that members, when they post their work, have familiarised themselves with the forums and contributed to them (as well as hopefully learned something for themselves). Secondly, members must provide two constructive reviews of other people's work for each piece of their own that they wish to post. This is because we believe that the focus of workshopping should be equally upon giving reviews as receiving them, as they allow a writer to practice and improve their editing skills, which they can then apply to their own writing. Beyond the Writing Workshop, you will find that we have extensive forums for discussion of aspects of writing, as well as a community area for general discussion. We also run periodic short story and poetry contests, which are good for challenging yourself and expanding your skills. If you have any questions or problems, then the moderators (myself and Cogito) should be your first port of call. Any technical problems with the site itself should be directed to Daniel, the site administrator and owner. I would recommend you have a look over the rules so that you know what to expect, and what is expected. But aside from that, I hope you enjoy your time here. Banzai
