Hello all! My name is tom and I was looking for an online writing community and stumbled onto this one via Google. I hope to become a good member, I have been a member of many forums and know the usual rules of forum etiquette. I do have a question about the part of my profile that asks if I am a published writer, as I have done quite a few reviews online although I was not paid, and have been in a fanzine for a BBC TV show. I was also in a local newspaper with some of my poetry when I was like eight or so, but I'm not sure that counts lol. I also just joined a local writer's group that meets twice monthly to keep me writing. At any rate, the site looks nice although I have not explored it much, and I hope to see you guys around. Thanks for having me!
The poem when you were eight totally counts. Welcome! I am slightly less new than you! I'm totally incapable of giving practical advice on how the forum works, but someone will be along soon to throw the rulebook at you, so you'll be fine. Just don't dare post anything of your own for about a week.
Hello Tom, 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!
Thanks for the advice and the warm welcome. Cogito: As with MTA, thanks for the warm welcome and for that great post full of information, but I think I must have not stated well what I meant and I apologize. I was referring to the option in the User CP in your profile that asks if you are a "published writer". I was just wondering if in the forum's eyes non paid work counts as I have been featured as a reviewer of a TV show called Doctor Who and it's spin offs in all forms of media since about 2006 on a fan run website (Although a larger one that gets many views). I know that some sites, contests and writing forums do not consider you a published writer till you get paid to write something and I was just wondering what side of the fence I fall on. I do see however that the part of your post talking about internet posting and publication seems to make me fall into the category of published. I hope that does not come off the wrong way, I just was trying to make myself more clear in case I was misunderstood. However like I said I love what I see so far, I hope to be active here and try to contribute what I can to the community. Thanks again for the information...
The Are you a published writer question is pretty much up to your own interpretation. No one is afforded extra gravitas for having answered in the affirmative. In fact, a high percentage of the spambots we are plagued with aver that they are published. So interpret it as you wish and as your conscience is happy with.
^^ Thanks Shinn! Great then I'll leave the "published" option as it is and happy to hear that being published is not considered a plus nor a minus here. I wonder what great works they have published lol.
Spam is the great literature of the 21st century. It's an amazing tale of bling and exiled princesses and so on and so forth. We should feel priviledged to have the stories delivered free to our inboxes and the walls of our forums.
