Well first and foremost hello to everyone! I suppose like numerous other members on here I have got a burning desire to write, and have come here to gain some knowledge in creative writing. I have always had an extremely active imagination, and for the last year my mind has been pre occupied with turning this creative power into stories and perhaps a career. I'm an absolute n00b so i'm here to learn, I do feel that I have potential though. Any tips on ettiquette of the forum? Good guys/bad guys?
Hello Jojo, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Well, seeing as you ask ... 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. 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!
Ooh, watch out for a couple of people who are going to welcome you into the "asylum" or "jungle". Brace yourself for an in-depth moderator post that'll tell you everything that you need to know about wf. I might even be too late by the time that I post this. Well, good to know that you aren't the kind who procrastinates a lot and never finishes a project, I'm like that you see. Edit: Yup, too late. I wasn't able to save you! D: Then again, you cannot resist the inevitable.
ooh very helpful stuff Cogito, I see you're a mod on top form! haha, as for me posting work I would like to publish, I am miles away from anything like that! I only have little bits and bobs I have written, nothing serious. I find my mind is a bit of a mess, swimming with different stories and ideas- its very hard to focus on one idea and develop it. I suppose this is something I hope to learn here.
The good guys have a little bad in them and the bad guys are fun as hell. Welcome to the asylum! (Hey, we are all inviting others into worlds that exist within our minds. We all are a bit mad - this is no less an asylum than anywhere else.)
Rum you must be one of the bad guys, your avatar is terrifying! haha I like the asylum referral, its a good point! I have so many stories, scenarios and random musings constantly buzzing around my head, i'm desperate to get them out in a coherent fashion!
Maybe it's a complex combination of both! Like an asylum for apes! A Mad-House for monkeys! A tangerine for Tigers! ...yeah it's an asylum isn't it...
If there's tigers we must be in the jungle... unless they're imaginary tigers because that would mean we're in the asylum! Hello and welcome to the happiest place online!
eee...eee...eee That's better just had to get that off my chest. Hi and welcome I have to go now I promised to meet my friends at the water hole.