Hi there! Let me start by introducing myself. My name is Josh and I'm currently eight-teen years old. I just graduated high school two months ago (yay!) and am currently enrolled in the Navy as a Nuclear Engineer, due to ship in January. My two main interests are theoretical physics and computer programming. I've been interested in writing since a very early age. In fact, I wrote my first short story at the age of 10! Since then I've spent more time writing non-fictional essay's and articles on various scientific endeavors than writing fictional stories, but I've recently decided to embrace the fiction side, most notably science fiction. Having a strong interest in theortical phsyics, I read a lot of books and articles by authors like Michio Kaku (sp) and Brian Greene. My imagination always soars when I read even the non-fictional writing from authors like these, and I've recently started planning my first science fiction novel. Anyways, enough rambling! Throughout my education in public schooling I've always flew through English and almost always grabbed the attention of my English teacher. I'm hoping I can use my knowledge and skills to help writers here and hopefully get some much needed critique on my writing and ideas as well. See ya guys around the boards! - Josh
Ahoy Josh, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Ahhh, another science junkie! I've been a software engineer for mumble years now, and before that I was a research chemist. My own writing interests favor, but are not limited to, hard science fiction. 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!
