Hello there! To begin with, my name is Eoin, and I hail from the emerald isle of Ireland. I'm 22 years old, and currently unemployed (though will be starting a college course in computers in only a week or so). My initial introduction to writing was after reading the first Twilight, and telling my friends "I could write something better than this!". Admittedly, my first attempt at creating something was intentionally a direct parody to Twilight. However, as time went on, and ideas started flooding in, I started to craft my own little universe to set my characters in. Thus started my attempts in writing a fantasy novel (which so far, is going on 2 years in development) named "Lifebinder" (which is also currently in it's 3rd draft as of June). I have an overactive imagination, something which has a negative impact on my writing most of the time. Unfortunately, whilst I have my aspirations at becoming an author, I doubt my fantasy book will find itself good enough in my eyes for quite a long time. A friend suggested I come and join a writing forum, as I tend to receive a lot of advice from friends of mine (though, there are a couple who have the annoying tendency to demand me to know every single little detail of my universe). So... here I am! Here's hoping I find this place my one stop shop for writing ^^
Hello Eoin, Welcome to the Creative Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Writing Workshop before you try to post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here anyway. 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 Writing Workshop, 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 Writing Workshop, 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. We also impose a two-week waiting period before you may post writing for critique, to give you time to become familiar with what is expected and how the site operates. The Writing Workshop 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 Writing Workshop 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!
Welcome Eoin! It's great to have you. Inspiration can come from anywhere, and there would be many successful people in all walks of life, who started simply by thinking: 'I can do better than this!'. All the best in your future endeavours, and I look forward to seeing you around the place. Kind regards, and happy writing, DB.
