Good Morning and hello everyone. I'm Andrew and I recently started to enjoy creative writing. I'm a sophomore mechanical engineer at Delaware and I enjoy racing, in fact I am part of a design team for a mini Formula One car. Over the summer I began writing a book. It's depressing, crude, unrefined, poorly written and probably a turd, but it is MY turd. See I have some issues with depression and creative writing makes it a bit easier. Consider it an anti-drug outlet of emotion. I'm getting help and it may zap me of my writing ability, but I'll deal with that later. That considered, my writing is not A-grade and I hope that while everyone provides good feedback (constructive criticism and otherwise) to make it better. I hope to one day publish my works. Thanks and feel free to ask me questions and provide feedback. I'd do the same except I'm really bad at it. See ya!
Morning and welcome! I don't think it matters how you come to write as long as you enjoy what you are doing, whether you think its a 'turd' or not. Interestingly enough my Aunt has battled for a number of years now with ME and associated depression and writing has really helped her, although she's not 'cured' as such she is a much happier person. When she has a bad day she writes exactly how she feels, sometimes from her own point of view and sometimes as if a character is experiencing her feelings. I hope it can help you too. If nothing else I am sure you can get a lot of enjoyment from reading some of the work posted here, there are some really excellent writers on this forum. Catch you around some time! Sarah
Hello Andrew, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Before you can get critique, you must first give critique. This is not just a quid pro quo, it is because improving your critiquing skills is the primary focus of the Review Room workshop. Improving your critiquing skills will improve your ability to find and fix weaknesses in your own writing. Posting your own work 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 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!
hello, and welcome!! i am into racing too, but not that kind, drag and pro street, mostly! ;] see ya around!
Thanks everyone. I've come to like it here and I've been wanting to find something like this for a while now. Being a science major I rarely get time to express my creativity much less critiqued. That and I am being taught how to edit my book in the process! It seems that writing just comes natural for me. I posted my first piece and people seem to react positively so I'm really excited about something(for a change)! So i'll see everyone around and look forward to reading everyone's works!