hello. i live in a country in southeast asia. i used to write longer pieces of poetry back when i was younger, but right now, i'm content to write haiku. i found this forum care of an article found in the helium website which mentioned sites for posting poetry. i'm basically looking for a place to read other people's poetry, while i post mine for other people to read and critique. to be honest, i'm not yet sure just how much critique i can handle. :O i signed up for another forum earlier, but when i saw the workshop-level critique expected and required over there, i felt that it was too much for me, someone who really only writes short poems in his spare time. i checked out the posts and reviews in the poetry section after i registered, and found the conversations to be more what i seek. critique, yes, but not so much of it that one's left too bruised and battered to work on another piece. so that's cool. i understand that posting my own work is not the first thing i should do here, so i'll continue to read through other people's reviews of posted work, and i hope to be able to make meaningful reviews of some of these posts as well, before i post my first haiku. guess that's it for now. let's see how things develop. hope you're all doing well.
Welcome welcome! You will find people here to be very supportive and quite helpful. You are safe, but you will get constructive advice and that's a good thing. Enjoy!
thanks, maddiemae. i get the impression that this forum strikes a good balance between support and critique, which is why i'm glad i came across it.
Hello ScatterHaiku, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Critique is a very important part of what we do here - not just those with the Reviewer title, but every writer who posts to receive critque as well. Critique is not really a separate skill. It's a different mindset than creation, but nevertheless an integral part of writing. As you observed, posting your own work should not be the very first thing you do here. It is really worthwhile 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. 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 reviewing as a critical 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). 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!
Hi Scatter. Yes, the critiquing here is definately on a more constructive level than what I've seen on some similar forums. Here the aim is to help one another, rather than to discourage. Welcome to the site.
Welcome scatterhaiku! You really will enjoy the forums; the reviewing here is helpful and constructive, so your work will improve ten-fold!
Welcome to the forum. Haiku's can be very difficult to write despite their seeming simplicity. Best of luck.
Welcome Scatterhaiku, I look forward to reading your work and critiques. Hope to see you around the place.
Hi everyone! I'm new to this too. I really enjoy reading and writing. Also, I hope to share & broaden my knowledge about writing and etc.
