I am 20 years old, and I would like to pick up creative writing and storytelling. I've been studying art the past few years at school, and it just seems so empty without a story to go along with it. Where can a complete newbie hope to start?
Hello @turboFriend Homer's right. Pull up a blank page and fill it up with something that interests you. Welcome to the forum
Is there anywhere you can direct me to in the forum where something like that should go? Is there a beginner part section of this forum, or just put it in 'general writing'
Have a look through the PM you will have gotten from me. The answer to that question and many more are to be found therein. Welcome to the forum!
The rules said something about the story submission to how many critques you give is 2:1, is that right? Where can I give critiques and what if I don't know how to give a good critique?
Critiques are given (and received) in the Writing Workshop area of the forum. If you enjoy reading and you know when something engages you and when something doesn't, that's where to start. No one expects you to use all the fancy terms you'll see some people use (me included). You learn those things along the way. When you pick an item to critique, think about the kind of help you hope to receive yourself. "This was great. Keep writing!" doesn't help anyone. Also "This sucked. Don't quit your day job." is equally lacking in value. Think about the characters. Think about the setting. Think about what's going on in the story. Tell the writer the things that worked for you and what didn't, in your own words. You are not expected to tell them how to fix things, just the reason something did or didn't work for you. Fixing it is the writer's job.