Hello, I've only started taking writing seriously this year, though I've always had an interest in it. I'm a lifelong, enthusiastic reader, and have enough books on my shelves to open a library. I finished my first novel a couple of months ago, and have been submitting it to publishers who accept unsolicited and unagented manuscripts. It's science fiction, but I also am working on stories in the horror, thriller, and humor genres. I have interest in historical fiction and non-fiction, as history was my major, but I haven't written anything in that genre as of yet. I probably will one day. I joined another writing forum site about five weeks ago, and was very excited about meeting other writers and discussing writing with them. I learned a lot about writing, but I also learned a lot about internet and forum culture. I have never participated in social media, and forums are also new to me. I enjoy respectfully debating any topic, but on some platforms it seems like if you aren't a member of the oligarchical clique, any perceived dissent from the established ideology in a comment or thread will result in banishment. I am hopeful that this is a more welcoming place than the one I joined previously. I am very green. I still crave interactions with other writers. Very pleased to meet you all !
Welcome to the forum. We have a handy guide for new members which you can find here https://www.writingforums.org/threads/new-member-quick-start-guide.132102/ and also a clear set of rules that you can find here https://www.writingforums.org/rules/ these together will help you hit the ground running in terms of debate - we have a specific debate forum, but you won't be able to access it until you have been a member 90 days and made 100 posts.
Thank you! I was happy to see the rules against deleting posts after someone has replied to it. It was very disconcerting to me to see users trying to change the narrative of a thread minutes or even hours later. Also nice to see a mention of prioritizing free speech over censorship.
but do bear in mind that with the freedom of speech comes the responsibility to use it sensibly... as a writing forum we try to allow the free expression and interchange of ideas, but we don't tolerate bullying or hateful conduct under the guise of "but I'm freely expressing myself"
Oh of course. It does bear reminding these days as it often seems that people are mistaking free speech for "free speech with no consequences."