Hey everyone, how are you all doing? I should have posted here first instead of diving into other threads but I was side tracked when I first stumbled on this site. I made the mistake of opening up the short stories thread and from there I’ve been reading and reading and reading and reading and reading…..well you get the picture. BTW, even though I am new and do not know anyone here, I just wanted to say that there are a lot of absolutely fantastic writings on this board. Kudos. Anyways, my name is Cliff and been a writer/artist since I was a wee little lad. It use to be that I wrote simply to create a tiny little universe of my own so to speak. Very few people have read my fictional stuff. No real reason for not sharing my writings outside of I never really thought anything I wrote was for anyone else buy myself. That may sound selfish but it isn’t meant to be. I’ve just always had this wild imagination and a strong compulsion to write what I imagined. Over the years I’ve compiled roughly 200 note books filled with short stories, lyrics, poems, and plot ideas and I have 37 art books filled with my doodles, and I don’t know how many paintings…but a few. For the past 9 years I have been researching a trilogy and have finally sat down to begin writing it. Which leads me here. As much as I LOVE writing I do have one huge flaw. I am extremely [not to sound vain, but I’ve had quite a few people and professors tell me this] talented in creating plots, ideas, very detailed atmospheres but I am dreadful in character development. What a horrible flaw to have as a writer, huh? However, I think I found the perfect place to work on that flaw….here. It is so refreshing to see a place like this that is clean, polite, professional, and has tons of great resources to help work on any flaw a writer may have. It will be a long time before I even entertain the idea of posting any material of my own. In a way, and after reading a lot on this site, it is because of the quality of material I see through this site verse what I am capable of producing. Plus, i think it is kind of rude to just show up and start posting material for people to read. You haven't earn an audience yet. Instead, you have to read everyone's material, digest it, comment if appropriate, and understand the quality of minds and imaginations that you would ask to read your own. I have a feeling this is the place and hope to get to know all of you....or at the very least your tales...
Hello Cliff, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Hopefully we can help you, and vice versa. Posting your own work should not be among the very first things you do here. 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!
Hi! I'm sure you'll find people here who can really help and perhaps you can teach us a thing or too also! Welcome!
