Hello there. I'm Manwards, or Manny for short, or Joe if you insist upon using my given name. I really should have sought out this site sooner. Writing is something that has always fascinated me and something that is always on my mind, but attempting to discuss it with most people I know in anything more than a cursory fashion is usually met with apathy, confusion or downright disdain. I grew tired of forums years ago, but this seems like the kind of place I could settle into. I've been writing for years, beginning with fanfiction scripts and progressing slowly through fanfiction prose to arrive recently at original prose. I've been developing plans for a novel for over a year now, but I'm holding the reins on that and doing other, smaller projects until I have the confidence to attempt it. I'm deeply fond of words and of language in general, although it can lead to me coming across as ostentatious. My favourite authors, and uncoincidentally my biggest influences, would be Stephen King and Sylvia Plath. His "It" weaves an incredible tale of nostalgia, and her "The Bell Jar" is one of the most personal things I've ever read, and her use of metaphor is something I deeply enjoy and, I'll admit, attempt to emulate. Other favourites include Tolkien, for obvious reasons, and Ian McEwan, whose "Enduring Love" I read at college and never forgot. Recently I've read Dan Simmons' "Hyperion" and Ken Grimwood's "Replay", both of which are now firmly on my favourites list: "Hyperion" for its effortless building of a universe and its simultaneous incorporation and circumvention of practically every sci-fi cliché; and "Replay" because it answers one of my favourite "What if?" questions with ease and warmth. Oh, and Enid Blyton, whose "Malory Towers" series is just as charming a read today as it was when I was a child. I'm also a big fan of video games and anime - the subjects of my fanfiction - and generally anything that celebrates the imagination. My apologies for the long introduction, but this seems as good a forum as any to be voluble. I look forward to being an active contributor, and getting to know you all. Oh, and my favourite word is "replenish". Or perhaps "verisimilitude".
Purple monkey dishwasher! Hello and welcome to the forum. I can't say I've read 'IT', I have coulrophobia so the thoughts of that book terrifies me tremendously. Anyway, I do hope that you have a most pleasant time here with all of us and I look forward to seeing you around the board in the near future. Tor
Hello Manny, Welcome to the Writing Forums. 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. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
Welcome to the forum. It's always nice to hear from a new sesquipedalian forum member, and although you may find that some will call you pedantic, I encourage you to remain loquacious. I'm curious, this original novel that you have been contemplating, would it be genre fiction or are you interested in literary fiction?
Thanks for the warm welcome, all. As for the novel, Parker, if held at gunpoint I'd have to say "literary", simply because it doesn't have one specific genre. There are elements of horror and fantasy in there, but it's biographical in a lot of ways too - the current title is Thinly Veiled Metaphors - as the heroine is an aspiring author herself and it discusses the process of writing, why she does it and how it affects her, and so on. Unfortunately, I lost six months' worth of planning work when my hard drive got wiped. Last time I make the mistake of not backing my work up.
