Hello, My name is Caleb and I currently reside in Northern California. Though I am quite varied ethnically, my main roots lie in Germany. I know bits and pieces of the German language, but I was born and raised in California and speak mainly English. I have pursued writing as a hobby for as long as I can remember, and not being one to restrict myself to one facet of writing I find myself interested in all forms and genres. I personally feel this allows one self to broaden their horizons and eliminate the infamous "tunnel-vision" that would otherwise be experienced. Though I have lurked many writing forums in the past years I've always found myself returning to here. However, I'm always nervous to commit myself to a community and thus I have never chosen to register until now. I look forward to being able to contribute to you wonderful folks and give something in return. I am very glad to see an open registration community stay in such a high quality condition and only hope I can give the same quality of advice in return. Thank you for this opportunity to join, and I look forward to meeting everyone here. Alles Gute!
Hello Caleb, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Posting your own writing for people to comment on 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!
