As one can easily tell, I just registered here at Writing Forums. My name is Jordan, I'm fifteen, male, and going back to school in less than two weeks. I focus a lot on fantasy and fan-fiction in my writing, although I do like to try some modern and sci-fi to mix things up and keep an open mind. I think that I have a good grasp on basic writing concept, as well as grammar, spelling and punctuation, but I know there is much room for improvement. I'm not exactly sure what kind of works I write are; they are much longer than the five or six page average short story, but don't come close to the three or fourhundred page scope of a meaty novel. Although, that could be attributed to the fact that only one of my stories has ever gotten off the ground and personal matters took precedence over it, however that is in the past now. I hope my time here is memorable, and will evoke similar thoughts in everyone here.
Hi Jordan, Welcome to the Writing Forums. I hope your time here is memorable as well, just not in the way of the Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times." Posting your own work should not be the very first thing you do here. It is really worthwhile 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. 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. 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!
Thanks Cognito, both for the kind words and the advice. I was already poking around in the Writing Issues forums, and I'll heed your words and check out the Review forums soon enough. I don't plan on writing something on these forums anytime soon, although I do have a few ideas floating around. I'm also interested in reading the works of the other authors on here as well, so I'll be sure to spend time in the Review Room. My thanks as well to Palimpsest.
Welcome! I'm sure you'll learn a lot here to improve your writing. :] I go back to school in a week (I'm jealous of your two more weeks of freedom!), and I am also from Canada.
