Hey I joined yesterday so I thought I'd post this. Well I'm James, I am 18 and I live down here in Australia. I've always liked writing, and have started probably like 15+ books but never end up finishing them. I joined this forum in the hope I can get some more motivation, to generally improve my writing skills and to meet some new people. Pretty much all the usual reasons . I've had only a quick browse through so far, and even then I've found some really interesting and inspiring stuff. ..so Hi , hope to see some of you around. James
G'day James, Welcome to the Writing Forums. One possible source for inspiration is past Weekly Short Story Contests. Or you could even enter the current one. 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!
I think reviewing is an essential skill to have so I agree with you on that, and thankyou for the links and welcome .
Welcome to the forum. Have a great time here. Everyone is so nice and awesome its like one big giant writing family. Have fun. And Welcome. Also watch out for the Masubears, they can be a bit sneaky.