I wanted to stop by and introduce myself real quick. I don't do a lot of writing currently, but I would like to change that. I've always been an avid reader and enjoyed literature classes in high school and college. I joined mainly to hopefully find a good, friendly group of people to help encourage me as I learn how to be a writer. Writing, as a hobby and a craft, intrigues me because of how attached authors get to their characters. I remember enjoying to write while in college, watching something come together always made me thing of a composer writing music, but maybe I'm a little too sappy. I am definitely a sci-fi and fantasy type person. I love the history and world-building that goes into it. I also have a secret love for westerns, cowboys, Indians, horses and the gorgeous scenery of the American West. I cannot spell to save my life, thank goodness for spell check and I will probably drive the grammar police crazy. What can I say, I went to a small, rural high school that had serious issues with their English teachers. I had one GREAT one, two awful ones and one decent one. I am willing to try to learn the grammar rules that I don't know, but spelling is lost on me. Sorry! So, that's me in a nut shell and I look forward to reading and learning from you all.
Hello Fineas, Welcome to the Writing Forums. No need to apologize. It wouldn't do any good. You cannot rely on spelling checkers, and you can't expect to be a writer without learning to find and correct your own spelling and grammar errors. Just a fact of life. Please read How to Use the Review Room before you post there. 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 the RPG forum for improvisational fiction. Also try 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!
