hey guys, i'm new here obviously but i just thought i would sign up because it seemed like a nice community. basically i am at university at the moment and i'm studying film, but i after finding myself with a lot of spare time, decided on taking a second major, that being english and creative arts. i'm not much of a writer, but i love to read and to be honest my marks in english was the only thing that got me into university in the first place. i'm 20 years old and currently live in western australia.that's about it really. my spelling is terrible, my grammar worse. then again, i guess everyone here had to start somewhere.
G'day Howl, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Spelling and grammar are important, but if you work diligently at it, you can make great progress. Keep lists of words you misspell, and work on learning the correct spelling (and usage!). Also, get a good writing guide (Strunk and Whaite's The Elements of Style is one of the most popular). It will help you with grammar and punctuation rules, as well as provide practical recommendations on writing style. Posting your own work 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. 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!
