Hey guys, I've been a member here for a while and just decided to get proactive with the old writing malarkey! (My first post was a competition entry so in at the deep end!) I've loved writing since English classes over 20 yrs ago. My English teacher always informed my parents on open day that he hated marking any of my work as I always managed to write 10 times more than anyone else in class in a 1 hour lesson...and I found it hard to stick to word count limits too! Sci-Fi, thrillers, adventure and history fiction are my favourite reads, but basically anything that looks like a huge book always catches my eye in Waterstones. My last good, big, read was Anathem by Neal Stephenson. Currenlty working my way through The Saga of Seven Suns by Kevin J. Anderson. Space epics, love them. I have written a few parts of novels over the years but like most people found excuses not to write and complete them. Ideas are always swimming around in my head and I have a great idea for a sci-fi novel. Planning to start soon. So that is me. Hoping to dive in and critique and be critiqued and learn to perfect my art, which is still only a hobby
Hello Biffa, Welcome to the Writing Forums. 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!
