Hi all. Just posting a quick intro. I have had stories in my head since I was a little girl. I'm toying with the idea of letting some of them out, but I'm kind of scared. Any time I have tried, I've lost my mojo, or given up. I'm having a good time browsing the forums. Is this mainly a fantasy type forum? I noticed that many of the excerpts and things posted for review seem to be fantasy and many of the questions pertain to fantasy. I'm not a fantasy person (I hesitate to say writer, since I haven't really written anything... ) I just don't want to get overly involved if it's the wrong place for me!
I'm still relatively new myself, lol, but I don't think it's just a fantasy writers forum. I've seen stuff pertaining to the romance/thriller/horror/etc. genres as well. I wouldn't really consider myself a fantasy genre person myself, even if I don't mind it or discriminate against it. But welcome, photophreak!
Thanks for the welcome. (I'm not against fantasy at all. I have tried to read some, but I haven't found any that grabs me yet. )
Hello Photo Phreak, Welcome to the Writing Forums. I'm not deeply into fantasy either. There are plenty of writers here who shy away from it, don't worry. 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. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
Hello, Photo (reminiscent of the 'Hello, Moto' schpiel). You find a lot of fantasy posts here because fantasy is an extremely popular genre to write in. Look in the short stories section and you'll find a wider variety of works, though I admit many of them have fantastical and/or speculative elements in them. (Try General Fiction.) In any case, I hope we can help you improve your writing.
Welcome to the forum photophreak. If you don't let those stories out of your head, then how will you ever know if writing is your thing? Go for it. There are always those who can only give feedback through negativity, but don't let that stop you.
Hi, PhotoPhreak. The best way to get through the stage where you want to write, but keep getting bored or disappointed with your work, is just to force yourself to finish it. I know it sounds bad, forcing yourself to do something you aren't enjoying at the moment. Possibly you won't even be doing your best work if you're not feeling inspired. But it's a way of mentally training your inspiration to come when you call it. So get started writing and posting stuff. We'll all be glad to help with reviewing anything you're uncertain about.
