I am recently retired and needing something to do, I decided to take a look at writing. I have no burning desire to write anything but I wanted to see how some of it is put together and learn a little bit about the craft. I have been in the great down under (cyberly speaking) in Queensland, camped out west of Brisbane learning to speak Australian. I hope to get to know some of you and to read some of your offerings. I'm an old retired guy. I don't have any writing projects I'm working on. I did learn to write a paragraph a while back and hope one of the days to patch several paragraphs together into something longer. In the meantime I will read your stuff and maybe an idea will pop into my head.
Howdy Basefare, 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 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!
Well Basefare , it is the 4th June and you have made a few posts. I suspect you might just about be past Cogito's surveillance routine so how's about an epistle! It is difficult to find a topic about which to write that these guys might want to read but I suppose that is part of the amusement element in joining this group. It is an acquired taste. Dip your spoon into the pot. Throw the dice , put finger to keyboard and see what happens. Barry
