Sorry, I'm really bad at the introduction threads but I'll give it a bash. I'm Natalie but you can call me Nat, Night or Nightshade (please not Natster, Nats, Natty or Natty-Natty-Noo-Noo... Don't ask...). I've been writing for as long as I can remember and finished a novel at 16 years old. It was terrible and I can't re-read it without cringing but I like to think I've improved a little since then. I dabble in many creative mediums so my muse can be a rather scatterbrained beast and doesn't often settle on a single project long enough for me to finish it quickly, so novels are usually left half finished or take a few months to plan. I can sometimes tempt my muse out with cheese crumbs and cage him long enough to do some serious writing work, and I hope joining a writing forum might also appease him. I work in a call centre which is demoralising, soul destroying work so I hope to find a better job at some stage soon. I'll be twenty-five this September and not looking forward to adding another candle to the cake, nor the calories which come with said cake which get harder to shift every year. It's nice to meet you all and I hope we can get along well!
Hello Natalie, Welcome to the Creative Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Writing Workshop 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 Writing Workshop, 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 Writing Workshop, 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. We also impose a two-week waiting period before you may post writing for critique, to give you time to become familiar with what is expected and how the site operates. The Writing Workshop 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 Writing Workshop 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!
