Hi everyone! After much apprehension, I finally joined a writing community. I am a published freelance writer, and I had bits of non-fiction and book review published in a magazine in Moscow (yes, Russia). I had one short story published somewhere on an e-zine which went bust; not entirely proud of it either... So I pegged the no. of published fiction back to zero. (I just wanted that 20 dollars they paid me.) I do not tend to converse very much with other writers about the craft of writing itself, I own very few books about writing (two actually, and I gave one away), and I don't tend to share very much about my ongoing works. At the end of the day, I guess don't really want to talk about writing--I just want to sit down and write the darn thing. I actually enjoy the process. So I might be on here sporadically... who knows. My reading habits are at most erratic--I go on for months without reading, then gobble up hundreds of pages at once as if on a binge. (Probably due to dyslexia, my reading is affected by stress and other factors.) So why am I here? Because I've just finished the first draft of my first novel, and I'm seeking some feedback before I send it out to publishers and agents. I have sent a few to fellow writers, but I'm getting impatient. I know I'm weird... Hope to get to meet some interesting people here!
Hello Kittenshark, Welcome to the Creative Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Writing Workshop before you try to post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here anyway. 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!
Welcome! You've picked a great writing community to join. Lots of great advice for any questions you have.
