Hey, I've been writing poetry on and off for the past couple of years, mainly through college, and now my gap year. And I thought it'd be a good idea to take it a step further and join this site. I have a couple of friends who I critique/edit poetry/sotries for, and I think I do a pretty decent job at it. I hope I'll be able to contribute and learn from this site, and hopefully share some of my own poetry with you guys. A bit about me then.. Im a pretty quiet guy, I like hanging around with a small bunch of people rather than huge groups.. I love movies (favorites include.. American Beauty, Dead Poet's Society, Lost in Translation, Charlie Bartlett), music & other types of art. Im slowly teaching myself piano. My favrite books include The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb, Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde...I also like a number of plays Hope to see you around!
Hello Bain, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Posting your own work 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. 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!
Thanks Cogito I was just wondering, and I've searched the site and google a bit for the answer, but I'm still not totally sure: What is the correct way to copyright your own work? Does it have to be done officially, or is it simply writing 'copyright' after your work? I appreciate this might be a dumb question to ask, but I've never been able to find a clear answer for it. Many thanks for any help!
As soon as you have a completed draft, you are protected under copyright law. Registration is an additional step you may take for an added level of protection, but usually you will not need to do this yourself. If you get the work published, yoru publisher should take care of registration on your behalf. For more information, visit http://www.,copyright.gov/, or if outside the USA, the copyright site for your country.
