My name's Mike and new to this forum (duh?). English is not my native tongue, but somehow I read english better than Dutch (which is my native tongue). Probably... no surely i won't write flawless english, but that's another matter, and an issue to improve and work on. My background is visual arts, motion graphics and character animation/design/modeling. And in the latter is where I got stuck numerous times in the past; I can't come up with a proper story for my characters. Yes sometimes a good setting, or the character's treats are satrting to form, but I get stuck in the mud quite easily. This, and the fact that I'm reading more and more, is why i want to learn the basics of storytelling. I've been roaming the internet for techniques, ways to build basic story structures and now I decided to get more interactive. So here I am. I hope to learn but also to give usefull comments on topics. I'm at a point where I start figuring out plots, themes, settings, obstacles and goals. In terms of characters I'm used to work with a character sheet, and now I'm using 'Freemind' (a free 'mapping' software) to brainstorm my ideas (creating a combined map of characters, settings, obstacles, themes, goals, pictures, concepts, quotes, etc.). I don't know if people in this forum use the same technique to put their ideas on paper (or on screen in this case), so any thoughts about brainstorming-techniques are welcome. Anyway I guess I already touched more than one topic, so i'd better start roaming this forum and.. interact. cheers, Mike
Hello Mike, 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!
