Good Evening, all. My name is Mat Growcott. I'm 19, have been writing various things for many many years (Well...7) and am the proud producer, director and writer of a collection of radio plays which, while other 14 year olds were either fighting or getting pregnant, I spent far too much time on. I also received a personalised rejection from the BBC writersroom, which is hear is quite a rare thing to happen. I am a member of the Writers Bureau course - which I'm terribly impressed with - and am trying desperately to turn my long time hobby into a fully fledged career, unsuccessfully. I'm 6 foot 3, eat too much and am England's Olympic standard procrastinator. This will, no doubt, be of very little interest to anyone, I'll start as i mean to carry on. Thanks, Mat
Hello Mat, 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 reviewing as a critical 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). 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 for your welcome Cogito. I don't plan to post my own work here quite yet, other than in the competitions. There is so much talent here I feel I should absorb and critique (for what my critique is worth) some other peoples attempts first. It is only fair. I look forward to taking part in some lively discussion here and, hopefully, not annoying too many people! Thanks again, Mat
Mat, Welcome to the site. I think it's interesting that you have your own radio plays. I will definitely be looking for your critiques and your writing on the site. I hope you enjoy it here. ~Lynn
Thank you, everyone, for your kind welcomes. This seems like a great community and I'm looking forward to diving in!
