Hello! Not sure if I qualify as a newbie, as I've been here before. It was a few years ago, and I had to register again. It has been a busy few years: in addition to all the usual stuff (working, sleeping, occasional handbag shopping trips), I've been writing up a storm - a few novels, lots of short stories, too many bad poems - and my muse has just set up a website. Not published yet, alas: though in June, I did win a University of Winchester novel writing contest, with a grand prize of £30 of book vouchers! Oh, and a certificate. Gotta like a certificate. How is everybody? BG
Hello BG, Welcome back to the Writing Forums. Congratulations on your contest win. Posting your own work should not be the very first thing you do here. It is really worthwhile 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!
Welcome back to the forums, i'm sure you'll find them a little different but I hope you'll stick around Congrats on the contest win.
