Hiya, Hope everyone is well. My name is Faye and I am 37 this year. I have joined this forum because suddenly lockdown has given me the time to realign my self. I really want to get to grips with finishing drafting and reworking, what I have already written of my memoir. I will be posting some and hopfully getting some constructive criticism. I am also really looking forward to reading other peoples work.
Hello Faye Aha! A writer who is already working on a memoir. Until very recently we didn't have an Autobiography & Memoir section in our Workshop area, so it might look, at first glance, as if there isn't much interest in this form of writing, here on the forum. Trust me, there is. LOTS of people sign up here and indicate that writing a memoir is their prime writing genre. So I'm sure you'll find many kindred spirits here. The forum's software and layout is in a 'slow' revamping stage at the moment, so you'll probably find most people will be making comments and starting Memoir threads in the By The Genre section, subsection Non-Fiction. So if you want to start any threads regarding the writing or organising or other topics related to Memoir writing, that's the place to go! Posting sample of your own work, however, goes in the Workshop section (under Autobiography and Memoir), but there are some hurdles you must jump first. (Explained below.) We've already spoken in a private conversation, and I think I already said 'welcome to the forum!' If memory serves me right, I also gave you these two links as well ...but here they are again, just for convenience. New Member Quick Start Forum Rules You will notice in the New Member Quick Start that in order to post your work in the Workshop area—the only area of the forum where you are allowed to ask for feedback—you will need to do at least two critiques for other people, in exchange for receiving feedback on one of your own pieces of work. This site is designed around the concept of members helping each other out by ‘paying it forward’—through our two-for-one critique system. Do two critiques, THEN you can post something of your own. This advance 2:1 ratio lasts as long as your membership here. In order to help you get started doing critiques, here is a link to a good article written by one of our former moderators: https://www.writingforums.org/threads/constructive-critiques.20627/ One of the popular areas of our forum, for readers and for writers, is our contest section. There is a monthly contest running for Short Stories, Flash Fiction and Poetry. You can enter these ongoing contests, even as a new member. And we really encourage you to visit the site, read the current entries, and vote for your favourite when the voting period starts. This means a lot to the people who have written these entries. And it will also give you a good idea of what our members are capable of writing. https://www.writingforums.org/writing-contests/ While the Role Playing Game section is not new, it’s being given a revamp. So if you are interested in playing and writing Role Playing Games, you might want to visit this section and get in on the fun. https://www.writingforums.org/threads/resurrecting-the-dead-rpg-section-rebuild.165055/ I hope you have fun getting to know us and let us get to know you, via the posts you make. Please feel free to explore the forum. There is a lot under the hood. This site map might help you find your way around more quickly than the menu bars do, so feel free to use it. https://www.writingforums.org/faq/ If you encounter any difficulties, don’t hesitate to contact me or one of the other moderators, whose names appear in yellow at the bottom of the Community page. We will be glad to help. Again, welcome! (This is getting repetitive. ) Cheers for now, Jan
Hey Faye, welcome to the forums. If it's not too personal, can I ask if your memoir is based on a certain part of your life? Like a RAF pilot talks about their career, etc etc. No worries if you don't want to spill the beans just yet, or even if it isn't and is just about your life experiences. I'm just nosy is all And what is it with coronavirus making all us brits turn to the creative writing forums, by the way? It's like an invasion of the tea-drinkers just now. Not knocking it, I'm more than happy for us fellow brits to dominate the forums and explain why certain words should be spelled with a 'u,' like colour; or that words like travelled should have two l's, I'm just kind of surprised. Maybe it's because we're all being so stereotypically reserved, hiding in our homes and observing the lockdown with the stiff upper lip..... apart from those two blokes who took a 200 mile round trip to get fish and chips from Whitby on their motorbikes... Anyway, I'm rambling. Hope you have a good time writing your memoir. I can only imagine it's like the best therapy anyone could do to themselves without professional assistance... or a pub.
