Greetings. I have registered here in hopes that I would better improve my writing skills. I found my last forum displeasing in the field of literary works, so I stumbled upon this place, and fancied it well. But that is to be expected. I know that is the reason why most members join here. I am sixteen years of age. I know there are many other people on this forum who are much older than me probably thinking, he's just sixteen. He doesn't have very good writing talent, does he? No, we're far better than him, but let us pretend to act kindly toward him, shrouding our haughty laughter toward his pitiful attempts at constructing good fiction. Let us drink all the margaritas and whiskey we want with minimal worries. Well, I may be sixteen, and I may not have as adept writing skills as other older people, but if I reveal a mistake in my writing, say so. I can take any criticism you chuck at me. I'm probably just being paranoid though.
Hello Zottie, Welcome to the Writing Forums. There are a LOT of members younger than you here, too. The good news is that you're nowhere near either fringe of the bell curve. The bad news is you get no special consideration for your age (you wouldn't anyway). Please read How to Use the Review Room 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 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 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!
Paranoid is good, even being sixteen could be good, depends on how sixteen you are, being kind is good for every body, so, so far so good.
You ARE being paranoid; I'm 15, been here a year come this July, and this forum is better than you paint it. Seriously, hope you have fun here! Can't wait to see what you can do.
According to Wikipea’s encyclopaedic mind, the word paranoia comes from the Greek "παράνοια" (paranoia), "madness". So read my post as Madness is good, in that all writer’s should have a little madness in their persona; certainly enough madness to create the impossible, bewitch the bored and entertain the uninterested, simple by their words. In fact by being paranoid and exhibiting or characterizing extreme irrational fear or distrust of others surely is the right thing to do until you have completed what you are writing, and have copyright protected it and sold it.
