I'm a 16-year-old (17 in September), aspiring sportswriter from Virginia. While sportswriting is known for its integration with the newspaper, I also like to sway away and write in general. However, most of my material is completely nonfiction. I've never jumped outside of the box to try fiction writing. Except once. Yep, once I've tried sports fiction, last year, and it was received well by friends and people I didn't know, so later on down the road I might post that short story here. I hate introduction threads, y'know? I never know what to really write in them, because I can't sum up why I'm here, besides the fact that I like to write and want to be in an internet community with other writers. Explaining the username: One day, in my driveway (which features a basketball goal), I was playing several one-on-one games against one of my friends. Being taller than him (6'2 compared to 5'10), I continued to use my own strength to back him down to the basket. Almost every time I'd get the ball, I'd shoot a hookshot. After a while, he was irritated, and aggravatingly yelled, "Hookshot Maniac!" It's stuck ever since. I'm not the most typical teen guy. I'm 6'2, rugged, and am not the type that somebody -- if judging me -- would think to be an avid reader/writer, but I am, and I do both all the time. Asides from sports, these are my other interests/what I like to read up about: Junk about the 1960s, junk about the '70s, junk about the 80s, the worst coaches in sports history (reading up on the worst of the NBA's), John Belushi, Chris Farley, Hunter S. Thompson, Pete Maravich, Johnny Unitas, Red Auerbach, the history of Saturday Night Live, the history of Sports Illustrated, the epic rise and inane downfall of ESPN, Cormac McCarthy, the lure of video games, steroids in sports
Hello Hookshot, Welcome to the Writing Forums. 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. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
Thanks for the welcomes. As I stated in my opening post, I'm a newcomer to fiction writing and I want to delve further into it (because I do think that, in ways, I'll improve my regular sportswriting-based lingo). I'll do as Cogito suggested and check out some people's work and reviews of others so that I'll pick up on some ideas, tips, guides, etc. Not to mention gain some -- hopefully -- respect from fellow members.
Welcome to the forum Hookshot. I hope you enjoy your stay. By the way, I believe you described your writing style and personality quite accurately, and I look forward to reading your work.
Heck, I tried, but I think I'd have to write an autobiography to completely describe myself. But I digress. Thanks to everyone for the welcomes.
