"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you." Ray Bradbury Well, I've been away from these wonderfully creative forums for too many years and the daily grind is grinding a little harder these days. I figure a good dose of author quirkiness and story telling is just what I need to rejuvenate. Thanks to everyone for being so generous with their time and talent. I look forward to reading your work and perhaps sharing some of my own. <---cutest smiley ever!
Howdy Word Lady, Welcome to the Writing Forums. 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. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
Thank you. I'm definitely more of an editor than an author, so reviewing first won't be a problem. I'm eager to explore the site. Do I need to review before entering the weekly contests?
No, the weekly competitions are for fun. The Review Room is the writing workshop, which is why have imposed the requirement there.
