I'm new to this gig and have delusions of grandeur. I can’t spell and struggle with grammar, but why let than hold me back when there are stories to be told! I’m a life long scientist and have been reading fantasy almost exclusively for the past decade. Now I figure it’s time to put fingers to keys and tap out a novel or 10, but let’s just start with one. Please pity my wife who will have to utilize her English degree to put my incoherent babble into sentences for me. Cheers to all
Howdy Dazza. There's always spell check for your spelling, and we'll bust you on grammar. It should help you to review others' work, which you are required to do anyway. You'll notice that grammatical mistakes will often interrupt the flow of reading, and they'll stick out like sore thumbs. If they don't, they aren't necessarily a big deal anyway. Kudos on aspiring toward novels, but I would suggest that you write some shorter pieces first to get a feel for your own style. It will also be easier to find and correct flaws that others will point out to you. If you learn from those mistakes, your novel will be that much better. Welcome!
Hello Dazza, Welcome to the Writing Forums. I trust your wife will pound the importance of getting your own spelling and grammar in order. Having someone else following in your tracks with a street broom won;t produce the same results as you cowboying up to master it yourself. Posting your own work 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. 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!
I had seen this in other new member threads. Thanks for the info Cogito. BTW your why write review etc link is invalid. Not to worry about my wife mopping up my mess, she has already 'encouraged' me to sort it out before she even gets close to it, so she will not likely be my poor English buffer
I take offense to your signature, sir. I can spell quite well. In any case, welcome! Worry not about your spelling and grammar. There are plenty of people here who are more than willing to give you a hand with those, including myself. Hope you enjoy your stay.
Hey Dazza, I also object to your siggy As a heads up, if you use the new Chrome browser, rather than internet explorer/firefox, it automatically spell checks what you enter as you enter it into the website. I love it. It makes my posts look far better than they should be.
I copy and paste everything from word to have the same effect. Unless my wife is around looking over my shoulder it's the only recourse I have
In that case what are you waiting for! Download Chrome now!!! *Mesuno takes off his Google Fan hat I'm working on a review for that piece as you asked.
