Actually a misnomer. I'm a big rat, big enough to knock kitty cats to their knees. I'm also handsome, humble, and appreciate praise. I’m an amateur writer and am fairly well known on the harsher critique sites. Right now -- it changes over the years -- I’m mainly on Critique Circle and Fanstory.com. I prefer short stories, up to novella length. I’m always open to new sites. I write for the enjoyment, and have a few hundred rodent-oriented stories stored away. I’ve sold a few and given away a few to ezines. I’ve been writing since my human retired about six years ago and took up writing fiction as a cheap hobby. He was having trouble with grammar, so I stepped in to help the stupid idiot. Us guys are, on the average, more intelligent than you guys. Being a virtual rat, I’ve been around a long time, hiding in my human’s mind until needed. I kind'a like it out here in the real world and, besides, I still have to watch the guy. In case anyone is interested, I also have a human toe collection. Not that you have to worry much about disrespecting me, but I've been known to bite a toe or two. He-he, gigglesnort. Oscar Rat, the famous and modest rat writer.
Hello Oscar, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Critiquing harshly is welcomed, as long as you do so with respect. Rip apart the writing, but not the writer. 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!
Thanky, Cogito. I’ve already critiqued three stories and am busily gnawing a hole in a baseboard at the Lounge. I like to have my own, private, exit. When someone tries to stomp me, I get angry and bite toes, which means a quick egress is vital. He-he, gigglesnort. I’ve only done one of those RPGs before. It was a western. Later, using the character I developed there, I started a multi-story series. One provision on that RPG was that others could use your character on their own stories, as long as it wasn’t changed in any way. Mine was a hooker and con-woman roaming the Old West with a Pinkerton detective on her tail. A comedy, he kept catching her until she escaped. Eventually they married, like you humans have a sorry record of doing. That’s why there are too damned many of you around. Us guys got the perfect contraceptive, but you balk at eating rat turds. Well, back to the gnawing. Oscar Rat, the famous rat riter.
So if we hear scrabbling and scratching behind the wainscoting, we should refrain from blasting the walls with a ten gauge over/under? We guys sometimes tend to shoot first and sort out the fur and gore later.
If you'd like to keep your toes, I'd advise it. He-he, gigglesnort. *Burp!* Oscar Rat. (A personal friend of Don Meesio of the Mouse Mafia.)
