I Googled "writing forums" and this site was the first listing. My name is Sam and I'm from the Great Lakes region. I'm twenty-two years old. I have thought my entire life that what I wanted was to be a scientist; I always hated to read and write. Last semester during my Composition 1 class (which I put off until my senior year in college because I hated reading and writing) my professor opened my eyes and I realized that I did enjoy writing very much. But I have a few problems and they are keeping me from that enjoyment. I came here out of desperation. Nobody owes me anything and my ego is not so inflated that I expect anyone to divert the course of their life to pay attention to my problems and service my needs. But I am just beginning to write and to appreciate the written word and I am terrified. I have no plan, a vague form of voice and style, and no idea how to go about doing what I love. An idea that I think is great will materialize and I will mentally develop it a little more before I start writing. This is when I enjoy doing what I do, but whatever confidence I have in my potential as a writer is easily shaken. As soon as I get stuck or hit a wall, I lash out at myself and my work, and I sink into depression. The level of frustration I feel twists my guts apart and has driven me to tears on more than one occasion. I don't know what I expect to get here, but what I hope for is a place to belong. I hope to discover that my experience is not unique, that I'm not a lost cause. I am more than willing to offer my help and hope that help is offered in return. Thanks for your time and I hope this can be a turning point not only for me, but for anyone I can reach. I look forward to becoming part of the community.
Hi there Sam and welcome You'll find that everyone will go out of their way to help in anyway possible on here.
Thanks, Shinn. I'd love some help and I'm sure I'll enjoy helping everyone I can. Also, I should mention that I have already read "How to Use the Review Room," "Constructive Critques," the FAQ and the forum rules.
Welcome. Everyone will be more than happy to help you in any way, and I'm glad that your professor has opened your eyes to writing. I hope that somehow your confidence in your writing will get better, and that you don't get so upset when you are struggling with it.
Thanks for the kind words, Eunoia. I think a lot of it has to do with general inexperience and I'm hopeful that I'll drastically improve.
Hello Sam, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Seems you've already seen one or two of these, but I'll post te standard tour for you 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!
Shinn is definitely right; this is a great place, you'll fit in fine! I'm Gigi. And I'm also from the Great Lakes area (Wisconsin).
