HI! I'm Shandeh. That's not actually my name, but it's my screen name pretty much everywhere. I'm 18, female, and I'm still trying to find my writing niche. I very much enjoy futuristic warfare [which I refuse to call sci-fi, it isn't, it's a genre in and of itself] but it strikes me that I tend to write more of that as a "for fun" thing, and more of other things as serious writing. I'm presently working on a crime novel, which I'm hoping will one day be published, and between sessions working on that, I'm writing fanfiction and idly working on a world in which I can more seriously write the futuristic side of things. I have a habit of making my key characters a little mentally unstable. What that says about me, I don't know, but it can't be good! I like challenging myself, but I have a habit of starting projects and then never getting around to finishing them. I'll write [and nearly always finish] short stories, on occasion, but I prefer novels. Which I have a habit of not finishing. I'm determined to finish this crime novel, though! I'm a native English speaker, but we're very informal here in Australia. My writing voice does reflect that. I try to limit it to dialogue where I can - "Y'gunna eat that?" - and let the character's internal voice dictate how I write description and actions. I quite often write from either a third-person-limited point of view, getting into a specific character's head and writing using that character's perceptions, or first-person. I feel it facilitates a better connection with the character, to be able to see motivations, thoughts, feelings... perceptions. What I'm hoping to get from this forum is development and improvement as an author. As part of that I would like to help others develop and improve. I'm already really enjoying this forum and learning a lot from it.
Yes you are a bit late, but better late than never! In this case, anyway... Welcome to the forums! I'm also writing very different genres at the moment - I have written a YA sci-if and an adult post-apocalyptic novel, and I have a 1940s drama planned as well as a fantasy trilogy. So yes, I understand where you're coming from in not yet finding your niche. Well this forum should help and motivate you to finish your crime novel (which I find too hard to write, so you're already ahead of me there!), as I've already had mountains of help and opinions and I've not even been here for a year yet. So have fun, learn and teach, and get ready to kick some novel-writing butt! P.S. Sorry for the cheesiness there at the end, I got a bit carried away.
Hello Shandeh, Welcome to the Creative Writing Forums. You're not too late unless you are "the late <your name here>." Please read How to Use the Writing Workshop before you try to post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here anyway. 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 Writing Prompts, or the Writing Workshop, 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 site rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Writing Workshop, 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. We also impose a two-week waiting period before you may post writing for critique, to give you time to become familiar with what is expected and how the site operates. The Writing Workshop 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 Writing Workshop 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!
Welcome to the forums Shandeh. I agree that SF is not a genre in itself. Then again, as authors, labeling our story with a genre is very limiting. I look forward to reading some of your work.
Welcome aboard. Sci-fi is a genre, because those are made for marketing and shelf placement. Futuristic warfare isn't, but who really cares? Write what you want to write.
