Hi, all! My name is Anita, & I am pretty new here. I am a married, thirtysomething mother of 2 kids, 8 yr. old girl & 6 yr. old boy, who is striving toward a writing career. Ever since I was a young teenager, I have written stories, not well, but written them none-the-less. Writing has always been something I have greatly enjoyed, though, for a lot of years, I had forgotten that. Now, I have 3, completely different, ideas roaming around my head, & I'm trying to get them out. The beginnings of 2, I would like to post here but am unsure if they need to be completed before I can do that. I know that I need a lot of help & critiquing (sp?), so that's one of the reasons I joined. I have not given up on the dream of having something published, be it in a magazine, ezine or book, & I am hoping you all can help me along the way. Thank you!
Hello Anita, Welcome to the Writing Forums. 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. 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 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!
Thanks for the welcome, and all the great info! I will make sure to "poke around in the corners". I haven't had a lot of time to do that yet, but hope the long weekend will remedy that. Anita
