Hello, all . I am a lapsed hobbyist who has sometimes (I think) written a few good sentences. I've never had the opportunity for instruction or feedback, so I'm working blind and have some anxiety about being a "writer". I'd say I lean to short horror and historical fiction. Everything is a WIP! I look forward to learning from you all as I get back into writing. Thanks!
Hi, Glittering Tide I’m one of the forum moderators and I want to welcome you to the forum. I'm especially pleased to see that you are interested in historical fiction, which is my favourite kind of story to read and to write. (Horror ...just no ...not my thing at all.) If you are a reader, I expect it won't be a huge jump to become a writer. After all, it's a medium you're already familiar with. I'd say don't worry overmuch about 'instruction.' Just dive in and get started writing as soon as your ideas gel. You'll learn as you go. My favourite motto is: Write without fear; edit without mercy. In other words, write what you want, the way you want to, and don't worry (yet) about how others will see it. Once it's done ...then comes the editing and (more) learning, as you whack it into shape. Just to keep you on track—or get you on track if you’re just starting out here—please take the time to read these two links. They help to get you oriented, and also give you a notion of how we operate. New Member Quick Start Forum Rules If you want a quick way to explore the forum offerings, here is a great link below, and I use it often myself. It’s not a series of Frequently Asked Questions, but is, rather, a site map with links to all parts of the forum. https://www.writingforums.org/faq/ If you have any problems getting settled, don’t hesitate to ‘start a conversation’ with me, and I’ll do my best to help. (Just click on my owl avatar and follow the signs.) Anyway, take your time, settle in, participate in any threads that draw your interest. Giving critiques in the Workshop section is much appreciated by our members, and is also a requirement if you want to post your own work for feedback. So might as well get a head start there. Our contests are also open to new members, both for entry and for voting. So you might want to check these out as well. Anyway, hope you enjoy yourself, and I’ll see you around the threads. Cheers, Jan
Hey Glittering! If you have anxiety over your writing, then the best thing to do is to try and build that confidence. Believe me, it makes an enormous difference. A good (and easy) place to start that I found, was by just sitting back and watching some tutorials. Seeing what you knew, what you didn't, and taking appreciation that you actually did know some of it. I used the videos in my video tutorial thread (linked below) to give me confidence, hope they are at least useful to you, too. https://www.writingforums.org/threads/youtube-tutorials-for-writers.164402/
