This is great! A whole community of new writers like myself! I'm 24, living in CA but moving to CO very shortly. I love all sorts of outdoor activities and am a perpetual gym junkie, I'm a HUGE car nut (which serves as great inspiration), and I'm really getting into writing. I'm slowly but surely working on a novel (something like 1984 but more of an observation of human behavior like Animal Farm... at least for now lol), and I'm using short stories in the mean time as a way to hone my writing skills and keep myself inspired. I've so far written 4 short stories that I've put out on the net. I saw a review forum, all I need to do is post it in there and wait for reviews? I'm new and not quite sure how this works... Thanks!
Hello Forgebench, Welcome to the Writing Forums. I'm afraid it's not quite that easy. 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!
Okay great thanks. I don't ever plan on publishing these stories, I simply want people to enjoy them and get my name out My book however will remain clouded in secrecy lol I like that you're required to review before you can post, that's an extremely good way of weeding out poor feedback and nonconstructive criticism. I look forward tremendously to participating! Thanks for the intro
