Hey everyone, Just joined up... another newbie! I'd like to think I’m an established writer, I know my own style and I'm almost finished my first novel. I'm here to become an active member of a writing community, so today I’m familiarising myself with the forum and website. If anyone has any tips for starting out on here it would be fantastic to hear from you and all tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance
Hi Lotty. You'll be given the official welcome soon enough. I'd suggest look around and comment on a few posts as well as reading the threads that you will be told about in the official welcome. Before you post your work up you have to do at least 2 specific critiques of other posters works. Its a great system it helps you identify mistakes and also good writing. I'm not on the site all that long myself but I'm here if you have any questions.
Hi Donal, Thanks for the support. I might be taking you up on your offer today or some point in the near future - I'm exploring today. I like what I see so far, the people and community seem good and I’m looking forward to reviewing work. If nothing else it’s going to give me something to do with my long and boring days. All the best
Hello Lotty, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Here it comes: 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!
No I haven't posted any work yet. I only joined the site a couple of weeks ago and I'm still finding my way around.
Hi MissLotty. Im new here too and find it very helpful. So, your about to finish your first book? That's cool. I read you have done 80,000 words so far in two years. I too have been working on a novel and I've just realised that the two year mark was past a few weeks ago. So far I've done 45,000 words roughly with some parts still left to type up. Though I work on it intensively for about six weeks I then put it down for a good few months at a time. At first this was because it wore my fledgling word-smith finger nibs out. But now I find my time invaded with petty annoyances and menial tasks like a Doctor at a hypochondriac clinic. Welcome to the forums and hope to read some of your work when ever you post it.
Hi Lotty, I'm Amanda, if you have any questions at all I'll be here, I'm looking forward to reading your work soon. I'm a newbie on this site, sort of, but I have no life, so if you have any questions, you should ask me lol. Anyways welcome to the site =)
Thanks so much for a warm welcome everyone! I'm dying to get started today I cant get things on to a word doc fast enough though lol! Hope everyone is well today. All the best!
ehy up. Okay, so Im kind of cheating when I post this. I am not completely new, but havent been around for a year (lack of internet). So just wanted to say Hi y'all and happy writing L x
