I realize how pretentious it is to speak of yourself in the third person, but I recently wrote this up and was quite pleased with it, so: Kate Powell Shine is kicking it old school in the DC suburbs, where she can be seen frequenting Beyond Comics and Montgomery Playhouse productions with her husband, John Shine. She keeps it real in the networking and psychology departments at Montgomery College and Hood College. Her poems have been published in a magazines and anthologies including Beltway Poetry Quarterly, FuseLit, and Poems Against War. In a previous incarnation she was a musician. She's currently vacillating between pursuing her research interests on the psychology of creativity or finding a job that might pay the bills. ---- That said, I look forward to reading everyone's work, as well as posting some of my own. I don't have a lot of experience critiquing, so please be patient with me if I have difficulty walking the fine line between saying too much and too little. I'm learning, too Kate
Doesn't matter. Express yourself any way you feel comfortable. That's what writing is all about. I'm sure you'll do fine here.
Hello Kate, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Critiquing is an oft-neglected aspect of writing. We emphasize developing it here, and the Reveiew Room workshop expects members to begin on somewhat uncertaing ground, but to build skill and confidence through practice. 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. 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 reviewing as a critical 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). 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!
