New here, and think I'll enjoy my stay. I am the father of writewizard, and she sugested that I sign up. I am interestingly only interested right now in writing one thing...a novel I have had on my heart and mind for over ten years. It is a romantic real life type novel about a couple in their 40's falling in love. It revolves around the issues that they have trying to be the "parents" of teenaged children. I don't know if I could ever get it published, as it doesn't fit into the traditional romance genre. It isn't really a coming of age novel or a traditional romance, but has elements of both. Anyhow, I'll probably lurk and review before I publish anything for review. Thanks for reading this!
Hello Chris, Welcome to the Writing Forums. 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 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!
I am not really interested in getting published...mostly want to understand the characters in my book and possibly self publish it on a very limited basis for my friends. But I just LOVE to review others' writing, so this may well be a great place for me. Also, thank you for keeping the place tightly moderated. Couple of the other forums I go on are well moderated and it really helps. Chris
