Hello all. Hope the holidays are going well for everyone out there. This is a little awkward. I don't really know what to write here, but I'll throw something out there. I used to be a real adult with a job and everything, but now I'm a 30-something-year-old college student pursuing this crazy dream of creative writing. Although there's a great group of writers at my university, I would be hard pressed to call it a community. So I've come to the internet, the well from which all goodness flows, in search of that elusive community. I've done some poking around and this seems like just the kind of place I've been looking for. I don't think that posting my own work should be the first thing I do here. I haven't thoroughly explored this site, but curiously I feel drawn to the lounge and word games areas. Hopefully people here feel that reviewing is a critical writing skill, just as I do. Well I'm off to check out the weekly short story and poetry contests. Thanks everyone and see you around. That means you mysteriously omnipresent Cogito.
Hello mallard, Welcome to the Writing Forums. As you say, 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 thoroughly 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 do indeed 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!
