I've been lurking since I signed up last month, and have just worked up the nerve to start doing some reviewing. I've been writing daily for the past year, and am in the late revision stage of my first novel. I've learned a lot about my writing style, and I've learned even more since lurking on this site. I hope to do more reviewing, but not sure if I'll be posting my own work for a while. We'll see! Anyway, thought I'd introduce myself. Hi.
You really do learn a lot from just reading people's posts here. I just joined and I think it is a really nice site. Great that your ready to start doing some reviews, it is a little scary telling someone what you think about their work at first.
Hello Joules, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Review Room before you post there, if you do decide to. Truly, 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!
Nice to meet ya, I am also a newbie to the world of writing, and with my novel in late revisions also, finally got a professional editor to do some work for me, I've learned a lot from him as well as reading others works. Good luck to you in your endeavors! Morgan Jaimes "Great minds often languish in obscurity, 'til fate sets them free"
Hi Joules, As far as I am concern reviewing others work helped me a lot as a writer. So, all good. Welcome to the WF.
