Greetings, all. I’m October, but if you like, you can call me Dan. At the current date, I’ve been writing for upwards of six years. I mainly write short stories and poetry (though there are several books that I’ve outlined and recently elevated to “in-the-works” status), and my favorite author is Ray Bradbury. I have never taken a writing class, and all that I know about writing is instinctual understanding, accumulated from an extensive reading life. I enjoy reading speculative fiction (sci-fi, fantasy), horror, and whatever else happens to take my fancy. My style of writing focuses very much on atmosphere and communicating the feel of a place and a character, rather than stating specifically what it/they look like. Another style trait of mine is that I focus very little on grammatical correctness, particularly when writing dialogue. If grammar rules get in the way of communicating what I wish to communicate, I ignore them and plow ahead. Anyhow, I’ve been writing for a long time, and the one thing I have always lacked is feedback. Here I hope to be helped along in my writing, and to help fellow authors in theirs, as much as I am able. Cheers. -Dan H.
Hi Dan, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Posting your own work should not be the very first thing you do here. It is really worthwhile 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. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
Welcome Dan. Love the name. Is October an important month to you or do you happen to be a fan of Blue October?
Hey, Pix. Thanks for the welcome. I love Blue October, but there's also the fact that October is the month of Halloween, and then there's Ray Bradbury's October Country. I think that the month itself is darkly romantic. -Dan H.
