Hi, I'm Johnathan. To be honest, I actually went looking for a forum with some decent writers to critique a poem I've been writing for my girlfriend. Google apparently decided to help me for once and brought up this fine place, so here I am. I was planning on just getting some help with the mentioned piece and dashin' but after reading the rules, and seeing some great work and constructive criticism I think I'm gonna stay for a while. I'm fourteen and I live in Missouri, I write quite a bit. I'm fairly decent when it comes to writing fiction, I don't have any preferred genre's. It's pretty much whatever strikes my mood at the moment, but I've noticed a lot of my longer-term stories have a theme of a people and leader rising above some sort of oppression. I also like to write down my personal feelings and reactions to political and world events, not to share particularly but just because I feel like it gives my thoughts some structure. I see a lot of flaws in my fiction from mechanical things like sentence structure to character development with inconsistency of personality's. I personally think it's kinda mediocre, but an old friend/writing guru told me I'm to hard on myself when it comes my writing. But I personally think it keeps me on my toes, I feel like every paragraph I muster up is better than the last. I've gotta couple strong points, though. Paragraph structure, environmental awareness in action scenes, and not to mention I can write some pretty bad-ass Brave Heart styled speech moments for characters haha. All though, when it comes to poetry.. To put it bluntly I'm just god awful. It baffles me in every way, my past attempts have been laughable. Basically, poetry doesn't like me and I don't like it. But like I mentioned earlier, I'm working on a piece for my Girlfriend. It's very important to me that I make it as special as possible for her, so I thought I could read around and pick up some tips, maybe post it up and hopefully there will be someone willing to help my second-rate butchering of a love poem. Once it's done I don't think I'll ever try to rhyme something again, though. <_< About me with something not related to writing, eh.. Well there's not much to tell. My Girlfriend Felicia is very special to me. She's basically the opposite to me when it comes to writing, huge lyric/poem kinda gal. Hobby wise, following world news and politics probably ranks highest. I plan to go into law and eventually politics when I'm older, who knows, maybe change the world. After that, I try and fail at skateboarding, dabble in photography, bit of a weight lifter and a huge movie nut. I'm also very passionate about music, even though I'd never attempt at writing or playing any. (Fun fact, just like with writin', me and my Felicia are polar opposites when it comes to music not counting 'our' song.) Like I said I live in Missouri now, but I'm originally from Corpus Christi and Austin, Texas. Good ol' southern boy, and told I'm incredibly stubborn when it comes to set goals and values. I typically reference 'Texas hospitalty' in every other conversation I'm in, so I thought it was semi-important fact to throw in. So if I guess that's it, hope to see y'all 'round the boards. And if you want to know 'nything else just drop a line on my profile.
Hello Jonathan, Welcome to the Writing Forums. As you have already apparently seen, 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 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!
Hey, Jonathan! I'm Hedge or Greg, so you may call me any which one you like. What hobbies do you like besides the obvious? And what's your preference on music? *random* please don't be offended, but the novel I plan to revamp and post on here, one of the main characters is called "Jonathan." Just wanted you to know that it was pre-determined before your arrival, so there's no need for any assumptions. Welcome to the Forums, and enjoy your path to literary enlightenment.
welcome, jonathan! i'm a full time, 'serious' poet and i mentor many aspiring ones, along with all other breeds of writer, so if you want some help with that very important poem, just drop me a line... love and hugs, maia maia3maia@hotmail.com
