As I'm sure many of know, writing can be a rather lonely venture. You have an idea, you begin to write, you get excited and perhaps you tell a friend about this new book you're writing. Of course, they want to read some of it. So you send them the first few chapters and four weeks later you discover that they haven't read a single word. That can be depressing when all you want is some feedback... hence my point in finding this place. I've been writing for years and have had numerous articles published in music magazines, some in America, others in Great Britain. I am currently working on two novels and will be finished w/ one quite soon. So... I decided to find like-minded people and hopefully learn some things and maybe pass on some things. As far as me personally, my two favorite writers are Peter Straub and Richard Bach. I've also been a musician since I was 12 and studied Classical Guitar. The gift of music has allowed me the opportunity to see the United States from San Francisco to New York City. Lake Tahoe is my favorite place. So... that's my introduction... I look forward to meeting everyone and checking this site out. It's nice that writers have a place like this to go to.
Hello Doc, Welcome to the Creative Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Writing Workshop before you try to post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here anyway. 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 Writing Workshop, 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 Writing Workshop, 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. We also impose a two-week waiting period before you may post writing for critique, to give you time to become familiar with what is expected and how the site operates. The Writing Workshop 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 Writing Workshop 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 the RPG forum for improvisational fiction. Also try 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 find that the internet is full of hungry minds wanting to read bits of random whatever. I started a small blog of random short stories a couple years ago on myspace and within months I had several subscribers and plenty of feedback, people I actually knew tended to be ho-hum about validating my writing. Love the double hammer av.
Thanks. As far as music, I play guitar. Studying Classical was 8-14 hours a day of very intense practice. Left little time to peruse other instruments. I'm not like Prince, who can play 50 different instruments. LOL I also play electric and acoustic and have been in bands that played mostly blues/rock/psychedelic. We wrote our own music. In the style of Pink Floyd... kind of dreamy, spacey and thought-provoking material. And thanks Cogito, I will follow your advice. Thanks for all the nice reply's and the friendly welcoming.
