Hi guys, Thought I'd finally join the forums after browsing for some time. I decided that you guys are pretty awesome in terms of constructive criticism so I thought this would be a great place to share some of my streams of consciousness, and hopefully improve with your help. I have minimum written language skills so my grammar and punctuation is quite clumsy at times. Be prepared for some gritted teeth! I'm not sure how I'd classify my work or whether I would want to. I write as I think - which is where the 'stream of consciousness' comes in. I use writing as a way to vent the feelings I can't share with others whether it is very out of the box obtuseness, or melancholic droning. (I'm quite quiet in real life). My melancholic side comes out in the form of poetry, while my light-hearted moments become short bursts of semi-plausible nonsense. In my experience, to verbalize any of my lateral (and naturally me) thoughts usually results in silence. It seems I've created my own wavelength. However, I'm hoping that you all can look past the immediate odd and appreciate the job the electrician did while I brewed for 9 months.. p.s - I make a fantastic cuppa! Looking forward to being part of this creative community. Ophelia
Hello Ophelia, 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!
Thanks for the warm welcome I've been checking out a few pieces and I'm already realizing some fundamental mistakes of my own in the process.. thanks for the pointer Cognito. I'll be sure to critique work before posting my own. Although, I feel somewhat cheeky in doing so since I'm not remotely experienced. I'm sure no one will mind me saying, "Ooh I like that but I'm not sure why" on the first few occasions. I might be able to push to my personal opinion of the overall concept and a few lost-in-the-moments but anything truly helpful may not be entirely possible yet.. Here to live and learn!
