I am the little-known Colonel Marksman. Search me on Google if you like, I can guarantee 99% that I am the only Colonel Marksman on the Internet, or ColMarksman, and ColonelMarksman. My nickname tends to go by "Colonel", but some call me Marksman. On Halo, it's "col". Don't ask where the name came from, I really have no idea, but I know how it evolved. This is probably the largest forum I'd ever seen, and organized differently than what I'm used to, but I've already played around with it somewhere else on a smaller scale, so I should be ok (though it's still daunting to think there are this many people here). I am not published, but I plan on getting published. Right now, I have a YA fantasy that is at a halt for need of rewrite of characters and better description. Now that I know what I need and how to get it, everything I do is geared towards helping it. People tell me that my specialty is thriller-type works, and that my battle-fight scenes are the best, but there's more important things to work on, which is why I'm here. I will also tell you upfront that I am an extremely hard critic. If I take the time to review your story with a very deep and long review, it's because I believe the story is good enough for attention. I tend to pass over work that I believe is just too hopeless. If someone asks, though, I will review stories of any genre. I don't have a preference, I plan to publish a successful story in every genre and to every audience, and even a non-fiction or two.
Hi and welcome. You say you tend to be a harsh critic, which is fine for the writers who've been writing for a long time. We're a site that focuses on helping people learn to write so if you just pass over what you feel is helpless, you won't be helping those people just beginning to learn what is proper and what isn't. And nothing, nothing is ever entirely hopeless. Something can be riddled with errors and horrible syntax...but if you take the time to sit down and really talk to the person (through a critic or a pm), they will learn a lot about writing, and you yourself will learn a lot too through the process. Just my thoughts on the subject. In any case, welcome to the site. Glad to have you on board. ~Lynn
Hey Colonel, as long as the critique is nothing personal, no one minds brutality-look forward to reading your critiques...Welcome to WF, hope to see you around..
Hello Colonel, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Harsh critique is welcomed, provided it is constructively harsh, and delivered respectfully. The aim must always be to help the writer improve his or her writing, never to discourage or tear down the writer. 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 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. 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!
