Salvete omnes! I just thought that before I began posting I would first introduce myself. My name is Lorenzo Perring Mattiassi, I am an 18 year old student (hopefully going to uni in a few months to study Ancient History!) from England. Officially I am half English and half Italian, but my Italian side of the family also shares ties with Austria and Italian-speaking Istria. I am extremely enthusiastic about military history, particularly that of Europe in the Ancient and Late Medieval/Renaissance periods, and I am involved in a number of other activities revolving around these subjects e.g. I am an active member of the RomanArmyTalk and MyArmoury forums, and a member of the Roman Military Research Society (RMRS). Creative writing, I have found, has given me a great opportunity to bring what history I learn to life, and also forms an entertaining way of conveying its wonders to others. Creative writing is also one of the most profound forms of self-expression, something which is very valuable in life. I shall try to find some free time during study-leave to post some material on here and also to view that of others and perhaps even give some advice. Yes, I am young and rather inexperienced at writing for certain audiences, and I freely admit that I have a lot to learn, but that is why I am here: to learn from others and to share my ideas. I hope that I get along with you all very well. - Lorenzo.
Heeeey, I'm a history student too Mostly focus on social history and stuff, but we're in the same time periods. I'm in the last month of my last semester of university at the moment, so I guess we can swap notes or whatever. You have a killer awesome name by the way.
Hello Lorenzo, Welcome to the Creative Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Writing Workshop before you post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on 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. 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!
