Hello all! I've been out of a job for more than a few months, having recently graduated college and lost the college job shortly thereafter. With job hunting only taking a couple hours a day, I find myself with a lot of extra time on my hands. I really only have two hobbies I'd like to occupy myself, one of which is writing, but I have not written much in the last few years. My other hobby is what I went to college for; computer science- namely programming. Let’s just say right now, where I live, companies seem to want their computer programmers with 5 years or more of enterprise level programming, so I’m stuck in that lovely catch-22 I’m sure most college graduates get to face. I’d like to get my writing skills off the ground, and I recently found this board, which looks very promising. Anyway, as far back as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be a writer. Fantasy/Science Fiction writing mostly, but I sold out when I hit college, and chose utility over my dreams. You can blame my age; I didn’t start college until I was much older and got tired of factories and warehouse work. Anyway, I’d still like to pursue that dream on top of my chosen career, and it can’t hurt to start now, with all of this extra time. Anyway, I hope to contribute some here, though perhaps at first I’ll be the student more than the teacher. See you all around!
Hello Sir Rhosis, Welcome to the Writing Forums. I take it you're a live and let liver... Posting your own writing for comment 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 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!
