I was quite reluctant to join a writing forum. For me, I find it all too tempting to sit here with my laptop and talk about writing, mine and others, and not work on the actual project that prompted me to look for this forum in the first place. As distracting as it is, I have found it quite helpful and the advice well rounded, insightful, and sometimes quite funny. As for introductions, here's me in a nutshell: according to a personality test on Facebook, I'm empathetic, innovative, intellectual, curious, warm, creative, sympathetic, reckless, original, and poised. According to my acquaintances, I'm a surfer dude who's laid back, easy going, and an all around nice guy. According to my friends, I'm thoughtful, a little weird, smart, and have a "peculiar sense of humor" (meaning: I have no sense of humor, no matter how much I try. I'm just not funny. After years of therapy, I'm okay with that now.) According to my wife, I'm a dork. According to my kids, I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread. Finally, according to me... In my head, I'm type-A, super cool, witty, attractive, hilarious, and way-awesome! In real life, I'm a little anal when it comes to the clothes in the closet and dirt on coffee brewers, in touch with nature, able to perform great feats in small bursts of high energy in short periods of time, and often appear lazy when I'm not performing these super human activities (ex. I completely rehabbed our current home -to the studs- in 3 weeks, just in time to move in - literally, I didn't sleep more than an hour or two every night). I haven't done anything since. I'm still worn out from that! Okay, now, if anyone has read this far, I'll be amazed. I mean, really, who cares about what I think about me? If you really want to see what I'm all about, check out my Chapter 1 submission in the novels section under Lost Pyrate Confessions!
Well, hello. I read your post and I thought I'd mention you left out something kind of important which is your name. Perhaps you actually listened when they tell you not to post your name on the internet! Apparently I've had this account for two years...didn't even know that. So how long have you been writing? As a veteran member, I welcome you to writingforums.org.
Oh yeah, my name... huh! actually, it never occurred to me to put my name in the list of important facts/non-facts about me. My name is John, but some people call me J. As for writing, I've always written (journals, poetry, songs, love letters- yes, love letters should be considered a work of art, I think), but never had the inclination to write something on a larger scale until about 6 months ago. I'd like to get published, but I'm not holding my breath. I'm just writing for the pure enjoyment of it. It's almost like therapy for me: working out all the stuff that's working inside of me. So, what's your story? what does writing hold for you?
Hello John, Welcome to the Writing Forums. And hey, a dirty coffeemaker is a crime against the roasted bean! 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!
