Hi everyone. Like all of you, I'm a writer. I always will be, even if I never become a published one. About 7 weeks ago, my mother, who was my best friend, died unexpectedly. Although I am still grieving this major loss, her death has really put me in touch with my own mortality. There's no point in putting anything off that I've always wanted to do since I only have a limited number of days to do it. And one very important thing that I've always wanted to do is write. Regularly. I've probably started about half a dozen novels in the past that were all abandoned at about roughly 30,000 words. Sometimes they were discarded simply because the ideas weren't good ones. But more often than not I stopped writing for no good reason at all. I always assumed that I could pick it up again later on. So I guess right now is "later." My favourite books are thick epics with reams of backstory, numerous characters and intricate mysteries. These are also the kinds of novels I love to write. Where I tend to fall short is in the pre-planning of these epics. I tend to plan about half of what I want to say, get impatient and then start writing it. As a consequence I often write a great deal that ends up no longer being relevant to the story or doesn't tie in with the overall quest or mystery. For my latest novel I've been practicing planning it all out before I write anything. So far it seems to be going well. Anyway, thanks for reading my introduction. I hope to learn from all of you and become a better writer.
Hello Merlin, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Sorry to hear about your loss. You seem to be dealing with it constructively, though. 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!
I'm sorry to hear about your mother But welcome to the Writing Forum! Writing can definitely help you deal with it, in more ways than one. When something bad/sad happens to me I normally write about it so that I can remember what it was like before that bad time happened. When my grandmom died, I wrote a few stories about times that I had with her. Well, that's enough for now, welcome to WF and good luck with your epic!! Z
