My name (for the purposes of this forum) is dotdotdash. I'm 22 from the UK. I'm NOT a writer, however I am a published poet and journalist although it has been a long while since I have had anything published (due to inaction). I enjoy writing because unlike a lot of things in my life I feel I have a specific intent with the stories I tell. I want to be able to paint a near-perfect picture whether I am writing a short story, script or whatever else I task myself to achieve. I'd like one day to feel like I am writing pieces that present themselves to the reader much in the same way a watercolour painting presents itself to people at a gallery. It's a very, very hard skill to master, and currently my stories - I fear - read more like an Ikea manual. I am a great believer in the idea that context and setting are the most important things when telling any tale. You can have the best story in the world, but if you get the context wrong you will find that the story is overshadowed and fails to rise above the flaws in the setting. Conversely you can have the most simplistic premise for a story but place it a brilliantly manifested situation and find that the story - regardless of its simplicity - takes on a whole new meaning. I personally think that this ethos is reflected in the literature of greats such as Charles Dickens, Shakespeare and Dumas (to name but a few) as well as more contemporary writers such as Rowling and Banks. I do not believe in the snobbery of the English language. I believe that language may be moulded and changed for dramatic effect, that these changes - whilst technically incorrect - can sometimes heighten the tale rather than diminish it. I sometime rant.
Hello "U", Welcome to the Creative Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Writing Workshop before you try to post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here anyway. 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!
I just thought I should point out that I'm a published video games journalist, and not a REAL journalist. Credibility removed. I've reviewed games such as Mass Effect, Torchlight, World of Warcraft, Borderlands, Fallout New Vegas, and The Witcher 2. My ambition is - obviously - to progress on to becoming a writer in the games industry (although I was told by an overzealous university lecturer to always refer to it as the "interactive arts and entertainment industry" despite my objections).
I spent the best part of half an hour trying to figure out what you meant. After endlessly searching through Google, reading every suggestion with tedious attention to detail, I finally sat back and looked at my name. And then I looked at my avatar... And then I realised; it's a tank!
I am SO sorry that my post made you spend so much time trying to find some obscure detail I noticed. ;D Anyways, glad to have you aboard!
