Hello I am Sam. I just spent a good hour agonizing over the wording of my Bio on my profile so please feel free to check that out. The short version is I am a middle aged father of three girls and somewhat of a misfit. I have always loved writing and made a decent living off of my technical writing abilities among other things. I am now in a position where I can afford to indulge in things that I enjoy - like writing. To this end I have start up a Blog. I would say that my ultimate goal / dream would be to reach some level of recognition as a writer. That being said I'm in no hurry and if life has taught me anything it is that getting there is half the fun. So I come with an open mind and very little else. I hope to engage in dialoge and connect with folks who have the same aspirations as I and hopefully we can make each other a little better in the process. Please bear with me a I fumble and crash around this site and get the hang of things. With Respect Sam Edge.
Welcome to Writing Forums, Sam! I hope you find what you're looking for here, whatever your interests in writing. This forum aims to provide the best workshopping resources on the internet, and to that end we have a few rules which you should familiarise yourself with before you get stuck in. The main section of the site is the Writing Workshop, where members can post their writing in order to receive critique of their work. However, before we allow members to post their work, they must have met some basic requirements. Firstly, you must have been a member for fourteen days, and have made twenty posts on the forum overall (please note, posts in Word Games do not count towards this). This is so that members, when they post their work, have familiarised themselves with the forums and contributed to them (as well as hopefully learned something for themselves). Secondly, members must provide two constructive reviews of other people's work for each piece of their own that they wish to post. This is because we believe that the focus of workshopping should be equally upon giving reviews as receiving them, as they allow a writer to practice and improve their editing skills, which they can then apply to their own writing. Beyond the Writing Workshop, you will find that we have extensive forums for discussion of aspects of writing, as well as a community area for general discussion. We also run periodic short story and poetry contests, which are good for challenging yourself and expanding your skills. If you have any questions or problems, then the moderators (myself, Cogito, Lemex and Dante Dases) should be your first port of call. Any technical problems with the site itself should be directed to Daniel, the site administrator and owner. I would recommend you have a look over the rules so that you know what to expect, and what is expected. But aside from that, I hope you enjoy your time here. Banzai
Hi Folks thanks for the Welcomes. Question: the 20 posts that I am required to provide before I can post in the Workshop Forums. Can they be on any thread in any forum, except the Games? Also ,when can I start posting reviews in the Workshop forums. Thanks, Sam
You can begin critiquing immediately. You should probably first read Constructive Critiques first, so you understand what is expected of you. Also, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work?, so you understand why the requirements exist, and How to Use the Writing Workshop to get the big picture about the Writing Workshop. The 20 post count includes all posts other than Word Games. The minimum time requirement makes sure you have gad every opportunity to explore the site and understand how it works before you start posting writing for feedback.
Hi Sam: You've joined a great forum. I don't post often. My passion is to study the craft of writing fiction. Like you, I come from a technical and business writing career. That experience is great for knowing that you can get a complicated point across to the reader, but it does nothing to confirm any facility with grammar and the accpeptable formats for presenting dialogue and other necessities within fiction. You don't say what type of creative writing you are working toward. Is it poetry, mysteries, westerns, romance...? Have fun here. auntie betty
Yes I'm finding that my writing skills I have developed in business over the years may not completely translate into my new endeavours. I haven't ventured into fiction - mostly opinion and genreal discussion pieces t date. I do want to start developing some fiction writing skills. I will likely end up in the short story section. Thanks for the post Auntie (by the way I do have an aunt betty from North Vancouver)
Sorry Aunt Betty, I didn't really answer your question. Right now I am writing 2 blogs - one is based on personal observations as a Father and Human, the other is a series of Essays on Strategic Planning and Sustainable Development. When I do get to fiction - characters, settings and story lines will likely be rooted in these same themes as that is what I know. I guess the short answer is I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.
Welcome to the site. I think you'll find this place a great community to help you get started. Best of luck
Cognito - I have been looking around what are the parameters for "creative writing"? Can you point me in the right direction? Thanks
