I like this place. It has a happy color scheme, the owner has a LOST avatar, and nobody on .com responded to me. No idea why I just used those smilies. They're terrible smilies, really.
Hola Lord Paradise, Welcome to the Writing Forums, and I think you'll find this to be one of the friendlier sites on the web. But don't take my word for it. Really. Take a good look around the site, and get to know us. The Lounge forum is a good place to find general life discussions not related to writing, and we discuss writing and publishing issues in the Writing Issues forums. Another good way to get to know us is by jumping into the various Word Games. And, of course, we have a Review Room cluster of forums where members post short pieces of writing, and excerpts from longer pieces, for comment. You should probably read some submissions and reviews before you post your own work for comment, so you know what to expect. Member responses usually emphasize suggestions for improvement, because what we always want as writers is to find ways of writing more effectively. So praise may seem to get lost in suggestions and corrections, but it is all intended to help the writer. And by the way, I agree about the smilies. But then again, aswriters, it's probably just as well we don't rely on smilies too much anyway! So again, welcome to the forums, look around, and have fun!
Thank you for the welcome. Essentially the reason I joined this site was because I'm much more comfortable having people I don't know edit my stuff than my family or friends. I'm a little self-conscious about my rough drafts.
Arg, I know the feeling. Just don't forget to crit other people's work before you go posting your work up. I think you have to crit or comment on about three people's work first
Understood. But family and friends, unless they have tried writing themselves, won't be looking at your work from the same place. Everyone here is different from one another. We all have individual styles and biases. What speaks clearly to one reader may seem muddy or meandering to another. Getting to know us also helps you decide what suggestions you want to focus on when you revise your work. Reviews remain opinions, no matter what, and you, as the writer, always must make the final decisions as to what goes into your work and what does not. I do see you have posted an excerpt from a novel. I probably won't get to it immediately, but I'll try to give you some kind of response within the day. Again, enjoy your stay.
There's some good people on this site, some of whom you've just met above - any questions those with coloured names are a good place to start. Welcome and I hope all remains to your liking.
I got the same treatment at writingforums.com. This place is certifiably more warm and welcoming. So welcome!
Welcome! =D Hopefully we run into eachother on the forum sometime. -shakes your hand- This place is full of amazing people.
hello and welcome to the site, it is great to have you here and I look forward to seeing you around the forum in the near future. ~tor
