Hi everybody!
I'm new to this site and to writing in general. I started writing for creative/personal purposes (not work, school, etc.) a little over a year ago, but most of my early stories fizzled out quickly due to a lack of inspiration, except for a roughly 25% complete draft of a novella that is on the back burner right now. Near the end of June I found an idea that clicked, which led to the novel that I've been working on intermittently since then. I just finished my first NaNoWriMo and the first draft is still pretty far from completion, so I'm taking a step back from it in December to work on a few short stories. Hopefully I can finish the first draft in the next year and maybe even finish editing it as well.
Most of my writing thus far has a strong literary bent, with much more emphasis on characterization than plotting. The short story ideas I'm considering right now all involve varying amounts of surrealism as well, and at least one is almost a horror story. So far I've not attempted any genre stuff, but I could see myself writing some fantasy or scifi eventually.
As far as reading goes, I have to admit I don't read nearly as much as I should/would like to, but I've begun making an effort to change that since I started writing. What I do read is mostly literary, like my own writing, and often "the classics" since I haven't read many of them and sites like Project Gutenberg make it almost too easy to get copies. At some point I'll go to a library/bookstore and get some newer books to read so that I don't end up writing like someone who died a hundred years ago.
I have never beta read before, but I'm interested and willing to be a beta reader for other writers here, though my critiques will probably be limited in usefulness since I'm a very inexperienced writer. My hope is that critiquing and beta reading can help me gain experience as a writer (alongside actually writing my own stuff, of course).
Outside of writing, I studied computer science in college (just a bachelor's degree) and worked briefly as a programmer, so while I'm not an expert in either area by any means, I might have a bit of insight into those topics if anyone is curious. I've also played guitar as a hobby for a little over ten years. I started out learning rock, then switched to jazz, and am currently trying to teach myself classical guitar. I listen to a lot of music as well as playing it.
This forum looks like it is both a great community and a really useful resource so I'm excited to be a member. Thanks for reading!
I'm new to this site and to writing in general. I started writing for creative/personal purposes (not work, school, etc.) a little over a year ago, but most of my early stories fizzled out quickly due to a lack of inspiration, except for a roughly 25% complete draft of a novella that is on the back burner right now. Near the end of June I found an idea that clicked, which led to the novel that I've been working on intermittently since then. I just finished my first NaNoWriMo and the first draft is still pretty far from completion, so I'm taking a step back from it in December to work on a few short stories. Hopefully I can finish the first draft in the next year and maybe even finish editing it as well.
Most of my writing thus far has a strong literary bent, with much more emphasis on characterization than plotting. The short story ideas I'm considering right now all involve varying amounts of surrealism as well, and at least one is almost a horror story. So far I've not attempted any genre stuff, but I could see myself writing some fantasy or scifi eventually.
As far as reading goes, I have to admit I don't read nearly as much as I should/would like to, but I've begun making an effort to change that since I started writing. What I do read is mostly literary, like my own writing, and often "the classics" since I haven't read many of them and sites like Project Gutenberg make it almost too easy to get copies. At some point I'll go to a library/bookstore and get some newer books to read so that I don't end up writing like someone who died a hundred years ago.
I have never beta read before, but I'm interested and willing to be a beta reader for other writers here, though my critiques will probably be limited in usefulness since I'm a very inexperienced writer. My hope is that critiquing and beta reading can help me gain experience as a writer (alongside actually writing my own stuff, of course).
Outside of writing, I studied computer science in college (just a bachelor's degree) and worked briefly as a programmer, so while I'm not an expert in either area by any means, I might have a bit of insight into those topics if anyone is curious. I've also played guitar as a hobby for a little over ten years. I started out learning rock, then switched to jazz, and am currently trying to teach myself classical guitar. I listen to a lot of music as well as playing it.
This forum looks like it is both a great community and a really useful resource so I'm excited to be a member. Thanks for reading!
