Hello!

Welcome aboard. It's a great site. Some advice:
1. You will need a thick skin to be here. People don't mind telling you what they think about your writing. And that it a great thing. Chances are excellent that you're not the next Updike or Hemmingway. So, get ready to learn and be corrected. It might take you a while to get a good handle on things.
2. Back up your writing. I lost a couple/few years of stuff when this website crashed.
3. I try to stay away from the Regular Reviews. You can be much more surgical by giving In-Line Reviews. AND DON'T TRY TO DO THE ABSOLUTE MINIMUM. The Regular Reviews only require 50 words. The In-Line only require 5-comments. I try to give at least 20 In-Line comments. Some writers are so good that it's difficult for me to hit 20. I have one reviewer who would let me know how many comments he left me. I challenged him to make 100 In-Line comments on one chapter. HE ACCEPTED AND DID IT!
4. If I don't like your writing (too much sex and/or violence or whatever), then I will tell you and stop reading it. I've had interesting discussions with people concerning what they've written.
5. Leave a Public Profile. That can help me decide if I want to read your stuff.
6. Form a circle or group of people who you can help, and they can reciprocate. Join the more formal groups (e.g. medieval, fantasy/ magic) and then jump in with the postings. These can be very good.
7. Use book cover pics.
8. You will learn stuff that's beyond grammar. Be open to it. I've recently started cutting back chapters to about 1500 words because one author that I've read does it that way and I like it.
9. Join the contests. They're great for stretching your abilities.

Keep on writing!
George FLC

Welcome!

To follow up on George FLC's comment on grammar, and since I'm mostly lurking these days, here's my minimized lecture on grammar:

Grammar is not just a thing right or wrong.  Grammar is a tool of the writer.  In English's magnificently rich grammar there are usually many ways to present a structure of ideas.  In a complex sentence, we choose which idea deserves the high seat of the main clause, and which ideas should support from subordinate clauses.  We decide which modifiers deserve the weight of a relative clause, which justify a prepositional phrase, and which can be budgeted an adjective or adverb, according to how much of the reader's attention we want to spend on each.  We order our clauses and sentences with care so that the prose flows smoothly through one topic and into the next, with a minimum of jumping back and forth.

Hello Margo,
I only have one rule to share with you: Write the book, short story, or poem that you would want to read and you should be ok. As for reviews, you do you. That's about it, except don't let anyone here discourage you from writing. They are not professional reviewers, they're just giving you their opinions. And you know what they say about opinions.
Finally, Margo, just have fun.
See ya out there,
dagny

njc - well said. Perhaps I should go over your grammar in this comment. :-)

The top is what you wrote. The bottom is what Grammarly suggests:

Welcome!
To follow up on George FLC's comment on grammar, and since I'm mostly lurking these days, here's my minimized lecture on grammar:
Grammar is not just a thing right or wrong. Grammar is a tool of the writer. In English's magnificently rich grammar there are usually many ways to present a structure of ideas. In a complex sentence, we choose which idea deserves the high seat of the main clause, and which ideas should support from subordinate clauses. We decide which modifiers deserve the weight of a relative clause, which justify a prepositional phrase, and which can be budgeted an adjective or adverb, according to how much of the reader's attention we want to spend on each. We order our clauses and sentences with care so that the prose flows smoothly through one topic and into the next, with a minimum of jumping back and forth.

Grammarly
Welcome!
To follow up on George FLC's comment on grammar, and since I'm mostly lurking these days, here's my minimized lecture on grammar:
Grammar is more than just a thing, right or wrong. Grammar is a tool of the writer. In English's magnificently rich grammar, there are usually many ways to present a structure of ideas. In a complex sentence, we choose which idea deserves the high seat of the main clause and which ideas should support from subordinate clauses. We decide which modifiers deserve the weight of a relative clause, which justify a prepositional phrase, and which can be budgeted as an adjective or adverb, according to how much of the reader's attention we want to spend on each. We carefully order our clauses and sentences so that the prose flows smoothly through one topic and into the next, with minimal jumping back and forth.

Please, anyone, tell me what you think.

Welcome! Enjoy the experience

Actually, there is one copy of my Comma Heresy Manifesto, here: https://www.thenextbigwriter.com/forums … tml#p34847 .  Read it if you dare!