Writing.Com 101

New Members -- Our Newbies

New members are an especially important part of the creative writing environment at Writing.Com. Newbies, as they are lovingly called, bring both fresh ideas and raw talent to our writing table. Together with our existing members, who are some of the most welcoming, encouraging, tolerant and understanding people we know, Writing.Com becomes the most comprehensive writing environment you will find online.

Indeed, some of our newer members have already been published in magazines and other literary venues, and may have much to offer our seasoned members. In turn, our older members remember what it was like when they first joined the site, and are happy to offer advice and assistance to those folks who need it. We founded the community on creativity, friendliness and support, and it has blossomed into a wonderful place to spend time online.

Becoming Active Within the Community

We say jump right in and explore every nook and cranny you can find on Writing.Com! Just like moving to a big city, you must plan to take some time at the beginning to get to know your new surroundings and learn where everything is. You can begin with just what you're interested in at the moment, and branch out from there. Writing.Com provides the most online writing tools and activities of any other writing community, which means there are many avenues to explore and new things to try. Most documentation is located in "Writing.Com 101"  (the site handbook linked at the top right of every page), in pages linked from the left-hand navigation menu, and in help pages linked at the point of use. Poke and prod every single link on the site, and you'll soon be flying through it like our most seasoned members!

The best advice we can give is to interact with other members. Don't be shy. Everyone on Writing.Com was once new and knows what it was like to be a newbie. Post some of your work in your new portfolio and then introduce yourself on message forums such as "Writing.Com General Discussion"  and "Noticing Newbies" . Peruse other forums and see if there is one that catches your eye. Look through the groups and find one that interests you. Check out the Authors listing and find something to read. Then review that item you just read. Every time you interact with another member, that person becomes a potential reader for your work. Reviewing breeds reviewing; the more you do, the more you are likely to receive!

Let's Welcome Our Newbies!

Our newest members may feel a bit shy when they first arrive into such a large, established community. To help them feel more welcome and at ease, please take a moment to read and review some of their items, respond to their first post in a forum or simply post a hello in their Notebook. Under Community in the left-hand navigation menu, visit the "Read a Newbie"   link for quick and easy access to our newest members' items.

Recommended Items

Noticing Newbies  [13+] #126963 A warm welcome to our newbies; come meet new and not-so-new members of Writing.Com! by The StoryMistress

Wandering through Writing.Com  [E] #845170 Discover the wonders of Writing.Com with a new user. by Diane

Recommended Reading

1. About Writing.Com
2. Community Recognition