Noticing Newbies

I joined this site a few days ago and have been reading bits and pieces of people's work, reading reviews of people's work, peeking into forums...I'm pretty message board savvy and I'm definitely overwhelmed by the scope of the information and things to do and read and see here. It's all very exciting.

I'm writing a book. Aren't we all? It's been a life long bucket list kind of deal for me...I know you're all nodding your heads. We're here for the same reasons.

I would love to start slapping some chapters into my portfolio and getting reviews and feedback, but being the fledgling novelist that I am, I'm feeling protective of my work. The ultimate goal, the cherry on top, the fantasy that send me off to sleep at night is seeing this thing published.

I'd love the feedback, criticism, and ability to learn and grow that would come from reviews and dialogue with other writers, but does posting this work here endanger my already slim chances of seeing this baby in print?