# Sorry I'm Lame



## TaraLin (May 28, 2014)

Hello, 

I'm new here, obviously. My name is Tara (Lin is my middle name. You can call me either Tara or TaraLin). It's been years since I have been on a forum like this. The last one was when I was a teenager and basically lived on a Harry Potter fan site. Yes, I"m a PotterGeek, don't judge. I have been writing for about ten years now. I started out with Potter fanfiction (PotterGeek). Now, I focus mainly on YA genre or anything I think will make people wanna cry. 

Kidding...Kind of. 

I don't know how much I'm supposed to put here about my writing. I was kind of out of the writing scene for a bit since I didn't have computer. One can only type so much of a story on their phone in text messages to themselves. That, I'm being completely serious about. 

I don't have much to say about myself without giving you my life story (which I would be happy to do, by the way XD). I'm from a small town. I am an assistant manager at a gas station. I like to keep to myself. I have a couple of friends and my family. Other than that, my life is basically work, reading, Netflix, and writing. 

Hope to meet you all. 

Bye.


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## aj47 (May 28, 2014)

Welcome.  I don't think any of that's lame. This is lame.



> I am new to the forum, but check out this awesome OtherSite[SUP]TM[/SUP] that you really _must_ click on *right now*



Anyway, this is a thriving community with a wide variety of writers.  We have many genres, skillsets and interests but we all write (at least a little) and we're (mostly) curmudgeonly friendly.  

Once you've made ten posts, you can share your work. At that time you'll also get the keys to your profile and access to the parts of the site where search engines do not roam.  Although you can't initiate threads on the other parts of the site until then, you *can* leave your comments/critiques of others' writing and build up your community reputation.   

We're not all serious here.  We have games and challenges, including for poetry.  Look around, respond to what you read, and you'll have your ten posts in no time.  

Again, welcome.  I look forward to seeing your writing.


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## InstituteMan (May 28, 2014)

Welcome, TaraLin! I am a wee bit too old to have been a PotterGeek, but I can relate to life in a small town. That (generally speaking, almost assuredly not your particular small town) is where I started, and after some adventures in cities and suburbs I am intentionally back to living in the sticks. I look forward to reading your work once you get your 10 posts in. Glad to meet you!


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## TaraLin (May 28, 2014)

Thanks so much for replying, guys. 

I have been looking around a bit and already commented on one thing. I have a really bad habit of not writing and I think talking to others will help inspire me to do so more (or just give me another reason to procrastinate ) 

As far as the small town, I don't think I could leave. I always say I want to, but other places seem scary to me.


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## Bishop (May 28, 2014)

Welcome Taralin! You'll find that a large portion of many of our lives are Netflix. It's like... a curse.

Welcome to the writing forums!
Writing Forums: That place you go when Netflix is down.


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## TaraLin (May 28, 2014)

Hahah, Netflix is DEFINITELY evil!! I was doing so well too! I had hardly watched anything on it in a month or so (though that could be because I got a new Kindle and read like five stories in a week). I was really into watching an entire series on there for a few months. Then, once Season 9 of Grey's Anatomy sucked, I backed off from it. Only returning to watch the entire new seasons of The Fosters and Switched at Birth in about a days time each. Then, my sister was watching One Tree Hill (which I have seen a thousand times). She was towards the end of Season 7. So I just picked up there and finished the last episode of the series this morning. 

Seriously, though, I have done nothing but watch OTH and work since the weekend. I had my sister's kids yesterday and got through all but like four episodes of Season 9.


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## Bishop (May 28, 2014)

Hah! Well, you and I have different interests on Netflix. My biggest evil there is that they have EVERY episode of Star Trek of all five series. It's basically torture not to just be able to sit and stare all day and watch every episode in order over again. Oh, good lord I totally want to do that now.


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## TaraLin (May 28, 2014)

Hehe I love cheesy, feel good, dramatic shows. That's basically what my writing is. My friend calls me Kraft.


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## Elvenswordsman (May 28, 2014)

To meet someone so dedicated to their craft that they'd use their phone to write...

Btw, paper still exists. I'm Elven, and Welcome to WF! (PotterGeek as well, just never wrote fanfic).


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## Bishop (May 28, 2014)

TaraLin said:


> Hehe I love cheesy, feel good, dramatic shows. That's basically what my writing is. My friend calls me Kraft.



Hah! Similarly, I write science fiction space adventure stories. Ah, to be products of our affections. It's pretty awesome.


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## TaraLin (May 28, 2014)

> To meet someone so dedicated to their craft that they'd use their phone to write...
> 
> Btw, paper still exists. I'm Elven, and Welcome to WF! (PotterGeek as well, just never wrote fanfic).



Hello!! Haha Yes, I typed on my phone. For almost a year, which is why I never accomplished much. I do know that paper exists, but every time I tried to hand-write it felt too much like a rough draft or something. Like I was brainstorming, not writing a scene that I would only have to edit a few times before it was Story Ready. I know it's weird. 

I LOVE Harry Potter. My only tattoo reads Mischief Managed. Which is funny because one time my friend didn't know I had it and was like "OH yeah, if you like Harry Potter so much, where's your tattoo??" His reaction was priceless when I pulled my shirt over to show him. We both laughed.


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## T.S.Bowman (May 28, 2014)

I'm beginning to think that it's probably a good thing that I don't have a fast enough internet connection to run Netflix. LOL

Welcome, Tara. I grew up in a small town (less than 2000 people) so I can definitely relate. I am, like Institute Man, too old to have been a Potter Geek, but I read the books after the craze had passed and I did like them. We won't hold your love of Potter against you here.

However, if you like Twilight, you may have trouble. I kid..really. 

Anyway, I look forward to reading some of your work. I hope you find this place as great as I do and stick around for a while.


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## TaraLin (May 28, 2014)

Thanks for the welcome. Haha I'm already amazed by how friendly everyone is. I did post a bit from one of my stories and I'm hoping to get good feedback. 

And for the record, I did read Twilight and see the movies. It was an okay series, but it DID NOT deserve all the recognition it got!


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## T.S.Bowman (May 28, 2014)

TaraLin said:


> Thanks for the welcome. Haha I'm already amazed by how friendly everyone is. I did post a bit from one of my stories and I'm hoping to get good feedback.
> 
> And for the record, I did read Twilight and see the movies. It was an okay series, but it DID NOT deserve all the recognition it got!



There are a few here who liked Twilight, but there aren't many.

I, myself, have an irrational hatred of the movies, and I tried to read the first book but couldn't make it past the first 10-15 pages. 

Along ith being a friendly place, which you have already seen, you'll find that this is going to be the place where you get the most useful critiques.

If you see one that seems a little harsh, the vast majority of the time, the author of it isn't trying to make it sound that way. What you'll get here are good, honest opinions and suggestions of ways to make your writing better.

If you can manage to not take a rough critique badly (and I haven't looked at what you posted yet so I'm not sure if you'll even really need to worry much about that)
you will find that there will normally be, no matter how harsh the review, some very good,helpful, things to be found in it.

I learned very quickly, after posting some of my stuff here, that I am pretty good at writing, but I have a whole lot of work to do to make my work better.


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## Pandora (May 28, 2014)

Big Potter fan here, the imagination and detail amazes each time a pick up a book again. It's a lovely world I wish I could live in, well except for You Know Who. Ok that's a little lame especially for an old lady. I want to try that butterbeer, my friend did at Universal, bucket list . . .
 a bucket of butterbeer. O  Welcome to the forum TaraLin, we have fun here!


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## InstituteMan (May 28, 2014)

On the topic of writing on a phone, I have long thought that someone should (maybe they have) write an epistolary novel novel for the current age using text messages. Maybe someone has already done that, but I haven't seen it and I think it could be a way of updating a classic (and pretty old school) format for the smart phone age. The closest I know to that approach is W_ho Moved My Blackberry_, written by Lucy Kellaway (one of the most dryly amusing writers of our age IMHO), but it used mobile emails, not text messages.

That said, I can't imagine doing all my serious writing on my phone, so hats off to you, TaraLin!


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## Gumby (May 28, 2014)

Hi Tara, welcome to the site. 



> I don't know how much I'm supposed to put here about my writing. I was  kind of out of the writing scene for a bit since I didn't have computer.  One can only type so much of a story on their phone in text messages to  themselves. That, I'm being completely serious about.



Now that, made me wanna cry.


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## J Anfinson (May 28, 2014)

Hi taralin. Welcome to the forums. I couldn't imagine writing on my phone. Using the NotePad just to jot down ideas drives me batty half the time.


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## TaraLin (May 28, 2014)

T.S.Bowman: You did read my first post and so did InstituteMan. You both gave me great advice (though, I will admit that I'm a little smug that neither of you had much to critique ) And on top of the few suggestions, you made me feel really good about my writing. And I feel the same that I'm good but my writing could always improve.  

Pandora: Yay! Another PotterGeek  I love the universe. I have faith in my writing and amazing friends because of Harry Potter. It's more than just some book to me. And without Harry Potter, there would be no Sirius Black. And I just don't want to live in that type of world XDD 

InstituteMan: I am fully aware of your reaction of me writing on my phone  That being said, I didn't get much accomplished with it so my writing did suffer. But, when you only have a phone as form of social media, contact (including text and email), and writing for almost a year, you get really good at typing a lot on your phone. XD 

Gumby: Haha Don't be sad. It really wasn't that terrible. It gives me a reason to be smug. When people tell me "I'm typing on my phone so my message is full of mistakes" I can tell them "Yeah, well I type novels on my phone that are darn near flawless. So nerr." 

J Afinson: Hello!! Thanks. And see above comments about typing on my phone  


Thanks so much, guys. I have only been here for about twelve hours and I already feel so welcomed. I have gotten some good feedback on my writing already and some good advice. I hope to get to know some of you on a more personal level beyond "Yeah, they commented on my welcome thread."


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## aj47 (May 29, 2014)

About the phone:  I admire you while I shudder at the thought.   I once did a double acrostic senryu-string *thing* on my tablet because I was at a friend's house when it came to me that that would be A Cool Thing to do.  I then copied and pasted it it onto this other poetry forum I used to frequent.  I don't recall if I posted it here ... I'll check and come back with a link if I did.  When one is inspired, one does what one must.


Edit:  http://www.writingforums.com/thread...nryu-string)?p=1737053&viewfull=1#post1737053

I hadn't shared it here.  I did now.


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## TaraLin (May 29, 2014)

It truly wasn't that bad. When you have nothing else to type on, you get used to it. I will definitely check out that link  

Thanks for the welcome.


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## Bard_Daniel (May 29, 2014)

Greetings!


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## InstituteMan (May 29, 2014)

TaraLin, now that you have the keys to your profile I see that you are located in Small Town, Missouri. The small town I came from originally was in Missouri, down in the Ozarks. Actually, I was a farm kid. We raised hogs and cattle growing up. It was a mostly good childhood, except for the parts that weren't.

I won't ask you for more specifics regarding your whereabouts, as that is your business and not mine, but to the degree you are a hillbilly I wanted you to know that you are not the only one on the forums.


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## TaraLin (May 29, 2014)

Hahaha, InsituteMan, My town isn't like in the middle of the sticks. It's actually a pretty developed town. I am by no means a hillbilly. I actually pride myself on being well-educated, especially when it comes to writing. But it's good to know that there are other Missourians here XDD


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## InstituteMan (May 29, 2014)

TaraLin said:


> Hahaha, InsituteMan, My town isn't like in the middle of the sticks. It's actually a pretty developed town. I am by no means a hillbilly. I actually pride myself on being well-educated, especially when it comes to writing. But it's good to know that there are other Missourians here XDD



Good deal! I went and got myself too educated to be able to stay in my little corner of hillbillydom, which is pretty far off of the beaten path and only grudgingly entering the 1990's now.

One final Missouri question: Cards or Royals?


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## TaraLin (May 29, 2014)

Hahaha, My town actually had more things fifteen years ago, but they took away our movie theater and some of our restaurants. I'm like "Guys, we're supposed to have progress, not the other way around."

UGHHHHHH NO BASEBALL!!


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## InstituteMan (May 29, 2014)

TaraLin said:


> UGHHHHHH NO BASEBALL!!



I just don't understand kids these days! :icon_cheesygrin:


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## TaraLin (May 29, 2014)

You don't even understand. Last year, during the World Series, I had an employee who kept bringing up the game. I was so mad. I finally just locked myself in the office so I didn't have to hear any more about it.


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## InstituteMan (May 29, 2014)

TaraLin said:


> You don't even understand. Last year, during the World Series, I had an employee who kept bringing up the game. I was so mad. I finally just locked myself in the office so I didn't have to hear any more about it.



It was a horrible outcome. I wanted to hide myself away too.


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