# I'm Panda



## SummerPanda (Aug 16, 2015)

Hello all.
I am Panda, or Summer, whichever you prefer. My friends and coworkers use either interchangeably and so can you. 
I've done a bit of writing off and on, but up till now it has been rather aimless. I have had positive reactions to the voice of my writing but I have always lacked in purpose, plot and story. I also tend to think that I need to work on my dialogue. 
I made a decision recently to push myself to complete the short stories that have been bouncing around my head for a while. I made a decision specifically to focus on the short story to force myself to finish stories, to create purpose and plot, even if it is a small plot. 
Nobody grows without criticism and critique, so rather than bothering my family and friends constantly I decided to find a writing forum, and here I am.
I realize that feedback is not a one way street, so my thought is to look at the name of every person who leaves me feedback, whether it's one sentence or that wonderful red pen version that I crave some days, to look at their work, find at least one thing they've written and leave my own honest feedback on it. I hope that this endeavor gets in the way of my own writing and becomes time consuming and annoying, and I hope that I can continue to push on with it in the same spirit. I also hope that eventually I learn to curb my tendency to write sentences that run on for pages.
As to what I write, I have a tendency toward fantasy of all sorts, from sword and sorcery to horror that boggles the mind. I have written a bit of boring modern life stuff, but it's the exception rather than the rule. My favorite authors and undeniable influences are Robert E. Howard, Donald Hamilton, and Mike Resnick. Outside of my top three I enjoy Asimov, Lovecraft, J.D. Robb, Janet Evanovich, Karen Azinger, Jeff Long, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Fred Saberhagen. 
I would enjoy having my work published eventually, and intend to work toward that goal. 
Oh yes, vital statistics, I'm 27, female, live in Oregon, and don't see any need to share more than that just now. 
I think I've babbled enough for now, I invite anybody out there to say hello to me, meanwhile I will be finding my way around this website, looking for likely looking things to read, and trying to legitimately hit my first 10 posts, and hoping to make a friend or two in the process.


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## escorial (Aug 16, 2015)

View attachment 9336


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## Deleted member 56686 (Aug 16, 2015)

Hi, Panda. I think you have the right idea. When you give you tend to get in this forum 

In order to be able to post your creative works, you will need ten valid posts anywhere except for the word games and procrastination central. You will also then be able to choose your own avatar and signature.

We also have the mentors in purple here that can help with any needs concerning writing or just getting around the forum.

So go explore and get to know us a little. It's good to have you


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## PiP (Aug 16, 2015)

Hi SummerP welcome to our creative community. You are right 





> Nobody grows without criticism and critique...


 and hopefully the crit you receive at WF will help you grow as a writer.
If you need help don't forget to check out the mentors in purple.


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## SummerPanda (Aug 16, 2015)

MrMustard, I love your signature, that quote from A Hard Day's Night is one of my favorites.


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## AtleanWordsmith (Aug 16, 2015)

Welcome, Summer, glad to see you've found our little community!  I can't say I've found a better place for support.

It's good to see another fantasy writer here--I dabble a bit myself, haha.  Looking forward to seeing what you've got to share with us on that end.

You've got the right idea... go ahead and get the Trial of the Ten Posts out of the way.  There are plenty of topics to weigh in on in the Writing Related boards, and you should try your hand at some of the ongoing Challenges, too.  You're more than welcome to start critiquing work submitted by other members, too.  Doesn't matter that you're new to us, everyone's input is valid here.

If you've got any questions, don't hesitate to ask.  Plenty of people around who are willing to help!  See you around!


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## Joe_Bassett (Aug 16, 2015)

PANDAAAA!:icon_cheesygrin:


Did someone say "Panda"?

On that very strange note, I'll leave... and finish my noodles
Welcome to the forum!


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## Bard_Daniel (Aug 16, 2015)

Go Pandas! 






Welcome to the forums! Have fun!


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## joshybo (Aug 16, 2015)

Welcome, Summer!  (Everybody seems to have the panda part pretty well covered).  

Your motivation and attitude seem spot on for what we try to do around here.  You say you're looking to push yourself finish short stories to work on plot and purpose and you're also hungry for some feedback?  It sounds like you might enjoy the various *Challenges *we offer here.  Our most recent *Literary Maneuvers - Fiction *just closed for submissions, but the scores will be up in a week or so if you want to see what kind of feedback the entries receive.  This month's *Colors of Fiction *challenge just opened yesterday, so if you're interested in entering, there's still plenty of time to post a submission.  It's a guaranteed way of getting some feedback and sharpening your skills at the same time.

Of course, you can always just post your own work in our secure *Workshops* threads once you've hit your Ten Post Minimum where it'll be available for critique by our various members.  If you have any questions, concerns, or requests for feedback, feel free to shoot me a PM anytime.  I look forward to reading your work!


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## mytickledwords (Aug 23, 2015)

Hi Summer, I seem to have a similar problem as you -- I can easily get my message across, but it never meshes well with any sort of plot or story.  Plot is probably my biggest weakness, which is why I usually stick to poetry and lyrics.  I look forward to reading some of your work!


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## Ariel (Aug 23, 2015)

Hi Summer, welcome to the forums. What is it about fantasy that caught your imagination? For me it's the sheer wonder if it all.


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## musichal (Aug 23, 2015)

Hi Summer, welcome to WF!  You have the right idea with your intention to hone your skills by offering short stories for critique, and please follow Josh's advice to use our contests/challenges for that purpose, along with posting stories in various forums. The contests have the advantage of guaranteeing multiple critiques in various categories, with scoring and, often, recommendations.  We are always happy to meet others writer and, now, to welcome you into our community.  Have fun!


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## Guy Faukes (Aug 23, 2015)

Welcome to the forum, SummerPanda!

You articulate yourself in detail, while I'm the exact opposite and can accidentally leave out important lines of thought. Can we merge the parts of the brain responsible for self expression and split the result? 

I jest, I jest. Nice to read more about you, Panda. Hope to see you around.


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## Gumby (Aug 24, 2015)

Hi Panda! Welcome to the site.  I happen to love the name Panda, it's what I've always called my daughter, too.


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