Newbie!

Hi there!

I'm fourteen years old and in the ninth grade. I have been writing for seven years, but only started taking it seriously last year. I love photography, singing, and making collages. I'm also addicted to blogging. (I know, kind of nerdy...but it's just so much fun )

I'm overall a really random and unpredictable person. I'm a non-conformist, and by that I don't like labels. I save those for soup cans. I don't try to be 'prep' but I don't try to be 'emo'. You won't see me in anything other than skinny/ripped jeans, graphic/concert t-shirts, and my good ol' Converse. I'm on neither side of the spectrum. I like a lot of old music, like ACDC, but I also like new alternative, like Paramore and Boys like Girls.

My favorite season is fall. I love all the colors. My favorite movies would have to be anything by Tim Burton or involving Batman. I have a strange obsession with Batman .

J'ai parlé du français depuis cinq ans. J'aime la langue!

Well, uh...that's about all I can think of saying right now. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Oh yeah, I'm Sam.

Hi, Sam, and welcome!

My name's SiSi--I'm 13 and in 7th grade. I also take French, but I didn't know what you meant by 'depuis.' Otherwise, I understood what you wrote!

A quick overview on the rules here, even though you've probably already seen them:

1. For every story you write, you have to post at least 4 reviews. It was previously 3 reviews:1 story, but since it's past November 1, the ratio is now 4:1. (It's not really that hard--make sure you don't say stuff like 'OMG that was awesome'; instead try to say what they did well and what they could improve on, without being harsh, of course. )

2. Plz no cht spk (I know, hard to understand, right?!) and NO TYPING IN ALL CAPS, IT'S RUDE AND ANNOYING!

3. Rate your stories, please. I know a lot of users (including me) get annoyed when people don't rate their works properly. By 'rate,' we mean is it for everyone, 12 and up, 16 and up, or 18 and up? When you post your first story, you'll see what I mean.

So those are basically the rules here on YWS. Oh yeah! And remember not to be too harsh to others when posting anything. Common courtesy!

That's basically it for now. But I have some questions: mwa ha ha ha ha! (You'll get tired of answering questions very quickly, let me assure you )

Favorite color? Favorite author? Favorite book? Favorite poet? Favorite genre to read? Favorite genre to write? Tired of answering questions yet? And do you play any instruments? Because I play clarinet and violin.

Anyway, welcome again to YWS and thanks for joining!

Hey Sam ^^ I'm Shina, one of the instructor-greeters on this site And let me tell you, this site is seriously awesome, all you have to do is learn the ropes and you'll be well on your way to amazing.

xD Since most people cover the rules in their greets, I'll give you my best pieces of advice:

1. Don't take reviews to heart. YWS is sort of like an intense writing course, and by posting your work you give people permission to critique you. Use the criticism to your advantage when you trust it and you'll seriously improve.

2. Jump in. Yup, just get out there and do. The best way to get involved with YWS and reap its benefits is by maximizing its use.

3. Talk to people. There are a bunch of people on this site that can help you, that you can help, that you can talk to, and so on. Don't be afraid to make friends because YWS is a big family.

Yikes! I have to go finish my AP homework xD Have fun around here, Sam

-Shina

Hiya! I'm Hope, and I'd like to say I like you already. Random, dislikes label, likes alt music, and Batman!! BATMAN!! You are my new best friend! I speak some french, although I can't really read it, I think I could decipher what you said.

Now here's a list of rankings in the YWS world:

Greeters: The blue peoples hang around the Welcome Forum waiting for noobs like you to greet, and make sure you stick around.

Instructor: These guys are some of the best reviewers on YWS, (like Shina) you really need a great review? Ask one of them. (But remember to say please.)

Junior Mods and Moderators: Mods watch over the site, making sure everything's okey dokey. JMs do the same, but only over specific forums.

Distinguished Members: Members who used to be mods, and retired.

Admin: The big guns, Nate is the head honcho, he created YWS. So we owe everything to him.

People here are the best you can find. We’ve got people from all over the world, and they’re all super awesome. Like Shina said, we’re all like one big, huge family. You can ask anyone anything and they’ll help, or refer you to someone they think can help you.

Have Fun!!

~Hope

Hi there Sam, welcome to YWS!

I'd just like to clear up a couple of things about the rules.

1) The review:work ratio. There's been a little bit of confusion about this, but the upshot was that there no longer is a mandatory review requirement that is hard-coded into the site. That said, it's definitely recommended that you do 3 reviews for every piece of work you post. So yeah, just assume that there is a review:work ratio of 3:1.

2) The rule about chat speak and caps lock also encompasses correct grammar, spelling, abbreviations and apostrophes when they're needed. So that would mean it's "you" instead of "u", "can't" instead of "cant" and "I" instead of "i". These rules also extend to the Chat Room.

Well, I hope that clears things up for you.

And now, some more questions!

What's your favourite holiday? Do you dress up for halloween? Tea or coffee? Watched any good films lately? Chocolate or sweets? What inspires you to write the most? Are you a cat person or a dog person? D'you love or hate marmite? What is your favourite word? Do you prefer to write by hand or by typing? What can't you live without? Are you looking forward to Christmas? Any favourite subjects? What's your favourite colour? Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year?

I'm looking forward to seeing you round the site and reading your work!

If you have any questions then feel free to PM me, I'm always happy to help!

*hugs*

~Amy

Wow! I feel so welcome already

Favorite color? Favorite author? Favorite book? Favorite poet? Favorite genre to read? Favorite genre to write? Tired of answering questions yet? And do you play any instruments?

My favorite color would have to be violet. (I'm trying to make the transition of purple to violet, because my art teacher says purple is a swear word in our class and we are to never say it. xD) But I like black, too. My favorite author/poet would definitley have to be Poe. I love his work! My favorite genre to read is anything fantasy. If a book is realistic fiction, I find I'm not as drawn to it because the plot is just...too realistic.
And nope! I love answering questions! And instruments, of course! *slaps palm to forehead* I've been playing piano since I was five, and more recently I started playing alto sax, and I've got about two years of that under my belt.

What's your favourite holiday? Do you dress up for halloween? Tea or coffee? Watched any good films lately? Chocolate or sweets? What inspires you to write the most? Are you a cat person or a dog person? D'you love or hate marmite? What is your favourite word? Do you prefer to write by hand or by typing? What can't you live without? Are you looking forward to Christmas? Any favourite subjects? What's your favourite colour? Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year?

My favorite holiday (besides for Halloween) is Christmas, because my family has amazing get togethers and I love spending time with them all. I do dress up for Halloween! This year I went to a party the night before and dressed up as the Queen of Hearts, but I went out as Batgirl :3. I'm not really a tea or coffee drinker...I love iced tea though! Good films! Hm...No, I haven't really seen any good movies in the last little while. Blah; I'm definitley a salty person. What inspires me to write is my emotions. Sadly, I'm very apprehensive in trusting people, and I find it impossible to communicate my issues with them. Writing seems to be the only way I can do that, and I'm so glad I found it because otherwise all my emotions would be bottled up inside of me right now. I love cats and dogs -- in fact, I have one of each! My cat is named Mozart and my dog is named Sadie. Hm... to be honest, I'm not sure I know what marmite is! *blush* My favorite word would have to be...apparently. I'm not sure why, but I say it so darn much! I definitley prefer technology when writing; when I write too much (which I always tend to do) my joints lock up and I get bad finger cramps. Besides writing, I definitley could not live without the arts. Acting, singing, dancing, or just art in general; it's such a strong part of me that I wouldn't be able to live without it. And yes, I am most definitley looking forward to Christmas! My favorite subjects are art and English, but I have music next semester so I'm looking forward to that. My favorite color, like aforementioned, is violet. I am doing NaNo this year, but sadly, I'm at a whimpy 13, 342.

Thanks for making me feel welcome!

- Sam

That sounds pretty awesome! In fact, you sound pretty awesome. *hands cookie*

Hey Sam!

It's me, Sarah! I'm glad you took my advice and decided to join YWS

Since everyone has covered the rules, mentors, and the basic q&a, the only thing left to say is...


Welcome!

Hey there, and welcome! Enjoy your stay at YWS. I'm Logan, or X! If you need help feel free to PM me and if you need a review for one of your stories you can use the link in my signature!


Logan.