Hello Everybody!

[SJR90]

My name is Steven and I'm 24 years old. I'm currently a college student procuring my BA in English. I'm hoping that this forum will help me gain more experience in writing by getting feedback from other members. Lately, I've been really interested in doing literary reviews and I hope to develop that skill more by participating in this forum.

Some of my favorite books include Lord of the Flies, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, 1984, The Road, and Fahrenheit 451. I've definitely been reading more than I ever have over the past couple of years. Interestingly enough, I didn't really start getting into literature until only about three years ago. In fact, I didn't care much about anything educational. Long story short, I dropped out of high school after my junior year. Working boring jobs that I hated and still living with my parents after a few years didn't get me very far, so I decided to go back and finish my diploma. I ended up finishing in four months and during that time had one of the best English teachers I could have hoped for. He inspired me to work harder and discover what I was most passionate about. Oblivious as to what that was at the time, it turned out to be literature.

So fast forward a few years and I'm in college, completely complacent that I chose the right career path. So simply put, I love literature and I love words, and I don't know why. I just know that it's what I want to do with my life. I want to write - fiction and literary reviews are my main interests. I like to consider myself a fairly decent writer, but I always ask for honesty when analyzing my work. So anything I post (including this) please give me your honest opinion.

Other random information about me: I enjoy music a lot, mostly metal and some rock. I also met my girlfriend of three and half years when finishing my high school diploma. If I wasn't going to school for English, I would probably choose Zoology or Culinary Arts, because I also love animals and cooking. :)

[NikolaiI]

Hello Steven- welcome :-)

You seem like a really cool person, and I think we'll be much better for you joining.. My name's Jake, from Oklahoma; I've been here since I was 19. . . definitely learned a lot, made a lot of good friends. . . My favorite writers are Shelley, Goethe and Blake; although, lately, I'm focusing more on writing than reading.

I loved Lord of the Flies and Fahrenheit; although other books like Flowers for Algernon and Children of Dune piqued my interest later. I studied psychology and Eastern religions a good deal, although I did all of it for my self, I'm very much auto-didactic. I've found the principle of selectivity is almost a law, and it's led me to the most wonderful writers and thinkers I could have found. . . I realized over the years, if you limit yourself to the very best 1% of literature, music and poetry, you'll still have enough to go through for many lifetimes..

Hope you enjoy your time here and have lots of good memories. . . thanks for your contributions (whatever they may be!) in advance. . If there's ever anything useful I can think of to say about your writing, I will be sure to do so, but don't be discouraged if you don't get replies - it doesn't necessarily mean people don't like it. . . you never know who may read it, and it may affect someone's life, so it's always good to share creative writing.

I also have often thought that Zoology would be an excellent choice, and I would have likely gone into it as well. . so - great to have another person interested in that here. I've definitely loved learning about it, and will continue to do so. . .Zoology and evolutionary biology are very interesting to me; two of my favorite books on the subject were by Carl Sagan, Dragons of Eden and Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (written also with his wife, Ann Druyan).

Enjoy and take care - and, what's your favorite animal?

[SJR90]

Thank you Jake! Lately, I've been focusing more on reading (and expanding my vocabulary) during my personal time than writing. As I mentioned, I wasn't into reading that much until a few years ago, so I'm trying to get more books read for now. I definitely do a lot of writing in college, as you can imagine, but look forward to it once I'm closer to graduating. Good god...that's another three years. HA! :/

My favorite animal would have to be the Orca, even though they scare the hell out of me.

[Pompey Bum]

Welcome, SJR90. I'm a big fan of The Road, too. I haven't tried Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, though. I'm still sort of letting the whole concept sink in. In any case, welcome to the site and enjoy yourself. :)

[SJR90]

Haha, it takes a little bit to accept the idea, but it was a really entertaining read. I loved the history and action, and of course the movie was no where near as great as the book. They left so many things out and really watered it down.

What about The Road captured your attention? Aside from the dialogue and lack of character development, I couldn't hate the book. The emotion was so well descripted and the love between the father and son was portrayed very well also.