I was very pleased to find this lovely forum today. Well, a short introduction might be useful. I'm Johanna, a little over 30 years old, married, living in the far north of Europe, and completely in love with anything that has to do with words. I read, I write, I listen, and I adore. I started writing a week ago. It just happened. Something clicked in my head (not that way, dear readers, I've been delightfully insane all my life), and I was able to write my own fiction. So far, I've only been able to write fanfiction. It was a shock to find out that I can actually do this now after so many years of not being able to do it. I'm kind of ecstatic about the whole writing-my-own-fiction thingy. I appologize if I sound slightly too enthusiastic. The thing is, I've always wanted to be a writer. As long as I can remember, I've been writing something. I was twelve when I wrote my very first book. It was rubbish, of course, but it set the road. I was to walk on all the awful things I could push out of my strange and unyielding mind. Then it stopped. I turned twenty-something and couldn't write a word anymore. Not a word. I was desperate to find a way to get those plots and characters out of my mind. It was getting crowded there. And then I stumbled on to fanfiction, read a few and felt awfully unsatisfied. No, no, no, it's not supposed to be written that way... let me show you. I've been on that road for three years. And why do I write in English when it's not my mother tongue? I have no idea how I'm even able to write in English in the first place. I just do it. And I don't think I would get enough readers for my fantasy novels with my own lovely language. That's it. Maybe one of you had the energy to read all this. Not the shortest introduction. I hope to get to know some of you; maybe even read a bit of your words and comment on those... and maybe I'll muster enough courage to post something of my own someday as well. Thank you for the opportunity.
I must say, you are quite accomplished in the art of introductions! It is great to have you here, if you need anything, just ask. What is your first language?
Thank you very much. My first language is Finnish. It's all about consonants and the funny letters like ä and ö. I'll promise to come to you, if I have any questions. I've been browsing the site all day at work. Now I have more time to actually concentrate on the content. *is very happy*
Hello Johanna, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Posting your own work should not be the very first thing you do here. It is really worthwhile to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own. If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Word Games, or the Review Room, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the forum rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Review Room, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize reviewing as a critical writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. The Review Room forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Review Room forum). See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
Hello from Belize, Johanna. I suppose in Northern Europe there's not much to do in the 50 weeks of the year when it's too cold and the snow is too deep to go out of the house. We have the opposite situation here. We have only a couple of weeks in early February when nighttime temperatures can actually drop into the 50s, Fahrenheit. During that time we all stay indoors wrapped up in blankets and huddled around the cook stove. I define anything north of the Tropic of Cancer as the Far Frozen North. I've only been in these forums a short time myself. I'm a 68-year-old ex-U-esian (careful how you say that) nearing the end of a 54 year career as a non-fiction writer and teacher of non-fiction writing. I've decided to spend part of my time during my declining years trying to write fiction. So far I've written three short stories and one sketch that I plan to use as a chapter in another story. And please, whenever you speak to me, please speak up. All you young people have started to mumble so in the past few years that I have a hard time hearing what you say.
Thank you, thank you for your warm welcomes. Oh and garza33, the winters aren't that cold anymore. It's probably global warming that's reached us. And I promise to speak up.
Thank you Lucy E., LibbyAnn, Rumpole40k and ChimmyBear. I'm already starting to feel like home here. I hope my comments have been supportive and welcome. Hih! Must go play a worker now.
