Hello My name is (not) Larro and I am very pleased to have stumbled upon this forum. As an introvert who thus far has managed to avoid all social media, writing can be a lonely place, so it will be nice to be part of a community. I'm 34, a current stay-at-home parent to two kids and several animals, and I'm from Northern Ireland. Education-wise, I have a background in languages and counselling. When not in lockdown I volunteer with a conservation group. Hobbies include anything that involves creating something, camping and kayaking. After years and years of thinking about writing, I'm finally getting around to doing it. I have almost finished the first draft of my first novel. I'm pleased with the story but it needs a hell of a lot of work... Looking forward to learning from you knowledgeable folk! Larro
Hello and thanks I wish I knew, Steve! Years ago when I started dabbling in writing (nothing was ever finished), everything I wrote had a fantastical element to it as that's what I'd always read, but now that I've grown out of reading those books, I find myself only wanting to write about life as we know it now, which, let's face it, is still pretty weird and wonderful and frightening in equal measure. The story is set in 2019. There is a mystery of sorts and feels a bit like a thriller at times but at its heart is the relationship between the village recluse and retired widower who takes an interest in her well-being. So it also feels like uplit in that sense, but when I read the opening couple of chapters the atmosphere is a bit bleak and foreboding. So who knows? I certainly don't
Hi Larro, welcome to the forum. It's great to have you here. What kind of things do you like to write about?
Hi BOTN anything and everything! People in all their wonderfulness! My WIP spiralled from an idea that was sparked from a tiny little detail from my last year of high school. A boy I had known (or 'known of' - we weren't friends) for seven years - I knew his name, who his friends were, what subjects he took, what he was like as a person, etc. - got talking to me one day and he asked me if I was new to the school. It wasn't overly surprising as I didn't want to be seen in high school and he was very popular, but it fueled the idea for a character who has lived in a tiny village for 15 years and barely anyone knows she exists. She is noticed by a villager who can't believe he has never seen her before, and who is determined to help her / find out what it is she is hiding from. It's mainly about the relationships between my MC and the villagers but it gets quite dark towards the end. It's been fun to write. It's my first serious attempt at a novel and I've almost finished the first draft. Looking forward to going back and picking it to pieces! What about you?
Hi Larro, I'm very sorry for my late reply, I have been quite busy over the past few days and so haven't been able to be online. That sounds really intriguing, have you posted any drafts of it on here, please? I'd love to read it. I'm a huge geek and enjoy doing Roleplay campaigns with a group of friends, just before Lockdown, we started a Vampire: The Masquerade campaign and during my time at home I've really enjoyed writing my character's journal. I'd love to write my own novel someday but I'm a bit nervous to do so.
Welcome to the forums Larro! It's a wise choice to avoid social media and I'm trying to do the same right now. The level of toxicity is very disorientating to say the least. Best of luck completing your first draft. I hope we can be of service in polishing it up and hopefully, you will have an enjoyable experience whilst you're here too.
Not yet - bit anxious about that! I'll be working up to it... That's great to be involved in something fun that also sparks inspiration and enjoyment of writing - good for you! Re: nervous about novel-writing - I refused to call mine a 'novel' for ages. I referred to it as 'the wee writing project' as then it didn't seem so daunting
