Hello, my name is Sophie. I have been writing for as long as I can remember, but I have never had the discipline to commit to a project to the finish. I write a lot of different things, ranging from poetry and fantasy to drama and plays. That's also what I like to read: everything! The only condition is that the actual writing is good. Although Dutch is my native language, I prefer writing in English. English is a lot more expressive, beautiful and emotional than Dutch. I rarely even read Dutch books anymore. Even translations from Russian, German, French etc are English ones. I hope to meet interesting people here, to read some good stories and articles and maybe even to post my own creations. That's about it. If you want to know more, feel free to ask me anything you want.
Hello Sophie. Do you have a favourite genre in writing and/or reading, and if you have, what is it? Enjoy your stay on WF... Best regards, RiftwarFan
Hello Sophie, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here. It is worth taking the time 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 for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog. Also, be aware that posting a piece of writing on any public site, including this one, will greatly diminish your chances of selling it for publication. Removing the writing later does not alter that fact - once posted, it is irreversibly considered published. So do not post anything more than a small excerpt of any piece you are planning to submit for publication. 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 constructive critique as a vital 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). Also, please use the same thread for all revisions and additional excerpts from the same piece of writing. See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
Thank you for the welcomes. I don't have a clear favourite as it changes depending on my mood. Sometimes I will be really into horror for a month, then lose all interest in it and get obessed with the Decadent poets for a couple of weeks. I suppose that's also one of the reasons I have it so difficult to stay committed to a project. My favourite genres to read are gothic, 19th century French literature (especially Decadence, Symbolism and Romanticism), fantasy, science fiction and Russian literature in general (from Dostoevsky and Turgenev to Bulgakov and Gorki). I write mostly gothic fiction set in a modern setting (neo-gothic, as I pretentiously call it ), 'surrealist drama' and fan fiction (especially Star Wars, Necroscope and H.P. Lovecraft). Most of the plays I attempt to write are existential drama. I have to stress most of the plays were closet plays and not 'real' ones. The one I am most proud of was about a college drop-out who became a bus driver on a lonely route. It's always the same people who get on the bus and they're all desperate, hopeless people.
