gahlearner
New Member
“Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.” ― Carl Sagan, Cosmos
Posts: 46 
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Post by gahlearner on Jun 2, 2016 4:38:53 GMT -6
Thank you, Chris, for letting me in, and for your patience. I'm late, due to being a disorganized idiot, but I'm very glad to be here now.
Like Felicia Hf, I'm from Germany. So, why do I write in English? One reason is to improve my English and to not forget what I've learned while staying a few years in Canada and a few months in New Zealand. Another reason is the German attitude towards writing as a hobby, and reading/writing for escapism and entertainment in general. It may have changed since, but in my day people looked down their noses when I told them I liked to read fantasy and science fiction. The third reason is that I was involved in several fandoms early in the internet era (X-Files, SAAB in the mid-nineties). I started out chatting away on mailing lists, later found a forum about a favourite series of books, and then got involved in another fandom, hung out on livejournal, and got into writing fan fiction. There wasn't much of a German fandom, nor fan fiction back then. That's changed, but writing fiction in German feels oddly strange.
I'm hesitant to call myself a writer. I've learned a lot over the years--but when I look at how well other people write, I'm simply blown away. However, I've also learned that most other writers share this feeling about themselves and others. So, now we all can admire and encourage each other. After I gave up on fan fiction (I wanted to write my own stuff), I thought I might try blogging, but found that I'm not much of a blogger. Posting regularly and maintaining a high standard is more than I can, and want to, handle. I regularly participate in the Friday Fictioneers challenge, and have started a motivational word count challenge in April where you get pretty badges every month when you meet your writing goal. I work full time in IT support, and commute once a week from my work place to my family, I don't have all that much time to spare, so writing time has to compete with a lot of other things. Hopefully after I retire... can't wait. I still have several years to go though, I'm 58.
Other than professionally, I haven't published anything and don't plan to. I'll be posting that 'thing' I work on on my blog, and maybe on Wattpad once it's finished. I work on the 'thing' (I'm hesitant to call it novel) since last NaNoWriMo and through Nano also got in touch with other writers, which I found a pleasant, encouraging and helpful experience. And that's why I'm certain I'll be loving this forum. Writers helping writers, what fun!
My username on WP, here, and elsewhere is gahlearner, but my real name is Gabriele.
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Post by angietrafford on Jun 2, 2016 5:49:46 GMT -6
Hello there :-)
it is quite funny because I met a German friend online and together we used to write Angel/Buffy fan fiction. As far as I know she is now writing her own stuff because she participated in the NaNo thing in November. I have just signed up to do the camp in July and I am planning to use this to do a revision on my first draft. Which basically means I have to finish it before July!
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gahlearner
New Member
“Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.” ― Carl Sagan, Cosmos
Posts: 46
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Post by gahlearner on Jun 2, 2016 5:56:40 GMT -6
Hah, that's really funny about your German friend. I'm a Buffy fan, but never was involved in the fandom. I'm usually watching/reading these things far too late and get all excited when everyone else has already moved on.
Good luck with your draft. I did the camp in April and found it much better for me than the actual Nano, because I could set my own, more realistic goals.
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Post by The Voice on Jun 2, 2016 7:01:11 GMT -6
Welcome Gabriele!
It's never too late to join the party here. I'm glad you made it.
I have a great deal of respect for you and Felicia for writing in a non-native tongue. I don't know any other languages well enough to do that and if I were to try, it would probably be French (My apologies to any French speaking members, but I really wish I'd studied Spanish back in school. It's much more practical in America.)
I've read your work and you have a greater command of the English language than many Americans. (I won't go on a rant about the dismal state of American education.)
Have fun and if you need any assistance, let me know.
Chris
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Post by The Voice on Jun 2, 2016 7:01:52 GMT -6
Btw, I love your Carl Sagan quote!  |
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Post by Joy Pixley on Jun 2, 2016 7:58:54 GMT -6
Hi Gabi, I'm so glad you're here! Whee! Well, you know my opinion, but I'll say it again anyway: I think you do a fine job blogging, and I really like your writing. The only thing I don't like about your writing? I don't get to see enough of it! Keep working on that "thing" so I can see more!
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gahlearner
New Member
“Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.” ― Carl Sagan, Cosmos
Posts: 46
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Post by gahlearner on Jun 2, 2016 8:41:29 GMT -6
I have a great deal of respect for you and Felicia for writing in a non-native tongue. I don't know any other languages well enough to do that and if I were to try, it would probably be French (My apologies to any French speaking members, but I really wish I'd studied Spanish back in school. It's much more practical in America.) Thank you for your kind words. Without English, you are practically helpless in many fields here. And it's something very many people from around the world understand, so it is good to be fluent. Spanish would also be good to know, I agree, but I also learned French at school (and forgot it all). |
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gahlearner
New Member
“Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.” ― Carl Sagan, Cosmos
Posts: 46
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Post by gahlearner on Jun 2, 2016 8:44:14 GMT -6
Hi Gabi, I'm so glad you're here! Whee! Well, you know my opinion, but I'll say it again anyway: I think you do a fine job blogging, and I really like your writing. The only thing I don't like about your writing? I don't get to see enough of it! Keep working on that "thing" so I can see more! You are embarrassing me.   I'm still not totally happy with my plot. I'm working, I'm working. Halfway through chapter 2, and then it will be difficult. No prologue any longer though.  (Oh, how I've missed posting on forums. Feels like coming home...) |
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Post by Joy Pixley on Jun 2, 2016 8:47:37 GMT -6
Hey, I'm 170K in with supposedly the last 20 scenes planned out, and I'm still not totally happy with my plot either. When does that part happen? Soon I hope!
What did you end up doing with the prologue? Are you just going to explain the Mars stuff later, or weave it in bit by bit?
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Post by Felicia Hf on Jun 2, 2016 15:13:30 GMT -6
Hello from a fellow German writer! It's funny. For me, writing in German feels oddly strange as well. I started learning English when I was 6 and went to an international school, and teachers always made us write stories in English. In German class, we never got the chance. I tried writing in German, but it feels more like labour than the joy I get from crafting sentences and stories in English. I think you're right about the attitude of Germans towards writing too. I don't think people really see it as a hobby, and maybe that's why publishers are literally looking for authors, instead of handing them over to literary agents as they do in the English speaking world. Also, unlike elsewhere, SciFi and fantasy aren't really popular genres over here, and I think most people label them as silly literature. Though maybe that's just the way I perceive it! |
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Post by Felicia Hf on Jun 2, 2016 15:20:26 GMT -6
I have a great deal of respect for you and Felicia for writing in a non-native tongue. I don't know any other languages well enough to do that and if I were to try, it would probably be French (My apologies to any French speaking members, but I really wish I'd studied Spanish back in school. It's much more practical in America.) Thank you, Chris! I think writing in English comes so naturally to me, because I started learning the language at a very young age, and then was forced to use it regularly in order to take part in classes at school. We were always asked to write stories in English, unlike in German. I did learn Spanish at school too, but I don't think I would ever be able to write in that language! It's most certainly going to stay a foreign tongue to me; one that I can understand and perhaps speak and write, but never really be able to fully grasp it in its entirety. |
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gahlearner
New Member
“Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.” ― Carl Sagan, Cosmos
Posts: 46
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Post by gahlearner on Jun 3, 2016 5:43:20 GMT -6
Hey, I'm 170K in with supposedly the last 20 scenes planned out, and I'm still not totally happy with my plot either. When does that part happen? Soon I hope! What did you end up doing with the prologue? Are you just going to explain the Mars stuff later, or weave it in bit by bit? OK, I'm posting this reply again, because the other attempt was all messed up with strange code. **I think I'll post a post about the plotting in the writing section. I'd like to discuss that a bit more but don't think the intro thread is a good place for that. The prologue wasn't up-to-date anymore anyway, and the important parts got worked into the first chapter. The reader will know about some of the Mars stuff right away, the rest will be revealed when the Earth people learn about it. |
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gahlearner
New Member
“Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.” ― Carl Sagan, Cosmos
Posts: 46
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Post by gahlearner on Jun 3, 2016 5:53:27 GMT -6
Hello from a fellow German writer! It's funny. For me, writing in German feels oddly strange as well. I started learning English when I was 6 and went to an international school, and teachers always made us write stories in English. In German class, we never got the chance. I tried writing in German, but it feels more like labour than the joy I get from crafting sentences and stories in English. I think you're right about the attitude of Germans towards writing too. I don't think people really see it as a hobby, and maybe that's why publishers are literally looking for authors, instead of handing them over to literary agents as they do in the English speaking world. Also, unlike elsewhere, SciFi and fantasy aren't really popular genres over here, and I think most people label them as silly literature. Though maybe that's just the way I perceive it! Oh, what a great chance you had, learning another language so early. I only started out with English when I was ten. I have to write in German for the job, more in the past than present, but I always was proud to have a very good grasp on spelling, grammar, and punctuation. And now, after I started to learn more about English spelling, grammar, and punctuation (the last giving me the most trouble), I find that I can't keep up with German punctuation any longer. Spelling is also messy, but that's mostly because they had a spelling reform back in the nineties and I never really made an effort to learn the new rules thoroughly. It's embarassing. My German teachers didn't like it when we 'told stories'. Aufsatz was something different. There was no effort to support creativity with words. But that's long ago. I sure hope that has changed since. The local librarian also was a literary snob, so no, not just you, me too. I've read an article in Spiegel Online a while ago that stuck in my memory. It was about an editor in a publishing house who complained about the 'trash' people are sending in. I had to roll my eyes about what they considered 'trash'. That's not how you get people to develop a love for reading. |
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Post by Felicia Hf on Jun 3, 2016 6:34:58 GMT -6
Oh, what a great chance you had, learning another language so early. I only started out with English when I was ten. I have to write in German for the job, more in the past than present, but I always was proud to have a very good grasp on spelling, grammar, and punctuation. And now, after I started to learn more about English spelling, grammar, and punctuation (the last giving me the most trouble), I find that I can't keep up with German punctuation any longer. Spelling is also messy, but that's mostly because they had a spelling reform back in the nineties and I never really made an effort to learn the new rules thoroughly. It's embarassing. My German teachers didn't like it when we 'told stories'. Aufsatz was something different. There was no effort to support creativity with words. But that's long ago. I sure hope that has changed since. The local librarian also was a literary snob, so no, not just you, me too. I've read an article in Spiegel Online a while ago that stuck in my memory. It was about an editor in a publishing house who complained about the 'trash' people are sending in. I had to roll my eyes about what they considered 'trash'. That's not how you get people to develop a love for reading. I'm fine usually with spelling and punctuation in both languages, but grammar occasionally makes me stop and wonder whether I just used German or English grammar. I'm glad I didn't have to go through any spelling reforms! Though I bet there will be more to come, with all the text abbreviations that are getting so popular... I remember having to write lots of German Aufsätze in Elementary school too. I think for me a lot of that had to do with it being an international school, meaning that German was taught more like a foreign language (even though it was in Germany). That's definitely not how you can have others developing a love for reading! When I visited the Frankfurt Book Fair last year, that struck me too: that in German most books are literary, and there's not a lot of reading done for entertainment. I hope that's going to change soon! Perhaps it's the editors who have to change their views about what is or isn't "trash" first. Hopefully then reading won't be considered so much as a chore anymore! |
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Post by Joy Pixley on Jun 3, 2016 7:07:27 GMT -6
Hey, I'm 170K in with supposedly the last 20 scenes planned out, and I'm still not totally happy with my plot either. When does that part happen? Soon I hope! What did you end up doing with the prologue? Are you just going to explain the Mars stuff later, or weave it in bit by bit? OK, I'm posting this reply again, because the other attempt was all messed up with strange code. **I think I'll post a post about the plotting in the writing section. I'd like to discuss that a bit more but don't think the intro thread is a good place for that. The prologue wasn't up-to-date anymore anyway, and the important parts got worked into the first chapter. The reader will know about some of the Mars stuff right away, the rest will be revealed when the Earth people learn about it. Okay now I'll try quoting your whole comment - did that work? I'm not sure what you were trying before. It looked like the quote worked at the top of your post and then the code also showed up at the bottom. Or was that supposed to be a second, different quote? I still haven't figured out how to do two quotes in the same post. Chris showed us earlier and I thought it made sense but nope.. Anyhoo... Yes, let's talk about plotting elsewhere! |
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I'm still not totally happy with my plot. I'm working, I'm working. Halfway through chapter 2, and then it will be difficult. No prologue any longer though. 
(Oh, how I've missed posting on forums. Feels like coming home...)