My name is Sara and I like to write. I have been splitting my time between Jax, FL and Cinci, OH for the past couple years (came up to Ohio for dreams that didn't work out but only left me in lots of debt). I feel like I am having a midlife crisis and the age of 23. Then again, I have felt that way since I was 12, when I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder after a tragic event (tragic for my parents, that is). And so, my writing takes on a more darker tone, hoping to relieve some of my suffering. Has it been working? Not permanently. I have gone through my life thinking it is better to hide behind my mask and so I withdraw from the world and when I don't have many good friends I wonder why (DUH). But it is all about perspective. I try and stay as objective towards people's beliefs and opinions as I can. I understand we have all gotten to where we are by our own life experiences. I like poetry, nonfiction (I once received a fortune cookie advising me to study those you admire, and I truly appreciate that. Not that you should become someone you are not, but to learn from those around you). I am a huge fan of Tolkien, Neil Gaiman, Clive Barker and Chuck Palahniuk. The Thief of Always is my favorite book. Writing for me is a special, and much need, outlet. I hope to share with and learn from the people here! PS: How in the world do I change my profile avatar?
Welcome to Writing Forums, Sara! I hope you find what you're looking for here, whatever your interests in writing. This forum aims to provide the best workshopping resources on the internet, and to that end we have a few rules which you should familiarise yourself with before you get stuck in. The main section of the site is the Writing Workshop, where members can post their writing in order to receive critique of their work. However, before we allow members to post their work, they must have met some basic requirements. Firstly, you must have been a member for fourteen days, and have made twenty posts on the forum overall (please note, posts in Word Games do not count towards this). This is so that members, when they post their work, have familiarised themselves with the forums and contributed to them (as well as hopefully learned something for themselves). Secondly, members must provide two constructive reviews of other people's work for each piece of their own that they wish to post. This is because we believe that the focus of workshopping should be equally upon giving reviews as receiving them, as they allow a writer to practice and improve their editing skills, which they can then apply to their own writing. Beyond the Writing Workshop, you will find that we have extensive forums for discussion of aspects of writing, as well as a community area for general discussion. We also run periodic short story and poetry contests, which are good for challenging yourself and expanding your skills. The requirements of the Writing Workshop don't apply to the contests, so new members are allowed (nay, encouraged!) to get stuck in and enter! We also have a growing short story club (think book club, but with short stories!), which you can find stickied in the Book Discussion forum. If you have any questions or problems, then the moderators (myself, Lemex and Dante Dases) should be your first port of call. Any technical problems with the site itself should be directed to Daniel, the site administrator and owner. I would recommend you have a look over the rules so that you know what to expect, and what is expected. But aside from that, I hope you enjoy your time here. Banzai
Hello Sarah Seems like you've done a lot of living in a short space of time. Writing's a good outlet. Hope you enjoy it here.
Hello sarah, I'm new here too, to answer your question about the avatar, look up to the top of the page were it says "forum actions", and go under edit profile. Its in the menu to the left about halfway down the page. Hope this helps, and look forward to possibly reading some of your work in the future, I like darker toned material. --Brian
Thank you all for the warm welcome! After I made this thread, I wanted to dig in and converse with others and start learning but then found myself thinking "Where do I start!?". So, since I have registered, I have only gotten around to reading other people's threads and the stickies, which are very helpful. Stormr: Thanks! I will try and change my avatar in a moment. By the way, I LOVE yours. Never thought about the half full, half empty glass expression like that before! Thank you for the new perspective
Hey welcome to the forums Sara! You seem like an interesting person, I look forward to chatting with you on the forums.
Thanks Rebel Yellow! Back at you. In a matter of being off-topic, I see you live in Quebec? So, I naturally assume you are a french speaker, yes?
Oui tu as raison! French is my native language, but I also use English on a daily basis. You're familiar with Quebec?
Of course! I asked because I am trying to learn French! But, as I am understanding it, Canadian French and French spoken in Europe is fairly different. Does this have to do primarily on accent? Say someone from France came over to Quebec and you conversed. Would you instantly be able to tell that the person you are speaking to is not from Quebec, but most likely from France or another French speaking country? I am still a beginner. I took three years of French back in High School but that was over 6 years ago and so, as I do not have the funds at the moment to travel, I am trying to immerse myself in it by listening to French podcasts, music, even playing my video games in French and watching movies dubbed in French. Considering what I mentioned about Canadian French being different from the French you would hear in France, I am worried that while learning, being exposed to both ways could be confusing? What do you think? Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated! I REALLY want to learn! Also...a random question...do you prefer to write (stories ect) in French or English? Double random question: Do you THINK in French or English?<--More of a silly question but I want to know!
I think it's great that you're trying to learn French! Canadian French and European French are basically the same thing as we have the same grammar rules. However, the slang of Quebec is very distinct and we tend to incorporate more words from the English language (this is especially true of the younger generation, we go as far as to conjugate English verbs in French on a daily basis). On the other hand it really does depend on the level of education; there is an international French and most people who value our language and have high education will naturally gravitate towards it. For example, a news anchor or journalist from Quebec will speak in a manner that is easily understood by French or non-native speakers. I had some French students in my university classes and we were able to speak to each other with little to no confusion if that can reassure you. The accent is different, but it's not that big of a deal. You're on the right path to learning French by listening to music and playing video games. This is how I managed to learn English, as school didn't teach me much aside from irregular verbs. Furthermore, I'm sure you will pick up the language very fast! It's really not as hard as people make it seem. As I mentioned earlier, the language gap between Canada and Europe is not that great. However, it would be best if you chose your learning sources carefully. Music for example can be tricky because it will contain a lot of country specific idioms and vocabulary. You'll be fine with Video Games as most countries get the same translation which is neutral and grammatically correct (on that aspect, I would recommend RPGs such as Dragon Age or any game produced by Bioware for that matter). American movies dubbed in French are another great way to learn for the same reason. It's a shame you can't come to Quebec as all DVDs are bilingual and you could watch the French version with English subtitles. As for your question, I don't really have a preferred writing language. They are both beautiful, rich and each have distinctive qualities. Considering this, I've decided to focus on writing in French as I feel more confident with my first language. It might also be easier for me to get published that way, as not unlike you, I am a bit worried that my English might be messed up due to reading English, American and Canadian novels. Oh and I think both in English and in French depending on the language I'm using at the time. This is the only way of becoming bilingual. When you start learning a language, it will seem easier to translate the words in order to understand a sentence, but it can become a crutch over time. Some words in English don't have their equivalent in French and vice-versa, so instead of choosing a word that loosely means the same thing, it's better if you rethink the whole sentence or idea. I find it very cool to meet someone who's interested in learning French and if you seek someone to practice with, I would be more than happy to help.
