Howdy

[MattScho]

Just joined, and looking forward to finding a community of writers.
I'm a retired journalist. I spent 35 years in the profession, covered wars and worked out of 65 countries, had work published in more than 1,000 newspapers and on news websites around the world. Of course, none of that means a thing these days, as I've decided to try writing fiction. Fiction was my first love as a writer, but, you know, newspaper jobs came with pay checks. I've been writing fiction, on the side, throughout my life, but am now all in on it, and have been writing full time for almost three years now.
I live in Berlin, and while I love the city, I miss being part of a writers' group. I'm writing in the thriller and fantasy genres right now.
Nice to meet you all. MattScho

 

[Barbara]

Hi Matt

Welcome to the Colony! Any questions about the site, please message me. I'm one of the Guardians and always happy to help.

Do check out the Colony Notices to familiarize yourself with how the site works – The Prime Directive is the foundation of our ethos. If you're looking for critique partners, have a look at our Writing Workshops. The first three threads in that forum will tell you what you need to know. The best way to find feedback partners is to critique others' work first (but do familiarize yourself with our method for giving and receiving critique before you post your first review). For literary chat and general socializing, head over to Café Life.

So get stuck in. You'll see that the more you put in, the more you get out.

Great to have you on board.

 

[RK Wallis]

Welcome @MattScho You have found a lovely bunch of writers. What an interesting life!

 

[Ancora Imparo]

Hi, MattScho. Great to meet you – your work sounds very interesting. Another ex-journo here (l o n g time ago ) There are lots of fantasy and thriller writers here in the groups, and we’ve just added another group for poets, too.

As Barbara mentions, check out the Writing Workshops – there are always people asking for, and offering, critiques so please make yourself at home. I’m sure your experience will be invaluable to other writers.

 

[Jonny]

Hi @MattScho

Welcome to the Colony and hope you have a great time here. There's plenty to do and we have lots of people happy to give but also receive advice on works in progress. You'll get the most from the Colony with a two-way exchange and you'll be pleasantly surprised how beneficial offering critiques is for your own work also.

We're a friendly and supportive community and best thing to do is dive right in. You'll find a very helpful intro here How to guide which will point you in the right direction, and the Writing Workshops Directory WWD is a great place to road test your opening pages, chapters, blurbs & synopses etc. You can also give advice and your reactions to the work of other members there.

If there's anything you're unsure about or need help with please drop me a message and I'll be happy to help.

 

[KrisP]

Just joined, and looking forward to finding a community of writers.
I'm a retired journalist. I spent 35 years in the profession, covered wars and worked out of 65 countries, had work published in more than 1,000 newspapers and on news websites around the world. Of course, none of that means a thing these days, as I've decided to try writing fiction. Fiction was my first love as a writer, but, you know, newspaper jobs came with pay checks. I've been writing fiction, on the side, throughout my life, but am now all in on it, and have been writing full time for almost three years now.
I live in Berlin, and while I love the city, I miss being part of a writers' group. I'm writing in the thriller and fantasy genres right now.
Nice to meet you all. MattScho

Hi MattScho,

Welcome from another newbie! I hope you enjoy it here! It sounds like you've had an interesting and exciting life. Do some of your experiences inform your fiction or appear in it in an altered form?

 

[MattScho]

Hi MattScho,

Welcome from another newbie! I hope you enjoy it here! It sounds like you've had an interesting and exciting life. Do some of your experiences inform your fiction or appear in it in an altered form?

Nice to meet you as well, KrisP. Yep, the my fiction is pretty much the stories I've covered, but more-so. In the 90s, I covered a story where two sets of spree murderers happened to stop in the same small town on the almost the same night. The small town hadn't had a murder in it's existence, only had a couple hundred people living there, and the space of a couple days had three murders. The killers didn't know each other, etc. So that's something I wrote titled Chances Are, which is self published, and in which I made it three killers (down from 6), made them serial killers (there is a difference, though not to the victims), and went from there. But yeah. I made of a list of ideas based on stuff I was writing about over 35 years and now I'm writing that stuff. What do you write?

 

[KrisP]

Nice to meet you as well, KrisP. Yep, the my fiction is pretty much the stories I've covered, but more-so. In the 90s, I covered a story where two sets of spree murderers happened to stop in the same small town on the almost the same night. The small town hadn't had a murder in it's existence, only had a couple hundred people living there, and the space of a couple days had three murders. The killers didn't know each other, etc. So that's something I wrote titled Chances Are, which is self published, and in which I made it three killers (down from 6), made them serial killers (there is a difference, though not to the victims), and went from there. But yeah. I made of a list of ideas based on stuff I was writing about over 35 years and now I'm writing that stuff. What do you write?

Whoa! That town must have been reeling after those unfortunate events. I expect you have enough material from your journalism days to write books for years. I don't know if I can say I "write" anything yet. I am trying to learn how to write literary fiction (it isn't easy, but it's fun!).

 

[MattScho]

Whoa! That town must have been reeling after those unfortunate events. I expect you have enough material from your journalism days to write books for years. I don't know if I can say I "write" anything yet. I am trying to learn how to write literary fiction (it isn't easy, but it's fun!).

How are you learning literary fiction? I write every day for most of the year. This time of year is spent trying to figure out what to do with fiction after the writing is done. I've got a list of fiction ideas, and I'm working my way through it. And exactly, the real life version of that story was sad and tragic and the overarching meaning was that too many people suck. The fiction version is at least supposed to be interesting and even darkly funny.

 

[KrisP]

How are you learning literary fiction? I write every day for most of the year. This time of year is spent trying to figure out what to do with fiction after the writing is done. I've got a list of fiction ideas, and I'm working my way through it. And exactly, the real life version of that story was sad and tragic and the overarching meaning was that too many people suck. The fiction version is at least supposed to be interesting and even darkly funny.

I'm learning by reading (right now). Just reading lit. fiction and trying to dissect the stories to see how the authors accomplished what they did. And you've got a list of fiction ideas?! I think many authors would be jealous. It doesn't sound like you even know what writer's block is! When you have a Writing Workshop, I'll look forward to reading what you post.

 

[MattScho]

I'm learning by reading (right now). Just reading lit. fiction and trying to dissect the stories to see how the authors accomplished what they did. And you've got a list of fiction ideas?! I think many authors would be jealous. It doesn't sound like you even know what writer's block is! When you have a Writing Workshop, I'll look forward to reading what you post.

ditto. Best of luck

 

[Nikky Lee]

Hello and welcome!

 

[MattScho]

Hello and welcome!

thanks

 

[Julie]

Welcome to the colony @MattScho

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Welcome to the Colony!

 

[Steve C]

Hi Matt

 

[MattScho]

Hi Matt

Hi Steve

 

[AliG]

Hi @MattScho . Welcome to Litopia.

 

[MattScho]

Hi @MattScho . Welcome to Litopia.

thanks, AliG

 

[Thea T. Kelley]

Just joined, and looking forward to finding a community of writers.
I'm a retired journalist. I spent 35 years in the profession, covered wars and worked out of 65 countries, had work published in more than 1,000 newspapers and on news websites around the world. Of course, none of that means a thing these days, as I've decided to try writing fiction. Fiction was my first love as a writer, but, you know, newspaper jobs came with pay checks. I've been writing fiction, on the side, throughout my life, but am now all in on it, and have been writing full time for almost three years now.
I live in Berlin, and while I love the city, I miss being part of a writers' group. I'm writing in the thriller and fantasy genres right now.
Nice to meet you all. MattScho

Hi Matt,
Welcome, from another newbie. We have some things in common--writing fantasy, being new to fiction after a lifetime writing other things (in my case, for hire more than for publication). What's your fantasy novel WIP like? Mine's a contemporary portal fantasy.

 

[MattScho]

Hi Matt,
Welcome, from another newbie. We have some things in common--writing fantasy, being new to fiction after a lifetime writing other things (in my case, for hire more than for publication). What's your fantasy novel WIP like? Mine's a contemporary portal fantasy.

Actually, pretty much the same. I'm quite proud of the magic system. I'm posting a chapter today in the workshop if you have some spare time, I'd love the feedback.