Ugh, I know what you mean about "what passes for good literature". That's what it's like to live in a country where only a few million people speak the language. The bar is set so much lower for the few professional authors there are.

Haha, I read Dutch but I don't understand Dutch. It's just that Dutch is so interesting and beautiful, and I think it's fun to try to decipher. I'd love to learn it some day.

I don't have the courage to try to write original fic and send it in yet either, but I figure I'll soon have time on my hands, so why not go for it :-)