I first read the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings in my native (Dutch) language thirty odd years ago. During the years 2007 - 2008 I bought the English originals. They are even more enjoyable.

In April 2008 I started writing short scenes about the life of Éomer and Lothíriel to please myself. They are part of a story covering Lothíriel's life span that I'm currently writing. Progress is extremely slow.

Reasons: I write in stolen moments; English is my secondary language; I am a perfectionist, I want this complex story thoroughly researched and close to canon.

Some scenes I write are not suited for the story, mostly because of the wrong point of view. If I like them enough I try to convert them to drabbles (an extreme short story of 100 words). Those Éomer and Lothíriel drabbles are also exercises to improve my writing skills.

Helpful sites, especially for non-native English writers:

http://www.yourdictionary.com/ on-line English dictionary, also including grammar

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ on-line English dictionary

http://www.grammarbook.com/ on-line English grammar