Thread: Hello to all. I hope you don't mind my being here.

I have come for a short visit. I hope there are friendly types among you. I am not, as you may soon learn, an actual writer, or even a poor facsimile. Yet somehow, I have managed to invent this "thing" which may or may not have value to someone as the basis of a story.

For those who are still reading, albeit cursing whoever decided your welcome mat needed a "don't be shy" clause, I will start at the beginning.

I have several addictions. Among them are guitarplaying and songwriting (neither with any great skill) and sailing. What brings me here is mostly about sailing. I kept, for years, a 25 foot sloop on Lake Michigan, and rented (okay, "chartered") boats while on vacations in Florida (another addiction).

Eight years ago, in the aftermath of the millenium bug (the fiasco that fizzled), like many of my fellow computer network analysts, I found myself with more time to devote to sailing than I had intended. Having retired from AT&T a few years earlier, and with prospects and ambition at low ebb, I made plans to move my boat in stages from Chicago up the coast to Sturgeon Bay. To pass the time on long drives, I would make up songs in my head. However, when I finally got to pencil and paper, I either could not remember what I had composed, or discovered that what had sounded good in my head on the highway, in fact, wasn't.

So, to keep myself from making up lousy songs, I fell into making up a story. An epic tale that blended fictionalized chunks of the adventures of my fiftysix years, with stuff I would have written about had I the skill. The process of creating caused me to rethink the many memorable characters I once had the pleasure to know and allowed me to keep their memories alive in my head by giving them a place in my story.

So now I have this thing in my head, filled with romance, murder and adventure, and nowhere to go with it except to continue to refine it for my own purposes. I think parts of it are pretty good, or could be, but then I've thought that about songs I wrote.

Anyway, I'm sure it's the best I can do, and I know I cannot take it much further. So if anyone is curious, feel welcome to let me know how and where, and I'll be glad to post smidgeons of it, thereby avoiding putting out more than anybody is interested in knowing.

If anyone PM's me, I will share it in similar doses until they want to quit, one person at a time. Oh, and I don't want anything in return. What's in my head I offer free and clear, with just two minor reservations which I would be glad to discuss, one on one.

Thank you for allowing me to post this on your forum.

Hi, and welcome to the forum!

Where you should post your work depends on your objective. If it's intended for publication at some point, I recommend the Writers' Workshop. Otherwise, Critique and Advice may be a good place to start.

Welcome to the forum! Stick around, this place is a playground of inspiration for 'writers' (I'm not much of a writer but I'm here for critiques on my works).
Hope you have fun

Hello there and welcome to Writing Forums, Bob

~ Shinn

Hello to you, Bob, and welcome to the forum!


Nickie

Hello there,

Welcome to the forums, I hope you enjoy your stay!

Most people are pretty friendly here and they offer a lot of critique and constructive criticism (if you want it). I'm sure, like your modesty (as it's apparent, so far), your stories will be great. Check out the forums and most importantly, enjoy yourself!

Hello and welcome to the community, Bob.

Thanks to all, if any still remember, who responded to my introductory thoughts last December. There were suggestions then along several paths I could take as I ventured into the cold cruel world to find an appropriate home for a story I had created.

I had worked up the nerve to share my "epic", but then got coldfeet before I could actually open the lid and let the "thing" out for the world to examine. I'm referring to a nervousness similar to when your doctor suddenly tells you it's time to examine your prostate. Many of you actual writers probably felt that way regarding your early work and understand, at least I hope so.

When it was all my own, personal and private, I was free to make-believe my story was "pretty good". At some point I knew that I would attempt to walk it through the terrifying doorway of reality where dreams get dashed.

So here it is five months later, and I've regained the courage to find out if I can get someone to pay enough attention to this thing to tell me whether it is, or is not, completely worthless. I'm prepared now, as well at I'll ever be, to take the blow.

I have a lot of material in rough form, and could talk or write about it for several hours non-stop, but I know that's not appropriate for this forum.

I thought if I could describe just a small part that occurs near the end of the story and then "fill-in" brief character profiles of the six people involved, I might stumble upon a person interested enough to ask for more detail about the characters and the rest of the story. If I could get just one person hooked, perhaps that would lead to finding a collaborator to fill out what my skill deficiency prevents me from taking to the next level by myself.

If I had no other option than to turn over the complete story as far as I've taken it, in short, find someone who "believes in it", I'd be safisfied.

Based on all that, I'm hoping somebody would tell me where the most appropriate place would be for me to place a tiny snippet of this story.

Thanks, Bob McDonnell,
Schaumburg, IL
AKA goldenponderbob

Hi Bob,

I'm new here too, and just happened to read your intro thread as I was going to post my own. About your concerns, if you don't mind my saying so, it seems to me that the really important issue here is that you "believe in it". You appear to be very enthused about your project, so my simple advice is go for it. You're obviously lacking confidence in your own writing ability, but, to be blunt, you're clearly capable of stringing the words necessary to form a legible sentence, and that's really all you need to get started. The rest will come as you write.

I recently finished a manuscript for my own novel, and take my word for it, there's not much that you're going to do in life that is going to feel more rewarding. It's not as important how good your writing is, but how much you enjoy writing it. You mentioned you're retired, so I'm going to venture that you probably have some time on your hands. Well, take advantage of it and do this thing that you've always wanted to do. Write your story. Write it your way. Once you're done, then worry about what others think of it, if at all. Write it first and foremost for yourself, because you want to read your story. Do that and I guarantee others will like it.

Kindest regards, Gary.

Hi Bob!!

Let me say Welcome!!

Welcome to the forum, I hope you get some good sailing in this summer.

Welcome to the forum, Bob.

Sam.

Hello and welcome to you!

Glad you joined up! Welcome to the WF

Hello Bob and welcome from a fellow computer geek and Y2K-bug survivor (that was some ride wasn't it?).

Glad you're here.

TJ