Need to do this, It is time

Hello, Everybody -- My name is Dave, and I'm a mid-50's man living in the Midwest, USA. I have reached the point where I have gained the life experiences needed to finish a novel started 35 years ago, or regret that I didn't do it until the end.

The book was a suggestion by the professor of the Creative Writing course I took in college. She was curious as to why I was taking the course pass/fail, and surprised at my answer that it was a free elective as part of my engineering curriculum. She had assumed I was an English major and told me I was her best student. That was encouraging, but a career and life in general got in the way every time I got behind a keyboard. My situation has changed, and it is time.

My story is a science fiction memoir about a Regular Joe recovering alcoholic who follows a beautiful girl, and suddenly finds himself by accident stuck in another world three billion years in the future. He faces several ordeals both good and bad, falls in love (of course), becomes a huge celebrity by "inventing" an everyday device humans take for granted, and becomes best friends with a genius inflicted with deadly disease treatable only by excessive consumption of alcohol. In the end he loses everything, including his mind, and is faced with a moral dilemma over if the result of his next action will be glorious or apocalyptic. All that time the book sat dormant seems to have been to my advantage. I am able to read it now and see that parts of it really, really suck, but others make my hairs stand up it is so good.

I joined a couple writing forums a few years ago, but became discouraged because the mods and regulars were frankly a bunch of pompous a-holes; that was another excuse to put the book down. I stumbled across this forum searching for something totally unrelated, and was encouraged to join from the positive and constructive content here. Looking forward to learning and contributing where I can.

 

Hi Dave, another newbie here. I really like this forum so far. The critique section is super useful and contributors speak sense. There's a neat journal section for encouraging personal accountability, or just updates on progress if you prefer. So you can think out loud and share stuff about how you're getting on with your project/s. Worth a look. Cheers.

 

Hey Hammer, looks like we are doppelgangers. Thanks for the encouraging words, and good luck to you.

 

Welcome! Based on your other posts I came across, I would have bet that you were 30, tops. Lots of enthusiasm and energy.

Enjoy the ride! Writing can be a lot of fun.

 

Welcome!
Really like the idea of your story. Avoid the mistake I made and dive into the whole of the forum itself, before posting any excerpts. Just that alone will give you a different perspective on writing. The people and the experience in WF is invaluable!

 

Ha! Thank you, kind sir. You are only as old as you feel.

 

There's no time like the present. In fact, there's no time but the present. I look forward to seeing some excerpts from your book in the forum. Put your hard-earned life wisdom to good use.

BTW, I share your sense of delayed writing, except I have about a dozen more years on you. And three completed but unpublished and unshopped books (which could stand to be refined through this forum if I ever get around to it).

Welcome.

 

Hey GrahamLewis, just thought I'd let you know I posted my first submission for critique yesterday. I hope you check it out, however if you are expecting the sci-fi work be forewarned a Godsmack sent me in a completely different direction. I am now devoted to a murder mystery set between a swingers' nudist resort and a megachurch in Kentucky. I was instructed to post in Erotica section due to the spicy content. Salud!

 

Hello and welcome. I'm brand new too. This is just my second post. I'm new to writing, too, so I struggle with posting in the first place. I've spent hours reading through topics and only had the gall to post this and one previous critique. I guess I just have to go for it and hope I'll learn along the way. Fingers crossed that the people here are friendly and not like the ones you described in your original writing forum.

Your writing idea isn't one I'd gravitate to for my own personal pleasure reading, but it sounds intriguing. I've never read scifi, but wow, 3 billion years in the future? I'm curious to see what type of would you develop. I'm also wondering if this is a "new" world considering so many of us seem to think our apocalypse is just around the corner.

Stick with it! The only thing stopping you is yourself. (That's what I keep telling myself, anyway.)

 

I would describe this forum as mostly friendly (no internet site is free of edgy folks) but also, compared with other sites I've seen, it's honest. When you post in the workshop, you'll get some good responses and reviews, not in the sense of feel-good comments, but rather plain-spoken critique. Sometimes comments will sting but in a healthy way; and that makes the positive ones even more welcome.

Being here will help make you a better writer.

 

This is good news. Nobody gets better from hearing only the positives. I’m here to learn, not get false praise.

Of course no internet site (and even our social circles) is free of edgy folks. I picked this forum over others I found because of the participation requirements. Seems like a quality site.

Now, if only I overcome the self-doubt and get after it...

 

You know what? If you send something here to be critiqued, you will have taken a major step toward overcoming your self-doubt already.

Negative comments (if they come) are not judgments of you (and may not even be accurate anyway). If you really want to be a writer, you not only have to write, you have to share those writings.

 

Thank you. I'm looking forward to posting my few pieces of content. You're absolutely right: That will be a win for me.

I don't at all fear the negative comments- I think. I'm more concerned about how I can add value for others while I'm still learning. I feel I lack the knowledge and skills carry on a productive conversation with others. Here's to trying!