Hi. I am blueshogun. But please, call me shogun for short. I came here because I wanted to find a writing community after reading that finding a community helps you finish your writings. Since I actually intend to finish a story before the inspiration fades off, I didn't want to waste any time on this one. So if everyone here is friendly, mature and so forth, I'll gladly stick around and show the same respect to others. About me, I'm actually a software engineer by trade, but have been neglecting my writing talent for years. Ever since I was young, I was told that I was a talented writer and was also told that I could be published one day by a teacher. Back then, I didn't really have much interest in writing, that is until I started nearing the end of my high school days (centuries ago, I feel old now). The urge to write comes up from time to time, and when it does, the influence usually comes from a vivid image that is ignited/formed by a deep mental image created by a picture, movie, or even a video game followed by the right music that amplifies it. It's as if this mental image with the appropriate music creates a sense of immersion in one's own fantasy as you put yourself into it. And I mean not just put a piece of your mind, heart and soul into it, but through the fantasy story share with the reader your likes, dislikes, mental battles, perspectives, potential solutions, motivations and hopes regarding real things. I hope I'm explaining it well enough, sometimes I have a hard time putting this into words. Right now, I guess I'm kind of rambling on now. How did I come up with the basis of my story? Well, it began when my Romanian friend shared a link to Billy Joel's Piano Man (1973). I felt very immersed by the song, not because of the words themselves, but because of the instrumentals mostly. Well, the primary lines of the song did have an effect of course, but it had been a very long time since I found a song that created an atmosphere and made me feel as if I were in the 1960s-70s as well as walking among the people of that era. It was a very addictive song IMO (still is; I listen to it frequently as I type) and was just half of how I started the story. Then while searching google images for keywords I'd rather not share directly, I found an image of a circus contortionist doing a handstand and smoking a cigarette with her right foot. The image was taken on September 14, 1966 in Hamburg, Germany, and her face is my current avatar as of now. So my mind began to wander, and I imagined what it would be like to watch a performance of that era and what it would take to travel there from the US. Then going from there, the story morphed into something I felt compelled to write about as I thought about some of my own personal issues. What am I writing about? Like a previous new member shared, my story has some influence by civil rights and racism, but not from present perspective but a 1960's perspective of the American néger. I myself am a néger, so much of this makes it easier to write about. The story begins in Philadelphia in the 1940s-50s about a young néger man named Byron who has his own personal battles with keeping his sanity in a seemingly (well, it was) chaotic time for coloured people. So he finds a hobby, and enjoys collecting circus toys, models, posters and other memorabilia. It was his way of finding a way of mental escape from all the racial tensions. One day he finds a book on Circus Williams at the library and decides to save his money to visit Germany and watch them perform. Based on what his uncle Henry told him, not everywhere that white people inhabit is racist and he wanted so badly to just get away from the US. So when he reaches the age of 19, he saves up $600 to fly to Germany and meets the circus contortionist personally, and the circus cast also delights in hearing his story. So he ends up building a friendship with her, and they end up learning a great deal from each other, such as forgiving those that have done them wrong and appreciating what you have instead of complaining about things because they could be far worse. And as a result, both of them continue life and their friendships with a new outlook on life. I won't spoil the whole story because I don't have the patience to write too much here. So right now, my story is 45 pages long, and slightly over 30k words. I started this story in late November IIRC, and so far have been putting lots of time into it. So far, I like how this story is turning out, and I hope to publish it on Amazon eventually. Needless to say, I am glad that I took time to write this and that the inspiration came at the right moment. That is my story, and I hope you enjoyed reading it this far. I'm still new to the forum and have yet to read everything that this forum and the community has to offer. Thanks for reading. Shogun
Hi shogun! Welcome to WF. Your story sounds very interesting and I love its "origin story". I've been meaning to write a story around a picture of Tom Waits from the Small Change album cover. It wouldn't be about him, though, just some man except it's directly inspired by that. Funny where ideas come from. Anyway, here's our New Member Quick Start to get you started. See you on the boards! -Kat
Thank you all very much for the warm welcome and introductions. Very much appreciated. Sorry for the slow response. I've had several distractions in the past week. Sometimes you have to deal with the ups and downs of life before you can get to the things you really want to do. Employment wise, I'm in crisis mode since I was laid off 2 months ago, and my employer didn't pay me my last paycheck so I'll have to take them to court. Never a dull moment, as they say... Anyway, I feel as if there's so much to ask all of you regarding your experiences! And thank you Kat for the quick start link. That was very helpful and I find it of utmost importance to know the general rules and layout of the forum as well a the requirements for each section. I'll take my time and get accustomed to everyone before even thinking of posting a wall of text saying "read my story!", because as tempting as that may be, I don't want to get off on the wrong foot (especially since this is my first novel). Once again, thank you all, and see you all around. Shogun.
