I spent a couple of decades as a freelance motorsports photojournalist, was a member of the American Racing Press Association, and was Eastern US Contributing Editor of "Cycle World" magazine from about 1974 to 1978, when it was owned by CBS, Inc, so I was once a big fish in a little pond, which I highly recommend. I have done a whole lot of newsletters for organizations ranging from ABATE to an AIDS Service Organization in the years since. I once published baout 100 copies of a book on how to buy a car without getting burned, and sold only two or three copies. I would like to self-publish that book, probably as an E-book, and make a reasonable second income (all right, third income) from it. I will likely retire from my part-time job in retailing in about 3-4 years, and then I want to write to the Great American Novel. I have owned a computer store, a mobile home park, a couple of 18-wheelers, and other businesses over the years, and have worked in retailing, as a night auditor in a motel, skilled carpenter, and I have sold motorcycles, cars, and mobile homes, and worked as a parts/service/warranty claims manager in a couple of car dealerships, been a traveling salesman, and a bunch of other things. I'm in my eighth decade on this planet (I will be 71 in about a couple of weeks, do the math--telling people I'm in my eighth decade always draws an incredulous response from people) so I have a whole lot of experience in just about any area. I was educated at Mount Hermon School for Boys, and spent a few years studying mechanical engineering at Motheaten U. And I still enjoy telling a few jokes and singing a few songs at the Tabernacle of Hedonism, a variety show that plays on Monday nights in a local bar. (I can sing songs like "Autumn Leaves" in both French and English. I just knew four years of French at Mount Hermon would come in handy someday....) I'm in remarkably good health, and enjoy my four cats, and a feral male from across the street, who finally comes up to see me to get his daily petting. I still own a Ducati motorcycle that I bought new in 1974, and several other collectible bikes as well. And I still do all of my own car repairs, though today's cars are not as easy to work on as my 1971 Datsun LB110, or my 1948 Chevrolet convertible. Wish I still owned both of those. I also drove an MGA Twin Cam on the street for several years after it was no longer competitive in SCCA road racing. Wish I still had that one, too! I raise blueberries and other fruits and vegetables in my own garden, having inherited a green thumb from my Uncle Gordon, who was President of the American Dahlia Association in 1940.... There are so many subjects I could write about!
Hello JH, Welcome to the Creative Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Writing Workshop before you try to post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here anyway. It is worth taking the time to see what other people have done to improve their writing, and see if some of it applies to your writing as well. That is part of why we require members to review other members' work before posting their own for review. On the other hand, there are no restrictions, other than content and copyright rules, on showcasing your work in your member blog. Also, be aware that posting a piece of writing on any public site, including this one, will greatly diminish your chances of selling it for publication. Removing the writing later does not alter that fact - once posted, it is irreversibly considered published. So do not post anything more than a small excerpt of any piece you are planning to submit for publication. If you haven't explored the site yet, you should probably do so soon. Newcomers often gravitate to the Lounge, the Writing Prompts, or the Writing Workshop, but there is much more to be discovered if you poke in the corners. Remember to check out our FAQ as well, and be sure to read through the site rules, too, to avoid any misunderstandings or hurt feelings. Respect for one another is our principal mandate. As for the Writing Workshop, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize constructive critique as a vital writing skill. Training your eye by reviewing other people's work helps you improve your own writing even before you present it for others to see. Therefore, we ask members to review other people's writing before posting work of their own. We also impose a two-week waiting period before you may post writing for critique, to give you time to become familiar with what is expected and how the site operates. The Writing Workshop forums on this site, therefore, are true workshops, not just a bulletin board for displaying your work (and on that note, please only post each item for review in one Writing Workshop forum). Also, please use the same thread for all revisions and additional excerpts from the same piece of writing. See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. And while you're looking around, don't forget to check out the RPG forum for improvisational fiction. Also try our Weekly Short Story Contest and Weekly Poetry Contest. They actually run more than one week apiece, but any member may enter, and all members are urged to vote for their favorites. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
welcome aboard, jh! i'm also in my 8th decade and a few years beyond you, to boot... i mentor aspiring writers of all ages, so drop me a line, if you need a hand along the way... where are you raising blueberries?... i just finished eating some with my morning grapefruit, before typing this... are you in oregon, or maine?... or elsewhere? love and hugs, maia maia3maia@hotmail.com
