Hello! I've been writing fiction since I was 11 (won't say how long ago that was), but put it down for a career in IT, and picked it back up after being laid off. This winter I've been parked near the pellet stove working on the sci-fi novel I began before I became a corporate drone. Since technology has marched on and so have I, it's like starting the story all over again. A good thing, because I also think a lot differently now than I did when I was younger. I'm having so much fun that I've decided to stay a victim of poverty just so I don't have to leave the pellet stove or the characters that have been rattling around my brain for so long. I've discovered it's possible to get thirteen uses out of a paper coffee filter if you rinse it out with plain water and hang it up. But that also means I have to leave the house twelve fewer times to go buy coffee filters. I've had articles published in a few periodicals for various interests (nothing online). Am looking forward to participating in this forum.
Hi and welcome Coffee filters are those essential items that you always forget about when going to the grocery store. I'm glad to find out they have thirteen uses!
Particularly when you're up all night writing! Hi Tessie, thanks for the welcome! Love the kingfisher. Barbara
lol I can't decide if I'm a night owl or a kingfisher at the moment. But in either phase, coffee is a must. Glad to have another friendly member around the forum.
I just ran out of filters this week! I thankfully found one of those reusable ones in the cupboard, so I'm using that thing until I get back to the store for more! I am with you on the not being a corporate clone, though a little outside income is nice. I was a stay at home mom for 6 years and just got back into working part time last summer, and I'm really glad I'm only part time right now. It gives me time to do what I need to do with the writing, but keeps the budget floating along nicely for now. Anyway! Welcome! Happy writing!
Hi, and thank you for the welcome! Please forgive the slow response. There must be sunspots, because my mobile broadband has a mind of its own today, and I'm not sure where my first reply to you ended up. Am looking forward to being a member!! Barbara
Hi Becca!! I wouldn't mind a part time job, and in fact, I do occasionally groom a dog or two for a few extra $$. "Full time" for me meant sixty-hour weeks, usually graveyard shift. After I first got laid off, I spent a winter in Maine, where I wandered the beaches picking up flat beach pebbles for my patio at my home near Boston. I literally collected more than a ton of hand-picked rocks while I transitioned from always being on the go to having time to sit and think. There's nothing wrong with being a company drone (or dronette, I guess, in my case); I've just always had a "question authority" issue that can make me a poor mix with too much structure. Laid off or not, it was time for me to go, LOL. Happy writing, you too! Sounds like you have the perfect situation. Thank you for the welcome! Barbara
Welcome! I'm new too, and in the Northeast as well, in Upstate NY. Sounds like we have a lot in common. I am an ex-company dronette (not IT though), coffee addict, experienced in the animal world (dog trainer, not groomer), and emotionally attatched to my woodstove Glad to have you here!
Tackling fiction at age 11, very nice. I wrote a 1 1/2 page romance in 6th grade lol. Glad youre using this time to get back to your fiction and that its a story you want to finish. Thats awesome. What happens to the coffee filter after the 13th use? lol
Hello Miss Marbles, Welcome to the Writing Forums. Please read How to Use the Writing Workshop before you post there. Posting your own writing for people to comment on should not be among the very first things you do here. 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 Word Games, 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 forum 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. 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!
