Hello and thank you for letting me join this wonderful forum. I like to fancy myself a writer, but I have a problem with completing my work. I am not a big fan of letting others read my work before it is completed, and yet I cannot seem to complete my work. What a conundrum I find myself in. I want to write fiction stories, and perhaps a creative memoir about my life as I feel like I have lived through some things that others might find relatable or helpful. As I am sure we all struggle with this, I have a hard time carving out the time in each day to write, but I have this burning need to write. I journal a lot, which I supposed would come in handy when I do (if I ever do) sit down to write that memoir. With my maternity leave coming right around the corner, I will be home with my newborn and hope to have some kind of time on my hands to write a bit more, but then again that could all be wishful thinking. Nevertheless, I thank you for letting me join this forum and I hope to be an active member of this wonderful community!
Welcome aboard! We're happy to have you here. I've always encouraged writers to start very small. Having a finished story or two, even if they barely fill two pages, can build confidence.
Thank you for your response. I honestly didn't even think of stories being only one page or so. Micro fictions would be a great vote of confidence to have on hand!
Heh, heh -- Try haiku. Haiku tells a story in three lines ... of 5, 7, and 5 syllables (exactly). Tough to do, but great mental discipline. There's a short story competition on this site that might be fun for you to try. Funny story: Last year I saw that, and decided to dust off a "short story" I had written more than a decade prior, and then forgot. The limit for the short story competition is 5,000 words. When I looked at my "short story," it was 40,000 words. Yeppers -- I had written a novelette (or novella, depending on whose criteria you use) without even knowing it. So, just for chuckles, I broke it up into chapters, formatted it into mass market paperback size, and uploaded it to Amazon as a print book and a Kindle version. I won't retire on the royalties, but it has sold a few copies.
Hi SapereAude - Thank you for the suggestion of trying my hand at haikus. It has been years since I last tried poetry at all. It might be the challenge I am in need of. Great to hear of how your short story was actually a novella. That is impressive, and I would be amazed if I stumbled upon one of my previous works being in such a state. However, it goes to show how revisiting your older work can be surprising. Thank you once again for the suggestion. Very much appreciated!
