I've got a way yet to go to familiarize myself with the innerworkings of this interesting site. So, I'm stopping here to introduce myself, which seems to be the proper beginning. My writing's been developing over the course of many years. I spent a good deal of time, effort, and $$$ some years back trying (unsuccessfully) to become a freelance writer. At that time, my husband and I left our jobs and sold a home in NY and packed our lives, two kids, the dog & the cat into a motorhome and set off to explore our artistic sides (call it idealism, stupidity, or determination--I think it was surely a mixture). In any case, it was an adventure, one our kids both hated and loved, and one that gave them a taste of the unfamiliar along with some artistic notions themselves, and more than a few intriguing memories. (I can't speak for the dog or the cat.) Fast-forward to now, and all I can say is that every day I try to do something a little bit daring, if only to hone my own courage; and courage is a quality I believe I detect in all the fiction I admire most. It will not be surprising to discover that most writers here are younger than I, though most writers I've met through the years are perpetually young and old simultaneously, endlessly improving themselves, always in need of both honesty and encouragement, no matter the success they've experienced. I'd like to imagine that had I had such a forum at the point when I tossed caution away and ventured into the great unknown with such brashness, I'd've learned some important lessons much quicker. In any case, I wish everyone well, and I look forward to the refreshing and challenging experience of learning a thing or two here.
You've already seen my standard greeting, so I'll just say again, "Welcome to the Writing Forums." If you speak for the dog or the cat, just don't show them. What they don't kknow won't offend them.
I hear cats are remarkably intuitive. Welcome, person who hasn't yet put forth a name. You're one of the rare few who circumvented a Cogito standard greeting. Stand tall and be proud.
Hi, Pliny and Dalouise and Nick (and whoever else I missed), and thanks for your comments. I really didn't mean to be evasive (or nameless), just pulled together a screenname from an old business of mine in order to register here and check things out. I probably should've dressed up in something more writerly. Let's go with Molly St. Peter (my fairly infrequently used penname). Nice to meet all of you! Molly