I've never had to work since I started selling articles and photos to two local newspapers when I was 14. The discovery that people were willing to pay me just to put one word after another opened up a new world. There are people who claim that writing is work, but I've never seen it that way. Writing has been a way for me to go places and take part in events that otherwise would have been beyond my reach. It's been a great life, and I've made quite a bit of money in the process. I'm still making money from much that I have written over the past 20 years or so. (My favourite word is 'residuals'.) That's when I discovered ghost writing. I was never any good at fiction. I never had the imagination for it. But I've always been pretty good at the basic craft of writing, and though my skills are not as sharp at 68 as they were at 14 or 20 or 50, I can still put words on paper and get paid for it. I finished my last ghost job a year ago and have deicded not to do another. Now I want to try, after all these years, to write fiction. The great part is, it dosen't matter whether anyone will pay me for it, so there's no pressure. My agent and my greedy grandchildren do not agree, of course, but that's just too bad. I have semi-retired here in the sunshine and do not intend to write anything I do not want to write. Doing that really would be work, and it's too late for me to start working now. So somewhere here I want to post the introduction to a short story I've recently written and see if I can get some reaction other than I should let the dog bury it.
Better yet, I'll put the link here so everyone can see not only the short story intro but recent samples of two-minute commentaries I broadcast five times a week on local radio. http//the-write-spot.forums-free.com As you can see, I'm too cheap to pay for web space. The freebie is all I need.
Thanks. I look forward to hearing some feedback. I may go ahead in a day or so and put the whole story up. It's 26 pages at present, but I think I can trim out a lot of fat.
greetings and welcome, fellow eldster!... i've got only a year onya, but haven't been writing near as long, since i started popping out kids fairly early and that put off writing seriously till my 40s... have fun with fiction and whatever happens next, don't lose that fine sense of humor!... love and hugs, maia
Hi! Interesting story, it's pretty cool how you feel like you can reach places you ordinarily can't. An imaginative escape.. Welcome to WF
Welcome! It's great to see someone who's willing to try something new after a lifetime of writing articles, photographing and ghostwriting. Most people just stick to the same-old, so I find your willingness to expand really inspiring! I look forward to reading and reviewing your work.
Thanks for all the welcome messages everyone. They are much appreciated. Lucy E - My agent would not agree with you. His 15 percent of the 'same-old' has helped support him and his bartender in fine style over the years. He'll just have to cut back on the single-malt stuff.
A lot of people I know reached their sixties and decide that they can't do anything new, so I admire you for giving something new a go!
Hello Garza, Welcome to the Writing Forums. 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 Review Room, 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 Review Room, new joiners often wonder why we do things a bit differently on this site than on other writing sites. We emphasize reviewing as a critical 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 Review Room 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 Review Room forum). See this post, Why Write Reviews Before Posting My Work? for more information. Enjoy your stay here, and have fun!
