I write from the high plains of New Mexico. I've been writing for many years and have had stories, memoirs and poetry published online and in print. There's something about a writing community that offers a friendly competition which is conducive to creative writing. Thought I'd try it here for awhile to see how I fit in, if you don't mind an older boy being on the playground.
Nice to hear a voice from the plains. My love for the works of Cormac McCarthy, whose descriptions of New Mexico's landscape will never leave me, compels me to extend my warmest welcome.
howdy, oldtimer!... you've a bit short of two years on me, so may now be the most 'senior' member here... i had wandered all over your state back in my rv-ing years and love its endless skies and exquisite humanless expanses... stayed for a while in las cruces and deming, almost bought a hogan that sat next to the infant rio grande, and would've settled happily near georgia o'keefe's adobe in abiquiu, if i could... whereabouts are you located? welcoming hugs, maia
Good morning, Maia! We are a couple miles west of Milan, just a few minutes from the Zuni Mountains, where we cruise the juniper woodlands in our old baja bug. I thought I would miss the ocean, having lived most of my life in coastal California. When I first felt the closeness to the New Mexico sky I knew I was home. Keep the smog and illegals, I'll gladly stay with the pinyon thickets and monsoons.
Welcome to the forums, alcarty! I hope that you enjoy your time here and discover whatever it is you may be looking for.
Welcome to Writing Forums, alcarty! I hope you find what you're looking for here, whatever your interests in writing. This forum aims to provide the best workshopping resources on the internet, and to that end we have a few rules which you should familiarise yourself with before you get stuck in. The main section of the site is the Writing Workshop, where members can post their writing in order to receive critique of their work. However, before we allow members to post their work, they must have met some basic requirements. Firstly, you must have been a member for fourteen days, and have made twenty posts on the forum overall (please note, posts in Word Games do not count towards this). This is so that members, when they post their work, have familiarised themselves with the forums and contributed to them (as well as hopefully learned something for themselves). Secondly, members must provide two constructive reviews of other people's work for each piece of their own that they wish to post. This is because we believe that the focus of workshopping should be equally upon giving reviews as receiving them, as they allow a writer to practice and improve their editing skills, which they can then apply to their own writing. Beyond the Writing Workshop, you will find that we have extensive forums for discussion of aspects of writing, as well as a community area for general discussion. We also run periodic short story and poetry contests, which are good for challenging yourself and expanding your skills. If you have any questions or problems, then the moderators (myself, Cogito, Lemex and Dante Dases) should be your first port of call. Any technical problems with the site itself should be directed to Daniel, the site administrator and owner. I would recommend you have a look over the rules so that you know what to expect, and what is expected. But aside from that, I hope you enjoy your time here. Banzai
i thought i 'needed' the ocean too, al... but the seas of sand and scrub with that going-on-forever sky hanging over 'em made me remember that it was all ocean once... then, the scent of sage and the almost-silence soon finished the winning-me-over process and i've been a desert lover ever since... to me, monsoons occur on the other side of the globe, but i sure got off on those awesome desert thunderstorms that you can see coming a hundred miles away!... and those blankets of stars!!!... i miss 'my desert' as much as i miss the sea... sorry, i have to go have a good cry now.................
You might not miss the desert quite as much until spring comes. It was nine degrees this morning so we may not visit the Zunis until this afternoon. The old VW has no heater.
no, i'd still miss it, al... i lived up on hopi for the good part of a year and it was especially gorgeous when it snowed... i was born and raised in new york [westchester county], lived a long time in connecticut, a year in toronto, and once spent a winter in maine, so cold weather doesn't scare me off...
Then you were better prepared for the snow than I was. We moved here straight from Carpinteria, a little coastal village about ten miles from Santa Barbara, in California. The day we pulled in our driveway it started drizzling; by the time the moving van drove away it was snowing. Now, after twelve years, I look forward to winter. Last year we couldn't get out of our driveway for eight days. I just bought a snow-thrower, so it will probably snow very little.
