Okay, I was trying to be cute with the title I don’t think it landed well?
Hi fellow readers and writers! Even though I’ve been using this site for many years now, both for reading and writing, this is the first time I’ve attempted to introduce myself. Hi!
I’ve been around the web reading since practically before I was allowed to, using my old pre-smart flip phone. Reading stories on basic mobile browser base sites, discovering nifty and GSS’s predecessors and reading many wonderful and creative tales, wishing I could come up with something even half as good.
It wasn’t until around 2010 that I really got into the idea of writing my own stories, I was reading a long series on nifty, one who’s characters I fell in love with almost instantly. I stayed up until sunrise reading the first 5 parts to that story because it really moved me. somewhere around the last few parts of that story I had the idea to email the author, who then invited me to his yahoo group where I would chat with him and other fans of his writing.
It wasn’t long before I started running ideas by him about stories of my own but set in the world he created, he loved the idea and let me run with it. He kindly allowed me to use his setting with some of his established rules for his characters, and I did my own thing with my own characters with some assistance from him with editing and questions when I had them about fitting my plot into his world. For the most part it was a smooth experience, especially for a total novice like I was.
Eventually I wrote and posted my first story, diving head first into a series, on nifty. A story that is still there, called, Angel in Black. A vampiric tale of tragic loss, revenge and love. I had some nice feedback on it, and some not so nice feedback. And a few people commenting that I was just another author who couldn’t finish a story. As a new writer some of it hurt, even made me want to delete what I’d already written. But I persisted and eventually got to 18 whole chapters on there. The last posted in 2012.
Sadly, another part of writing that particular story was to help me work through some childhood trauma, which it did fairly well. While events are very much exaggerated for the story, what happens to one of the main characters early on is a reflection of my own trauma, and through writing for that character I was able to confront my past and deal with it to an extent that I was happy with. Resulting in the character facing his ‘demon’ in chapter 17. After that the drive to write more just wasn’t there.
That isn’t to say that I’ve ever forgotten about that story or those characters, I’ve reread it many times and even started rewriting it at one point. Saying that, after that I hit a low point and got angry with my writing and deleted everything, Angel in Black, some short stories I wrote, some poetry I wrote, another series I was writing, a take on a sci-fi based around the Halo game series. Another starter for a supernatural/sci-fi that I was working on. A prequel to Angel in Black focusing on one of the other characters in it. All gone. I only have Angel in Black now because its up on nifty still. Anything else I destroyed mainly out of anger and frustration.
Saying all that, I have since written a lot thanks to sites like GSS and its sister sites, CYOC too has been a fun place to write short and hot mini stories. But my best, at least I think so, are here. Even with long periods in between writing, I never forget about my stories.
As I said, Angel in Black has always been in my mind, the characters patiently waiting for me to continue their stories, Applauding the Moon, the prequel to Angel in Black, the one I deleted probably 13 years ago now, I’ve rewritten from memory, and even added more to. No ones read any of it yet… but that may change. And my stories here, my Truth or Dare series, an idea born from the transform or dare tales on CYOC and many I’ve read here, I have many ideas for, but have yet to find the words to get them down. Someday.
Now to me, I’m in my late 30’s now, I’ve been writing since 2010ish, so roughly 15 years. I’m Aussie, never even left the country. I’m gay, have had a loving partner for the last 6+ years, and yes he knows I write here. I’ve struggled with expressing myself since I was a child, that aforementioned trauma playing a huge part of that. I’m probably on the Autism spectrum but I’ve never been tested for that. I was fortunate enough to have a supportive family growing up, my mother particularly was a huge support to me my entire life, she knew I was gay before I had really realized, and wasn’t shy about asking me about it in a busy shopping center. believe me I almost died of embarrassment that day.
I’ve been lucky growing up. I’ve also seen and heard a lot of negativity and homophobia from my own extended family growing up, even more recently. Sadly, I lost one of my biggest supports of my whole life almost 2 months ago, my mother. She had been suffering silently with semantic dementia, none of us family knew until she was struggling to even stand and talk properly. Late stages and young age onset. From when we found out what it was officially, to the day she passed, it was just over a month. and that was 7 weeks and a day ago as of writing this.
This isn’t by any means me trying to say this is why I haven’t written anything for a while, or that I’m giving up. Just that my life has been difficult recently. The illness my mother had made things very difficult from the beginning of this year, and knowing what she had also shed light on difficulties with her the last few years. Writing has been an escape from my life, those difficulties and stresses, and allows me to express myself openly here.
Sorry to get a little deep there, but this is me. Nice to know you all and to both enjoy reading other authors work and know that people also enjoy what I write.
Thanks, Nano.
their unfortunate perspective is almost none of your business, and, may only be true for them anyways and not for any of the other rainbow observers.