| Biographical Non-Fiction posted July 19, 2022 |
  |
Am I addicted to FanStory?
Confessions of a FS Addict
by Terry Broxson
Am I addicted to FanStory? Maybe I need a twelve-step program. Let me explain how it is all FanStory's fault.
Nine months ago, I had never heard of FS. And, of course, it had never heard of me. It was pure mutual ignorance, and it worked well for everyone concerned. I would write a little story and send it out to a few friends and distant relatives. Now and then, I would get an email, "Good story."
But then I discovered FS. All because I wanted to enter a poem in a contest. I am not even a poet, certainly not a good one. But I entered the poem in a free verse contest, and it won second place! I was hooked.
I signed up for a membership. I get to read commentary, nonfiction, fiction, satire, humor, sad stories, book chapters, scripts, and all kinds of poems. Some types of poems have funny names and numbers. I don't read the X-rated stories because I got too old to remember what it's all about.
I do like reading other writers. However, there is a dark side.
I have to worry about writing reviews. I don't like to give a bad review. So, I don't, of course, I don't tell anybody. I now worry about getting critical reviews. Not everything I write is good, sad, but true. And then there is the problem of promotion. I am not out of money yet, but the FS staff is planning a vacation to Hawaii.
This is how the addiction process starts, you get a little high from a second-place finish, and you want more. I found out that initial success stops quickly. My stories were full of bad punctuation, spelling, grammar, and those impossible quote marks. I had a lot to learn.
Even if I managed to write a good story, my presentation suffered greatly. My reviews reflected my feeble attempts with a list of edit suggestions. I learned a new word, "Spags." I made all the changes. Sometimes the reviewers disagreed on how to make the change. In those cases, I would guess.
A few months ago, I found Grammarly. This is not an ad for them. I know it's not always right, and it misses stuff. But my presentation improved. I got a report from Grammarly the other day, which shows in the last six months, it checked 1,169,554 words. Well, I typed mine. And then read them many times over. So give me about ten million word checks.
I did start to learn a few things. I had more help, but it was not a what. It was several who suggested some whats. Here are a few of the who and their whats:
Susan Newell taught me about quotation marks.
Barbara Wilkey has almost broken my habit of using next (following), and I use too many "that" that I don't need.
Jay Squires educated me on presentation and the wall of words.
Lyenochka said she learned from Robin Corum, and then l learned from her to avoid "He felt" and "She saw." phrases that take away from direct experience.
RG Star gave me some good advice on how to rewrite and edit by walking away and coming back the following day.
In a review from Giraffmang, he convinced me of the concept of not changing tenses. The concept is one thing; application is another.
Humpwhistle has provided me with a wealth of knowledge about atmospheric writing, where the character( s) emerge from the setting. He is also filling my mind about ways I can improve my dialogue.
Anmuma said to me a couple of months ago, "Just keep writing." I thought I had run out of ideas for stories. I got an idea a week later, and she recently reminded me, "You have twenty posts since then, and some are even good."
There are some "Eagle Eye Editors" on FS like Gary Maclean. I do take his suggestions to heart. I suggest that FS consider an "EEE award for correcting suggestions."
Early on, I got a message from FanStory; you have a new fan! I told Karenina, "I never had a fan." More pressure, I got to please my fan.
I guess the point is that I did get addicted. So, "Hi, my name is Terry, and I am addicted to FS! Where is the coffee?"
Nine months ago, I had never heard of FS. And, of course, it had never heard of me. It was pure mutual ignorance, and it worked well for everyone concerned. I would write a little story and send it out to a few friends and distant relatives. Now and then, I would get an email, "Good story."
But then I discovered FS. All because I wanted to enter a poem in a contest. I am not even a poet, certainly not a good one. But I entered the poem in a free verse contest, and it won second place! I was hooked.
I signed up for a membership. I get to read commentary, nonfiction, fiction, satire, humor, sad stories, book chapters, scripts, and all kinds of poems. Some types of poems have funny names and numbers. I don't read the X-rated stories because I got too old to remember what it's all about.
I do like reading other writers. However, there is a dark side.
I have to worry about writing reviews. I don't like to give a bad review. So, I don't, of course, I don't tell anybody. I now worry about getting critical reviews. Not everything I write is good, sad, but true. And then there is the problem of promotion. I am not out of money yet, but the FS staff is planning a vacation to Hawaii.
This is how the addiction process starts, you get a little high from a second-place finish, and you want more. I found out that initial success stops quickly. My stories were full of bad punctuation, spelling, grammar, and those impossible quote marks. I had a lot to learn.
Even if I managed to write a good story, my presentation suffered greatly. My reviews reflected my feeble attempts with a list of edit suggestions. I learned a new word, "Spags." I made all the changes. Sometimes the reviewers disagreed on how to make the change. In those cases, I would guess.
A few months ago, I found Grammarly. This is not an ad for them. I know it's not always right, and it misses stuff. But my presentation improved. I got a report from Grammarly the other day, which shows in the last six months, it checked 1,169,554 words. Well, I typed mine. And then read them many times over. So give me about ten million word checks.
I did start to learn a few things. I had more help, but it was not a what. It was several who suggested some whats. Here are a few of the who and their whats:
Susan Newell taught me about quotation marks.
Barbara Wilkey has almost broken my habit of using next (following), and I use too many "that" that I don't need.
Jay Squires educated me on presentation and the wall of words.
Lyenochka said she learned from Robin Corum, and then l learned from her to avoid "He felt" and "She saw." phrases that take away from direct experience.
RG Star gave me some good advice on how to rewrite and edit by walking away and coming back the following day.
In a review from Giraffmang, he convinced me of the concept of not changing tenses. The concept is one thing; application is another.
Humpwhistle has provided me with a wealth of knowledge about atmospheric writing, where the character( s) emerge from the setting. He is also filling my mind about ways I can improve my dialogue.
Anmuma said to me a couple of months ago, "Just keep writing." I thought I had run out of ideas for stories. I got an idea a week later, and she recently reminded me, "You have twenty posts since then, and some are even good."
There are some "Eagle Eye Editors" on FS like Gary Maclean. I do take his suggestions to heart. I suggest that FS consider an "EEE award for correcting suggestions."
Early on, I got a message from FanStory; you have a new fan! I told Karenina, "I never had a fan." More pressure, I got to please my fan.
I guess the point is that I did get addicted. So, "Hi, my name is Terry, and I am addicted to FS! Where is the coffee?"
 Recognized |
#25 July 2022 |
You need to login or register to write reviews. It's quick! We only ask four questions to new members.
© Copyright 2024. Terry Broxson All rights reserved.
Terry Broxson has granted FanStory.com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.