| General Non-Fiction posted April 17, 2024 |
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About a friend of FanStory.
Jay Squires
by Terry Broxson
The first thing Jay would tell you about this picture is that it's crappy. "I'm not bald, the camera, the lighting, the wind, the humidity, whatever, didn't work that day. I'm much more handsome!"
Jay was a long-time member of FanStory who now spends most of his writing time on Medium. Jay didn't leave because he was mad at anybody or disillusioned about anything. It was simply a matter of how to budget his expenses. We can all relate to that.
When I joined FS in 2021, Jay was one of my first reviewers. I started reading his work. I said to myself, "Dang, this guy is good." I wasn't sure I belonged. (That's still up for debate.) However, his reviews were encouraging with thoughtful ways to improve my writing.
In my first year on FS, I came up with the idea of interviewing members whose writing and reviews had made an impression on me. The first person I wanted to interview was Jay. If you haven't read it, it's available in my portfolio. I thought he had great insights. His wall of words advice, is burned into my consciousness.
This story is not a plug for Medium which is much different than FS. For one thing, it has over a million members. Barack Obama posted a story last week. Maybe Barack uses a pen name on FS.
Medium does not emphasize ways to improve one's writing through reviews.
The truth is Jay doesn't need any assistance with writing. At age ten he wrote a story. His mother helped him bind five copies with a cardboard cover and twine to create a seven-page book. His uncle sold all five in front of a Woolworths five-dime store for a nickel each. He has been writing ever since.
Last year, Debi Marquette, the FS Poet Laureate of Birthdays, wrote Jay a poem that delighted him and made him blush in his aw-shucks, don't make me cry, kind of way. Later this year, he will turn eighty-five.
Pardon this interruption, as I digress. A week ago, I also received a birthday poem from Debi. I know the fun Jay felt, as well as others who have also been blessed. I know there are a couple of folks who don't like the birthday poems. I feel like I ought to take a shot at 'em, but really, what's the point? Their loss.
Jay got me involved in Medium. It's tricky to understand how it all works. But with Jay's coaching, I figured it out. The main thing about Medium is that it's big business. I would guess it generates a hundred million dollars or more each year. There is also a way for writers to get paid in real dollars for writing. But you've got to work at it.
Jay works at it. I'm not surprised. In the three months I have been on Medium, I have almost four hundred followers. In the last six weeks, I made twenty-three real dollars, which are now in my bank account.
Impressed?
As my dad might have said, "Put this in your pipe and smoke it." Jay has almost five thousand followers. Since I live in Texas and Jay is in Bakersfield, California, I can't tell for sure, but I think he smiles on his way to the bank. No doubt, he has a comb in his back pocket.
I want you to look at the picture of Jay. Forget about the hair. See if you can see what I see. That is a writer for seventy-five years. To me, he looks like Don Quixote. He is smiling because he has found a windmill to slay.
I didn't ask Jay for permission to post this story. I guess if he files a restraining order, I'll have to lawyer up. That may be hard to do. I understand Trump has already hired most of the lawyers in America.
I listed this story as nonfiction/family. I suspect his family on FS is as happy and proud of him as I am.
 Recognized |
#12 April 2024 |
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© 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.