I will be honest with you. I've been writing since I was a young child. It came easy for me to express myself through the written word. Most of the pieces I wrote over the years were bits of truth sprinkled with a dash of fantasy but most of all they were expressions from both mind and heart. It was past time for me, a way to relax while digging through my mind to form a story.
After decades of creating works of the mighty pen, I switched over to the age of computers, where I taught myself to type and mountains of words poured out of my fingertips. I became known as a “Paragraph” writer as most of the things I wrote were no more than a paragraph or two. I couldn’t call them short stories, really as they were just too short. It was common for me to sit down for an hour and write two or three pieces saving them in a document folder then moving on with my attempt at writing a real book.
Over time I completed and published three books and accumulated hundreds of “Paragraph” pieces that sat in a document folder for years. I wanted to share these pieces but didn’t know exactly how until someone suggested I start a blog. They said to make one entry at a time and include a picture to compliment the story. I liked the idea so I dug into the saved document folder and began my blog. But it went nowhere.
With any given piece, there would be maybe two or three people who read what I had written. Some even commented with a thumbs up or smiling face. Not what I was hoping for. What I was hoping for was feedback, good, bad or indifferent. I wanted many people who enjoyed reading to read my words and tell me what they thought. Did a particular piece remind them of something or someone in their life? Did I touch a nerve or open a memory? But the thumbs up and happy faces prevailed.
I joined various writing groups again, hoping for some feedback and I must say I was disappointed with the results. So, where do I go from here? Forward is the only answer I have. I know in my heart that somewhere out there in cyberspace, some people would enjoy my stories and hopefully have a moment after reading to remember something or someone who touched their lives in similar ways to those in my stories. Those are the people I want to hear from. I want to start a conversation with those who want to share stories of their memories.
Life is one big story that consists of many paragraphs waiting to be shared. You don’t have to be a famous author to write one paragraph, heck you don’t even have to know how to type just use one finger as I did for a while. Share that paragraph with me. I would love to read it. Take a minute and browse through the hundreds of ‘Paragraph” pieces here on my page and leave me a comment if one touches you in some way. Who knows maybe we can create a place where words aren’t just words, but pieces of our lives wanting to be read and shared.
Mike
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