Oh my - you are a WRITER, a great storyteller - wow!
Have you published?
We used to have these writing groups at Hive ("Isle of Write" and the Inkwell, which is still alive and well, and others) ... I hosted writing contests, I edited manuscripts (for free, always), encouraged newbies,
--But never mind that. YOU ARE A NATURAL. I love the way you write.
Send links to more! Do you have a collection of short stories? A novel in mind (or on paper)? A literary agent?
I read a lot of fiction here at Hive (or used to!). Rarely do I come across a voice like yours!
WELL DONE!!
Thank you so much for the encouraging comments. It has been awhile since anyone was so enthusiastic about my writing; it's exactly the note of encouragement I needed.
As far as publication goes, I published a serial in a newspaper back in 2009-2010. Since 2018, I have written for and published exclusively on Hive. At times over the past 8 years, Hive has seemed like a place a writer could earn a living and be read; not so much at the moment, though I haven't given up on us.
Thanks for reading through my recent work. I'll offer three links to stories and a poem that I think are among my better ones here. The poem especially you might enjoy.
Heart Blood
In the House of Shelly
A Love Poem for Katt (poem)
I appreciate the share on X. I'm cgcliffordgreen on there. I'm looking to expand from Hive, get back to submitting work and write some longer stories, so exposure to the rest of the world is great.
Thank you again for reading.
Thanks for the links, and sorry it's taken me so long -
The rapist story. A brutal read.
I just read a 400-page manuscript for a friend of 15+ years and questioned some of the characters behaviors -- she sent me a diatribe, ridiculing me, going on the defensive --
Her agent rejected it, calling it a Christian novel. Guess what. It reads like a Christian novel.
The hours I spent reading and responding with honesty and much enthusiasm and many affirmations and (always!) pointing out all that is GOOD in the novel (too many critique-ers and workshoppers neglect to do this) -- the YEARS I've spent on the phone listening to this author complain about her family --
I'm done.
Nobody wants my honest feedback.
You are a talented writer, Cliff!
I have a longer story, the newspaper serial I mentioned, which needs a good reader. I hope that I would be able to handle honest criticism. I have revised this story off and on over the past 10 to 15 years, and I'm currently working on brushing up the complete second draft for release on Hive. I know that if it's ever going to be truly finished, it needs a reader. I'm contemplating inviting readers when I publish to Hive, with an eye toward setting any readers that offer constructive comments as beneficiaries on the chapter posts. Is that something you might be interested in doing?
Thank you again for the attention you've given my work. It's great to have someone actually read the stories, and of course being called a talented writer is encouraging. That kind of feedback is what we writers live for, isn't it? :)
Cliff, I have read literally hundreds of manuscripts, some published eventually, some not.
So yes, I'm interested.
"Naked newborns" are my specialty - your first draft is safe in my hands.
First drafts are almost always flawed and need some trimming and tightening, some development.
I had stopped doing critiques, but a friend recently got me to read her manuscript. She gets irate and defensive and even insulting toward me - sorry, lady, I don't care if you've published half a dozen small-press book and you're a paid editor: you don't get to argue with the reader. I wasn't saying she had to change or revise; I was questioning stuff. "Do you really know people in real life who say/do things like this" - or something as simple as "You say the phone bings, but later it pings" -- I don't know anyone who says it "bings" -
Well, never mind her, and her insults (e.g., "You are aware that people can be bedridden for years, right?" and people can identify trees from acres away (yes, by shape and color, not by the bark)
Sorry
She was ridiculing me again yesterday.
I'm beta reading for her, and sharing my reactions, UNPAID, and she's stomping on me.
But.
Yeah, I'll beta read again, but if it's too graphic in the horror genre, or explicit sex that's badly written, or setting dogs on fire, sorry, I'll say "I can't keep reading."
2germanic at gmail dot com