Nobody knows what their voice is until they've written for a good few years. And more often than not, it is only other people who can spot it for you. Write what you feel like writing, how you feel like writing it.
I stopped in to see what the site was about. So far its been pleasant but I will have to take a more in depth look for I belong to another site that has treated more then fairly. The support there is wonderful so I'll have to see whats up here. I honestly came acrooss this site on accident. Well thanks for the hard work and dedication to the site so people like me can still have places to check out and maybe even join.
Sincerely, Writersmind
Hey ya'll!!!! I am an ameture poet from southern alabama, and i need a little help getting started. any suggestions on getting published? I need a really cheap way, but an effective one. plz help.
sbc
Sadly Herbert is one of a group of people who come here full of enthusiasm and appear to want the site to stand still whilst they are feted in welcome. it shows either an insecurity or an arrogance when they flounce off if this doesn't happen. I'm sure with a different attitude he would have found great stimulation here in the future. It's his loss if 3 days is the limit of his tenacity.
Why is it that people can't join a site, sit on the sidelines for a bit to observe the modus operandi, join in slowly but surely until they feel at home and THEN raise their profile. There are many here who have done just that and are a part of the community without having to footstamp their way to recognition. Perhaps they are just impatient to be noticed, who knows.
I've no doubt I will be criticised for this post by the usual suspects and accused of driving newbies away.
Yawnnnn.
No Mississippi, you are reading it wrong.
I did not expect anyone to stand still and look at my work. I asked for assistance and was ignored. I received a single comment which was totally useless and if three days is not enough to observe and judge a "new house" then you must be slow.
I am not any more impatient than the next guy but I don't like nice welcoming words, a confused site with little logic and frankly, I saw nothing in the poetry here that would have justified the general ambience.
You didn't measure up, others do, so perhaps you learn from it.
H
I believe I offered what I thought was assistance as soon as I saw your request for it, (inspite of the abusive crap from the twerp in Australia, who most here despise, I might add). You were welcome to email me for any further help I may have been able to provide.
The offer is still open.
Hello Ashley, welcome to the site. If you look on the front page, there should be a link showing you how to register as a member and then open up your own set of stories. I hope that there's a simple explanation of how to do this now - if not, come back and ask about anything you're stuck on, and someone will help you.
Hello everyone, it is nice to get an influx of new people. While we're having some problem with quarrelsome people at the moment, there are plenty of people here who will be supportive and helpful, and enjoy a discussion about just about anything. The big thing about abc is the more you put into it, the more you get out of it - read someone's story or poem and tell them what you think and you'll find that people do the same for you.
Well, you've certainly got the hang of this forum in record time, Herbert.
It might not do much for your poetic artistry but it rapidly develops the thickness of your skin :)
Herbert,
Most of the work that comes up here is ignored by commentary. There are a few favorites that get attention. Most of the writers that post here ignore the threads as well. This is a strange place, but if you look through the writing forums and find a few individuals that seem to be doing what you are looking for, you should try contacting them directly. One-on-one feedback is always better and more honest than a public discussion.
I was wondering if there is anything I need to do to have someone look at my posted poem.
I would greatly appreciate a comment and thank the helpful person in advance.
Best wishes,
herbert
Try posting a link to it on the top forum Herbert, "Discuss writing from abc". It's a useful and helpful forum, and you'll also find that if you flag up others work that youve enjoyed, people will be more inclined to have a look at your stuff. Good luck!
Hello,
how r u i m fine.how ru just give me reply and make me friendship with me and make me in touch with this message.thank you for a part of your side.
Thanks Liana. I have no idea what you are talking about and find this site very difficult to use.
If no one wants to look at new poems what would be the point of posting here?
H
I stopped by for a brief visit with the intention of staying.
The welcome at this site and the assistance from the residents with navigation of a site that is not easy to grasp immediately, was very underwhelming.
If I have to beg others to read my poems only to receive a snippy answer with a number of spelling mistakes and meaningless comment I would not recommend you to anyone nor would I stay longer than absolutely necessary.
I have found other sites that are much more user friendly and thus say good-bye.
It has not been a pleasant experience.
H
hey Walt, welcome aboard. I guess I should tell the good folks of ABC that you are in fact, not only a woman (and I use the word in its broadest terms) but my big sister up there in Blackpool.
great!
my bloody big sister is on ABC!
Wonderful!
Oh well its been nice knowing you all, (apart from Jasper of course).
Don't believe a word she says, she's only just got out of prison and has a 'kill first, ask later' approach to most things that happen to fall into her path.
right that's the introductions over, there will be NO brother-sister nonsense. We will be, as we have been for most of my adult life, sworn enemies... because that's what siblings do.
Seriously though Walt, hey read some stuff, write some stuff and don't let the resident dickheads get you down... no names mentioned, you'll find them soon enough, the good news is that they're outnumbered by about ten to one by some superb individuals who can teach us all a lot about writing and that (my dearest sisoire) is what we're here for n'est pas?
BTW
you could at least spell my friggin name right ya big paluka!!!
It's a shame you feel that way Herbert... There are lots of people willing to read on here, and lots of things to read too.
There are also people who respond in perhaps not the most articulate of ways to posts... you learn to sort out what's what.
There are instructions of what to do on the front page. Generally we don't flag up our own work... we read other people's and then flag up those and get a discussion going. People then respond by doing the same to you.
It is a really brilliant site once you get into it, and you may find readers that help change your writing for the better, and writers that change your way of looking at the world.
The site is not censored in anway, which is why you may have found some of the posts unhelpful. Overall this leads to a better site, but you have to accept that with that comes negative stuff too.
Give it another go, if you fancy it. Like all good things, it takes time, effort and care to get the most out of abc tales... you wouldn't expect to pick up a violin and play like a maestro on first go... you'd practise and find your way round the instrument.
Good luck.
It's not a case of 'no one wants to look at new poems', 'Herbert'. It's a case of every site having an established system and all members, including new ones, are encouraged to use it. Now what Liana said above is hardly encoded. You go to the top forum. You post a link to your poetry (that is, the address showing in the address bar when your poem is on your screen). She further states, quite correctly, that if you read other peoples stuff and post a thread about it (also on the top forum), then they will be encouraged to read your stuff.
Now what is so difficult about that?
Hello :-)
Firstly, thanks for the opportunity to introduce myself to you all though there isn't really much to say.
I started doodling poetry (ish) about four months ago, I am still unsure as whether it qualifies as "Good Idea" or not. A generous writer introduced me to this site where I hope to learn something of the art of creative writing and enjoy reading the work of others.
all the best
Lenchen
[%sig%]
Hi this is for anyone. I submitted a story but I don't know if it is published or not. Is there a step I must do in order to publish to abctales.com? Thanks Bill at farwestco.
Hi! I'm a new folk. I retired 18 years ago at 40 in Canada and moved to a small hill station in the Himalayas of Northern India. I have spent the last 28 years trekking and mountain biking over much of Northern India and have written many stories of my adventures which I would like to share with you. I am not a professional writer so I would like any criticism of my style which I hope will make me a better story teller. Thanks
I suppose Herbert has a point: it's never been the number one site for the feedback-hungry: there's too big a volume of stuff posted, no limits.
Still, you'll find the feedback on most other sites a gushing glib load of old crap anyway. Out of them, I recommend UKA.
vfrankwf.doc Frank Waffle 12 Oct. 1990
I have been a “regular” at the Waffle House on McFarland Boulevard in Tuscaloosa, Alabama since I came to town seven months ago to run the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder at the VA hospital. My wife spent the summer with me but she is back in Israel for the last month to be with the children, grandchildren and her family for the holidays. Almost every day after work, late in the afternoon or early evening I stop at the Waffle House to read the local newspaper and to unwind from the stresses of working with twenty five hospitalized Viet Nam veterans who seriously suffer from PTSD. I am sitting at the counter drinking a cup of coffee and Frank, the cook has been chatting with me.
He says, "That's the reason I'm so darn depressed, you know?'
"No I don't, Frank, maybe you could explain it a little more." He is in his early forties, blonde hair, partially bald, with deep facial creases. A paper Waffle House cap sits tall on his head, pushed towards the back. He is average in height, is stocky, with thick forearms and upper arms and somehow manages to move gracefully.. He speaks slowly, in fact, he does everything with a slow, steady rhythm.
He nods, turns away from me to reposition the big knife and to wipe the clean cutting surface one more time, carefully placing his white rag on the edge, pushes his Waffle House cap more tightly on his head. "You see," he says turning to face me, "I got 2 things that get me down. I’m a Viet Nam vet and I got it all, nightmares, anxiety attacks all over the place. But I learned to live with it for more than twenty years. It’s the second one that breaks my balls - oops, sorry Doc. I ain’t supposed to talk like that to an educated gentleman like you.”
My smile and nod encourages him to go on. “All I earn is five dollars an hour and by the time I pay taxes, my food bill here for the week and my insurance, all I come home with is one hundred and forty three dollars a week. That ain't much to live on, even though I'm living alone. So all I can afford to gamble is thirty two dollars a week at the dog track." He pulls the napkin box towards him, stares at if for a moment and then daintily pulls out a napkin, carefully folding it so that the printed logo of the Waffle House is hidden. Pulling a pencil stub out of his back pocket, licking the point lightly with the tip of his tongue, he begins to write slowly as he explains.
"Two dollars for each Quinella, which makes twenty four dollars cause there are twelve races, right? Then I bet a two dollar Suspecta on the third, sixth, ninth and twelfth races. Let's see. Uhm...That's another eight dollars. So all told thirty two, you see?"
I say that I do though I really don’t because I have no idea of what a Quinella is, let alone a Suspecta. It was very quiet in the Waffle House, the two waitresses are whispering together by the coffee machine, there are two customers silently eating in a booth at the back. Blaring through the quiet is a big juke box pumping out loud country music and there is a strong, vibrating thrum from fan over the grill. Frank continues to speak.
"If I had a bankroll of say, a thousand dollars, I'd be able to go to the dog track every day and in two years I'd triple the money."
I finish my coffee, slightly raising the cup off the counter in the direction of Pat, my waitress, and she comes over immediately, smiling easily at me showing her prominent buck teeth. She gives me a refill while Frank and I watch her seamless movements..
I am excited. One of the reasons I came to Tuscaloosa was to improve our financial condition. Israel was in a serious recession and I was getting deep into debt. I had known too much poverty during the big Depression of the ‘30’s when my father couldn’t make a living and we had to go on Welfare.
Maybe this was the miracle I had always been hoping for. If Frank was right, and he sounds so sure of himself, and says he has proof, then I could scrape together a thousand dollars and give it to him. He's serious, dependable, reliable, compulsively clean and he works with a slow, steady rhythm, regardless of the terrible pressures he's under when the place is busy.
Suppressing my excitement I lean towards him and in a stage whisper I asked him to explain what a Quinella and Suspecta is. Now he was getting excited.. He picked up the napkin, turned it over but discarded it when he saw the logo. He carefully pulled another one out of the box and for the next five, slow minutes explained what they are. A Quinella is picking the first two dogs in a race to come in first and second, or second and first, in an eight dog field. A Suspecta is picking the exact order of the first four dogs in an eight dog field.
"You know, in the last two years I picked twelve Suspectas and the most money I won was more than two thousand dollars."
I am getting more excited, as I lick my own imaginary pencil and make fantasized napkin calculations. "This is it," I shout exuberantly to myself.
A customer comes into the restaurant and I feel a slight irritation and frustration. Here I am going to make my fortune and this man comes in to bother me and Frank. He is greeted warmly by Frank, Pat and the other waitress and he sits in a booth by the window.
Meanwhile, Frank has pulled today's newspaper from under the counter; it is folded to the sport's page and the columns of yesterdays results from the local dog track. He tells me that he mind bets the dogs every day and he's ahead.
"Then why don't you go to the track every day," I ask naively?
"I can't because I don't get off from work until nine p.m. and the races start at eight. I could make the bets in the morning. They have advanced betting, did you know?"
"No I didn't. So?"
"I ain't got enough money for gas to get there, besides, I'm riding a pickup that ain't registered because the guy who sold it to me didn't register it and he ain't about to pay for it now." His explanation sounds funny to me but my excitement shrugs off my doubts.. I only have eyes for the big bundle he is going to make for me.
He pauses to look at the man at the window and then over at the waitresses, indicating that he wants one of them to take the order. Then he grins at me, exposing the gap where his four upper front teeth used to be; he nods slowly and says that he can show me how well he would have done yesterday - if he had gone to the track. He pauses dramatically and then says apologetically, "But I won't. I'll tell you which are the winners today."
My imagination almost lifts me off my seat, while my heart beats like a rocket engine revving up before takeoff. Everything seems normal in the Waffle House: The man in the window booth is reading a newspaper and drinking a cup of coffee, Pat attends to the couple who are standing at the register. I suddenly realize that Frank’s voice has stopped. I have been day-dreaming all the way to the bank and I haven't been listening to Frank.
"I'm sorry but my mind was wandering, could you repeat that?"
"Don't you mind none, Doc. I know about that. I'm depressed too because of my money situation. I can't work on another job cause I ain't got the energy or the time. Where was I?"
"You were explaining about today's winners."
He circles his choices with his pencil stub and I ask him to write them down for me as I might go to the track tonight. He says he’ll be glad to and does it, mumbling, shaking his head from side to side, nodding, grimacing. When he's finished Pat is speaking loudly above the loud music and the exhaust fan noises. The man has ordered and she is calling it out to Frank..
Without looking at her he turns to his grill and prepares the order. In two minutes it's done and he's back, leaning on the counter, pushing back his cardboard Waffle House cap.
"I'll write it down for you." He pulls another napkin, and laboriously writes his picks. He hands the treasured napkin to me and I take it, lying like a trooper, saying that I'm not sure if I'll go. He reassures me that he knows I'm busy and I shouldn't worry.
I thank him, leave a tip for Pat, pay my bill. Frank is scraping the grill which looks clean to me. I go out, planning to go to the track tonight.
I went.
I won the first race and began making plans for a contract with Frank and what I'd do with the money.
The second race lost.
The third race lost.
I lost all of Frank’s touted races, losing twenty two dollars and forty cents. I was betting four dollars on each Quinella and Suspecta.
The next day I was back in the Waffle House for my late afternoon coffee. Frank smiled at me when I came in. He was busy all the time and we never did get to talk. Pat gave me coffee.
Before I left, I told Frank that I didn't have time to go to the track.
I said, "Maybe some day we'll go out together."
"Sure Doc, he answered, as he slowly wiped his clean counter. “Anytime. With you it’s money in the bank. You just name the date."
I walked thoughtfully out of the Waffle House, saying to myself, “Don’t bank on that, you hear?”
The end
I was told about this site by a female poet who is one (of the few?) that likes my writing.
I am a native speaker of German but live in Australia and write 'poems' in both English and German.
Except for a short time in the 1960's I had not written any "serious" poetry, mostly produced funny stuff for birthdays and other special occasions.
In July 2004, something happened which made me start writing and I really haven't stopped since.
Being unable to judge my work I hesitate posting any, maybe I am waiting for a dare or an invitation.
Best wishes,
Herbert
Go for it Herbert, you will never know what others think until you try... if you are interested in other peoples reactions (and every writer who takes their writing seriously, should be)
I did a few years ago and decided it was not for me so hang around here in 'General' forum instead, as I enjoy a good lively discussion.
There are many good writers on this site, and usually someone who is willing to take time out to critic your work... if you ask politely. The forum for commenting on ABC writers work is :
Have fun.
Gerry
I was thinking about this, and I think I have it figured out. I want to know if I can do it. I want to prove I can do it, and that I'm not thick. Sad isn't it?
B
Welcome yakingyeti
I just read this of yours:
You must have stacks of interesting stories! I want to read them all so get posting!
Was this piece written at the time? Sounds like it. It will be interesting to see how your perspective changes over the long period of time you have been there.
My only comment on your short piece so far is space out with shorter paragraphs for easy reading (I think you have to select the 'text' option when posting work unless you enter stuff in html)... Hrmm ok, I am no critic, however you have nice readable style and seem pretty good on descriptions...
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