Reintroduce Yourself... and your Year One recap!

[JLT]

Previous professional lives include (but are not limited to) mom, naturalist, victim services first responder, belly dancer dancer, litigation paralegal, and heavy equipment operator.

When I first read that sentence, I thought you said "naturist." I doubt that many people get paid for that, though. Speaking of which, I have a dear friend who was once a belly dancer before she was stricken by chronic fatigue syndrome. She also played the oud professionally, although she had to be careful about telling other people that. When she said "I'm an oudist," there was a danger that it would be taken as "I'm a nudist."

I think that as a rule, writers have a far more varied résumé that most people. Whether it's reflected in their writing is another matter, but I can't think it hurts. It certainly exposes you to a far wider variety of people in various walks of life, which is grist for your mill.

What have I been? Short-order cook, worker in schoolbook depository (not the one in Dallas), apprentice electrician, apprentice carpenter, electronic parts salesman, "enumerator" (a census worker for a private company), marijuana dealer, health inspector, health educator, hang gliding instructor, sailmaker, tentmaker, and factory foreman and purchasing agent, among other things.. And I, too, wrote most of the time, from fiction to owner's manuals to a comic book that I did for the Baltimore City Health Department on rat control which, I've been told, has had a million copies printed there and in other cities. No royalties for that, though, because I did it on company time.

 

[CatrionaGrace]

I thought you said "naturist."

Well, many moons ago at a cavers' summer commune, I did that, too, but never considered it a career move.

"enumerator" (a census worker for a private company)

1980 census was my experience with that. I had to borrow a horse to get to a couple of places: too wet for a wheeled vehicle, not enough snow to ski. I like to think I was one of the last horseback census takers, but I doubt I was the only one.

...on rat control which, I've been told, has had a million copies printed there and in other cities.

That is so cool. Did they at least put your name somewhere on the cover? Please tell me it included a caped pipe player from Hamelin named Ratman.

I am so enjoying reading all these posts. Hugs all around, especially to big soft moose, who looks especially squishable, and Homer, who might cook me something nice someday.

 

[Woof]

I don't think I actually did an introduction initially? Well, I was quietly Woof on the old site workshopping the odd poem and short story, I think. Trying to keep a progress journal, badly, so nothing's changed there! I've been writing creatively since I was very young but only really started to give it a proper go when I stumbled into a really friendly offline group around 2012 and from there started writing short stories, poems and one still very much marooned nano novel. I moved on quite quickly to MG fiction and a bit of magical realism/speculative. I've barely had anything published but I also have never really prioritised it.

Coming here, getting on the life boats, was well timed for me. I have had a 7 year battle so far with Myalgic Encephamyeolitis & POTS and a struggle to recover from bed-bound to house-bound and very limited capacity to sit up and tolerate light/sound which makes being in an offline group impossible and even being online very difficult but less so. Of all the many parts of my life that exploded, I was and am determined to get back to writing and finish my many many many still open projects. I kind of have to relearn everything first though. I go through my old work and I enjoy it but cannot fathom how I did it. It's the bizarrest thing. I am finding that just being here, in the company of writers, reading and participating a bit, has started to reawaken bits of my mind I thought were fried and rebuild a bit of tolerance in me so I'm trying to stay hopeful.

I have spent the last year mostly trying to relearn how to sustain reading fiction to get back into the rhythm of storytelling. I'm also trying to find a way through the monumental task of amalgamating two decades of poems and stories and notes and phone notes from several different devices and OS and ancient software and... everything. Overwhelmed doesn't even begin to describe it. The first thing I did when I began to tolerate light/tech again was start to make notes on stories again anywhere and any way I could and it's a bit of a mess. I've always had a butterfly mind anyway which doesn't help.

My biggest achievement by far though was taking part in NaPoWriMo this year so thanks to everyone who set that up and participated with me. I nearly always have a go but rarely complete it now but I think having other people to progress and join in with really helped me commit and get a bit more creative. I really did not think I would be able to manage it and though it did cost me it was HUGE progress for me and has helped me reassess what is possible so... cautious yay! There are three things I vowed to strive to save of my old life: my animal family, my love of nature/outdoors and, of course, writing. This definitely felt like a win for the latter.

 

[Rad Scribbler]

Okey dokey, I'm Rad. I missed the life boats to this forum by a month so ended up having to swim over - and you know how us cats hate water!

I enjoy the researching and writing process but, somehow, never get round to finishing a project before jumping on to the next one - discipline Rad, discipline.

I enjoy this forum as Homer, Moose and the Mods manage it great - keep up the good work!

That's about it folks - see you on the discussion threads.

 

[Louanne Learning]

This forum - new and old - has been central to my development as a writer. I joined the OG (I have no idea what OG stands for but everyone calls the old site that) - specifically to enter the short story contests - and a whole new world opened up for me. I dabbled in writing years ago, but gave it up when my husband required me as his full-time caregiver. He died in 2021, and I joined in 2022, and entered every single contest!

My participation in contests has tapered off with my involvement in the roleplays (highly recommended - especially when you get to write collaborative stories with the incredibly talented writers that I partner with!) - but this forum has soooo much to recommend it - the contests, the workshops, the discussion threads, and the roleplays. Writers heaven.

Today marks the introduction of a new roleplay! Hope you will check us out.

Thread 'Qangata Out of Character (OOC) Discussion'

May 19, 2026

All discussion about the Qangata roleplay should be conducted in this thread.

Roleplay Name: Qangata

Roleplay Genre: Weird Fiction/Cosmic Horror

Calling all powers of a writer’s imagination! (And maybe a bit of darkness.)

Key words here are fantasy, supernatural, horror, mystery, and existential dread.

Weird fiction stories are a type of speculative fiction that features fictional creations as antagonists (e.g. aliens, monsters, etc.) who inspire awe and fear.

Popularized by H.P. Lovecraft, who wrote:

The true weird tale has something more than secret murder, bloody...

• Louanne Learning
• Replies: 224
• Forum: Roleplay Discussions

 

[Homer Potvin]

(I have no idea what OG stands for

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[JLT]

Well, many moons ago at a cavers' summer commune, I did that, too, but never considered it a career move.

I'm glad you had that experience. Not many people are so adventurous.

1980 census was my experience with that. I had to borrow a horse to get to a couple of places: too wet for a wheeled vehicle, not enough snow to ski. I like to think I was one of the last horseback census takers, but I doubt I was the only one.

I remember a census taker who told me that he used to sing "You fill up my census" as he worked.

That is so cool. Did they at least put your name somewhere on the cover? Please tell me it included a caped pipe player from Hamelin named Ratman.

No, it didn't. and they didn't let me put my name on the cover, although it was on the main panel of the first page. The cover looked like this:

 

[DBwrites]

Hello, I'm DBWrites (Danae). I joined this forum after a reddit post was asking for forums to escape reddit (though I kind of still do both, I might get away from that since the feedback there is 50% great 50% atrocious. I tend to hover around these forums and I don't talk much, but I do keep a progress journal going. I should probably comment more.

I've been writing since I was about 2-3 years old (my mother told me I used to scribble in straight lines from left to right, 'writing' before I knew how. I'd write every day in school. I had notebooks confiscated, but then I would draw on my arms so I could take the writing home and copy it later. They can't confiscate my arms.

I've been writing my debut novel, Bjornborn, for around 3 years now and I've slowly developed my voice over the years. It's one of the first pieces of writing that I'm going to publish. I have been struggling with significant writer's block due to grief and depression, but I'm hoping I can start to break free of that soon.

It's been fun being in this group, having a forum where people actually discuss instead of it turning into a Booktok witch hunt or snobbish writer arguments has been nice. It feels more like I'm interacting with writers as opposed to Redditors or faceless folk.

 

[CatrionaGrace]

I had notebooks confiscated, but then I would draw on my arms so I could take the writing home and copy it later. They can't confiscate my arms.

Way to go, Danae.

I hope the reasons for your writer's block ease significantly and soon.

 

[JLT]

Writer's block is a bitch. It sometimes helps to use Hunter Thompson's method: Just open a book and type what you read. He'd use that often to "break up the logjam" and start writing again. Maybe it's the part about getting into another writer's mind for a while.