D'Ellyn, Congratulations, hoping your books are a success. I believe everybody has at least one good story in them, but to put it on paper is difficult. For me I'm not a writer.
Thanks @Tony Page. It was a fun project. I may do one on some of the notable male figures in my genealogy next time -- but not until I clear out some other projects first.
I just found this thread. I have several published works including 4 novels, but they never amounted to anything so I quit paying to keep them cataloged. Back in my younger years, I wrote articles for several country magazines. During my early 60's I kept a blog. Never made much at any of it and finally decided it was too much work. I haven't written anything for years except poetry and posts on forums. I decided that writing is an exercise in futility.
So did you write to express yourself with thoughts that you "just had to get down on paper," or were you trying to monetize a creative streak?
It was and still is just scenes, verses, or music that come out of nowhere. For many years I carried a small notebook because ideas came while I was working and if I didn't get them down, I would forget them. When the small digital voice recorders came out, I bought one and always had it with me. It was great for long drives. I can't just sit down and write fiction. It has to come to me without effort. I once wrote technical manuals for kit manufacturers for pay. That was completely different than writing a short story from ideas that popped into my head.
I once wrote technical manuals for kit manufacturers for pay. That was completely different than writing a short story from ideas that popped into my head.[/QUOTE] So you were one of those assemble instruction writers that made me want to blow my brains out on Christmas eve trying to put my kids toys together....
Nope, not at all. I knew better than to do kids kits that required parental assembly. Most of my work was done for electronic and musical instrument kits. I did do a series of birdhouses. Written in English only with assembly diagrams and photos and rated by me as to difficulty. I always added a sense of humor, but rarely did the manufacturer include that. I remember on one of the birdhouses that what I thought would be the easiest way wasn't. I glued the two sides for the roof together and it didn't fit very well as one piece and was best installed as two pieces. This was the final step. When I glanced over the kit the first thing I did was glue the roof together thinking that would simplify things. On the final step, discovering my mistake, I wrote if you didn't follow the instructions verbatim and have already glued the roof together, you have screwed the pooch. They omitted that comment and prefaced my instructions with " Important Follow step by step do not preassemble the roof."
Manufacturers are at fault also not just the assembly writers. Pieces are mislabeled or even missing esp screws, holes and tabs misaligned, most of problems come from injection molding pieces, but all in all I avoid buying stuff that needs to be assembled or I will buy and let son do it.