Captain Pike's Ship Log II

I stumbled in here quite by accident. A search for Edgar Allan Poe revealed a link to The Literature Network. No big deal. I discovered tons of author's works here online! Outside of couple of not too nasty pop-ups, no strings attached. I found what I was looking for, bookmarked the site and came back several times to read the works of other authors before I clicked on the forums link.

Oh, now, this is cool, weirdos, I mean lots of cool and interesting people hang out here. So I registered, and read some interesting stuff. Day after day I came back, read a little, but always, I seemed to be drawn to the forums: how did that little argument turn out?, what new short stories might be posted today? Ultimately, I began posting some stuff of my own.

I think I had 20 odd posts in when I read about the short story contest. Who cares? I read some more short stories. All the while, writing on my own, 300 miles away from my old writers group I used to belong to, I wondered what these people might think of my work. I have some challenges which make typing difficult for me. I appealed to the administrator, surely not EVERYONE has to post 100 times before they can even be allowed to enter the contest? Yup, they do. So I grumbled away, vowing not to return. Who are they to require anything of me? I'm the one willing to donate my own work! (The publishers are just fighting to get it) Then I came back, just to read some Tolstoy. Then I wondered how what's her name's vampire story is coming along... I resolved to keep my work to myself, knowing, I've only got about 60 posts in to a different forum that I had been a member of for a year more than here. I'll never hit a hundred at the lit net.

Then I read a newcomer's post, it was actually appended to a thread I started ( http://www.online-literature.com/for...ad.php?t=21968 ), about how it seemed unreasonable, to have a hundred post limit. And here I was ENCOURAGING HER ALONG! Now at 82 posts, the end is in sight. Or actually, just the beginning.

It's a funny thing: I was ready to submit anything to take part in the contest when I had about 22 posts. Now, at 83 (if this counts as a post) I don't know what I'm going to do. It's like a party I wasn't invited to -- who gives a damn? But now, with the great wisdom of an additional 60 posts, I don't have a thing to wear! I'm racing around trying to finish this one story that might be good enough to take up the bandwidth next a bunch a really great writers who help out around here.

The more I explore and learn about the site more grateful I am to be a member.