Dec 28, 2012 2nd anniversary

This is the 2^nd anniversary of my opening my own story website. Since then my collection has grown to 745 posts (excluding blog entries which raise that total to 782). Last year at this time I was at 567 posts less blog entries. That means I have posted 178 entries, 86 of which were newly written this year and another 20 which were edited from stories I had previously written in years past.

Naturally I have written stories this past year that are yet to be posted, tales that are either customs, requests, or stories posted to other websites. Sometimes I write a story and post it to a different website I frequent, leaving it alone for awhile before I upload it to the library. But all stories I post somewhere else will eventually be posted to my website. It is just a matter of time combined with my discretion as to when I will upload them.

I have enjoyed writing the occasional request that may be off the beaten track from my usual fare. I believe these stories challenge me as a writer so that I do not get burned out pumping out the usual tales with a similar theme that I normally enjoy writing about. I can tell you that at times it has actually been kind of hard to work on some of these stories that I normally enjoy working on. Perhaps it is this burnout factor that is involved, for eventually I do get the inspiration I need to get back to them.

The individuals for these customs and requests in virtually all instances have highly commended me for the story I wrote for them, especially when it came to including the elements they requested. These stories have sometimes been rather unique, no doubt contrary to your tastes. But an author thrives on positive feedback and it has given me great joy knowing I have written a certain story for a particular individual that has really hit the mark.

I understand your dismay as to why I might post some of these “questionable” stories. I too question whether or not to post certain stories. But my reasoning is simple: there may be others out there who might happen to enjoy that particular story and are thankful I chose to post it. So I take the risk, knowing some of you will not like it while others will find it a surprisingly enjoyable read. And who knows… the next story I post might be one you thoroughly enjoy but never expected me to write about!

As you know, the library keeps track of the votes on each story. I fully understand the “1” votes, although to be honest I suspect every one of my stories could receive a “1” from somebody for not fulfilling their interests. But what really catches my eye are the multiple high votes on any particular story. That indicates to me that it is the type of story that might be well received should I choose to post another along a similar theme sometime in the future. So I want to thank you for those “4’s” and “5’s” as they help give me ideas on what to consider working on when I’m trolling for new inspiration.

…and as for that Mayan calendar? My apartment was not hit by a meteor and my building did not take me down into a sinkhole. The facility my ex resides in is still standing and she is doing well. And my mother and sister are also alive and well as Montana has not fallen off the face of the earth. Perhaps those Mayans were working with limited space when building their calendar and simply ran out of room when they reached 2012 and no other parchments were available to continue the work.

I hope your Christmas was a joyous one and that many happy memories were created. And I hope the New Year brings many wonderful experiences with joyous friendships. Thank you for stopping by. I do hope I have written something in my library to your liking. And I am always open to requests and new ideas… although I cannot promise anything. But you never know when inspiration will strike and I might get the urge to work on something a little different…