A Thanks To You All

For a number of years..., more than I actually like to contemplate at this point in my middle age... I have fancied myself a writer. From the time at the tender age of eight or so when I penned my first couple of science fiction tales, to the time I finished writing and submitted my first actual thriller novel in approximately 2000. Poems uncounted. Silly tales and satire and comedic skits unnumbered. All owing to my blessed departed mother - Alice Faye Haney-McDonald, who taught me to read by the age of four. Books and writing have been a lifestyle despite that my degree is in Applied Mathematics. (Florida Institute of Technology - 1985). Then, something miraculous happened: In October 2021 I joined an online writing site called vocal.media.

Within the plethora of pages, stories, poems, articles, and tales of all kinds I found the combined soul of many writers. It was a glorious soul, shining in the recesses of my mind and bringing enlightenment to dark, dimly trafficked spaces. Here I found the insanely brilliant poems of Brenton F ( https://shopping-feedback.today/authors/brenton-f ). Brenton is Austrailian. What a character. His works never fail to amaze, amuse, and dzzzle me. I could only wish to match his style.

Here I met and befriended a fascinating writer of dark tales and poetry from the subcontinent of India. Dharrsheena Raja Segarran ( https://shopping-feedback.today/authors/dharrsheena-raja-segarran ) is a staunch commentator and supporter of her fellow artists. Her mostly dark tales are absolutely amazing. Inspirational.

Others I have been subscribed to and followed by are too numerous to mention here but some are: JBaz, Mike Singleton, Heather Hubler, Babs Iverson, Real Poetic, Paul Stewart - Iconoclast, Kelli Sheckler-Amsden, Marie381UK, Michelle Liew, and Emily Binkley. These are but a sampling from an all you can eat buffet/smorgasbord.

Every writer of whom I have read, commented, liked, or been read by on here has had an effect on me and my writing. Some have inspired specific stories or poems of mine via their own pieces. ALL have taught me things. Many have touched my heart, tickled my funny bone, caused me to look around fearfully to check for haunts or intruders, or just plain entertained me with a wonderful tale. Thank you all for that.

Suffice to say that, 3 years and 3 months after joining vocal media I am a much better writer than I was in the past - despite my pretensions. The site contest on haikus and the one on senryus opened up an entire dimension of poetry for me of which those who have been reading me are probably aware as I have been greedily devouring and producing them for the past few months. The necessity of saying something meaningful and complete in three short lines of 5/7/5 syllables is ... insanely frustrating; yet it has taught me brevity. It has taught me to make every word count. Even the occasional unofficial challenges posted by subscribers have been an exercise in mental acuity. Specific thanks to JBaz, Mike Singleton, and Poppy there. Again, I thank you all for posting those and giving us starving authors a feast upon which to gorge our brains and test our skills.

I did, for a few months a while back, get frustrated. I stopped posting. I was lost in my own feelings of inadequacy and/or feeling that my tales were not getting their full due in the challenges and such. Well, I'm sure we all get that way on the odd occasion. As per usual, I got over it. I am so glad I did. Since coming back I have learned, written, developed, and grown more than I could have imagined thanks to the fantastic writers here. My horizons have been expanded and my work has improved.

To date I now have won Top Story a grand total of thirteen times. While I will say that there were other of my scribblings that deserved such, IMO, LOL, this is still an achievement worth celebrating. Lucky # 13 on TS I received just yesterday.

Below, in order of oldest to newest are my stories that have been so honored:

A Soldier's Inspiration written from my experiences in the Army (8/15/22)

Water Massage Therapy - An inspirational/romantic poem about being reinvigorated by one's significant other after a hard day: (8/15/22)

Break Up In A Digital Age: A poem about modern relationship problems: 8/16/22

Shuttle Ride to Nowhere: A short fiction story with a vintage feel about a young boy who learned to beware of getting what you ask for: 6/8/23

White Vs. Black: A Poem About the Comparative Qualities of white and black: 10/5/23. This one placed in the Poppy Color Challenge .

Shout It Out: A Poem about Racial and Religious Tolerance: 11/11/23

Collared By the Cat: A heartfelt ode to the wonderful ways in which our feline friends affect us: 6/13/24

Lupine Feast: A horror story written for a site challenge to write about a door which must remain closed. While it won TS and a spot on the Leader Board for most discussed story, it failed to place in the challenge. *shrug* 10/19/24

Searcher: A spine tingling microfiction written for DKs Keep It 100 Challenge. It is a microfiction about a man searching for the woman who dared to leave him. He commits an act of self harm daily during his search. The remarks on this one were overwhelming in their effusive praise. I felt slightly overwhelmed. 11/5/24

The Intolerance of the Tolerant - A Societal Satire: While this was written for the Future Fragments Challenge it is without a doubt my single most controversial post garnering some "mixed" reviews despite being intended mostly for comedic effect. I even debated posting this link, yet, it was a Top Story so.... here it is. 11/20/24

Finding Tom: A short story about a young farm boy seeking his missing friend on Thanksgiving day. It is a vintage feel good family story with a twist. 12/1/24

Blue Rose Cottage: A short story about searching for peace by returning to your roots 12/16/24

A Myriad of Facets: A Poem about the restorative power of first figuring out who you are, then just being who you are. Lucky #13: 1/5/25

Well, my fellow writers/vocalists…. There they are. None of them would have existed without you and vocal media. I would not be the writer I am today without the same. So, thank you all for the support and encouragement I have garnered here. Also, thanks once more for the chance to read the extraordinary musings of a group of fantastic authors.

I wish you ALL the best in this new year of 2025. Take care.

Andy 1/6/2025