Eventually(Denise Arnault) Foreword:

Some may take exception to the appearance of Messenger Monica in this narrative, which is being posted in the TRUE category, but to them I will remind that all is not known. Everyone has those two competing voices in the background (shown as little imps on their shoulders in cartoons) vying to influence their actions. I’ve named mine Monica and Malvedes.

I started this article as another of my Messenger series, not planning on admitted that it was about me. I changed my mind (see the final sentence) and wrote this article hoping that it might help another wannabe author graduate from reader to writer.

* * *

There once was a child whose mother loved to read. The mother always had a novel or a magazine on hand and could solve any crossword puzzle with the command of words and current events that she had gained.

This child, me, also took up reading at a very early age. I read second and third grade level books for entertainment before entering kindergarten. With my imagination thus broadened, combined with a penchant for creativity, it was only natural that I should start to consider writing.

Early attempts at story telling were not successful. Story lines were too predictable and dialogue was practically nonexistent. Characters were not important to me at the time. It was the plot, the story line that interested me. Needless to say, early attempts at creative writing were not successful. My mother/editor reported that plots were imaginative but character development was not anywhere to be found. There was no filling.

The desire to be a writer never fully withered, although a pragmatic understanding of my failings limited further attempts. Many stories were planned over the years that followed, some were actually started. One day, in my early twenties, I decided that if it was to ever happen, I had to actually finish a story and submit to a national magazine. I wrote a Sherlockian mystery tale and submitted to a magazine that published short mysteries. The results of my untrained, naïve approach were predictable, my first official rejection notice.

There were some technical successes, so not all attempts at being an author ended in failure. Now an adult, I had learned chess and played in the top ten percent of the population. While never a national or state champion, many local championships were won with the trophies to prove it. This led to a pitch to a local paper for a weekly chess column which was accepted and ran for about a year. Finally I was a published, maybe even read, author!

An article regarding the use of specific memory locations in early microcomputers along with the programming code to utilize this information was actually published in a respectable national computer magazine. I now had a larger audience but still not the Great American Novel.

Still, the desire to write was nurtured, or at least not forsaken over the years. Story lines, plots, series ideas, they all were dreamed about but never implemented. Life being what it is, time becomes a more precious commodity and must be spent more frugally, as we become parents and professionals. The actual reading of written words became a luxury, something reserved for technical literature related to the work of programming computers. Fictional works were relegated to audio books during daily commuting.

Computer programming was a good living and eventually gave way to website programming. Unfortunately for my success, this was not until after the .COM era. Still, ideas for websites and eventually phone apps that might prove popular now intermixed with novels and movie scripts. The prospect of publishing something that millions or at least thousands of people would enjoy continued to be a dream.

Meanwhile, in everyday life, it became more common for local self-published authors to be found selling their books at annual festivals and fairs. Desiring to support another’s dream, the books were always purchased, even though there was no expectation that I would ever read them.

One day, not that long ago, a local author, Jacqueline E. Smith, was selling several anthologies of short stories at one such gathering. I purchased ‘Broken Mirror’ and set it on the shelf with the others obtained earlier. But then a decision was made to actually read the short stories in that last purchase. One a night before sleep was decided upon. Short stories would not take too long to read. The joy of finding new vistas through the written word was rediscovered. The book is available on Amazon and I highly recommend it. I am not going to put the link to it in here, because I don't want anyone to think I am trying to profit from the recommendation. A simple search of the author and title will find it if you are interested.

Of course , this supply of stories ran out rather quickly, having only one volume.

* * *

Monica was a very patient soul. She would have received an award for it, if one had been available in this case. Monica was a Messenger, an ethereal being, who existed on a different plane than I did. She had tried for many years to help this particular unreceptive human succeed.

Don’t let me mislead you. There were some successes. They were just not in proportion to the hours and hours spent on the many projects that were based on good ideas but were never followed through to the final goal. There’s no need to bore you with ideas that I did not complete that others did. There seemed to be a fear of failure that prevented finishing anything. Monica did her best to advise and support, but success was elusive. There may have been an Infidel or two, those other ethereal entities who work to pull you down whispering in my other ear about how I had no chance of making a difference. We all have those voices giving us competing advice.

* * *

With the exhaustion of the tales in the ‘Broken Mirror’, I was beginning to miss the joy of reading. It had become a nightly habit.

Monica whispered in my ear, ‘Perhaps you should examine the Internet.’

The thought occurred to me that I could probably find short stories to read on the web somewhere. It turned out that there were many. I was interested in Reedsy.com immediately because it not only offered stories to read but accepted submissions for a small fee. Wattpad.com did so as well. Both offered instructional posts on how to become an author and how to write better.

Monica continued her advice, ‘Aspiring authors such as yourself must want a place to post their stories for free.’

Ever on the outlook for a new idea for a website I got to thinking about what would be required to create such a location. At the very least, it would give me a way to publish my own stories.

‘Did you notice the Storystar website in your search results,’ Monica said later in the week. ‘They have a lot of stories.’

I enjoyed the posts on Storystar more than the other sites and soon found myself only reading from there, and also more than just at night. Storystar is a very inviting website where many good authors from all countries and walks of life share their stories. No need to create my own website when JD had done so well already!

Another push in the direction of writing myself came when I was reading the Blog posts on Storystar.com about Writing Tips. The first tip at the time was by Valerie Allen where she shared her thoughts on Short Story Success. In it, she mentioned how easy it was to post your stories on Amazon, in the Kindle Direct Publishing section. Maybe you make money, maybe you don't.

I mulled over in my head if it was really possible to finally become a writer. I had some story ideas that I was sure might enjoy, or that might help others change the way they think, to maybe become less polarized.

* * *

Monica chose her moment well, suggesting one night, ‘You have been wanting to tell our stories. This is your chance!’

‘You have some things to say that you feel can help others. Here is your vehicle. Now is the time!’ Monica challenged me. 'Put up or shut up! Live the dream or give up the dream.'

I decided that it was now or never. The universe, and maybe my Messenger, were all agreed that I could do it, that I should do it, so I decided that I would do it.

I started to post my stories on Storystar.com, hoping that they might make a difference, or at least that someone might enjoy them. It made me very happy when JD picked some of the stories for Story of the Day or Week. Many readers left nice comments. I've also followed Valerie's advice and posted all of my stories on Amazon. It's free to publish and not much more work. You never know…. I’ve also considered recently serializing one of my other story ideas on Kindle Vella but may not. That would be a time commitment I may not be ready for.

* * *

In case you have not yet guessed it, this work is very much autobiographical. I hope that no one is offended by the Messenger references, thinking that this article does not belong in the True Story section. Of course, there are those of us who do believe that Messengers are real…

As I am reviewing and editing this post to make it ready to publish, I have recently finished reading another story by Kevin Hughes Entitled Milestones. https://www.storystar.com/story/27509/kevin-hughes/true-life/inspirational-2
In this post he lays out a very good explanation of his own journey to becoming an author, which has resulted in his story count of over 1300 at the time of that posting. If you have not read that post, I highly recommend it. Anyone reading this story could also become a writer if they wished. Just follow Kevin's and Monica's advice. There is no doubt that Kevin is a better writer than I am, but to paraphrase what he says in his article, you got to start somewhere. You will get better with practice.

* * *

At 74, I can’t claim that my becoming a writer resulted from perseverance, which is what I originally wanted this story to be about, but eventually is a good word too!

Monica said, ‘ I’m so glad that you are doing this! Let me introduce you to another Messenger, my friend Doohan MacDonald. He has a lot of stories to share.’


Epilogue:

There are no introductions or forewords to stories on Storystar.com, but when I post the stories on Kindle Direct Publishing I always use the following:

Copyright © 2024 Denise Arnault
 
All rights reserved
 
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
 
This story was originally published as an e-book short story at https://www.storystar.com/profile/23692/denise-arnault#stories
 
All stories published on StoryStar are free post and to read. I usually try to publish a short version of my stories there before publishing the longer version on Amazon.
 
Dedication
 
All my Messengers stories are dedicated to Monica and to Master Po. This unlikely duo provided me insight into the possibilities available.
 
Introduction

This story, as do all of the tales about the Messengers, provides an uplifting history of an event or group of events concerning a particular theme, as related to me by the sometimes feisty, but always loquacious, Scottish Messenger Doohan MacDonald. Even though he is not MY Messenger, he seems to delight in sharing his stories with me, knowing full well that I will pass them on to my readers. I do my best to pass along his words, as given by him to me, and fault any inaccuracies to the glass of Laphroaig Scotch Whiskey that he bids me to drink in his honor as we talk. He has told me many times that his only regret in his current existence is the inability to enjoy for himself the peat smoke aroma and flavor of this product of his home Isle of Islay.

One final note: I only mentioned Amazon to show others that it was one of their publishing options. I am not asking you to purchase my stories from Amazon. There is no benefit to you. Many of them do have additions and minor changes to those that were posted on Storystar, but they would not be worth the expense. Don't get me wrong. I like money and am happy that some people may find my work there first and provide a little income, but my main goal is to just get my works published and read, and thereby maybe making someone's life better or happier.

* * *

One final shout-out: I'm a very private person and am normally not comfortable speaking to others about me, but I was impressed with the courage that Kanesha Andrews displayed in publishing her own private feelings. If you have not read it yet, check it out at https://www.storystar.com/story/27655/kanesha-andrews/true-life/inspirational-2 I promised her that I would get out of my comfort zone and post this article too, so here it is.

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