Wet Behind the Ears-Oh no! A cliche!

Hello all! I am a newbie. To this forum, and any other. Forums have always vexed me. And no, I'm not ancient learning how to interwebz or anything like that, I have just preferred to be old school while everyone else camps in line a week ahead to get the newest cell phone. I typed my first works on a typewriter, saved my first digital works on floppy disks, and did my research via encyclopedias. All during the growing internet age (but there was dial-up, so it was still basically useless). I live in a small town with fairly small minded people where an intellectual is more rare than a Pegasus-unicorn-mermaid-centaur (do yourself a favor and don't try to picture that). As such, I've been brow-beaten into delving into the infinite internet realm in hopes of finding the elusive intellectuals so that I can finally find others who speak the same language as I pretend to.

I am closer to thirty than to twenty-one. Bachelor's in Automotive Business Management. Experience is in the RV industry in corporate management. Traded all the ratchets and meetings and memos and soooo many reports!!! all for the freedom that the life of a writer allots. (Freedom?? What world is this noob living in, are we not all slaves to this craft if not more so than we once were to that dreaded time-clock??)

I have completed my first manuscript (the first I'm willing to take to publishing). I will be handing over my life's work to my wonderful editor in January and plan to publish mid to late 2019. During that time, I would very much like to meet fellow writers, find some willing beta readers and critique partners, and grow my writing network. Authors unite! Stop hyperventilating! I know the lot of us are introverts, but that's what the internet is for! Let's all don our extrovert masks and make believe our pseudo-confident identities into charismatic savants! Who wouldn't want to befriend such a creature? Seriously though... friends?

MontyBurr said:

Good evening Max,

I’m singularly unqualified to welcome you. I’ve been here a day. I’ve been welcomed twice which made me giddy.

Your connection with the R.V. industry caught my attention. An Allegro R.V. plays a role in my manuscript. Why Allegro? I followed one on the two lane North Cascades Highway for about 50 miles. That and a few hours of cable TV and I felt qualified to write about the bump-outs and appliances. Ok, I’m faking it.

I’d value your professional input on my descriptions of my fictional R.V. I’d be glad to read what you’ve written in proportion.
May our literary overlords forgive me if I’ve posted this incorrectly. It isn’t every day that a person with potential insight to my novel drops in and says “Hiya”.

Good paragraphs to you,

Monty

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Hello Monty Burr!

Yes! My first Absolute Write critique partner! I must first forewarn that I have a torrid and volatile love affair with the Oxford Comma. And now that I've gotten that out of the way...

I am more than willing to provide any insight into your manuscript from an RV-survivor's perspective. I left the RV industry not only to pursue my writing as a career (something of an oxymoron in today's world, no?) but also as a means of surviving. The RV industry is not dangerous in the cut-throat sense, but literally dangerous in the cutting-all-the-wrong-corners-for-all-the-wrong-reasons-death-and-debilitating-injuries-as-result-be-damned sense. As such, I can safely say that I can provide insight into the function and operation of an RV but also insight into the perils and problems of said functions.

As for critique partnering in exchange, are you particular to any genre? My manuscript is intended as a literary piece on the human condition. I have written on the dark and disturbing subjects of obsession, abuse, and psychosis. Nature versus nurture is the question I am posing, and the reader's perspective holds the answer. If this would not be something that you would be interested in reading, I am content with assisting in your pursuits for the sake of camaraderie. Or perhaps, let me know what aspects of literature you enjoy and I can seek your insights in specific areas in exchange. My manuscript is 120k words, I would hate to provide detail insights to assist with your RV depiction accuracy and then expect you to endure all of my manuscript if the content is of no particular interest. We can exchange specifics if you would like via PM (that's a thing on forums isn't it? Oh no, my noob is showing!).

Best,
Max

braddow said:

Are you the Winnebago man???

Seriously though, welcome Max. Your manuscript sounds very interesting...certainly interested in reading if/when you share.

Oh, and be careful with the cliches. If you post three of them in a day your computer will burst into flames...

--Brad

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Is that what my problem is?? I've been through four, no five... wait... well, I've burned through my share of laptops and computers since these past few years. Never could figure out how so many could start shooting flames through the keys as I wrote. Kinda always assumed I was just that much of a bad mama jama that the tech couldn't handle anymore. Thanks for shattering the illusion!

Also, I am not the Winnebago man but a major competitor. I won't say who as it has now become the company that shall not be named. But it was always fun when one of our dealers working on a Winnebago would call me and become irate when I could find no info on that unit. Became adept at recognizing a Winnebago VIN pretty quickly.

I'm always open to share my writing, especially with other writers! I guess I have to get to 50 posts before I can share anything here, but I do have the MS on Betabooks for those willing to put their eyes to it.

Lavern08 said:

- Max - Lurved your intro!

Oh, and don't worry about your "Noob" showing, I've seen my share of them, and it's not that big of a deal....

Really.

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21k+ posts? This noob is unworthy! 50 felt about as achievable as my TBR list AKA Mount Everest!

We're not worthy!
We're not worthy!
*bows*
*Kowtows*