But... And here's the thing - I can come up with all sorts of stories. And, in my humble opinion, they're not half-bad. The jury is still out on whether or not they're half good... I've run several "short story" groups on Facebook. I have at least 3 failed writing blogs dating back to the days of AOL and Geocities... Generally speaking - people like my stories. Or at least the overall idea of the story I was writing.
Telling a good story, however, doesn't necessarily stand on its own. It has to be written well. Or else people will just ignore it... or write bad reviews about it online in their blogs.
Conversely - simply being a good writer does not make you a good story-teller. If that was the case, every "editor" out there would be pumping out grammatically awesome super-books... and lets face it - that's not happening.
I have found that with a good story - the writing can come later. You can hone your skill, seek help, and get technical advice from people who are good with grammar and the like. So, even if you aren't a "writer" with a degree in English and a book at home of your awesome, non-GMO, vegan, artisanal missives - you can still become an amazing story-teller/author.
The same is not always true for the opposite side. You can be an amazingly on-point technical writer but suck horrendously at telling a story. And no amount of grammatical black magic fuckery can make you a good story teller.
I hope - key word there - that I am a good story teller. Not via my blog - this is just where I come to release the pressure valve in my brain from time to time, and not really tell stories - but in life and in my dealings with my children and the people who do take the time to read my limited fictions I've thrown around in my time and the one or two others that I'm currently mulling over in my brain...
I'm currently working on 2 stories. I won't dare say the "N" word ("Novel" you racists)... It's simply "A potentially novel-length work of fiction that I hope to actually start, complete, and potentially share someday." Instead of the 10 page random short stories I've got compiling on USB drives and various folders on my HardDrives.
My wife - on the other hand - has already accomplished this feat. She has put together a FANTASTIC story and will soon be sharing it with the world. And I cannot wait for that day!
If you're still reading this - you should go check out her blog - Jenkins, Bring Me My Blog! - She is way funnier than I am and you'll be happy you did. You'll also be happy to read her book when it comes out. I promise.
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