paden cash, post: 395471, member: 20 wrote: For a while I thought maybe only people my age could relate to my stories and therefor limiting a receptive audience. But from the feedback from all of you guys (and gals) here on BeerLeg I'm beginning to think that may not be the case.
Paden, the younger guys like myself can relate to your stories, personal and survey related. I am better for reading them. Many thanks, man.
paden cash, post: 395471, member: 20 wrote: I want you (and everybody else here that has encouraged me) to know I really appreciate the positive feedback I get from you all concerning my stories. It has kept me interested in at least keeping track of the stories.
I would consider myself anything but a 'frustrated artist' but penning stories is far from the only creative endeavor I have attempted over the years. In my younger days I was a member of several musical groups, none of which went anywhere. "Every time I've had to play where people sat there drunk.." was some of Fogerty's best lines. Playing the bar scene was incredibly boring...But I still love music. I still have one good vintage Strat by my bed and one of Hoyt Axton's banjos is sitting here within 5 feet of my keyboard.
And I spent almost twenty years attempting to carve a niche as a part-time graphic artist. Charcoal, pen and ink and watercolors were my passion. I sold a lot of work. If anybody has any '80s POB issues you can not only find some of my pen and ink work, but also single frame gag-jokes also. And there are several sketch books by my easy chair in the other room; I still love to scratch.
Almost twenty years ago a friend that has known me my entire life (and worked with me a good amount of that) had heard my stories so many times he suggested I write them down. I actually put together a good collection of young Paden's (and related humorous human interest stories) escapades and attempted to find someone willing to publish it. It's a brutal business and requires a lot more effort than I had the time with which to stay with it.
And over those twenty years I have written several articles (mostly history related) for a handful of surveying periodicals and publications. As odd as it may seem, I have never considered myself a writer. But writing has given me something that I never found with any of my other creative avenues, satisfaction. For a while I thought maybe only people my age could relate to my stories and therefor limiting a receptive audience. But from the feedback from all of you guys (and gals) here on BeerLeg I'm beginning to think that may not be the case. I am inspired when someone tells me they enjoyed a story. And for that I thank each and every one of you.
Time management is my nemesis. Two years ago I started a novel about a young man that found his way into surveying in the 1870s...it's about half finished. Then I've got all of my childhood memoirs that I keep trying to collect and make something of...other than merely "words flying in close formation".
And...to top it all off....back in the summer I had what seemed like a fantastic idea to write some short stories in the old pulp Western style, but in a modern day setting. It has turned into a novel in itself.
So I do appreciate it when people tell me they enjoy the stories. That is really why I do it. I gave up on making any money with it years ago.
And when I finish any of these works you guys will be the first to know.
To me the most valuable knowledge I have every attained has always been in the form of stories from my elders. As somewhat young surveyor I thoroughly enjoy and have gain much from many of the elders in this forum. At the very least I have been given a different perspective and for that. Thank you all!
I find this a most interesting and perhaps timely thread.
I'm definitely in my "sunset" years and strangely, in the past couple of weeks I have seemingly lost 99% of my ambition to continue surveying. I very strongly suspect it is just a phase in my career, and the interest will eventually re-kindle. In other words, the engine is probably still running but the transmission has jumped out of gear.
The only superior evidence is that which you haven't yet found.