Shedding Light on the Dark Corners on my Soul

This is a plea to my fellow writers for help more with how to share my story than how to write it.

I find myself drawn to this community in search of that first bit of feedback that is both liberating and terrifying at once. I would never want to come across as too self assured, but the truth I am at a good place with respect to my development as a writer. I always welcome advice and certainly do not think I will ever stop learning, but I also know a good story when I see it. I have reached a point in my growth as a writer where I feel at home in my own skin. Stylistically and fundamentally, I can spin a decent yarn though I admit I am evolving with every sentence.

Cutting decidedly to the point, I am here on a journey of discovery and growth, but it is with respect to a specific topic, a storyline that I believe can define what I hope is the first sea change of my career. Unlike other points in my young career, I find myself, for the first time, engaging a story that feels bigger than it should.

Perhaps, that is because has been a part of my life since childhood, but so intimate and personal that I never considered sharing it. It is difficult to explain the emotions that are conjured up when I start to share this part of me. I won't pretend to understand the complex interplay of two titanic forces in anyones life, their past and their passion.

Imagine carrying around a secret, one so amazing and incredible, that you feel guilty for keeping it to yourself, but also terrified that if you share it no one will believe you. That comes closest to touching upon the tribulations of the heart I find myself faced with. Hoping to find the right words, desperately searching for the vocabulary and voice to convey the sincerity in your heart.

My story needs a voice like the world needs my story. I have always been so confident when I write. I used to think that my confidence was the result of talent and effort. A bit older, hopefully wiser, I have the dark suspicion that I never doubted my literary skill because I never had something truly important to say. Perhaps, a good writer's doubt is the measure of the quality of his story. If that assumption is accurate, my story must meet the highest standard.

I come to my fellow storytellers in a strange predicament that I am certain this introduction only made the stranger. I can promise it will be a great deal clearer when you read my first story. If you take onky a single thing away from my greeting, let it be this. What I have to share will test the elasticity of your open minds, but I do not ask you to believe me. All I hope you can do is believe that what I say is accurate and genuine. The whys and hows of my story are something each person just confront for themselves.

When I do publish whatever comes from this endeavor, I will be sure to express my gratitude to any and all who helped me in a manner long a custom of my family. We do not say thanks, we show it. I will always help anyone who endeavored to help me.

If you have read this entire piece, you have already shown a propensity to help. It is here I will mention the subject I will be addressing in my writing. I labeled this occult and supernatural because that succinctly describes my story. All I will say here is I intend to show anyone who wishes to see, a world that most ascribe to movies and popular culture. I was raised in a world the public believes to be a myth. More accurately, they could never imagine the true nature of this world, but if they did they would surely label it fiction. I do not intend to write a sentence of fiction. I am commited to presenting the truth to anyone who will listen. I ask for nothing more than an open mind in return. If this bargain interests you, I look forward to your company on the journey.

Author's Note

I welcome any and all reviews or criticisms. Advice is always gratefully accepted. I appreciate anyone taking the time to read my work. Those who provide feedback, I thank each in particular and hope to return the kindness.