YouTube editor

 A Video Editor

Some differences are acceptable

I have mentioned in passing I think I should be paid as an editor for YouTube videos, for various reasons several times.

Last night was another case.

Some differences are acceptable, such as the difference between UK, and USA English, and the way we write. While some errors are inexcusable such as bad grammar, or wrongly spelled words.

I was watching a video last night, and trying to read the subtitles was impossible. While the reader was reading correctly, there was no cohesion in the subtitles; they had no pause marks such as commas, or period markers.

More annoying was the misspelling of words, such as sighed, which was spelled side.

The Darling Buds

 Vindication was my Vengeance

                                                  The error of your ways

Years ago, when I was on a writing site based in Germany; I came under constant attack by a group of writers. Their attacks were in public, which was against the site rules, as the leader of the group was a darling of the site, these attacks were allowed to continue despite complaints from others in the writing community on the site.

I was invited to enter a writing contest being run by a friend of the group leader; at first I declined, knowing the tactics used by the person I mentioned - win at any cost - I did enter after some coaxing from colleagues.

The result was dramatic to say the least.

She had invited her friends, to witness what she thought would be my public humiliation, what happened was the opposite. Despite having the site hacked by a friend of hers, and my best story deleted; the story was re-entered after the hack was found, from nothing, my story came back to beat her stories for a SECOND time.

I did, for a short time, consider going back on the site, and mentioning the contest, but it wasn't my style; what would be the point, she'd invited her friends to my public humiliation, only for it to be hers.

My solace was if she said I was that bad, and I beat her, how does that make her?

I need Faith

 Once I had faith in my ability

A long time ago

Many years ago, I had the faith that I may have a small opportunity to succeed as a writer; the hopes were small, and distant, but they kept me going through the times of despair which plagued me.

Friends, and colleagues in the writing community kept saying how good I was, but I could not believe them; my sales were so low it was hard to see the light in the darkness.

One writer is quoted as saying "being a writer is like doing homework each night for no reward," I agree with the comment, considering I wasted 15-years chasing the elusive butterfly of success.

The ten-year waiting list

 The time has passed

It doesn't matter

I mentioned in a post about being told it could take 10 years to be recognised as a writer. If you wonder what happened after the wait, the truth is nothing happened.

I waited, year after year, until this year when I stopped writing. I realised years ago, nothing was going to happen, this became evident when I was researching getting an agent interested in my writing. I found out the odds of being noticed were greater than 24,000 to 1 against me; even the most addicted gambler would not take those odds.

Did I peak too soon?

 2012

My year of Glory

When I began my journey as a writer, I was told by people I knew in the writing community, it could take up to 10 years to get recognition for my work.

A year later, 2012, I had an award-winning book of short stories (shown above), and a successful series of science fiction stories to my credit.

What happened next is the story of a writer going into a tailspin.

From those days of glory, I have sold very little of my writing.

Did I peak too soon, or was I a flash in the pan?

The time Writing did pay for me

 Writing Articles

Writing Science Fiction

Other than writing my Science Fiction series of several short stories - Forgestriker - there are only two instances when writing has paid for me.

The first was an article I wrote for Yahoo on why I gave up smoking, and the other was an article I wrote for my friend in Seattle about how Muslim men are destroying the cultures in Europe; being in the USA, she had no idea of what we are going though.

My Sci-Fi series is without doubt my success story, but the money earned from it came over a period of several months.

Hackers

 Nigeria

                                                   A World of Scam

Several times on Twitter I have received a message from people in Nigeria asking to contact me; I block them without blinking. The country is known for being the capital of the SCAM world, and I have been hacked by people from there several times.

One writer I had contact with, Linda Lael Miller, used to say "Not everyone there is a scammer," she may be correct, but I am taking no chances.

I am still unsure how genuine her offer of help was, as it cost me my savings, and I doubt I will see any return for my money.

I know I am a cynic, but at the back of my mind is thought, what was her cut of the takings? Why would a bestselling writer contact me out-of-the-blue?