Forum: Lost Stories

Is it Path to Glory by Brendan Buckley?

In large part, the main reason I read the Forum posts is to be reminded of stories that I have read and enjoyed. I spent my day rereading "Path" and enjoyed it as much as I had the first time I read it. Thanks for reminding me of this excellent story.

I agree. Good re-reads from reminders are a joy.

Sadly, he posted only two stories, and one of them incomplete -- although the heading promised a series with more to follow. His blog reveals a universal problem common to amateur authors: first, he describes the rush of excitement with posting his first work; and then the honeymoon fades and the reality of dealing with the dirty sheets sets in.

But I'm not sure when I will have the desire to sit and correct flaws, re-read what the editors have sent back to me, change the original text and convert the file into something that is consistent with HTML. The writing takes no time at all. The rest ... well, lets just say it is a pain in the ass and let it go.

Sometimes an author gets lucky when a skilled editor volunteers and a creative team is formed; more usually, no one steps forward. Or no 'sympatico' happens. The enthusiasm withers and dies.

And there's the drudgery; the struggle with software and files and edits and HTML for posting and all that. There are efficient and KISS methods for doing it, but we've mostly been beaten senseless by Word so we struggle to craft gems with a hammer and a blowtorch and wonder why we get fed up with it.

There are better ways but few will hear it and fewer will believe it. So a promising author in 2007 leaves an imprint that echoes 11 years later and has vanished. A shame.

My understanding was that there was an additional factor involved - toxic feedback. He continued writing, but not here.

there was an additional factor involved - toxic feedback

I don't understand the need of a reader to do that - unless that felt they didn't get their money's worth, in which case they could ask for a refund.

No refund required. It's pretty clear the "toxic feedback" he mentioned came from SOL readers. Too often it seems that anything offered either on the story site or the forum postings is met with a bloody feeding frenzy. It's hard enough for an amateur author to expose their work to a public audience...

Anyway, there's an old joke that an editor is somebody who pisses on a writer's work until it suits his taste. I've seen a few on here who like to shit all over somebody else's offerings, for the same reason. It suits their taste.

Have a look at https://storiesonline.net/ablog/Jay_Cantrell/12 - the second to fourth entries, from October 19 and October 7 2016. It makes sense to read them in chronological order, oldest to newest.
That blog was the first time I'd ever heard of Brendan Buckley. Afaik dotB stopped posting here for other reasons than those JC gave in the second entry.