I searched through piles of writing, but no luck!
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
Eugene, Oregon
May 15, 2016 10:38am CST
Writings in spiral bound notebooks, writings hidden in nooks and crannies of my Word desktop documents (not well sorted), scraps of poems buried in desk drawers, but I could not find copies of the collection I sought.
Over a period of years, I wrote a series of twenty or more poems about growing up in Texas in the 1940s and 1950s, the most interesting being several about summers spent visiting my dad in west Texas over long hot, dry summers.
A contest service I subscribe too called "Winning Writers," listed one sponsored by the University of Iowa magazine, free, and open only to veterans.They are accepting fiction and poetry, up to twenty pages and any subject. My intent is to enter a series of those west Texas poems under one heading.
Well, I did find some and will look for more after I work today. The deadline is June 1st, so I do have some time. Even if I don't enter those, I have some others and will definitely be sending some in via the online entry form.
Do you write other than online? Can you find your writings, (unlike me)?
On the bright side, I did unearth poems that I had forgotten writing, and will work on them some more.
16 people like this
13 responses
@Inlemay (17714)
• South Africa
15 May 16
@JamesHxstatic I made a friend on Bubblews - Tony DeLorger find him on FB he sent his poetry to have it personally published and they are on sale now. You might be able to get some idea's there, but dont leave them to just turn to ash please.
The Creative Exiles is a website for all creative writers, both poetry and fiction.
2 people like this
@Inlemay (17714)
• South Africa
15 May 16
@JamesHxstatic if you get yours done, I would love to read them
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
15 May 16
Sites like this are not good places for poetry or fiction, it seems to me. Also, many places that accept writings for publication only take things that have not been published elsewhere.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
15 May 16
I write non-fiction. I am currently finishing a book on free money for college. I don't have trouble finding my work. I hate filing, but I do it. I kept the paperwork for this book in a colorful clear plastic envelope (love those things). The work as it is in progress is under the book title in my Word file, and on a flash drive in my desk drawer. I hate looking for lost items.
3 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
15 May 16
@ElizabethWallace, I am not surprised that you are so organized. I have really never been and the only time it really bothers me is when I can't find something. It would be better if I had put those where I thought I did for sure.
2 people like this
@ElizabethWallace (12074)
• United States
15 May 16
@JamesHxstatic Organization is a byproduct of teaching. Most high school teachers have only one or two different subjects to teach, but foreign language teachers often have more. If we weren't organized, we would drown in the paperwork.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
15 May 16
@ElizabethWallace Drowning in paper is a good metaphor. I am going to do some major sorting this week.
2 people like this
@celticeagle (159008)
• Boise, Idaho
15 May 16
I have always saved all that I write. Even the notes for stories and ideas. I write articles that have been published and I have saved all of them. But, it seems no matter how well I file things away there are always some I just cannot find. Nice that you found things you had forgotten about.
2 people like this
@celticeagle (159008)
• Boise, Idaho
16 May 16
@JamesHxstatic ....Filing with a name that means something sure helps.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
16 May 16
I am glad I found them, now if I can recall where I put them (again), I can work on them.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
15 May 16
oh, i do hope ya find'em, hon. i've dribblin's stashed all o'er the place. the biggest nightmare though'd be those on the puter, lol. best'f luck with that contest!
2 people like this
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
16 May 16
@JamesHxstatic ya might jest wind'p changin' yer mind several times's ya continue to hunt :D
yer welcome!
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
16 May 16
Well, I found some, but I may like some others better for the contest. Thanks!
1 person likes this
@sallypup (57869)
• Centralia, Washington
15 May 16
@JamesHxstatic I ran into one of my Mom's journals. I need to find a good place for it. It details how life was in one of the first years of my hubby and I's life together.
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
15 May 16
It is a bit comforting to know that we are not alone in our disorganization.
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
16 May 16
i have numbered my notepads and listed the contents of each on my excel pages for ease of reference
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (458091)
• Switzerland
17 May 16
@JamesHxstatic You also moved, it's incredible how difficult it is to find things after a move.
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
16 May 16
It is such a waste of time for me to be so disorganized.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (79730)
• United States
16 May 16
Good luck on your writing contest and hope you can find all the works you are searching for
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40055)
• Laguna Woods, California
16 May 16
How wonderful! I'm glad you are going to submit your poems. In addition to writing online, I have also published six books and have sold over 500 copies of them over the past few years. That doesn't make me a best selling author, but I am pretty proud of them. I also once wrote the cover story for a children's magazine. I was paid $50 for it ... it was the first money I ever earned from my writing.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
16 May 16
I won a few cash prizes for poetry contests in the state association and got the poems published, but that was about it.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
17 May 16
@DeborahDiane Thank you @Deborah-Diane. I have a title for that Texas collection even.
@DeborahDiane (40055)
• Laguna Woods, California
17 May 16
@JamesHxstatic - That is wonderful if you won some poetry contests. You could compile your poems in a book and have it printed on CreateSpace (for free, unless you decide to buy a copy for a few dollars.) CreateSpace is owned by Amazon, and you might even end up selling a few copies. 
1 person likes this
@just4him (306196)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
17 May 16
I hope you find them. It would be a total shame if they're gone.
I used to write only in notebooks and used a typewriter too, so I have a lot of stories and poems all over the place that I'm slowly getting into Word so I don't lose them completely. I've recently run into a couple I forgot about. So I really hope you find them.
It's been a long time since I entered any kind of contest. Good luck with it.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
18 May 16
Thank you! I found several and Anne scanned them into Word for me, now there under Texas poems.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
18 May 16
@just4him It is, now to see if they are as good as I thought.
1 person likes this
@just4him (306196)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
18 May 16
@JamesHxstatic I'm glad you found them. I know it's a relief.
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (18923)
• United States
17 May 16
I used to write stories, and poems. I still have some of them.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
12 Dec 17
@Hannihar I can generally find things if I paw through them long enough.
@Hannihar (129470)
• Israel
12 Dec 17
@JamesHxstatic
Too bad you do not live here James and I could help you get your papers in some kind of order.
1 person likes this
