Hello, I’m a Small Publication and this is My Short & Sweet Introduction. Come Be My Friend
A fictional look at a lonely publication on Medium
The following story is part truth and part fiction. The true part is a reflection of Kathy K’s experiences and the fiction part is, well, fiction.
Hi, my name is IFOT, er, that’s actually my nickname since my real name is too long and too bothersome to say every time. But since you’re likely curious what all those letters stand for, I’ll tell you my full name. Promise not to laugh.
Imaginative Fiction Out There
Told you IFOT was easier to say.
I want to tell you something and if you don’t want to listen, you can just plug your ears for the next few minutes. But if you’re listening, here we go…
I’m what they call a ‘publication’ and I live on an app called Medium. I’m not a vegetable or an animal or a fish or a bird or a human. I’m a publication. And the world that I live in is called Medium. Not sure why, it just is. I’ve heard that there are over 4,000 of us pubs (short for publication if you didn’t figure it out already) on our world. That’s a lot yet not that many compared to the number of humans on Earth. That’s just the plain hard facts.
I’ve met a few of these other pubs just because they invited me into their family. And this made me feel really special and loved. All of them support me, give me virtual hugs, and talk to me any time of the day or night. And yet I’m still feeling lonely and sad. I have to wonder why? I’ve got everything a pub needs by being in a family of pubs, don’t I? Or don’t I?
I’ve got to figure this out — why am I not yet happy with just having a family? Could it have to do with the stories I tell? Or the fun I have making designs with lots of colors and shapes? Or could it be, hmmm, I just thought of something.
Maybe, just maybe, it has to do with the amount of interaction I’m NOT getting from non-family members, which I believe are called friends or followers. I think that’s what Medium calls them — followers.
I just looked and it seems that I only have 8 followers right now and half of them are the virtual family that I talked about before. I think I’ve found the reason that I’m feeling lonely and sad. I need followers! Friends! Someone besides family to talk to.
I need CONNECTION with humans!
I’m a publication with hardly any human contact. I might wither away to nothing if I keep being isolated from humans. I wonder if anyone reading this wants to be my friend? Hmmm, let me tell you more about myself and then you can decide. But, remember, you can always plug your ears as you did before if you don’t want to listen to this part. Here goes…
I’ll start with a picture of myself if you want to see it. Some of you may not be too interested in getting to know me better, I take it. Well, that’s par for the course, whatever that means. I’m used to it by now. Those of you that really don’t want to see my picture can now close your eyes for the next few seconds. Here we go…
This is what I look like. My whole name is there along with my family name. The sweet lady at the top right in the circle is my creator, Kathy K. She always looks after me so well and makes me feel special with all the colors she loves.
But moving on to the next thing — at the bottom of the beautiful picture are some words with little sweet butterflies. These are the access to my insides that you get to see if you click on the words.
There are Shorts which are my short stories, there are Serials which are my stories that have more than one part. There are currently several authors writing serials, it’s like watching a series on TV but way more imaginative and interesting.
Last thing, then you can open your ears and eyes again if you have them closed. I want to share my life’s mission with you. This is why I exist —
About Imaginative Fiction Out There
This publication is dedicated to fiction, fiction, and more fiction. The more imaginative, the better. Writers who want to do chapters and series will have a place and also those who have stand-alone pieces.
All done! I guess I’ll always have family, but if I don’t have many friends, it’s just not enough for me. I’m really glad that I came up with this reason for my sadness and loneliness.
WRAPPING IT UP WITH A RIBBON
Not a literal ribbon, that’s just a way to say Final Words with a flourish! So to end my story, I’d like to give you a sneak preview of one part of Micheal Woodruff’s series The House That No One Built. Really great story, mystery and suspense, and very imaginative!
Thanks for reading about me today and I hope to see you soon. I would love to welcome new friends into my home!
