Introducing D. Omran
I want to be a writer when I grow up
Where to start? My name is Dartiniano Omran, hence D. Omran, because well…it’s just easier. I was born in Las Vegas, NV, joined the United States Air Force when I was 23, and, ironically, served 23 years. I have four wonderful children and an amazing wife. After the Air Force, my family and I took a year off to travel full time. We toured across the US., Central and South America, and Canada. What a fantastic adventure that was! But alas, the real world called, and we settled back into “normal” life. I have always been an avid reader, and being a writer has nagged me since early childhood. I ignored the yearn to write until about ten years ago. One day I had an idea and simply put pen to paper to see what would happen.
The story I wrote was science fiction centered around a dystopian future where two factions, who had different ideas about technology and its place, ruled the planet.
It was horrendous. The story was just terrible; the writing atrocious, grammar was a horror story all by itself, and more plot holes than potholes in my home town (of which there are more than citizens). But for all its faults, I loved it as only a first-time writer could. But I was hooked. I delved into the world of writing — joined writing groups, took classes, learned as much as I could (still learning, of course) while continuing to produce stories that haven’t seen the light of day. During this learning journey, I’ve greatly improved in various areas — pacing, grammar (although I still need help), clarity, developing plots, character development, point of view, and world-building. That said, I’m sure we can all agree that writing is an exercise in continuous learning. Still, I have always struggled to call myself a writer. What defines a writer anyway? I have enough unedited and unpublished manuscripts to fill a small library — a ton of completed short stories, several full-length novels, countless unfinished works — but does that make me a writer? I have always written for the sheer enjoyment of it, but I’ve recently had a desire for others to read my work. Traditional and self-publishing both seem daunting. I’m not even sure I want to go that route when they’re both so time-consuming and all I really want to do write. And that brought me to Illumination and Medium. I am grateful for this platform for many reasons (first among them being the vast amount of material to read!). Still, one of the most profound is the opportunity to share my words. I look forward to connecting with all of you.