Farewell TriggerstreetLabs

As I write this the Triggerstreetlabs.com site (affectionately termed TSL) is still up and running, but by the end of January the site will be no more. TSL opened its doors in 2002. Its intention was to provide a platform for writers to post their work and get feedback from other writers. Help others, Help yourself was TSL’s original motto.

My association with TSL goes back to 2008. I was decorating and I had the radio on. Kevin Spacey was being interviewed about his latest film, but the interview strayed into other areas including TSL. Kevin made a fine pitch for the site so I put down the paint brush and scribbled down the site name. Back then I wanted to write but I knew next to nothing about the writing craft. Every time I tried to write anything I made little progress. I knew I needed help with writing and I had previously tried local writing circles but they just didn’t work for me. I kept going to look at the TSL site, and each time I’d walk away without having joined. Eventually I took the plunge. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

Two months after joining I posted a story. The story was ok, but technically it was a mess. It was too slow, the format was all wrong, and there were grammar errors on every page. On the whole constructive criticism rolled in and helped me focus on the elements I needed to improve.

I never looked back. My second story wasn’t perfect but it was a huge step forward, and I continued to post and I continued to learn. I would never have managed to write stories to a standard worthy of publication without TSL.

TSL also taught me how to handle rejection. Not all reviews were constructive some were destructive. These reviews were hard to take, but they also toughened me up. It’s been a while since I’ve had a rejection but I generally just shrug my shoulders and carry on. Night Owls was originally rejected by one publication, so I found another potential market who did publish it.

I also made some great friends on TSL, and I was privileged to meet some very talented writers. So I’m pretty sad to see it go, but I don’t blame Trigger Street Productions for shutting it down. I don’t know why but over the last couple of years a lot of the writing talent on TSL has dwindled away. The standard of reviews and the quality of the writers has dropped significantly. I’m speaking in general terms as there are some incredibly talented writers on that site. It’s a shame but I guess all good things must come to an end. I’m just thankful for everything that the site gave to me. Its memory will be cherished.

Mike