
Editorial - All Mediocre Things...
by Dave Bealer

Everyone wants to be a writer -- at least it often seems that way.
How many times have you heard someone say, "I'm gonna write a book
about that someday?"  Almost none of the people that threaten to
write a book ever sit down and actually do it.  I'm one of those
people.

It's not so much that I've always wanted to be a writer, it's more
like I always have been a writer.  A natural at spelling and grammar,
words and sentences are not a problem.  Overcoming my intense natural
laziness was always the problem.

Constantly full of ideas for stories (among other things), I kept
trying to start writing the "Great American Novel."  My complete lack
of success was typical of such efforts.  All of these attempts, which
never got beyond a few paragraphs or pages before running out of
steam, were serious fiction.

Back in July 1992 another idea arose, this time for a humor piece, a
parody combining the Olympic Games with FidoNet.  Much to my surprise
the piece was quickly completed.  Even more surprising, other ideas
for short humor began flowing.  It turns out that short articles and
stories are more compatible with my limited attention span than the
novels I had been trying to write.

Two and half years later I'm not much closer to writing any of those
novels.  The short fiction and non-fiction is still flowing, but the
jokes don't seem as fresh as they did in the beginning.  I don't plan
to stop writing humor any time soon, but I do want to branch out a
bit.  RAH has been an interesting hobby, but it has its limitations.

The main problem I had with RAH as a free e-mag was the fact that I
had no way of knowing how many people were reading the magazine.
Only forty people responded to the 1994 RAH Reader Survey.  I'd like
to believe more people than that were reading RAH, but there's no way
to prove it.  For me, charging for DREAM FORGE is as much a way of
keeping score as anything else.

My journey in electronic publishing is not over.  The way I look at 
it, I'm trading in my first electronic publishing vehicle for a new
one - a luxury job with lots of flashy chrome and a horn that plays
"Tijuana Taxi."  But no matter where DREAM FORGE takes me, bad or
good, I will always have fond memories of RAH.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has ever
written for RAH, whether they were accepted or not.  If not, keep
trying.  If so, drop us a line at DREAM FORGE when you have something
new.  Special thanks go to Greg Borek and Ray Koziel.  They were the
only two people I could count on to submit something almost every
month. 

I also want to thank all RAH distributors, ranging from the few who
were listed in the back of every issue since the first, to readers
who liked RAH so much that they uploaded it to BBSs in their area.
Extra special thanks go to Ed Bakker, who spent a lot of time and
money spreading word of RAH around Europe.

Most of all I want to thank the readers.  Without you, this whole
thing would have been as pointless as a bunch of hype about the
murder trial of an ex-football player.                          {RAH}
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(The following preview has been deemed suitable for any idiot willing
to read it.)  Just because RAH, the e-mag, is ending production,
don't be discouraged.  Look for: "RAH: The Motion Picture"  Starring:
Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Tom Berringer, Tom Dooley, and Tom, Tom The
Piper's Son.  Featuring: Meryl Streep as Vinnie.  Coming: Summer 1995
A RipOff Film
                                                        
