Noticing Newbies

         Where to begin? I am not your usual aspiring writer. My late husband, of 30 years, passed away last Christmas. Back in the late 1980;'s and early 1990's, he used to write stories. He was the type of person who HATED criticism. He took everything so personally. Anyway, he had so many good plots and characters. We tried submitting them, back then, to the traditional publishers, but never heard anything back. He refused for me to edit his stories. So they stayed hidden away. We carried most of his stories around with us all these years. Unfortunately, some have been lost.
         Now, I am trying to resurrect them. And what a learning journey that has been. I have read all my life, but never understood what it actually took to write or publish a story. My hat is off to all writers!
         I have never taken any writing courses or classes, but I have bought several books and I am a fast learner. But I keep asking myself this question: What constitutes a writer? These stories and ideas did not spring from my soul, but I am the one giving them life. Filling in the background, rounding out their characters.
         I do have one book I just released to Smashwords, that I know is still a little rough, but I needed to get started somewhere. I am currently working on one of my favorites. I will be listing the first Chapter here for some feedback. Please any help would be much appreciated.
Thank you, Pamela Foley writing as Sahara Foley