Hello again!

            Hello, faithful followers!  It’s been two months since I last updated this blog.  I’ve been so busy lately, mainly helping with my son’s baseball team, that the last month and a half hasn’t provided me much in the way of free time.  Much less time to concentrate and focus on story or character development.  But, now that the season’s over, I’m ready to start scratching at that creative itch.  I hope to have a new short story up here early next week.  It is titled The Angel and the Devil.  In the meantime, read any good books lately???    

Thank you.

I just want to take a moment to say thank you to those of you who are continually supportive of my writing, whether it’s deserving or not.  And to also let you know that your support is very much appreciated and does not go unheeded.  I struggle with my writing more than any writer rightly should.  There are times when I’ve almost convinced myself to give it up completely and find another hobby to indulge in.  Something less stress-inducing like collecting fingernail clippings or something.  But, whenever doubt creeps in, and I start to question why I waste my time with this venture, your words of encouragement are what give me the resolve to keep going.  So if you keep it coming, I promise to try and live up to your expectations.  And WHEN I finally do get something published, optioned or sold, the first round’s on me!

Back at it...

Well, my self-imposed moratorium on writing was short lived.  I should have known that, as often as I get new ideas, it wasn't going to last long.  All it takes is a fresh idea to light the fires and get the ink flowing again.  So I'm back in the writing saddle, so to speak.  Or at least in the research phase right now.  I've got a new idea that I'm getting more excited about as I flesh it out.  I think the storyline would work best as a screenplay, so for the first time in years, I'm dabbling in that field again.  (wish me luck!)  This story would play out really well on the big screen.  In fact, it almost requires that format just to do it justice.  I'm not sure I can even pull it off.  The story, and where I want to take it, is pretty ambitious, but what fun is coming up with an idea only to hand it off to someone else?  No matter how much more capable they are.  So stay tuned, and get your popcorn ready!

Taking a back seat...

Haven't been doing much writing lately.  Actually, haven't even thought about doing any.  Too much going on personally to concentrate long enough to be creative.  So I've been doing a lot of reading instead.  A few mysteries and a couple post-apocalyptic thrillers.  Now, I'm getting ready to start The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  Everyone in my house (who's old enough, at least) has read it and loved it.  I haven't been real big on Young Adult titles in the past, but I'm willing to give this one a try.  Once I'm done with it, I'm sure I'll be looking for something else to stick my nose into.  Anything you've read that you'd recommend???

UPDATE!!!

Well, my story "In The Heat of Texas" did not make the cut in the NYC Midnight Short Story contest.  I got a lot of positive feedback, though, and I had a good time with it.  The whole experience was great.  I think part of the problem was that my story was too safe (I should have gone with your idea, Heather!).  Reading through the synopsis of the top 5 stories chosen in my category, there were some really good ideas that stretched the genre/subject envelopes much further than I did.  If anyone is interested, I have included the judge's feedback at the end of this post.  So for now, it's back to the proverbial drawing board!

Judge's Feedback:

WHAT THE JUDGE(S) LIKED ABOUT YOUR STORY - .........This was a well constructed, engaging tale with sympathetic, charming characters, a strong narrative arc, believable, organic dialogue, a well-drawn setting and a touching theme. Blake was a terrific "mysterious stranger," offering up a new life to the small town girl. I particularly liked how you orchestrated the opening scene with Blake, Janie and the elderly couple -- it was lighthearted and had real charm. Nice work.......The setting of this piece really adds something special to the story. There is a lot of care taken in introducing this woman, her father's work, and the conflict of whether or not she should leave. There's rich dialogue in this piece, too. The Creole aspect or detail adds something special: authenticity. 

WHAT THE JUDGES FEEL NEEDS WORK - .........I think you need to develop the character of Blake more. As it is, he's rather a shadowy figure, and I found myself waiting for the other shoe to drop, for him to show himself to be a killer or a con artist, rather than an honest man with good intentions. This obviously does not serve your piece, and I think if you rounded out his character a bit, perhaps gave him a little back story, it would alleviate this problem. Could more be brought into this piece so that it's not so sudden that the characters are intertwined? It seems as if the promising tension of the first scene is burst too soon. Additionally, more could be brought into the closing: what pushes this protagonist to make the final decision?

Conflicted...

          What are your thoughts on books being released by a writer posthumously?  I’m definitely conflicted about it.  On one hand, there are books that the writer had every intention of publishing, (ie...Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and follow ups) but simply didn’t live long enough to see it through.  On the other hand, there are some, like Michael Crichton’s Pirate Latitudes or the volumes of poetry by Emily Dickinson, that weren’t even on the author’s publishing agenda.  As a writer myself, I feel an artist’s output is theirs alone and should be protected from exploitation, whether they’re alive or not.  In Crichton’s case, his aide apparently found the manuscript on his computer after he passed away.  By some accounts, he’d penned the story as far back as the early 1980’s!  I think it’s a safe bet that if he’d wanted it published, there would be no publisher on Earth that would turn down the author of some of the best-selling contemporary American novels. So part of me thinks it’s completely wrong to go and publish something that an accomplished author obviously had no desire to have published. 

            But, it’s the other part of me that’s reading Crichton’s book (and loving it!) that is thankful they did.  And yes, I feel guilty about it.  I feel like I’m invading his privacy.  But, as much as I don’t feel good about it, I am really enjoying the book.

            See?  Conflicted. 

            So I’d be interested in hearing what everyone else thinks about this...

New Material!!!

          Well, I have the first three chapters of my new novella down in black and white.  With this one, I’m going with a creepy ghost story about a young boy who's murdered while playing hide and seek in the cemetery and the two friends who ran off, leaving him behind.  The plan is (hopefully) to publish this one.  It will be the first piece that I’ve actually even tried to publish, and I’m pretty excited about it. 

          Yes, I know.  With everything I’ve written, this is my first attempt at publishing?  I guess I’ve just never been confident enough to put myself out there.  Besides, I’ve never even known where to start.  But, the more I familiarize myself with ebooks, the more likely I’ll find an outlet to pimp my stuff somewhere.  It seems there are a lot of great books out there that can only be found in ebook format.  And a couple really bad ones, too, unfortunately.  So hey, if they can do it, why can’t I?

So stay tuned for updates on what is tentatively titled This One’s Gonna Sting a Little... 

I'll never have a blog...

Guess what?  I lied.  As much as I swore I'd never do it, I've officially joined all of those on the world wide web with something to say.  (whether anyone wants to hear it or not)  Who knows where this will lead?  There could be some really good stuff on here from time to time.  Or, it could lead to the dreaded "Oops! Was I drunk when I posted that?" moment we've all experienced.

I figure, if nothing else, this will give me an outlet to post some of my writing and get it off my laptop. 

So stay tuned, and let's take this ride together!