Monday Reviews: Closure

I know I'm behind schedule again this week, my apologies. I'll find my sister's email so all complaints can be forwarded to her since it is her fault I came down sick. And on my vacation week too! Well as you can see we now have a title for the Monday column. I hope you like it. And it seems fitting that the book "Closure" should be the opening to this column's official debut. So without further ado on with the review.
    Closure by Sylvia Stein is a heartwarming and heartbreaking tale all wrapped into one. With characters so real you have to wonder how you haven't bumped into them on the street somewhere in your lifetime. Or if you have, how haven't you recognized them till now. It takes you on a wonderful rollercoaster of a ride with emotional highs and lows that keep you turning the pages one right after the other. There is heartache, terror, warmth, a hint of romance, and more all wrapped into this book. It packs a powerful punch. The only thing I really can find wrong with it is that it ends too soon. Leaving this reviewer wanting more. Read both Sara's and Garrison's tale of recovery. You will not be disappointed, though maybe out of Kleenex. I give this book five out of five stars.

Story Friday: Wild Times Onboard A Battleship

I know this week's Story Friday is late but I wanted to try and get it just right. It's doubly special in my case as it is a tribute to my friend Ronnie for such a great prompt, and a welcome home present of sorts. Two a way of showing my son his heritage if he's reading this, which I secretly hope he is. So without further ado on with the show.

 

The Battleship's cannons exploded around him as he took cover behind the anti-aircraft gun. Aedan hadn't signed up for this this, then again he wasn't really sure what he had signed up for when he had joined the Navy. He was wishing he was back home to a plate of steak, mashed potatoes, and corn as the first plane appeared on the horizon. He slide his finger onto the trigger and prepared for them to come into range, and as they did he opened fire with a vengeance. As the enemy planes strafed in him and the other anti-air crafters took out two of them. Quickly the enemy was engaged by their own planes. All the while the cannons continued roaring out like miniature explosions. Aedan kept trying to track the enemy planes with his anti-aircraft gun as they soared through the air, locked in combat with his own planes. He managed to get off a few shots here and there but nothing substantial.

    Finally all the planes had been brought down either by anti-aircraft fire or other planes in the fleet. But the cannons still roared with life. Aedan figured he would get used to it eventually or go deaf, one of the two. He remained at his post as he had been instructed to do in case of a second wave. It was going to be a long day he knew, but then that was what you were supposed to expect in the Navy during wartime.

    Finally his relief of duty came around as the sun was setting, surprisingly the rest of the day had been quiet since the attack earlier in the day. But the cannons continued to roar with life. Aedan was sure they were pounding a distant shore for some planned invasion, but he just wasn't sure when. He hoped there would be some relief for the holidays, but somehow he doubted it. Though he did ponder that maybe the food in the mess hall would be slightly better on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. He didn't have any proof of this other than the other crew members didn't seem to be dreading the holidays in the mess hall it seemed.

    Aedan ate in silence while the rest of the crew were livelier. He wasn't sure why he wasn't more excited he just had a sense of foreboding about the next day. Or maybe it wasn't the next day maybe it was just the uncertain future even aboard a battleship. Aedan finished his dinner and went below to his bunk. He read for a little while trying to distract himself before turning in for the night.

    He was jarred from sleep by alarms going off all around him and the cannons still thundering above. Aedan dove into his uniform and grabbed his gear and headed for his post at the Anti-Aircraft Gun. He got there just in time to see his relief mowed down in hail of bullets. Without thinking twice he shoved him off the gun and took over. Firing at every enemy plane he could put into his sights as if the fate of the world depended upon it. Soon their own planes made it into the fight and the enemy was beaten down out of the sky like the invading seagulls they were.

And finally silence fell over the ship as the cannons at last fell silent as noon approached on that day. Aedan felt the battleship turn and head towards the land it had been shelling and knew they had taken it. They were putting in for some shore leave in whatever remained from the shelling. But it would be good to feel earth beneath his feet again even for just a day or two. As the ship trudged towards port all Aedan could think to do was carry his relief down to where the rest of the casualties were being gathered.

Adventures In Cleaning: Week One

    Welcome to the first installment in Adventures In Cleaning. Here each Wednesday we will embark on my weekly adventures in the world of housekeeping in my home. I know we're late in getting this show off the ground, but it's been a crazy couple of weeks around here. Cleaning hasn't been going has planned either.

    Sure I've gotten my bookshelves organized to a point, and I'm doing better with getting the dishes done in a timely manner overall. But I still have a three foot mountain of files looming over my desk. Plus a card table that needs to be cleared off. Not to mention I still need to do my monthly overhaul of the kitchen. And my bedroom floor could use some picking up. So much to do and all by the fifteenth of next month. That is when the redoing of my room starts. Then there will be furniture flying into and out of my room.

    The new desk and reading chair will be coming in, and the old chair in the corner as well as the old desk will be going out. So by then I have to have those areas organized and ready to be moved around. I'm just going to have to put some things on the back shelf for a while and focus more on certain areas. As well as get done what most importantly needs to be done in that amount of time. And if there is time to get more done after that then so be it. This means I'll have to revamp my to do list a bit. Oh well it was do for some updating.

    Sorry there's not more to report in the form of progress even if it's the first week. But hopefully you enjoyed this look into my battle with cleaning. I hope you have a good day or night depending on when you're reading this. Bye for now.

What Writing Is To Me

    So I know I missed the debut of my cleaning entry as well as Monday Reviews, and I promise it will happen the cleaning segment will happen this week and Monday reviews will be back next week with a current pick. Just been a crazy week with the end of term around here. But today I thought I would talk about something near and dear to me. That being writing. Now I know a lot of you who stop in to the blog are writers as well, and to me writing is a bit different for all of us. We each have our own personal relationship with it. That being said I wanted to share mine with you all.

    Writing for me has always been therapeutic for one. It has been a way to deal with all of my emotions good and bad. But beyond that it has been a way to explore different facets of myself. At least with stories that is. When I'm crafting a story I'm investing a bit of me into the main character or main characters depending on how many main characters there are. AS well as what parts of me and where I'm directing them. Sometimes people can tell and sometimes not. It's rare for me not to be putting part of me into a story, but it does happen from time to time. It lets me see the scenery easier and feel more ingrained in the plot, so that it is easier to write it out. I make the characters real in my mind to a degree so that it's easier to write form their perspective.

    But for the most part words are fluid to me, they are like water. Most times it seems to me as if I'm opening up my skull and pouring words out onto the page. Weird I know, but it is how it seems with how easily they make their way onto the page. I'm not sure why it comes so easily to me. It's like once I have the idea it just starts flowing through me like a river to a lake. And it feels so natural and right. Not sure if that makes any sense to anyone or not, but it is how it feels to me.

    With poetry it is a little different. There it's like I'm channeling my raw emotion through my words, and that it's more important that the emotion be felt through the words more than anything else. In a poem I want the reader to feel everything I feel writing it when they read it. Sometimes I want them to cry like I did when I wrote it. Other times I want them to be as happy and carefree. Other times I want them mad about the same thing I am.

    There is still so much I could say about it, but I'm at a loss for the right words for once. Maybe eventually I'll have the right words to explain better what writing means to me fully. But for now I hope this gives you somewhat of an idea. I hope you have a good day or night depending on when you're reading this. Bye for now.

Story Friday: The Life Of An Airport Bartender

 
    So today is writing prompt day, or what will from now on be dubbed Story Friday and I picked the one you see above. It inspired me to write from the perspective of an airport bartender. I hope you enjoy, and without further ado here we go.

    I've been working at the Portland Jetport's bar for a little over a year, and you see all sorts of people come and go in here. Some you'll only see every day and some you'll only see as rare as once a year. Some are nervous about flights, and some are trying to make a buck off the incoming and outgoing passengers. I don't mind the entertainers too much because they help keep things mellow in the bar.
Like for instance we have this one saxophone player who comes by around dinner time every night. He plays such mellow music, it makes everyone just hum along once they pick up the tune. They also tend to order more expensive stuff then beer when he is playing, which is good for business as well. He's so good too, I never understood why he isn't playing more professionally. That is to say in some more high class gig than an airport bar.
    Then you have Chuck as I refer to him, since that is what he says to call him. Always pays in cash and only drinks Scotch. Comes in everyday at around nine am, always on the way out of town on business. Brags about how much he likes to travel on business too. All the places he has seen, and people he has met. I real blow hard if you know what I mean. But I humor him with listening to his stories over and over again. It keeps him drinking and refilling his glass.
    One of the ones I really like that is a talker is Charlie. At least that is what it said on his card. He offered to write down my memoirs a few times. He comes through roughly once a month. Has a few rum and cokes. Talks about books, usually what he is reading or has read in the past. Always asks what I'm reading or would like to read. The nice thing is on his way back through he will usually stop back in quickly and drops me off a book I was talking about being interested in. Only thing he asks for in return is that I tell him what I think of it when I see him next time. Interesting guy he is.
    Then you have Charlie's friend Tom who is usually with him. He's another interesting guy. Very quiet, doesn't say much of anything normally. But he's polite and a good tipper. Always giving the bar photographs to display on their walls as well. Constantly has his camera at the ready for a good shot too. He's caught some crazy moments in the bar that you wouldn't believe if you didn't see the photo of it for yourself, but those are stories for another time.
    Usually around Christmas time you'll see Peter coming through the area to stop in and have a drink to relax himself. He is not big on flying but he does it for his family, so they can go see family on the other side of the country for the holidays. He's a High School Principal, but thinks much deeper than most of them you will ever meet. He is constantly making the student body think about everything and not just go through the motions like a robot. He gets to know his students one on one. Especially the troubled ones, so that he can better help them do better. He asks questions of them and makes them think on what they are doing. Peter likes talking about success stories more than the ones who fall through the cracks. And even when they fall through the cracks he always has a hand out to them to help them in any ways he can. It's an interesting spectacle when Charlie and Peter get talking about Philosophy. You wouldn't think it possible, but it draws a crowd into the bar.
    And yes we have fights in the bar every now and then, but that is what Mr. Bagle is for. He comes on around seven pm, and deals with trouble in the bar if there is any. Most nights it's quiet, but when it starts Tony will try to get people to laugh first before they start fighting. If that doesn't work well he'll get them out of the bar and let the security guards handle it from there. But those times are few and far between. After all we are an airport bar. Oh well look at the time, looks like you better get going or you'll miss your flight. I'll see you when you come back through here. I'll still be here after all. And I've got plenty of more things to tell you about this bar if you want to know. Have a good flight.

Remembering Robin Williams

    
Last night I was clicking through Facebook as usual, and it popped up on my screen that Robin Williams was dead. My first reaction to this was holy shit. Then I thought this has to be a hoax. Then I check and find out it's true, and my heart sank. Next thing I know the news of Robin Williams' death is exploding all over Facebook. So I found myself thinking of all the memories that I had of him, which brings me to today's blog post. I honestly decided that today's topic was going to be done last night, but I wanted time to think on it before putting it down to paper.
    My first memory of Robin Williams is of him in the movie Hook where he played a grown up Peter Pan. As a kid I thought the movie was awesome and it even made me cry in the ending battle scenes. Now as an adult I find it even more amazing and it still makes me cry. I find it amazing how Robin Williams went from being so serious and uptight in the beginning of the movie. To being a carefree almost kidlike character at the end. The next movie I remember hearing him in was Disney's Aladdin where he played the Genie. Again I was still a kid when this came out so I didn't have much perspective on what made a good or bad movie. But both back then and now he had me laughing as well as pondering things he said in his lines.
    That's one of the things I liked so much about Robin Williams. Whether he was doing standup or an acting role he made you think, even as he made you laugh or cry. Towards the later part of his career he was being pickier about the parts he would take. It seemed to me he was only taking parts that interested him and made the audience think more. He also seemed to stretch the time between his standup specials out so that the audience would come in fresh and hungry for his material. And he was always honest with his fans. As well as open to talking with them and giving autographs and taking pictures. He was a warm and caring man for the most part.
    But he did battle mental illness the same as I freely admit I do. So I know he had those days where he didn't want to get out of bed. Or as I did in my younger years he had days that he wondered what was the point of going on. Which it seems eventually took his life. I can only speculate on that though. I wasn't in his head nor did I get the chance to ever talk to him, though I wish I had. I hope his tragic lose, as a result of mental health problems will not over shadow his creative genius, but I also hope it will be a rallying cry for mental health reform at the same time. I know kind of an oxymoron there. But if I must choose one of the two to have happen I would choose for his creative genius to outshine his mental health problems. Let someone else carry the torch of mental health reformer.
    I sincerely hope that someone writes a biography on him someday. I know there is probably one out already, but I mean one that covers all of his life. Because any biography out now only goes so far in terms of timeline. It truly makes you feel mortal when such gifted individuals such as Robin Williams and Jim Henson and Whitney Houston are dying. Often times I've thought that such gifted individuals must somehow be able to beat death only to be reminded that they can't. And always it seems too soon. Someone on my Facebook gave me the best line from Dead Poets Society to say farewell to Robin Williams. It goes "Oh Captain, my Captain." Sorry if I butchered it at all. But here now I will let Robin Williams's spirit rest in peace, and pay tribute to him by going and watching his movies. I hope you enjoyed my way of remembering Robin Williams and have a good day or night depending on when you're reading this. Bye for now.

Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone Review

    So we're doing a major flashback with this week's book review. And I know it's a little late and sort of a double post, but I got a bit backed up this week. Plus the previous post was a very important one for me to get posted. So without further ado let us jump right into the book review for this week.

I originally read Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling when the third book in the series had just come out. Then earlier this year I decided to reread it and see how much of my perspective of it had been changed by the movies. To my surprise a lot had been changed. This is a wonderful book that is much more edgy than the movie version leads us to believe if you haven't read the book or haven't read it close to seeing the movie.

The plot is much more dynamic, with multiple little subplots splitting off throughout the book. Some are focused on character development. While others are focused on building up plots to be further developed later in the series. Some of the subplots even go on to redirect into the main plot of the story over time. Now while there are several subplots the plot itself is not hindered by this nor is the pace of the story. The plot moves along at a fairly quick pace actually, making you want to keep turning page after page.

    The characters are a great help in keeping the pace so lively as well. They also each have a distinctive personality. Some work well together, while others go against each other as naturally as fire and water. And some we only get a slight feel for in this book. No matter the case they all feel genuine and very much to be real people. Some have you grinding your teeth and wanting to hit them. Others have you wanting to hug them or laugh out loud. Still others you might want to sit down and have a conversation with.

    Now the setting on the other hand is its own character all by itself. While some of it seems boring and mundane at first. Once the magical world opens up it quickly becomes very lively, bold, and bright. You can see the vast difference between the muggle (non-magical folks for those who don't know) world and the magical world very clearly. Rowling makes you want to reach out and touch everything in this world. She makes you able to picture everything clearly in your mind as well.

    J. K. Rowling has done a wonderful job introducing the Harry Potter series in this novel. She does such a wonderful job so much so that when you finish reading it you are craving the next book in the series as soon as you close the cover on this one. While some would say it's only a children's tale I would remind them that so were The Chronicles of Narnia as well as The Hobbit, and both are now acclaimed reading in adult circles that no one dares to call just a children's tale. J. K. Rowling puts just as much an effort as both in her world building as is done in those works in my opinion. I'm giving Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone five stars out of five stars.

Why I Became A Smoker And Now Choose To Quit

I've been a smoker for 14 years and by the time I quit it will have been 15 years. I had smoked one at 17, but I didn't become hooked when I did. It was at 18 that I became a full-fledged smoker. I was having a really stressful day, and went to what I thought was a friend's house that day. He gave me a cigarette and I got a high off it, and when it wore off I asked for another. Before I knew it I had gone through six of them in an hour. From that point on I was hooked. So why did I do it?

    Hell I'd been lectured all my life that it was bad for me, but at the same time people around me did it. The people I was supposed to respect and look up to did it while at the same time saying I wasn't supposed to. Of course some of them quit, but it still said to me it was alright to do it for a little while. Of course that still doesn't mean I made a smart choice. And yes I was stressed out, but I could have made a smarter choice. Yes I had more major issues back then, but that doesn't excuse my poor choice. So the real answer is I don't know why I did it. Now the next question is why did I keep doing it?

    Because it was easier than quitting. I tried the patch as a way out, but was allergic to it. The Chantix that was supposed to be the answer cost a ton of money. As did every other method. To me it was like if they want you to quit why not make it cheaper than it is to smoke. I kept saying to myself it's just cheaper to keep smoking versus paying more in a month to quit than I was paying for my smoking habit. Over time I didn't think about quitting much. So what has changed now?

    In the past few months my grandfather has had two heart attacks, which my grandmother says is due to his forty years of smoking. That got me thinking to quit after twenty years of smoking initially. Then I read a blog post on quitting smoking that a friend posted on Facebook, which focused on the mentality on quitting. This got me thinking about why I'm putting it off. More importantly what good does it do me to wait?

    I came to the conclusion that it does me no good to put it off. So I started planning my quit date, and how I would go about doing it. I began seeking out advice, and made my announcement. Now I'm making preparations for that day, and getting ready for the challenge. I hope this has helped explain some of what is going on in my head and past in regards to smoking and me. On a side note the book review will be out later today. I hope you have a good day or night depending on when you read this. Bye for now.

Plans For The Future Of This Blog And My Health

So recently there has been a lot given to me for input on how to improve my health and on how I maintain my household. None of it was forced upon me either, it was all asked for and gladly received. Now for those of you who don't know I have a counselor, and I'm not the best housekeeper. Plus also recently my grandfather has suffered a couple of severe heart attacks that my grandmother says are due to the 40 years he smoked, and I'm currently a smoker myself. So that also got me thinking. On top of all that I'm overweight and not happy about it, so something needs to be done further than what I've already done in my own opinion.

    Now I haven't got a plan set into stone yet about my weight, but I'm going to quit smoking on January 1, 2015. For those who want to help the best way possible is to not mention smoking to me in any form after that date. Up until then I'll be taking suggestions on how to aid in my campaign to quit nicotine as I'm calling it. My initial plan is to shut myself in for a month, and then gradual reintegrate myself into the world outside after that. I'll also be getting rid of all my tobacco, tubes, ashtrays, and lighters. As well as anything else that directly relates to smoking for me. As well as overhauling the house a bit in the cleaning department to reflect this change and removing reminders of my smoking days from it. Furthermore as some have already suggested leading up to the quit date I'll be working on cutting down on my smoking the month before, and I will be investing in hard candy and gum. As the other motivations for me quitting that will take longer to explain, so I will save that for my blog entry tomorrow.

    As for the future of this blog, I'm adding a bit of structure to it. Not too much since I still want to be able to speak on whatever is going on with me; has me thinking; or if I just have a story I want to share here. But after reading an article on having themed days for blogs I think it would be a good idea to have three out of the four days laid out in some sort of structured way. Now the article got me thinking about this and my counselor furthered my thinking. You see like some of my fellow writers I'm not a good housekeeper at the moment, as I mentioned above, and yet I want to be. So I'm going to try and get my act together on that front, and I'm bringing you all along for the ride. On Wednesdays you will all get to hear how I've done on my goal of being a better housekeeper, and what adventures I've gotten up to in the pursuit of it. I promise I'll do my best to make it more interesting than it sounds. So what about the other two days you're probably thinking? Well Mondays have pretty much become dedicated to a book club I'm part of so I figure that would be the best day to post a book review each week. Don't worry I won't run out of books to review anytime soon either I have tons of books to review all the way back to 2012 that haven't been written up yet. So I can keep reading and getting ahead while filling the backlog. And sliding in a more current one here and there at the same time. Now that leaves me with one day and that day is Friday. A friend and fellow writer linked me to a Bing catalog of writing prompts, so I think I will take Friday and select one and write something on it to share with everyone. And then if you want you can do your own inspired creation in the comments.

    As for other plans for the next few months, well I'm going to redo my office space and get an exercise plan into place. Mainly that means getting a new desk and desk chair. As well as getting a new reading chair and table. Plus I'm thinking of doing some basketball and maybe some sort of swimming routine though definitely not swimming laps. I'll have to wait and see what the local YMCA has to offer first. But mostly it's about getting my health back on track and reconditioning my environment to help me be as productive as possible. The new blog routine will start first thing Monday as well. I hope you have a good day or night depending on when you are reading this. Wish me luck.

What The Freedom Of Speech Means To Me

    So fair warning this is going to be a political themed entry though I'm going to try and keep it mainly personal in relation to me. You have been warned, read in at your own risk. And these are a little longer than what I have been posting I freely admit.

    So I was going through my social media sites this morning and a common theme kept popping up, and that was, The Freedom Of Speech. So it got me thinking what does that really mean to me? I mean we all claim it and say we have it many times in our life, but what does it really mean to each of us personally. Little side note I will probably cover other rights in the future as well, but I will try not to clump them all together as one big blob of blog entries to digest all at once. So now the next question is where to start on such a big topic?

    Well right here with this blog is probably the best place to start since it's right where we are. For me "the freedom of speech" applies to this blog in the sense that I can say anything I want on this blog. As long as I'm not calling for harm to others, full out rebellion, or some other illegal action directly, there is nothing the government can do to me if they disagree with my views other than post a comment saying they do. Well they could also write me a letter politely asking to post their view or asking me to take it down, but nothing that forces me to do either of those things. And I enjoy that freedom, but I also try to use it wisely as well. I know I'm not impartial, but I try to think before I start typing. Before I post a blog I write it out free writing style, then I go through it and reread it editing it as I go. I also think about is that the right way to put something or a fair characterization of something in my opinion as I'm editing as well. And if I'm proven wrong I'll gladly post a retraction on something like any good blogger should do in my opinion, but that is what it is my opinion. Everyone has one, and I don't agree with everyone I freely admit that.

    But that is why debates and forums were created I believe. To share ideas and let people's minds be changed or solidified on an idea. Right now people are so polarized that these things just turn into name calling fests instead of constructive events. Don't believe me just looks at the comment sections in the news sections of your favorite news site for current events in the world. Or even look at a current even on Facebook or Google Plus and see what happens. To bring it back on track a bit those people too are protected by freedom of speech. But there employer might see it and decide to fire them or penalize them and that is not protected under "freedom of speech" from happening. Well unless there employer is the government maybe.

    Now this fact I don't agree with even though it has caused problems for some people whose views I don't agree with. But the reason I don't agree with it is, because what it means is that your boss can now control what you do on your time off from work on social media. It was established during the industrial revolution when working conditions were improved that time off was time off and not to be used for extra work not paid for by management to be done by the worker. But now that social media has come along companies are using it to snoop on their workers private lives and political views to make sure they are in line with them. Now this is a violation of The Right To Privacy, which I will cover another time. But it also has made a lot of people cower from their companies, and censor themselves from using their right to free speech since they are not at this time protected from their employers if they object to their views. The only time I think you should be punished for something you do on social media concerning work is when you use it when you are supposed to be working. Otherwise as long as you use it when you are off the clock that is your personal space to say what you want, and post what you want. As long as you are not someplace representing the company where what you say is being taken as what the company's views are then there should be no punishment. I might forget that I think that way sometimes in the heat of a situation, but it is how it should be and we need some legislation to make it that way. Workers are losing their social lives and freedoms in their social lives cause of companies forcing their way into their social media.

    So how does that relate to me and my views on the freedom of speech you are probably wondering? Well I will probably be considered a renegade in my lifetime, as well as a risk taker in the workplace. Cause I refuse to censor myself on any social media. I'll always be who I am at heart here and everywhere online. Which means I might need a few smacks upside the head now and then, but overall it's a good thing I think. And yes this means it may cost me a job here and there. It might cost me a publishing deal. But if I can't be me and can't be honest with my fans then is it really worth it. Don't get me wrong I want the money, but I'm not willing to sell my soul for it. I'm not saying some have. I just think they have lost the edge they used to have as teenagers in younger generations, and that these younger generations overall don't have the fight that previous generations have. Don't get me wrong I've seen sparks of it, but I haven't seen the roar of the flames I saw in the younger generations in the history books and in my generation.

    I swear I started today's blog meaning to stick to a straight and narrow line of the freedom of speech, but somehow it has gotten sidetracked a bit because of how it interacts within my life in a sense. I'm a writer so I can never shut up when it comes to writing. Though sometimes I let things simmer till they come to a boil and are just right to put down to paper. Seems a lot of things were at a boil today. But the freedom of speech is important to me because it allows me to say all of it without any censorship. Sure there are certain things you can't do with your speech for safety or legal reasons. But most of them are common sense things from what I've read about. I think it is fundamentally important to be able to express yourself whether you are an artist or an author or even just a protestor on the street.

    So hopefully this gives you an idea of what the freedom of speech means to me, and if not let me know in the comments below. I hope you enjoyed this post despite it being so political and that you have a good day or night depending on when you read this. Bye for now.

Reflections On Camp Nanowrimo

    So Camp Nanowrimo came to a close on July 31, and I didn't complete my goal of 10,000 words this year. Hell I didn't even break 2,000 words. But that's OK, because at least I gave it a shot, and found out where I was. Plus I got a good head start on a project I'm working on with a great group of fellow writers. So what did I manage for Camp Nanowrimo? I managed to get 1,485 words typed up for the month of July on one particular project. Now that does not take into account all the other writing I did during that month, just the work I did on that one project. And for those of you who know me, you know I work on multiple projects at any given time.

    For the month of July and I will include the first two days of August as well. I managed to get what I listed above done. Plus 683 words written in a Christmas story I'm working on, four essays done, an annotated bibliography, the third chapter of The Gunslinger Chronicles written, the first chapter of The Gunslinger Chronicles revised for the first time, and roughly 12 250 words each Discussion Boards (not counting replies to others) done. I'd say overall that wasn't too bad.

    So now you might be asking what I plan to do when Nanowrimo comes calling in November. Well I'll tell you what I plan to do. I plan to participate like I did with Camp Nanowrimo. To some that might seem shocking and to others it might seem admirable. I think Sylvester Stallone said it well in Rocky Balboa when he said, "It ain't about how hard you hit in life, because life is going to hit you harder than anybody can. It's about how many times you can get up after you have been knocked down." I probably butchered the quote and for that I apologize. But you get what I mean hopefully. We all make mistakes, and fail at some things from time to time. The question you have to ask then is, do you try again or just walk away. Me, I choose I keep trying till I get it right. I know I can get this done. And even if it turns out I can't write a novel in a month it's still good quality time spend with other writers talking about writing on a daily basis. Which is something I enjoy doing in life already.

    I was once compared to Stephen King, and I may not be the next version of him. I may not make a fortune at doing writing for a living. Not that I'm not going to try. But if I don't, one thing is for sure I'm going to have a happy life. Even if I'm not financially successful as some people keep putting as the most important thing in life. I put a higher price tag (pardon the irony here) on doing what you love to do, and enjoying life to the fullest you possibly can. Sure money can buy me things, but it can't buy me the most important things I have had in my life. That being the great friends I have and the experiences I have had that make up my life. I look forward to having more of both as I go forward in life.

    Now I have some homework for you my readers. Leave me some comments telling me what you want to see covered here other than just my ramblings. I hope you enjoyed your visit here and have a good day or night depending on when you read this.