The Mind of a Struggling Writer

We've seen or at least heard of these popular shows on TV that show people stockpiling food and weapons for the coming collapse of the government, World War III, Armageddon, or zombie apocalypse. We look at these people and think, "God, what a bunch of whack jobs." I found out recently this is not a new phenomenon. In fact, following World War II many people thought that it was only a matter of time before the Commies from Russia or China would make their way to American shores and we would have a another devastating global war. People began building bomb shelters in their basements. Stockpiling canned goods, water, and gasoline people expected any moment to hear the sirens signaling them to take shelter as an incoming atomic bomb arrived to blow them all to oblivion. Of course, we all know this didn't end up happening. Those bomb shelters went thankfully unused and the cans collected dust as the threat of nuclear winter faded with the fall of the Berlin Wall. I...

Probably one of the best tools a writer can have is the ability to network. Being able to seek out and communicate with publishers and fellow writers is key to success.  I've been lucky to have several friends in the writing community that give me ideas and suggestions on places to submit work or to find freelance gigs. Another important thing is conventions and festivals. Today in Louisville they had the Writer's Block Festival. It included workshops--which I didn't attend because they cost money and I'm broke--and panels--which I didn't attend because the topics this year just didn't interest me. What did interest me was the building that had several publishers and journals. About a dozen local and regional publications were on hand with copies of books, journals--some of them even free--and plenty of business cards and free swag. Probably the most important part was speaking with their reps that were there. These are the people you really want to talk wit...

My family started a tradition a year or so ago. We are all spread across the states of Kentucky, Indiana, and Florida that it is hard to get everyone together. So we decided to do a few big family get together meals a year, aside from the major holidays. Tonight we went to the always awesome Mark's Feed Store. But an incident happened that has been running in my head all night. My uncle Kenny suffers from Parkinson's disease. For those that don't know it is a disease that attacks the nervous system and wreaks havoc on the person's ability to move. Two famous people who are sufferers of this disease are the boxer Muhammad Ali and the actor Micheal J. Fox. Though the disease is treatable to an extend, there is no cure at this time. So two incidents happened as we at. We were all eating and sharing stories. I was ragging on Zack, my younger cousin who I always make a point to give crap to because he is younger version of me. My sister was telling a funny story about my...

The Olympic Apartment Building

One of the hardest things I find when trying to do my own writing is finding free time to sit down and write. With work, school, exercise, and trying to maintain a social life it can be hard to find a few hours to actually sit down and write. That is when I figured out what I was doing wrong. I don't need to try and schedule hours of time to sit down and write (at least not until I can get paid to do it for a living). Instead I just look at when I have some actual down time form the things I have to do. Even if it is only twenty or thirty minutes a day I try to get something down on paper. I have made a habit of watching a ball game with my laptop in arms reach so I can try to knock out a few paragraphs during commercials or half-time. And in the world of smartphones, any time I have an idea of something I jot down a note to myself so I don't forget it. I've even been guilty if emailing myself from work when an idea hits me. So remember, it is not the quantity of time t...

I know a lot of people have written or talked about what they were doing or how they felt 12 years ago when a handful of angry men fly airplanes into buildings and killed several thousands of innocent people. I have read some people's social media posts where they want to use the 9/11 attacks as an excuse to attack religion, or to promote conspiracy theories, or they decide to speak out about their indifference since it "didn't effect them". Well, here's my 9/11 story. It was my first year at the University of Louisville. I had walked into my Campus Culture class (one of those bullshit classes they require freshmen to take to learn how to write paper). As class was getting ready to start one of the guys that was in ROTC came in and said a plane had hit the World Trade Center. There was little reaction at first. My first thought was one of those small private planes had hit a floor of the tower; things like that had happened before. It was sad, but we went about ...

Well, the break from class wasn't as productive as I would have liked. Made some headway on a few projects, nothing finished though. The goal now is to try to at least get a few paragraphs or pages written daily. A few pieces are almost done, some are in their infancy, and others have miles to go before I'm through. I did get a good draft of In the Name of the Father done. The first chapter is on this this blog. A good friend of mine is in the process of proofreading and editing for me. I hope to have something ready in the next few months. I also began work on my book that I want to do about vanishing tattoo cultures around the world. It is only in the research phase, but I have found a lot of good information. That is probably one of the best things I can tell someone who is trying to take on the task of being a writer. Be a reader and a researcher. You never know where something you read will take you. It can spark an idea for book, a story, a poem, or who knows whatever....

This past weekend I went with some of my friend's to celebrate Rob's bachelor party. The Friday night festivities involved partying in the Cincinnati-Convington area. Due to low funds, I did not participate in this leg of the journey. However Jameson and I made the drive to Saturday's destination, Lucas's family farm in Osgood, Indiana, known as  Laughery .  The spot was great. There was a an uncut field that boarded the open spaces for camping. The guys already had a lively game of wiffleball started when we pulled up. There was also a creek near a spot where the cooking and campfire was. Though Dave, or the Dude as we called him told us not to smoke near the water due to methane content.  The interesting part of the evening came when Lucas's dad got some of us together to go visit an old grave on the property. It was late in the evening at this point, and it was full on dark. We walked carefully up the hiking trail and off to a side path. There we saw an o...

I recently wrote an article for the website Examiner.com , in which I looked at research on tattoos in ancient Egypt. Scientists now think the Egypt was home to the first tattoos, and that the artwork help religious importance to the wearer. This article got me thinking about a writing project that I want to start in the near future. I want to look not only at the history of tattoos, but at the cultural importance of tattoos. I also want to look at some of these traditions and how they are slowly fading away. Now of course I just have to find the time to do it. With juggling work and school with other commitments and projects it may be years before it is ready. But maybe that is best. There is no reason to rush it. It rushed work tends to be shoddy work. I know I'll have it done sooner or later. It is just a matter of time. http://www.examiner.com/article/tattoed-like-an-egyptian?cid=db_articles

One of the most difficult things about being a working writer is juggling your time. Working full-time plus being is college leaves little time to write. The key I find is to make the most of the time you do have. If you only have 3 hours on Saturday, knock out as much quality work as you can in those 3 hours. If it takes you longer than you want, that's okay. This is a process. Don't rush and sacrifice quality for quantity.

My cousin posted this picture on Facebook where she drove by my grandparents' house. They passed away  about 20 or so years ago. The picture reminded me of a piece I wrote for a creative writing class I did in high school. My Grandparents’ House It was a place Of fun and joy Where I would run and play When I was a small boy. The smell of cedar And the aroma of honeysuckle. Old abandoned chicken coops Telling stories of games Of hide and seek. Long walks along the railroad tracks. Wet kisses on the cheek And “My how you’ve grown”. But now those halls are empty My grandparents are gone. No more games at the coops. No more playing in the field. But as I stand outside the house, White paint reflecting the summer sun, The wind picks up And the smell of cedar and honeysuckle Fills my nostrils. Tears well in my eyes, And a smile crosses my face.

It's an old sayings that has been drilled into students minds for years. Good writers read all the time. It sounds pretty arbitrary at first, but there is truly a ring of truth to it. There are several great reasons that reading helps in the creative process of being a good writer. First of all, you have to be able to do research on what you are writing. Even if it is a work of fiction, you want to make sure it is believable. If you are writing a historical novel, you should know the politics and culture of the time period to make it more believable. If you are writing a science fiction story on time travel, a basic idea of quantum mechanics is a good idea. And if you are writing a story based in a real location you should know something about the environment and geography about the area. Secondly, reading will make you a better writer by expanding your vocabulary and the way you write. You favorite authors style and sentence structure may influence the way you form your writin...

I love Shakespeare. Some of my favorite courses in college were English and theatre courses that required us to read and see Shakespeare's plays. Hell, I even wrote my graduate paper on three film versions of Hamlet . One thing I always love is when you see a director take one of the plays and reinterpret them. Setting Hamlet in a more modern time and place like Kenneth Branaugh (or the one with Ethan Hawke set in New York City , but that version sucked) brought a whole new perspective to the play. And while we're on the subject of Hamlet , the Lion King . Read the play and then follow the plot of the movie. Mind-blowing. Another thing I love is when non-English speaking directors take a stab at the plays. The famed Japanese director Kurosawa did probably the greatest reinvention of Macbeth when he did Throne of Blood and changed to setting to feudal Japan. The fact that he could take such traditional Japanese theatre troupes and make them fit with a 500 year old English ...

I'm a very big fan of George R.R. Martin. I read A Game of Thrones back in 1998 and have been a loyal reader of his books ever since. The entire series is so well written and has taken the fantasy genre into directions that had not really been done before. His need to make his world have a sense of realism--no fairies or elves in this world, just the occasional dragon--truly drew readers including myself into his world. With the HBO series, he has gained many new fans and readers. Sadly some of his decisions in where the story has gone so far has cost him readers and viewers.  Events that have happened to fan favorites, especially the Stark family, have caused some fans to express anger and outrage. Some fans have stated they won't watch the show anymore, nor read the books. Last night's episode which depicted the tragic Red Wedding is a prime example. I remember year ago reading that scene for the first time. I knew that Walder Frey would try to get some kind of reveng...

He took the shoebox down from his closet. Lifting the cardboard lid he began rummaging through the contents. Sifting thought the old Boy Scouts scarf and badges, stubs from concert tickets, souvenir buttons, and other keepsakes he took each item out of the box and placed them on his bed. Finally he found what he was looking for. The leather sheath was falling apart with age, but he still smiled as he ran his thumb along the edge. Two Japanese military daggers were placed inside. The handles were blue with an ivory dragon on one and a bird on the other. One dagger had a chip in the blue  that covered the handles. He unsheathed the blades and looked at the steel. The blades had dulled over time and brown specks spotted the blades; he never knew if it was blood or rust. His uncle had given him the military blades when he was younger. They had belonged to his grandfather when he served in the Pacific during World War II. He had served as a cook for his unit. The story was that he h...

I got some great news this weekend. Last Summer I was to be part of a writing project called Game of Thrones and History . It was to be a book comparing the television show and the books on which it is based with real events in medieval history. I was chosen to be a contributing writer to a chapter dealing with feasts and tournaments.  I spent several months pouring through books and articles, as well as watching the show and reading through the book series. Everything was going good to meeting my December deadline. Then we got an email from out editor, telling us that we had lost our publisher. It was a huge blow to me, as not only was I going to get a decent little check for my writing, but I would be my first publication. But, we had hope that we may get another publisher to pick us up. I stated my continued commitment and hoped that we would have a new publisher by March. As the months went on, my hopes of still getting this chapter published started to dwindle. Several tim...

Los Angeles defiantly lives up to its reputation as a crazy town. All walks of life are there, many dreaming of becoming something bigger and better. Though only a few achieve their dream of seeing their name in the marquee still many flock to the city in hopes of fulfilling their dreams. My friend Jon was one of these people. Jon moved to LA not too long after high school with the ambition of becoming a great actor. He had the passion and drive, and had some talent at it. He even got a part as an extra in the film Coach Carter . If you know where to look in a few scenes you can even see him.  Though he never made it big, he stuck it out for several years and lived the life of a struggling actor and musician. One year I had the chance to go visit him for a week. It was defiantly not what I was expecting. The trip almost started on a bad note; my flight was going to be delayed due to some weather and I had to reschedule my flight for the next morning. On...

A while back I had a conversation with a former co-worker that made me very irritated as a writer. I work at a computer repair facility, which is deep in "nerd culture'. Which is fine, I get some of it. The problem with many of my co-workers is that they are in a state of arrested development. I'm talking about people in their late 20s/ early 30s who still talk about Pokemon. Not to mention many of them are fresh out of high school and still have that maturity level. But I digress. So we had a new girl employee that was working next to me. She was what you would imagine the stereotypical "nerdy-girl" to look like. Black rimmed glasses, a bit overweight; not traditionally attractive, but with a little effort she could be. We were making small talk as we worked, just kind of getting to know each other type stuff. Then she asked me something that I knew was going to be annoying. "So what is your geeky thing?" Now this bothered me on several levels. Fir...

Rickey and Bruce had big dreams. One day they would leave their hometown and be somebody. Ricky wanted to be a rock star. Bruce wanted to be a famous actor. They had the desire and the possibly the talent. They were missing just one thing, a shot. They never really gave up on the dream. Ricky floated around in a few bands playing guitar and singing. But nothing quite stuck. Right when everything was starting to go right, someone would quit or move on to another project. Ricky’s best shot came one night when his band was playing at the Taproom, a big local venue. One of his friends had uploaded a video to Youtube of one of the band’s shows. A representative from a small label saw it and liked what he heard. He promised to meet them at the show and see how they were live. Ricky could almost taste his victory. Fate intervened that night. The band got together at the show and were ready to set up. There was just one person missing; Dan their drummer. They frantically tried callin...

Tap, tap, tap Small taps on the roof. Tears of heaven dripping The ground opens to take in  The cool drops of moisture. Green grass brightens, Grey pavement darkens. The sky turns brown-grey. Taps become hammering The wind moves the torrent In pulsing waves. Trees bend to its onslaught Threatening to snap. Heaven's rivers pour out. Then sunlight pokes through And a fractured spectrum paints the sky. The onslaught slows Small taps on the roof. Tap, tap. tap.

When I thinking on what I wanted to be when I grew up, I don't think I expected to be where I am now. I dreamed of being an astronaut, a firefighter, a teacher, a superhero. We all have those dreams. Some want to be an actor on stage and screen. Others want to be rock stars, performing on a stage in front of a crowd. When we were young and naive we dreamed big, and the sky was the limit. But then we grow up, and the world comes crashing down like an avalanche of reality. Some of us do achieve our dreams, others have to settle. I never dreamed of working a mediocre job for corporate America. I didn't dream of being thousands of dollars in student loan debt to get a degree that no one bothered to tell me would be harder to find a career. No one told me that, oh you may want to get your Masters at a different college than you did for your undergrad since PhDs give more weight on that. Good to know in hindsight. So what happened to the American dream of being able to achieve...

Cammie couldn’t believe her luck.  First she got in a fight with her boyfriend and drove off.  She knew it was a stupid fight, and that she should have stayed. But she was too emotional, and the last thing Cammie wanted at that moment was to have to deal with his shit for another moment. She had called Sarah on her way and was planning on staying with her; either until things cooled down with Tim, or maybe for good. Maybe she would just leave and start over. Maybe all she needed was a fresh start. Her hand drifted to her stomach. Cammie didn’t know if that was such a good idea; maybe she did need him. At the moment she just had to get away to think. And Sarah’s place was far enough for a start.             In hindsight, maybe she should have called a friend that lived closer.  The town of Iguana was twenty miles east of El Paso. It was a sleepy little town, one of those places you only stopped in to get gas befo...