Short story contest

The deadline was extended for the short story contest over at accentuates forum
Originally it was to end on Halloween night but has been recently extended until November 5th. Check out the site here as it is well worth it!
I have three stories already entered.
Why don't you try your hand at it?

What's a writer to do?

Sometimes writing can come at an expense that can cost you. How many times has a writer tried to write something only to be interrupted by his or her significant other?
Chores are fine if they need to be done.
However, when honey do lists are created when you are trying to create something with the written word, at what price does doing the list versus writing come to?
Maintaining a balance with someone that does not understand what a writer goes through is oftentimes difficult. Any suggestions?

Life Revolves around Children

Who would of thought that a middle aged man, such as myself, would have a beautiful little girl who encompasses my thoughts on a daily basis.
The cute things she says, her demeanor and all of the attributes make her a precious three year old.
I love to watch her get older and see her thought process develop. Her sense of humor is developing too.
One of her favorite lines is "You crack me up, man" to anything I say.
A child is a gift and the learning curve that comes with parenthood is an interesting phenomenon.

Why I like writing

Ever since I was a kid I have enjoyed writing. These days writing provides important venues for me. It produces income (meager right now), you get accolades and the most important- it gives me an intellectual high.
I look at what I have just written or have written previously. It is amazing to think the ideas came from my mind.
The characters, scenes, comic relief, action, whatever is needed presents what I took from my mind and was able to put down on paper.
It's an amazing process and it thrills me to my core when a piece is finally finished.
I know a great deal of people who are articulate but cannot put their thoughts into words.
Everyone has their strengths and weakness when it comes to writing and reading. The old cliche practice makes perfect is timeless and accurate.
No wonder the pen is mightier than the sword.

Update on short story contest

The last entry I spoke of coming in third place in short story contest.
The results are on this page
I have entered the September/October contest. First place is a whopping three hundred dollars! Second place is one hundred and fifty dollars. Third place is seventy-five dollars.
The cost to enter is only five dollars. You don't even need a paypal account. Michy will set you up to pay online easily.
You first have to sign up to the forum to compete in the contest. However, signing up is free, so why not do it today?

Hey There

Just to let everyone know I came in third place in a short story contest.
The contest is sponsored by:

http://www.accentuateservices.com/xmb/

Please check the site out. It has useful tips on writing and it's free to join.
Good luck!

Having a large vocabulary

Some people stare at me in bewilderment when I ask them something or relate something to them. I am usually at a loss for their lack of response for twelve nano-seconds until I realize I might have used a word or three that they did not know and were too embarrassed to ask.
If I do not know a word that is being used I do one of two things. I try to ascertain its meaning by the context of the sentence and if that fails, I ask. Someone once told me that big words are for small minds. While I do not necessarily believe that opinion, it does make me think.
Recently I was asked to write an important letter to an agency and I complied. Details are unimportant. What was interesting was the feedback. "Why did you use this word? What does this sentence mean?"
I know when writing or talking, you should try to cater to all of the segments of the populace but when I write or speak, I don't use words premeditated, they just flow on the paper or egress through my mouth.
Perhaps if people read more, did more crossword puzzles or if they came across a word they did not know, they would utilize the human language.
Maybe I am using my copious vocabulary now?

The Advent of Hot Weather

Everyone speaks about the impending climate change and how it will adversely affect humanity on a global scale. Environmentalists are having a field day with what they are touting as the truth.
while I agree that global warming is occurring, I do not subscribe to the theory that it is all humanities fault.
Global warming would occur with or without human intervention. Sure, we are accelerating the process, there is no denying that attribute. But what of cycles the planet goes through? There are always warm periods and cool periods in the history of earth. To suggest that we are the sole cause of it seems absurd to me.
I do not want to leave this earth with my daughter's generation caught in the middle. She, and everyone else in that time period, will face a different world than what someone my age grew up in. Let's hope that they will be more equipped to handle it than we have been.

Edting Your Works

I am happy to report that my niece finished editing my manuscript. It did not take her long and her insightful advice was wonderful. Another helpful factor was she did it for free! She majored in English and is very intelligent.
Kudos to you Amanda! I appreciate all that you have done for me. Now it's time to hear back from the literary agents and/or the publishers.

Short Stories vs. Novels

I have written a collection of short stories which I am trying to get published even as I am writing this.
Short stories are easy for me to write when I have an idea. I don't necessarily envision a plot, it just flows. However, today I decided I am going to write a novel. I don't know the genre or the subject but just making up my mind to do it is the first step.
I checked Literary agents and publishers and it appears to be easier to submit a novel versus a collection of short stories.
I may even do non-fiction, I am not sure at this point.
My decision has been made to write a book, now I have to find a topic. Research will be my bedfellow for the next few days or weeks, dependent upon finding the right niche that I want to engage myself in.

An excellent source for writers

http://www.accentuateservices.com/xmb/
If you are a writer like myself, you should acquaint yourself with as many websites that are germane to writing as possible. The link above is a writers forum where you can enter writing contests, look at paying jobs for writers and a plethora of other relevant information.
The writing bug bit me a very long time ago but I always managed to have jobs that did not enable me to write as much as I wanted. With my current occupation I have a great deal more time to fire up my brain cells, look at my keyboard and ignite my passion.
Writers block occurrs sometimes, but once I start a sentence and make it a paragraph, it tends to flow out.
I think it is because I read so much that my mind wants my thoughts written too.
Whatever the case may be, check out Michy's forum.

Writing

I enjoy writing so much that I have concluded that the passion must be utilized. How often does a writer embark on his or her craft after engaging in a full work day or a day full of activities with or without children? After everyone goes off into a deep slumber, do you return to your computer or have a pen and paper near your bed because you thought of a great story line, a new poem or some other thing that must be written down before it is lost?
Or, like myself, that is on call during the day so I can write after 'The honey do list' is completed?
I have one hundred and twenty-five articles on ehow.com that I enjoyed writing. I am in the process of editing my collection of short stories and am actively seeking a literary agent and/or publisher.
I love to write and will continue to write for as long as I am alive and am able to.

Getting Older

Isn't life funny sometimes? You get up one morning and you realize something. You are getting older. It takes longer to get out of bed and your back is screaming for you to alleviate some of the pain. The creaking and cracking of other parts of your anatomy.
I am really not that old, but I did ingress middle age a few years back. I thought nothing of it since the age concept is an illusion. The symptoms I experienced are the result of the normal process of aging. Whilst the age concept is all in your head, you can stave off some of the more minor aliments. I am not dispensing medical advice, but I have read to alleviate some of back pain is to drink more water. Having a banana prior to bedtime will help with cramps. You can get a myriad of books indicating how to improve your health with has a side benefit of helping you feel younger.
Exercise would be a great benefit too. I have the time but not much discipline. As I do get older I will have to exercise more. I know that to be true and it should not take some life altering event to induce me to take action.
Yes, I am getting older, therefore I should be getting wiser, especially concerning my health.

Time Gone By

Time has a way of slipping by to the point where you realize how long it has been since you have done something. Take this blog. I had a lot to do and when I finally came back to it, a few months have transpired.
I have been doing a great deal of writing. For business and pleasure. I had recently finished writing some articles for an Internet company and went on to finish a short story I had been working on. I complied it with other short stories and am now in the process of trying to publish it. I have had two previous books published. The genre was poetry. I wanted to expand my horizons and ingress the field of short fiction. I may or may not add to my collection, but one thing is for sure. I love writing. It gives me an intellectual high like no other.

The Holiday's are almost over

After the holiday's are done and over with, what do we do then? Do we make a new year resolution? Or do we continue to do what we always have done? Make them and then break them.
A question comes to mind. Why do we have to make a resolution only on new years day? If we want to alter something that we don't like about ourselves, or an attribute that needs changing, why wait until the new year to proclaim it?
If it is March 26Th and we want to alter something that we don't like about ourselves, are we going to wait several more months to change? Why? Why not change on the date you become cognizant of it?
Smoking cessation should be done whenever you want to do it and not put it off until the new year. The same holds true for whatever the case may be.
Learn to recognize what you want changed about yourself and do it. Don't prolong it, just do it!

Flying On Small Planes

On occasion I have to fly to get to a place to do recoveries. On a small plane, you can feel all the slight turbulence. Sometimes I am okay, other times I get nauseous. Typically, once you are above the clouds the turbulence smooths out. There were times when it was raining and we went above the rain.
There was an occasion when I saw a double rainbow. The pilot told us that that was only the second time in twenty years of flying that he ever saw one.
If I do take a plane it cuts three hours each way that I would had to of driven.
Seeing Indianapolis at eight thousand feet is an awesome sight.
While I would prefer flying in a large commerical jet, I do not complain. Shaving off six hours of driving is well worth flying in a small plane.

Traveling for a Living

I travel a great deal with my job. It entail traversing mid central Indiana and Southern Indiana. From Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois. Sometimes I can be gone for over a day and a half, sometimes I am only out for a few hours. There are times when I spend more time with my co-workers than my wife and daughter.
While I do not like doing that, the work I do (I feel) is very important.
I am a tissue procurement specialist. Basically when someone expires, and they are a donor, I physically remove their skin, bone, tendons, veins and sometimes mandibles.
It is a very rewarding experience since one full donor can help up to seventy-five lives.
I hope that people will continue to donate to ensure that other people may live.

Short Story Writing

In between writing for a few online writing companies, having a family, going to work and visiting family members, I write short stories.
Writing short stories gives me an intellectual high that is hard to describe. I am able to think better after I complete a page that I am happy with.
I don't usually have the story laid out before me. I know a great deal of writers do that. And perhaps I will, someday.
When I write, it flows. The ideas come to me. Sometimes an idea that I like will force me to change whole paragraphs from earlier in the story to accommodate the new storyline. The challenge is worth it.
Recently, while I was at work, my co-workers and I were discussing werewolves. I had submitted a six page short story to an online contest. While I did not win, the people at my work really enjoyed the story. The only drawback was that it ended too soon. To appease them, and to help myself, I sat down and revamped it. Now it is completed and I turned it into a twenty-five page short story.
Of course it needs editing, but for now the story alone made me feel good about myself.
As soon as all my short stories are ready, I will try to have them published.

On Family

Recently, as of yesterday, one of my older sisters, and her husband, moved from New York to Indiana where a lot of my family (including yours truly) resides. What prompt my sister to move a thousand miles away where the culture and the colloquialism are so divergent? Simple. The family. How powerful is that statement? Family matters to us. I finally have the other two thirds of the triplets living near me and we get together as much as we can.
Last night we were at Applebee's with all of the Indiana family together and it was a sight to behold. As we ingress middle age, the role of the family takes on new importance to me.
Since I am a homebody, the advent of family makes me want to go out and be gregarious and see them.
My Mother's goal is to have all nine children living in the same state. While that may not happen, at least she has most of them here. What more could you ask for?

On Being Sick

I have been out of touch due to having a chest cold and stomach flu. The latter was the worst. I had felt nauseous for a couple of days until it culminated one afternoon while I was in the shower. I knew the time had come. I quickly got out of the shower and draped the towel over myself and proceeded to throw up.
The next thing I knew I was lying on the floor. The towel had come off me and a cabinet behind me had moved a couple of feet. The toilet seat was down so I thought I dreamt the whole episode. I lifted the seat, got a whiff and threw up again.
I have never passed out from being sick before the other day. It was a weird experience.
I still am not up to Parr but feel a great deal better.

Watching TV

During the day and night I am on call. If I do not get called out, I am home during the day. When I first did that I spent a great deal of time watching television. I realized how much I was watching TV when I knew a lot of things about sitcoms during discussions with family and friends.
That disturbed me. I could be doing a plethora of other productive things. Primarily, I could be reading or writing! Writing ended up being the preferred choice since I could read at night, if I was not working.
What a difference that decision made! I was actually thinking again. My mind was no not longer with a lot of clutter, just the normal amount.
I now feel... different or not fulfilled when I do not write.
I wrote a blog about that recently so I will not go into too much detail.
Suffice to say, the act of turning off the television during the day transformed my daily activities. I now scour the web looking for freelance work to supplement my income.
Anyone who has any idea of further supplementing my income, let me know!

The Weekends

The weekends were made for spending time with the family and cherish each and every moment!
My little girl wanted to dance to the music we were playing so my wife and I obliged. She even had her baby girls dancing.
Times like this reminds me of the vastly different lifestyle I grew up in.
While my mom read us books, and that in turn instill within us a love for reading, there was no fatherly figure to assert his influence.
What little I remember of him will not be put in this blog because I did not like what he had done.
Needless to say, I will do the exact opposite of what my father was.
I cherish all the moments spent with my wife and daughter. Family time allows the tension of the work week to dissipate and reduce the stress level.
Visiting family members helps alleviate the stress too. By having a cup of tea or coffee with a sibling and discussing life events or concerns, the tension dismounts of my shoulders and I come away prepared for life again.
Perhaps you do not have the luxury of having a close knit family, or not having family members, then you should have and retain friends that you can actually communicate with.
Learning to lean on people in times of duress can help with your overall mental well being.
During this holiday season, as the stress augments, the time of needing to share with people becomes more pronounced. Learn to appreciate your friends and family and the rewards will be worth it.

Reading the Newspaper

I was reading the city newspaper this morning and I just could not believe all the bad things that transpire around me.
While I do not feel immune to it, it really concerns me. A local couple beat their child for wetting his bed. The child could not of been more than four years old. I do not understand such behavior. How could a parent go that far to beat an innocent child?
The newspaper is filled with negative stories. And why not? If they reported all the good things that occur, then not much newspapers would be sold. Do we feed off all of the negativity? Do we relish in its delight? I personally do not.
I read it to learn. To learn what not to do. Sometimes society sickens me to the core. People slip through the cracks of our fractured system and end up on the evening news or the morning newspaper. It behooves me to think about all that goes on. If I sound redundant, it is on purpose. I have to let it out.
If I dwell on it too much I will feed into its negativity. So, by writing about it, I can release it through the written word.
I will continue to read the newspaper and get distraught over the headlines, and live my life the best that I can.

Rating Behaviors

On my other blog, I reported the use of rating my child's behavior to my wife. Every day she calls and asks how our daughter was. I fill her in and tell her the things she had done on that morning. I thought about it and decided to create a rating system for my daughter. Today she was an A-.
But couldn't we expound on that idea and rate, to yourself, people's behavior? It would produce some interesting results since no two people think the same way.
For example, if three people witnessed the same car accident at the same time at the same angle, you would get three different reports. Not only beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It extends far beyond that.
Rating someones behavior reminds me of a game one of my brother's and I still play whenever we get together. We would look at a person and imagine his or hers name and age. Think it's silly? One of my wife's Aunts name does not match what I think her name should be. I consciousnessly have to call her by her given name because I want to call her by the name that she looks like.
Does that mean that people's names are attached with a social stigma? I think so, but it's not the fault of the child.
A parent has the right to name his or her child anything he or she wants. But if you name a boy Kim, get ready for condescending remarks. Is it wrong to do that? Of course it is! However, people will do it, especially children.
To reiterate, for those of you that might take offense, it is your right to name your child, but think of the consequences when your child gets older.
Additionally, think of people watching and see if name pops into your head.

A Return to Normalcy

Not that one of the biggest holidays is over, we have Christmas to look forward to.
First, let's catch our collective breaths and slowly exhale. What a whirlwind! Going from one part of Indiana to another to see the wife's side, then come into town to visit my side, wow!
With gas being so high, it is a wonder we could afford to do all that! And you had to bring a dish, or two so we could all stuff ourselves.
The return to normalcy will be short lived as the frenzy will come into play with the advent of Christmas. The onslaught of commericals and sales will dodge any hope of a normal life.
While I love the spirit of the holidays, I like the norm too.
I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving!

The Day Before Thanksgiving

Isn't there a different ambiance in the air that precedes a holiday? Maybe it is the jovial expressions on people's faces, or the impending weather change.
Whatever the case may be there is a certain benevolence that attaches itself. It seems people are more courteous to each other and the stores are jammed packed with eager customers devouring the specials and sales.
Many more will have a nice quiet Thanksgiving dinner spent with family and friends. Holidays are where some see each other since the last holiday. The speciality of closeness seems to prevail upon us.
A great deal of the populace partake in the early bird specials the day after Thanksgiving. People actually wait in line at two, three or four in the morning eagerly anticipating the advent of the store's opening. My wife enjoys spending the day with my family to do that, but I would rather not. I would rather be at home soaking in the warmness of my home and hanging out with my daughter.
Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Trying to Learn Something New

Have you ever engaged in something so totally outside your realm that you questioned your competence? If so, enter my world.
I am going to ATTEMPT to learn computer programming, Visual Basic, by myself. It is a daunting task. All I have is the CD and a book. This ought to be really interesting.
In order to learn more about my strengths and weakness, I like to challenge myself. That is one of the reasons I created this, and my other blog. To see if I could do it. If you are computer savvy, it may seem like a simple task to go online, do some research and create one. That is what I did but I was in unfamiliar terrain.
Computer programming is for people that have logic, something I do not possess much of. I possess creativity and I am hoping that will help me through.
Learning a different language will take me a great deal of time because I have other endeavors that need to be taken care of too.
Does anyone know of a really easy step by step process besides VB for dummies? If so, please let me know!

Reunions

Each year my wife's mother's and father's side stage a reunion down in southern Indiana. It is a chance to catch up and re-familiarize yourself to the group of people. I find it interesting and rewarding. The children get older as we get older too. Her uncles, aunts and cousins take time away from their busy schedule, as do we, to unite.
The catching up makes me realize that, despite the way each person chooses to life, and the dogmas we hold, people are not so different after all. Yes, of course, we have different belief structures and have divergent interests, but deep down, at the core of it all, we are human and that speaks volumes.
We share a love for the family, talk about current events and a host of other topics that enables us to learn, prosper, grow and think.
There are differences of opinion but that too is acceptable. I do not want everyone thinking the way I do. (Okay, maybe I do, but it will not happen.)
I enjoy the diversity of thought. Especially Since I grew up over a thousand miles away.
If you get a chance to reunite with your family or your significant others, you should check it out. Take a step back, peer at the people, and realize we are not that different after all.

The Choice of Holiday Families

If you have several sides to a family, including your in-laws, how do you know which place to visit and which one not to go to? Such is the quandary a great many people face every holiday season.
With my family, we take turns. When we go to my side of the family for a holiday function, the next time we go to my wife's side. The symmetry can unravel when you have family on one side come in from outer state, or your spouse has more sides to the family than you do, or vice versa.
One side is going to lose out. If you have only one side of the family and your significant other has two or three, the chances are good that you are going to see more of his or her side than yours.
You can accommodate or compromise by setting a holiday family function the week before ,or a few days before, thereby being able to attend both sides equally.
It has worked for the both of us.
More ideas will be added as time demands.

Some Trifle Musings

The results are in from the previous poll! I know you are waiting with bated breath.
Fifty-five percent of those that took the poll indicated they prefer Battle Star Galactica, Twenty-two percent like Star Trek. Tied for third place with eleven percent was Twilight Zone and Roswell. Thanks for everyone that took the time to take the poll.
As you may or may not of noticed, I revamped my blog. The blue background will enhance viewing pleasure and new features were added.
People that know me should know I always have unusual musings. Oftentimes I do not necessarily think outside the box, but I will come up with interesting responses or questions.
I was IMing a friend yesterday and he kept responding with, "Hmmmmmmmm". Finally I asked why some of his responses used that word. He gave a very good answer. He said that "I provoked thought and he did not have a response yet."
So, by provoking thought, does that suggest an usual way of contemplating topics? Is it asking questions that were outside of the box or merely musings?
My other blog has thoughts on children musings. You may want to read that as well.
While I never thought in terms of mainstream, I did not deem myself analytical enough to stray from the box. However, take the four first letters of analytical and what do you have? Yeah, your anal. I tend to be more creative. My head is in the clouds a great deal, so sometimes I have to return to the ground and actually think.
Anyone care to comment or should I return to my lofty daydreaming?