We live in large, beautiful world, and there will always be an endless number of things to write about. Often, I have too many projects going at the same time, and have to restrain myself from starting something new.
Why do I do this to myself? I do it because there are always a number of stories in my head fighting to get out. Wouldn't it be great if I could just zap my stories onto the paper or computer screen? Probably not.
Writers write because we enjoy the process. Even when it's difficult, tedious, or too slow- like a lot of things in life, it's the journey that counts.
I've got a lot of stories to tell. I hope a lot of people read them, but even if they don't I plan to keep on writing them down, because that's what writers do.
Now, what shall I work on tonight?
What are you going to work on? Go write something.
Monday, July 23, 2018
Monday, July 9, 2018
Living a Happier Life
Are you happy? Do you live a happy life? Do you strive to make your loved ones and friends live better, happier lives?
These are simple questions that we all need to contemplate on a continual basis, and whatever our answers might be, we owe it to ourselves and those around us to strive to do better.
We all experience good times and bad times, and there are many difficulties in life that tend to bring us down or knock us to the ground, entirely. However, we need to remember that we aren't alone- everyone is, has been, or will be suffering. Pain and suffering are conditions experienced by the entirety of the human race, and no matter who you are, how much money you have, or any other factor you may or may not have, you can't escape pain.
What we CAN do is choose to be happy. We can choose to move keep fighting. We can set goals, move forward in life, and do the best we can with the cards we're given.
Now, I know that you've heard all this before, and that it sounds like some kind of cheesy movie monologue, but that doesn't rob it of its truth.
Today, we can choose to be happy, we can choose to work hard to achieve our goals, and we can choose to be a blessing and inspiration to those around us. May God forgive us when we fail, and give us the strength to do our absolute best with the gifts He's given us!
These are simple questions that we all need to contemplate on a continual basis, and whatever our answers might be, we owe it to ourselves and those around us to strive to do better.
We all experience good times and bad times, and there are many difficulties in life that tend to bring us down or knock us to the ground, entirely. However, we need to remember that we aren't alone- everyone is, has been, or will be suffering. Pain and suffering are conditions experienced by the entirety of the human race, and no matter who you are, how much money you have, or any other factor you may or may not have, you can't escape pain.
What we CAN do is choose to be happy. We can choose to move keep fighting. We can set goals, move forward in life, and do the best we can with the cards we're given.
Now, I know that you've heard all this before, and that it sounds like some kind of cheesy movie monologue, but that doesn't rob it of its truth.
Today, we can choose to be happy, we can choose to work hard to achieve our goals, and we can choose to be a blessing and inspiration to those around us. May God forgive us when we fail, and give us the strength to do our absolute best with the gifts He's given us!
Monday, June 25, 2018
What's Your Story?
A common misconception is that we human beings communicate with one another through words. While words are obviously a fundamental building block of communication, the way you and I really speak to one another is through story.
Here's an example- Your dog, Fido, takes off one afternoon and comes back a few hours later covered in blood. Seeing this, you immediately panic, and a dozen different scenarios run through your mind. Is the dog hurt?
Did he get in a fight and hurt another dog?
Did he attack a person? But Fido would never do something like that, he's always been so gentle!
So how do you find out what happened? You have to piece together the clues. You check the dog for injuries, follow the trail of blood, look for a dead racoon, or perhaps even a chunk of your neighbor out in the back yard, etc.
Unless your dog's very special, he can't tell you the story.
He can tell you when he's hungry, angry, happy, and a number of other things through his doggy "words" and expressions, but he's probably never told you a story. My point is, the two of you aren't going to share an amusing anecdote or sit down and figure out your relationship problems. Why? Because dogs can't tell us stories- not in the sense of speaking of.
People, on the other hand, tell each other stories all day long. If you tell someone what you had for breakfast, you're telling them a story.
You: "Hey, Fido, come here boy, you hungry?"
Fido: "Woof!" Translation- "You bet I am!"
No story.
You: "Hey, Jenny, you hungry? I was just about to fix myself a sandwich."
Jenny: "You bet I am! I haven't had a thing since breakfast. I ran into my mother at Safeway this morning and she kept lecturing me about when we're going to try for a baby. By the time she got through with me I'd lost my appetite for lunch."
Jenny just told us a story- not a particularly groundbreaking story, but a story, nonetheless.
Contrast the above with this.
You: "Hey, Jenny, you hungry?"
Jenny: "Yes."
You: "I was just about to fix myself a sandwich. You want one?"
Jenny: "Yes."
Geeze, what the heck's wrong with Jenny, today? Is she in a bad mood or something? What's HER problem?
We all have stories to tell- we tell them all day, every day. So if you've ever pondered being a writer, then why not jot a few of them down- there's probably an audience waiting to listen.
Don't be scared about getting started, because you've been telling stories all your life- you've told dozens if not hundreds just today- and if you were really that worried about people not caring about what you have to say, then why are you still talking?
Here's an example- Your dog, Fido, takes off one afternoon and comes back a few hours later covered in blood. Seeing this, you immediately panic, and a dozen different scenarios run through your mind. Is the dog hurt?
Did he get in a fight and hurt another dog?
Did he attack a person? But Fido would never do something like that, he's always been so gentle!
So how do you find out what happened? You have to piece together the clues. You check the dog for injuries, follow the trail of blood, look for a dead racoon, or perhaps even a chunk of your neighbor out in the back yard, etc.
Unless your dog's very special, he can't tell you the story.
He can tell you when he's hungry, angry, happy, and a number of other things through his doggy "words" and expressions, but he's probably never told you a story. My point is, the two of you aren't going to share an amusing anecdote or sit down and figure out your relationship problems. Why? Because dogs can't tell us stories- not in the sense of speaking of.
People, on the other hand, tell each other stories all day long. If you tell someone what you had for breakfast, you're telling them a story.
You: "Hey, Fido, come here boy, you hungry?"
Fido: "Woof!" Translation- "You bet I am!"
No story.
You: "Hey, Jenny, you hungry? I was just about to fix myself a sandwich."
Jenny: "You bet I am! I haven't had a thing since breakfast. I ran into my mother at Safeway this morning and she kept lecturing me about when we're going to try for a baby. By the time she got through with me I'd lost my appetite for lunch."
Jenny just told us a story- not a particularly groundbreaking story, but a story, nonetheless.
Contrast the above with this.
You: "Hey, Jenny, you hungry?"
Jenny: "Yes."
You: "I was just about to fix myself a sandwich. You want one?"
Jenny: "Yes."
Geeze, what the heck's wrong with Jenny, today? Is she in a bad mood or something? What's HER problem?
We all have stories to tell- we tell them all day, every day. So if you've ever pondered being a writer, then why not jot a few of them down- there's probably an audience waiting to listen.
Don't be scared about getting started, because you've been telling stories all your life- you've told dozens if not hundreds just today- and if you were really that worried about people not caring about what you have to say, then why are you still talking?
Monday, June 18, 2018
Being an Independent Author is a Wonderful Thing…
However- it requires a lot of self discipline, the ability to constantly re-prioritize, and the need to focus on what matters most to achieve success.
Where do you want to be?
How do you plan on getting there?
The path to success IS going to be different for everyone, but relentless, hard work is always the main ingredient, no matter who you are or what you're trying to achieve.
Focus like a laser beam on your goals, find the tools necessary for success and implement them, and keep moving forward.
If you get knocked down, pull yourself back up and double your efforts.
This is the one, sure way to continually and ultimately succeed.
Where do you want to be?
How do you plan on getting there?
The path to success IS going to be different for everyone, but relentless, hard work is always the main ingredient, no matter who you are or what you're trying to achieve.
Focus like a laser beam on your goals, find the tools necessary for success and implement them, and keep moving forward.
If you get knocked down, pull yourself back up and double your efforts.
This is the one, sure way to continually and ultimately succeed.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Human Trafficking a Major Subject of Bleeding Star Chronicles 11
Bleeding Star Chronicles #11, The Sounds of Wind and Water, wasn't the easiest book for me to write, at least certain parts of it. It deals with some pretty heavy issues, one of which is human trafficking. That subject is only touched on really- but I think I delve deep enough into the matter to make my readers think about it, and realize what a nightmare this kind of life can truly be.
Human trafficking remains a real problem in our world today. Even here in the United States and other 1st world countries, there is a dark subculture that grooms young people, especially young girls, as sexual slaves. You only have to do a little research on this subject, here's the Wikipedia page, to see I'm telling the truth. Overseas, the problem is even bigger.
I've personally cared for rape victims as young as six years old who were already far into the process of being groomed for a life of sexual slavery and prostitution. The work was heartbreaking, but necessary, and opened up my eyes to the existential presence of evil in this world as nothing had before.
So, what's all this have to do with Bleeding Star Chronicles? As a writer, subjects such as these are often difficult to tackle. This isn't the stuff that's fun to write about, but it's important for all of us to be aware of and think about.
Evil exists in this world, sometimes right under our noses, and we often forget how blessed we are.
All of us are faced with a number of choices each and every day.
We need to choose to be thankful!
We need to choose to be kind to others!
We need to choose to reach out to those around us, and alleviate human suffering. Sometimes this suffering is obvious, and sometimes it's not, but one thing's for sure- there are plenty of people suffering all around us.
Writing stories about this stuff is easy. Reading stories about it is even easier.
Choosing to do something about it- that can be a whole lot harder.
Perhaps you'd like a way you could help? One organization that my own church has worked with, The Daughters of Ruth, rescues young girls in Thailand, who would otherwise have no place to go. This is an excellent orginization to help if you want to get involved.
Human trafficking remains a real problem in our world today. Even here in the United States and other 1st world countries, there is a dark subculture that grooms young people, especially young girls, as sexual slaves. You only have to do a little research on this subject, here's the Wikipedia page, to see I'm telling the truth. Overseas, the problem is even bigger.
I've personally cared for rape victims as young as six years old who were already far into the process of being groomed for a life of sexual slavery and prostitution. The work was heartbreaking, but necessary, and opened up my eyes to the existential presence of evil in this world as nothing had before.
So, what's all this have to do with Bleeding Star Chronicles? As a writer, subjects such as these are often difficult to tackle. This isn't the stuff that's fun to write about, but it's important for all of us to be aware of and think about.
Evil exists in this world, sometimes right under our noses, and we often forget how blessed we are.
All of us are faced with a number of choices each and every day.
We need to choose to be thankful!
We need to choose to be kind to others!
We need to choose to reach out to those around us, and alleviate human suffering. Sometimes this suffering is obvious, and sometimes it's not, but one thing's for sure- there are plenty of people suffering all around us.
Writing stories about this stuff is easy. Reading stories about it is even easier.
Choosing to do something about it- that can be a whole lot harder.
Perhaps you'd like a way you could help? One organization that my own church has worked with, The Daughters of Ruth, rescues young girls in Thailand, who would otherwise have no place to go. This is an excellent orginization to help if you want to get involved.
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