Have you ever heard the phrase, corrupt politician? How about shady used car salesman? Or maybe you’ve been told not to trust Carnie (Circus) Folk because they smell like cabbage and have small hands. Or perhaps you have started a new job and your co-workers have told you to watch out for some person or the other because they drink too much/are promiscuous/violent/whatever. Did that cloud your judgement in any way when you actually met the person? In all of the above examples (silly and otherwise) you learned something second-hand and probably acted, at the very least, more cautiously when faced with the real thing. You were naturally predisposed to think a certain way. I know, I’ve been guilty of […]
Read moreCategory: Irreverent Muse
The Challenge: #7X7X7X7
One of my TwitterFriends, that magnificent bastard Argyle Hartley, recently invited me to take the #7x7x7x7 challenge. I have magnanimously accepted! The rules are: you post the next 7 lines after the 7th line on the 7th page of a work in progress and then invite 7 other writers to do the same. Sounds pretty simple, so here it is. 7 lines from my adult, sci-fi comedy serial, Champ McKay, Texas Space Ranger. The woman laughed. “Well, Ranger. You aren’t in Texas anymore. You are a little out of your jurisdiction.” “My jurisdiction extends out into the territories too,” I protested. I wasn’t about to let this purple woman confuse the issue. She nodded. “That would be very well and good if we were […]
Read moreBusy Brain
Being a creative person is usually a good thing…except when I have too many ideas percolating in my brain. Then, being creative merely means I’m a person with insomnia. I go to bed, try to shut down and my mind kicks into overdrive. Sleep? That only happens after every idea and scenario have played themselves out. To make matters worse, the ideas really aren’t ones I can use. At least, not right now. I already have more projects on the go than I probably should. More new ideas just add to the angst I feel at not spending more time writing on the ones I have. And they distract from the stories I’m trying to write; all that brainwork isn’t helping […]
Read moreI love hearing from my readers but…
This is one of those phrases I never thought would end in the word, “but”. And even though I have said those words, the “but” is a soft one. Still, it is important to explain why I have caught myself saying those words on more than one occasion. As a writer I love hearing how people are enjoying my work. As a writer who is trying to make a living writing, hearing this doesn’t help as much as you might think. While it does serve to motivate me to write more, the unfortunate truth of the situation is, me knowing you liked something I did doesn’t spread the word. It doesn’t let other readers know you like my work and […]
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