I entered another writing contest this month. It was a flash fiction contest. I entered a 500 word piece. I am going to work on cleaning up another piece for another contest in August and I plan to enter the SWIC contest again this year. I should know the results of this contest by the end of June so we’ll see what happens. I will keep you updated.
Read More »So on the surface this isn’t much of a big deal, I mean, twenty years ago cell phones were rare, and huge. Today though, half the elementary school students I encounter are carrying cell phones in their back packs. They can call their parents to tell them they are sick at school, or forgot their lunch or lost a tooth. Not just that but parents have the security that if their child is off riding their bike they can call and make sure they are safe and sound. It isn’t just parents and children though who depend on them. Almost everyone has a cell these days. So why even consider a world without them. Well because of the bees of course. For any one who doesn’t know honey bees are dying off at an alarming rate due to a disorder known as colony collapse disorder. No one knows why it is happening. Some theories point to illness, but a lack of dead adult bee bodies seems to preclude this. Others think it might be because of cell phones As a science fiction writer, and nature lover this problem intrigued me. Bees are responsible for about 80% of farm pollination and more then that for flowers and other plants. (Although it is important to note that not JUST honey bees are responsible for this pollination.) So, what would our world be like if suddenly we were without cell phones in an attempt to save the bees? Would it work? Would people begin to carry concealed cell phones in an attempt to avoid the law? What if it didn’t work, would it continue to be enforced years later because it had become part of the culture? Would environmental groups accuse people with cells of destroying the world? More so, what would the world look like without Honey Bees? So much to think about – so many wonderful ideas to develop into...
Read More »Ok Ok, I know I promised something new was coming and it hasn’t so far. My web guy, who comes at a great price, is still in school and he has been very busy the last few weeks. I could blame it entirely on him but the truth is that I have been behind on getting him the content for the new area as well. So I guess we are both at fault. I am working on it though. Speaking of school I have decided to take a few classes as well. It can never hurt to learn something new. And, well the truth is I really like school and I am excited about the classes I am going to take. Yeah – for those of you thinking I am a nerd – you nailed it. I’m a nerd. 🙂 I am taking two classes at Gotham Writers Workshop on line. If I like them I am going to take two more in the spring semester. I may even get their fiction writing certificate. We’ll see. I will try to be better about keeping this web site up to date. However based on my past performance I will not make any promises. I wish you all a Happy...
Read More »Be on the look out, something new is coming to my blog. A chance to get to know a few of the characters who appear in the novel I am currently working on. Be on the look out, they will be blogging here soon.
Read More »I am one of those people who dream vividly and who remember their dreams long after waking up. I always have been. For the most part I enjoy that. Some of my dreams I can even manipulate as I dream them. I can change things sometimes when I am dreaming. Sometimes the dreams lead to stories. Coradonna’s Children sprang from one single dream I had over two years ago now. Other times my dreams seem to have a life of their own. I wonder if they are trying to take me somewhere or tell me something, but in truth I have no idea. For the past two nights I have had strange and disturbing dreams. They are the kind that haunt me after I wake up. One I even woke up from yelling last night. What I find really compelling about these dreams is the fact that the two dreams were related over the course of the two nights. What is my subconscious trying to tell me? An interesting question to be...
Read More »I read an interesting post today on another authors blog. She comments that her novel is floundering and I have to admit I understand her feelings. I am currently on my third start of the same novel. Each draft is completely different from the one before it yet tells the same basic story. The problem I think is that I wasn’t sure where I was going with it at first. I had an idea, I knew where I wanted to end up but I had no clue how exactly I wanted to get there. So I sat and worked with my Jello Slime for a while, trying to reach in and pull out the solid bits and put them together into a pattern. It was messy work. However, I think I ended up with some good ideas. I know now which characters need to tell the story. I know now where they will start and where they want to end up. I know now where the story wants to end. I know what it needs to cover in the interim between when it starts and when it ends. I think that my third start will be the one I stick with. It is the one I started after my afternoon with the Jello slime and I think it is significantly better then the others. I guess I will see what my critic group says about the first chapter. Now all I have to do is finish a draft of this novel. ANY draft I just want a complete...
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