A novel idea and it’s outline

Posted on by
9

Hello folks.  Yesterday I told you all about the unlikely inspiration that I received from an aerial assault by a menacing crow.  Well, the idea that was born of the crow’s attack has begun to take shape.  I must say that I am very excited about the beginnings of this idea for a novel.  As of right now, I have never been able to finish any attempt at writing a novel.  I have slogged through many a short story and a passel of flash fiction, but the novel has always been my stumbling block.  Don’t get me wrong, it is my dream to actually start and finish a novel; I just haven’t had much luck with follow through.

Hopefully, my luck with that is changing.  I began my novel outline today and was amazed at the story that began to unearth itself.  It was like a tiny fossil that, as my chisel worked, began to take shape into quite the prehistoric beast!  The ideas were flowing, I got some basic character sketches hashed out, and even a couple of subplots.  I think that I am going to push this outline as far as I can go.  This might be what was missing from my previous attempts at cranking out that elusive novel.  I have never worked an outline before.  Normally, I just plug away as I go, but that has never worked out for the best.  Yes my friends, it seems like the outline is the WAY TO GO.

The novel will be fantasy, but I want to be careful to stay away from cliches and already-been-done story-lines.  Wish me luck while I uncover this fossil…or I guess in this case it would be more appropriate to say-while I hatch this crow’s egg.

Bad news, good news, and how a crow delivered a story idea.

Posted on by
8

Bad news...

What a difficult weekend!  My daughter has been in and out of the ER for the last couple of days, dealing with an injured shoulder, so my wife and I have been kind of stressed out.  Currently, I am not home (I am quite a ways away), so my poor wife has had to bear this burden all by herself, with my support solely through Skype or via cell phone.  I wish that I could be there for them in person, but I cannot.  Thank God that we have a good cellular plan.  Go Softbank!

Since my wife is keeping me posted via cell phone, I spent a few hours in the park today awaiting updates from home.  The signal inside of this massive steel warship is non-existent, so the park on base became my mobile command post.  Before leaving the ship, I packed my book, grabbed my Sony Mylo, stuffed my cell phone in my pocket, and headed to the park.  On the way, I made a quick stop at Starbucks and purchased a mocha-something-or-other-frappuccino.

Once at the park, I located a nice park bench and began to construct my command and control center.  After I was satisfied with the set up, I kicked back and waited for my phone to ring, providing an update on our daughter’s status.  Enjoying the sun shining down on me through the trees, I settled into the book that I am currently reading, ironically (you’ll soon find out) entitled Crows and Cards.

Good News.

After about an hour of reading, I phoned my lovely wife for an update.  The doctors examined the x-rays and have decided that our daughter’s arm is not fractured!  Great news, although she is still in a lot of pain.  Poor thing.  With that good bit of news, I resumed reading.
How a crow delivered a story idea.

While reading my book, I noticed a lot of aerial shenanigans in my peripheral vision.  I lowered the book from in front of my handsome roman nose (my nice way of saying big) and directed my attention towards the escapades unfolding all around me.  I was suddenly aware of swarms of crows and sea-hawks, giving the resident pigeons a ration of you-know-what.  The crows were diving down towards the pigeons, followed by the graceful and predatory dive of the sea-hawks.

After watching a few unsuccessful dives by the crows and sea-hawks, I realized that the pigeons were scattering in every direction of the compass each time an attacker dove to strike, causing mass confusion among the birds of prey.  It seemed that the vulnerable pigeons had found strength in numbers.  How intelligent these rats of the sky seem to be!

In the heat of battle, an evil crow decided upon a ‘kamikaze’ attack directed towards the pigeons and almost ran into the bench that on which I was sitting.  If it wasn’t absolutely silly, I would swear that the bird was after the shiny ipod that lay by my side.  The wayward crow screamed towards a pigeon, pulled up a little late, and grazed my bench; pointy claws scraping at my nano!  All of a sudden, I was struck by an idea for a story.  Fantastic.  It was truly an inspiration from above.

I guess that is enough excitement for one day.  I will update you folks on our daughter’s status as soon as I can.  I think that she is will be alright, but she’s going to be in pain for a few days.  Wish us luck…

I won a contest! Woop woop!

Posted on by
6

While picking through the writing Tag page on WordPress today, I received quite a surprise.  I clicked on a blog called Catch the Rush and was greeted by my name in bold font!  You can check it out here.  I can’t tell you how excited I am right now.  I submitted one of my older blog posts for the ‘Make Me Laugh Contest’, and it won.  I’m riding high today.  First I had some terrific Indian food and now I am a winner.  Luckily winning the contest doesn’t upset my stomach like the Indian food likely will.  Thanks Lynn Rush, for picking my story.

Today I learned that I am a Hobbit

Posted on by
4

I have always felt that there is something about me that is special, something sensational.  Today, I have found that something.  Allow me, if you will, to explain.

For years I have attributed my short stature and hairy extremities to genetics.  After all, both of my parents are of average height and my father can sprout a goatee at quite an alarming pace.  For those reasons, and a few more that I will not delve into, I have always considered ‘who I am’ to be a sort of hand-me-down from my folks; a gift of genes from two loving parents.  Boy was I wrong….

While cruising the internet today, I stumbled upon a truth that has shaken me to the core.  According to this website, I am Saradoc Brown, a working class Shire hobbit!

The site also provided some additional information:
“You share your Christian name “Saradoc”, with a Saradoc “Scattergold” Brandybuck: The father of Merry Brandybuck, Saradoc was Master of Buckland during the time of the War of the Ring. He is a first cousin to Frodo Baggins, and his wife Esmeralda Brandybuck (née Took) is the sister of Paladin Took, Thain of the Shire. His nickname, ‘Scattergold’, implies that he was very generous with his wealth.”

Wow!!!  I did some further research into my lurid past and also found out that I attended Bilbo Baggins’ birthday party in 1401; Hobbit time, of course.  For those of you who aren’t in the ‘know’, that is the party at which Bilbo up and disappeared, leaving his precious ring behind.  I’m sure that it was quite a shindig.

I also learned that Hobbits are Christians!  Thank God for that.  I can’t imagine trying to grasp the concepts of another religion…not at my age, anyway.

I had to take a moment to let all of this information wash over me.  For years, I believed that I was a normal person living a regular life.  Now, I find out that I am a Hobbit.  I can only assume that an evil enchantment of sorts was placed upon me by a bothersome wizard or something to that effect.  Otherwise, I cannot explain how I never knew the truth of my past.  Whatever the reason, I find myself at the proverbial fork in the road.  On one hand, I can forsake my known family and search for answers to the questions of my past, or I could just keep on truckin’.  Whichever path I choose, at least I know where I got these hairy feet.  Now if I could just find a magic ring, I would be in business.

Have you ever googled the word google???

Posted on by
4

Beware the Google monster!

Being a card-carrying, publicly professed Google addict; I use Google for almost everything.  To my wife’s growing dismay, the words “google me” fly from my mouth with little disregard of consequences, especially during Jeopardy.  I find myself arguing with that urbane Alex Trabek on a fairly regular basis.  Who does his fact checking anyway?  We always take his answers for gospel, but I’m getting off track here.

Lately, “google me” has become a personal mantra of sorts when I believe myself to be correct.  On the other side of the shiny penny, I even use this as my battle cry when sure that I’m full of malarkey.  Nothing says ‘he’s mighty certain of himself’ more than throwing down the Google gauntlet.  Alas, my wife, all-knowing and not-to-be-trifled-with, normally accepts the challenge….she googles me.  She calls to carpet any unusual claim that I make or any downright lie that I tell; whether it be for a laugh or simply to prove a point, she always calls me on it.  Sometimes, I am right.  Other times, I am completely wrong.

Today, I made a laughable claim to some co-workers (mind you this was in jest).  I proclaimed that if you googled the word Google, it would cause a catastrophic world-wide web disaster.  The internet would suck itself into a digital black hole.  It would be the equivalent of traveling backwards through time to your childhood and smothering yourself with a pillow as you slept (kind of a crude analogy, but you get where I’m goin’).  Of course, no one believed me.  Why would they?  I was simply making a joke.  But…my addition is strong and my willpower weak.  As soon as I clocked out, I ousted my laptop from its fancy Swiss army bag, called up my beloved google, and pressed the following keys: g..o..o..g..l..e.  I then pressed enter.

A low hum began to emanate from my HP.  Shaken, I tried to exit my web browser.  It froze.  The familiar google webpage remained locked on my desktop, menacing in its omnipotence.   From the top of my display, I noticed a bright blue light.  My web-cam had sprung to life, seemingly by itself.  I tried to free myself from the relentless pull of the vast white background surrounding that familiar empty rectangle of power.  My eyes remained transfixed on the screen.  My grip tightened upon the sleek body of my laptop.  I watched, frozen, as the screen filled with dizzying blurs of codex, digital daggers ripping at the fabric of the internet.  Before my watery eyes, Google died a Cesarian death, impaled on the floor of the twenty first century Senate.  As I watched the glorious web fold into itself; I wondered what had I done.  Then, my webcam shot a laser beam into my left eye and I passed out.

Seriously, true story.

Google me.

Thousands of Japanese people couldn’t be wrong…or noisy???

Posted on by
5

The public transportation system in Tokyo, Japan is the largest rail system in the world!!!  Trust me, I checked Wikipedia.  It is also a place where noise, laughter, conversation, and sound wander off to die.  I am amazed that, while packed with thousands of citizens, the subway cars in Tokyo are as quiet as a graveyard.  If you are looking for an out of the way place to write a book, I’ve found it.  Trust me, no one will fool with you here.  As you squeeze into these tubular transports, elbow your way into a coveted seating position, or become relegated to stand; you will not hear a peep.  No one will ask you about the next stop or what you are reading or where you are going.  They will just be…quiet.  The silence that settles into the Tokyo subway car is deafening.  The marching rhythm of clackaty-clack-railroad-track is the only sounds that will fill your ears, provided you haven’t donned an i-pod or any other such musical doodad.  I find that it is a testament to the strong silent citizens of this wondrous land.  Their calm determination to occupy a small space and demand isolation, much like that of their tiny island homeland, is commendable.  All heads are bowed into books, eyes down, headphones on, ear buds inserted; everyone is in their own private coach car.  It is amazing.  The subway car churns up mile after mile in peaceful noiselessness, occasionally the silence is broken by a digital voice announcing the next stop.  Some of the braver citizens, liberal in their wayward glances, peer up from their books to watch the passengers escape the cars along with the processed air.  Swoosh…the doors shut, the air locks engage, and back to the silent grind of the subway.  Amazing!  You should visit.  Ride the subway, just don’t get chatty.

WoW Fans unite….check out this site

Posted on by
Reply

I was using stumble and fell upon one of the funniest posts that I have read in quite a while.  I wanted to share it you folks.  If you have friends that play D&D or WoW, this is great.  A lot of my buddies play WoW and I know that they catch and endless line of grief about it.  So, check it out here.  The site/blog is called The Sneeze.  Enjoy!