I'm tempted to say "I'm Count Dracula." Actually, it's been a while that I even looked at this blog...let alone added to it.
More water available to refill my translucent plastic water bottle?
Nahhh, I've simply re-purposed this blog to be centered around in general on all things Mars (dig this! https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-releases-plan-outlining-next-steps-in-the-journey-to-mars) in the upcoming days, weeks, months and years. I promise to update the blog when I can, like the 'water on Mars' story and a lot more!
For the time being, though...
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I've been trying to do some writing, a lot of thinking of ideas and planning as well. But no product available as of yet. Truthfully, my goal is to publish via Amazon's Kindle system.
I've got a first draft of a short novel to revise. In addition, I have some short stories finished but need to write more for a themed anthology of short stories. So I need to get going.
I've got kids, now. Before that I had a married life, and before that I still had a life as a librarian (still am). So it's been difficult. Not that I can use that as an excuse. But this blog was one of those things that I sacrificed to get on with my life. But by reviving it, this might be a way I can now promote my writing.
******************************************************************************
The first thing in that process is to talk a little about my ideas and areas I'm exploring for writing and publishing. Also to discuss the strategies needed to be successful at this. So here I go.
Right now (I guess I always have been, actually) interested in world history and geography, politics, geopolitics, education, librarianship, governance, leadership, visions of the future, maps/cartography, geology and astronomy but also a host of more specific topics (such as but not limited to: solar energy, electricity, lasers, fiber optics tech, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, computer technology and programming, and political parties..democrat mainly). My interests have especially been enlivened lately by, as mentioned, the fact that I am a father and (of course!) the most recent U.S. elections (2016). My role as a parent and intense politics surrounding the election has aroused my senses, and the passions of my mind. New ideas have generated as a result. I do as much research as I can finding out more about these ideas that populate my mind. It changes each day, new ideas pop in just as I'm developing existing ones. It's difficult to keep up with myself!
To be able to actually write to see these ideas to fruition (get published!), I do need to organize and plan better. I use Google apps as much as possible (gmail, calendar, docs, and especially the note taking app Keep....which is good at keeping track of news items, photos, videos and ideas as I get them and also great for storing links with research in them), and I also use Evernote to some degree (not as easy as Keep, though). At home, I have other gadgets (besides my smartphone and laptop computer) that I use...in particular a few old Palm OS PDA devices.
An aside: Yes, Palm! Remember when? It was not that long ago (we take that for granted)...say the end of Bill J. Clinton's presidency and the start of George W. Bush's. The supernatural, escapist television show 'X-Files' was at it's height. And Madonna was finally on the verge of fizzing out. Rap/Hip-hop was now becoming big. And the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred on the World Trade Center Twin Towers. Jeff Hawkins (into now what is becoming big...Artificial Intelligence.) introduced these tiny all-in -one devices onto the market that could seemingly do it all and keep you organized. They disappeared because of the arrival of the iphone in 2007.
Years later I decided to buy some of these refurbished Palm devices cheaply to help organize myself and to keep track of my ideas as I got them (and to do some writing). I have to say I love them, with their cutely titled model names. I have a Tungsten C, a Zire 72 and a Visor Neo, as well as the tiny Centro (with equally tiny keyboard). I use the Tungsten C and Zire 72 mostly. They work well together. I use the Zire 72 while traveling to and from work via bus and subway, then transfer and expand using the Tungsten C. Sounds boring? Yes, but they work!
Addendum: I recently acquired a couple of quite old windows mobile devices that I think are even better to work with! (one is called the 'Samsung Saga,' almost like a story, and several of HP's attempts at windows mobile smartphones and pdas...there all good).
Back again: Between the Google apps on my smartphone and these pdas, I've been able to write and be mobile at the same time, and that allows me more flexibility and time to think. All in all, I've been able to get some traction. But I'm still behind schedule. At this point I should've published something. I need to set deadlines, look at myself in the mirror ( a horrifying prospect!).
"End of December, 2018, OK?!" I keep telling myself.
******************************************************************************
Here's what I'd like to write about (thought I'd never get to it!). Not Donald Trump! That's been written to death, as you all know. Ronald Reagan? Loved as president, but too much written about him already - - I wouldn't be adding anything new (unless written up as a character). Lincoln? FDR? For sure, but will focus on then much later (I have to say there are some interesting and amusing alternate history entries on Lincoln that perhaps I can build, such as in one he becomes a 'vampire hunter' in one and in another survives his assassination to go on trial for impeachment).
Alas, I'm thinking more in terms of the forgotten ones: Jimmy Carter and Gerald R. Ford (two characters there, I tell you!). Carter and Ford allow for more freedom and flexibility, and there's plenty original ideas there I can work with that can be developed (maybe into winners). Perhaps add in a little surrealism, or magical realism?
I also toyed with the idea of writing something tied with happenings (global, local, political, cultural) around the time of my childhood years. That means more research, of course, but I enjoy doing that. I'd also like to recreate the environment of my hometown, make a nice escapist/genre story out of it. I'd like to write a science fiction story, though that will take a lot of work (criteria for legit publication is fairly strict). I'd like especially to try my hand at alternate history, though thinking realistically more likely it will be historical fiction. To the extent though that alternate history is actually more like science fiction (or speculative fiction, to be more precise), I might actually try it just to see what results are produced (if nothing else it will provide some amusement for those few who would read it).
Then if I do all that I'd like to write an adventure novel. And maybe a foray into erotic writing (there's now and has been for years a steady market for that). Also I think for sake of additional money some non-fiction feature magazine article writing, say on solar energy or on marijuana. All of these are not far-fetched, and in fact are quite realistic. I just need time.
To think. To organize and plan. Finally, to write...and write...and - - oh, fuck, the kids, I got to go!
P.S. What do you think?
But, here I am again! Only because recently news media have jumped all over rather hysterically over the alleged discovery of a lake with actual water just beneath the surface of Mars (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/25/science/mars-liquid-alien-life.html). Why you know what that means?!
More water available to refill my translucent plastic water bottle?
Nahhh, I've simply re-purposed this blog to be centered around in general on all things Mars (dig this! https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-releases-plan-outlining-next-steps-in-the-journey-to-mars) in the upcoming days, weeks, months and years. I promise to update the blog when I can, like the 'water on Mars' story and a lot more!
For the time being, though...
******************************************************************************
I've been trying to do some writing, a lot of thinking of ideas and planning as well. But no product available as of yet. Truthfully, my goal is to publish via Amazon's Kindle system.
I've got a first draft of a short novel to revise. In addition, I have some short stories finished but need to write more for a themed anthology of short stories. So I need to get going.
I've got kids, now. Before that I had a married life, and before that I still had a life as a librarian (still am). So it's been difficult. Not that I can use that as an excuse. But this blog was one of those things that I sacrificed to get on with my life. But by reviving it, this might be a way I can now promote my writing.
******************************************************************************
The first thing in that process is to talk a little about my ideas and areas I'm exploring for writing and publishing. Also to discuss the strategies needed to be successful at this. So here I go.
Right now (I guess I always have been, actually) interested in world history and geography, politics, geopolitics, education, librarianship, governance, leadership, visions of the future, maps/cartography, geology and astronomy but also a host of more specific topics (such as but not limited to: solar energy, electricity, lasers, fiber optics tech, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, computer technology and programming, and political parties..democrat mainly). My interests have especially been enlivened lately by, as mentioned, the fact that I am a father and (of course!) the most recent U.S. elections (2016). My role as a parent and intense politics surrounding the election has aroused my senses, and the passions of my mind. New ideas have generated as a result. I do as much research as I can finding out more about these ideas that populate my mind. It changes each day, new ideas pop in just as I'm developing existing ones. It's difficult to keep up with myself!
To be able to actually write to see these ideas to fruition (get published!), I do need to organize and plan better. I use Google apps as much as possible (gmail, calendar, docs, and especially the note taking app Keep....which is good at keeping track of news items, photos, videos and ideas as I get them and also great for storing links with research in them), and I also use Evernote to some degree (not as easy as Keep, though). At home, I have other gadgets (besides my smartphone and laptop computer) that I use...in particular a few old Palm OS PDA devices.
An aside: Yes, Palm! Remember when? It was not that long ago (we take that for granted)...say the end of Bill J. Clinton's presidency and the start of George W. Bush's. The supernatural, escapist television show 'X-Files' was at it's height. And Madonna was finally on the verge of fizzing out. Rap/Hip-hop was now becoming big. And the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred on the World Trade Center Twin Towers. Jeff Hawkins (into now what is becoming big...Artificial Intelligence.) introduced these tiny all-in -one devices onto the market that could seemingly do it all and keep you organized. They disappeared because of the arrival of the iphone in 2007.
Years later I decided to buy some of these refurbished Palm devices cheaply to help organize myself and to keep track of my ideas as I got them (and to do some writing). I have to say I love them, with their cutely titled model names. I have a Tungsten C, a Zire 72 and a Visor Neo, as well as the tiny Centro (with equally tiny keyboard). I use the Tungsten C and Zire 72 mostly. They work well together. I use the Zire 72 while traveling to and from work via bus and subway, then transfer and expand using the Tungsten C. Sounds boring? Yes, but they work!
Addendum: I recently acquired a couple of quite old windows mobile devices that I think are even better to work with! (one is called the 'Samsung Saga,' almost like a story, and several of HP's attempts at windows mobile smartphones and pdas...there all good).
Back again: Between the Google apps on my smartphone and these pdas, I've been able to write and be mobile at the same time, and that allows me more flexibility and time to think. All in all, I've been able to get some traction. But I'm still behind schedule. At this point I should've published something. I need to set deadlines, look at myself in the mirror ( a horrifying prospect!).
"End of December, 2018, OK?!" I keep telling myself.
******************************************************************************
Here's what I'd like to write about (thought I'd never get to it!). Not Donald Trump! That's been written to death, as you all know. Ronald Reagan? Loved as president, but too much written about him already - - I wouldn't be adding anything new (unless written up as a character). Lincoln? FDR? For sure, but will focus on then much later (I have to say there are some interesting and amusing alternate history entries on Lincoln that perhaps I can build, such as in one he becomes a 'vampire hunter' in one and in another survives his assassination to go on trial for impeachment).
Alas, I'm thinking more in terms of the forgotten ones: Jimmy Carter and Gerald R. Ford (two characters there, I tell you!). Carter and Ford allow for more freedom and flexibility, and there's plenty original ideas there I can work with that can be developed (maybe into winners). Perhaps add in a little surrealism, or magical realism?
I also toyed with the idea of writing something tied with happenings (global, local, political, cultural) around the time of my childhood years. That means more research, of course, but I enjoy doing that. I'd also like to recreate the environment of my hometown, make a nice escapist/genre story out of it. I'd like to write a science fiction story, though that will take a lot of work (criteria for legit publication is fairly strict). I'd like especially to try my hand at alternate history, though thinking realistically more likely it will be historical fiction. To the extent though that alternate history is actually more like science fiction (or speculative fiction, to be more precise), I might actually try it just to see what results are produced (if nothing else it will provide some amusement for those few who would read it).
Then if I do all that I'd like to write an adventure novel. And maybe a foray into erotic writing (there's now and has been for years a steady market for that). Also I think for sake of additional money some non-fiction feature magazine article writing, say on solar energy or on marijuana. All of these are not far-fetched, and in fact are quite realistic. I just need time.
To think. To organize and plan. Finally, to write...and write...and - - oh, fuck, the kids, I got to go!
P.S. What do you think?
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