Summer's Here

Follow me on twitter: @stevecrosswords

And it's time for the Missouri weather to start getting hot and muggy.  We have been lucky so far with fairly cool temperatures and quite a bit of rain.  I feel so sorry for the people in the western USA who are experiencing record droughts.  The droughts, of course, affect us in the Midwest because the price of everything has gone up.

As a common Joe, I see so many things that trouble me about the world we are living in.  Terrorism and civil war all over the place. Extremist groups killing innocent people. I know a lot of religious people say we are in the end times.  I know, people have been saying that for years. I wonder sometimes.  Of course, I have quarrels with religious people who are so close minded that they cannot accept others who believe differently. I always remember that in my interpretation of the life of Jesus that the people who were the religious leaders were the ones he disliked. I started to put down the ones he despises.  However that might be too harsh. I think they disturbed and disappointed him.  I don't judge people unless they hurt other people.  If that makes me an apostate -- that's a word I am hearing thrown around a lot lately -- then I guess I am one.  I can only hope I am forgiven for it.

I do not want to go into a rant today because people will get their hackles up and send me all kinds of nasty messages.  I am merely making some observations.

My birthday is coming up in a couple of days.  I'll be 56. A few years ago I said that if by the time I turned 56 I had not reached a place that seemed satisfactory to me in my writing career that I would give it up. I am not satisfied with my writing career, but I cannot give it up.  I'll be one of these people who think -- right up to the moment they die or the moment they can't think anymore -- that my break is just around the bend, my ship is the next one to land, my success is that next email or phone call. I will likely never achieve the dreams I had when I began writing 30 something years ago. I don't know if it just wasn't mean to be, if I didn't have the right connections, didn't write the right things, didn't have any talent -- whatever.

What I do know is that I get restless and discontented when I am not writing, and the fever of restlessness burns me from the inside out.  It is like being addicted.  You write something and the restlessness goes away, but if you don't do anything for a while it comes back until you have another fix.  The problem is as I get older I lose more and more of my concentration and, I think, my creativity.

Do not think me depressed and disillusioned.  Think of me as looking into reality's  face and deciding if I want to spit  in it or kiss it.  Well as always if you want to comment please feel free.

Time to update. (Follow me on Twitter @stevecrosswords)

 

I wanted to mention a couple of things in this blog today.  First, I have to spread the word on some free software I am using on my Macbook.  It's called Simplemind.  It is a custering, webbing,  graphic organizers software that I am using to plan some of my writing.  I don't do well with traditional outlines.  It is hard for me to sit down and plan out what happens first, second, third etc.  Some people know how to do that better than I.  I don't really think linearly.  I think in associations.  Of course, that is not a good way to plan and write a novel. 

I have so far used the software to plan a YA novel and a play, but I need to go back into the play map and make some alterations.  I set down 21 balloons, write my main events in them, and then I start brainstorming the events to fill in the story and I make connections.  It really works for me.  I imagine there are similar free programs for a PC.  About six month ago, I bought a MAC, and I haven't looked back.  Best decision I have made though it took me a while to get used to it.

If I want to or need to, I can go back in and use the mind map to write a prose summary, but I really don't have to.  The free program I have does everything I need it to.  I can't imagine what they could add to the paid version to make it better for my needs.

The Cardinals fulfilled a need today.  They shut out the Blue Jays 5 to 0. I know that was a quick jump, but it was really a victory they needed.  Grichuk hit his first major league home run.  I would love to see the Cardinals' young players jolt this team out of its complacency.

I am reading Eleanor and Park at the moment.  It's a good book so far.  I love the summers because I can read again.  In the last few weeks, I have read the second in the Miss Peregrine series, the conclusion of the Ashfall trilogy, Speak, and now I'm working on Eleanor and Park.  I love YA literature, especially since I attempt to write it.  The thing I need still is to find my own unique writing voice.  I think I'll get there eventually.

I have been working on a short story today.  It's a science fiction story that I am doing for one of my elance customers.  I have two weeks left to do it.  It's supposed to be about 5,000 words and so far, I have close to 1,400.  I haven't started the story completely from scratch.  I'm basing it loosely on an old screenplay that I wrote.  Loosely, I say because one of these days I would like to have the opportunity should I so choose to revise the screenplay. 

Basically, I won't do any fiction writing for elance unless I can get at least one cent a word.  That's not a lot, but it's work for hire, and most of it is not too difficult.  I have two permanent clients, and so far, I don't think I have had a client who was dissatisfied with my work.

Next weekend, I'm going to a Cardinal game and some time this summer I'm going to New York City.  In the meantime I am writing and doing a lot of reading.  I have enjoyed this first week of summer vacation.  Next week, I am going to work at the school and do some things that will help me to earn a little extra money.  That might come in handy since our classes didn't make this summer.

Actually though, I am glad they didn't make.  I want some time to do some things this summer. I should go for now.

In the mean time, if you would like to hear from me more often follow me on twitter.
@stevecrosswords  I write so many different things on there, there's bound to be something you like.