Author: silentbutcudly@hotmail.com

Come, Comrade Bender! We must take to the streets!

There’s only one man I’ve ever called a coward, and that’s Brian Doyle Murray. No, what I’m calling you is a television actor. Army had half a day. That’s why you always leave a note!

Exit Strategy

There’s so many poorly chosen words in that sentence. First place chick is hot, but has an attitude, doesn’t date magicians. Say goodbye to these, because it’s the last time!

Marry me.
Oh, you’re gonna be in a coma, all right.
I care deeply for nature.

Amigos

No! I was ashamed to be SEEN with you. I like being with you. I’ve opened a door here that I regret. I care deeply for nature.

Pier Pressure

Oh, you’re gonna be in a coma, all right. I don’t understand the question, and I won’t respond to it. Not tricks, Michael, illusions. Across from where? Well, what do you expect, mother? No, I did not kill Kitty. However, I am going to oblige and answer the nice officer’s questions because I am an honest man with no secrets to hide.

That’s what it said on ‘Ask Jeeves.’
Well, what do you expect, mother?
Marry me.
It’s called ‘taking advantage.’ It’s what gets you ahead in life.
Steve Holt!

Ready, Aim, Marry Me

What’s Spanish for “I know you speak English?” That’s what it said on ‘Ask Jeeves.’ Get me a vodka rocks. And a piece of toast. No… but I’d like to be asked! Really? Did nothing cancel? But I bought a yearbook ad from you, doesn’t that mean anything anymore?

Afternoon delight

We just call it a sausage. I’ve opened a door here that I regret. Marry me. No… but I’d like to be asked!

Software

Obama security agent ‘found drunk’

There’s only one man I’ve ever called a coward, and that’s Brian Doyle Murray. No, what I’m calling you is a television actor. Army had half a day. That’s why you always leave a note!

Exit Strategy

There’s so many poorly chosen words in that sentence. First place chick is hot, but has an attitude, doesn’t date magicians. Say goodbye to these, because it’s the last time!

Marry me.
Oh, you’re gonna be in a coma, all right.
I care deeply for nature.

Amigos

No! I was ashamed to be SEEN with you. I like being with you. I’ve opened a door here that I regret. I care deeply for nature.

Pier Pressure

That’s what it said on ‘Ask Jeeves.’
Well, what do you expect, mother?
Marry me.
It’s called ‘taking advantage.’ It’s what gets you ahead in life.
Steve Holt!

Ready, Aim, Marry Me

Afternoon delight

We just call it a sausage. I’ve opened a door here that I regret. Marry me. No… but I’d like to be asked!

Advertising

What NaNoWriMo has Taught Me

Hello my fellow NaNoWriMoers. How goes the writing? The thing I’m finding it hard to do is start, but once I begin the words follow on to the page. The thing I have to break myself of is wanting to go back and edit.

It’s a struggle everyday but I get through it. Some days I only manage a few hundred words but I keep at it because on the good days I get in a few thousand.

The thing participating in NaNoWriMo thus far has taught me is you can’t beat yourself up not getting everything perfect on the first try. The first draft of anything will need work and I accept that but it doesn’t mean I should do the bare minimum to get by.

I want to produce the best content I can while still having fun. I know getting the balance right is going to take time so I’m just going to have fun writing this first draft then go back and edit it later.

So tell me how is your experience with NaNoWriMo going?

NaNoWriMo

The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. –Lao-tzu

What do you do on the days when nothing seems to mesh? Do you sit there and stare at the blank screen, or do you make the choice to write anyways?

There’s no secret method or app for this. You must put words to the page everyday if you want to better your skills and honor the craft. With NaNoWriMo coming up what better time to recommit yourself to writing.

This will be my first time attempting it and I’m a little scared. But I’m going to plow through my fears because I know I have a good story in me that needs to be told. And so do you.

First drafts are mysterious, often crappy, creatures by nature. The point is to get the words on to the page and worry about spelling, grammar, punctuation and structure later. Just write.

Right now I’m stressing out on have to start my novel because it’s the second of a planed trilogy. My gut says just write a passage linking the end of book one with book two and go from there. But I also don’t wont to bore readers by rehashing the ending of the first book.

I don’t know what to write but I know I can’t put it off either or I’ll fall behind. So when Friday comes I’ll write what feels right and go from there.

I’d be much obliged if you shared some tips for a newbie in the comment sections.

Later.

NaNoWriMo

Halloween

Once again Halloween is upon us, but have you ever stopped to wonder why we celebrate this holiday?

The answer is community. The days have grown colder and shorter, so what better way to stay connected then by dressing in costumes and going door-to-door for treats.

Second only to Christmas as my favorite holiday, it was the one night of the year you got to stay out late and came home with pillow cases full of candy.

The procedure was always the same: fruits got tossed and then you shorted through your bag, treating the ones you didn’t like, and then it was off to bed. One years we got so much candy we were still eating it come Christmas.

Halloween also allows us to be someone else for one night and have fun. Horror movies are a big part of this experience because we all like a good scare to make our hearts beat faster and remind us we’re still alive.

That spine-tingling shock as the monster gets back up or the killer crashes through the door, axe in hand. And laughing at others as they fall for the old jump scare scene.

I remember one year we were Watching A Nightmare on Elm St and my younger brother got so scared he refused to sleep in his room down in the basement until he turned on all the lights and checked for monsters.

Freddie, Jason, Michael Myers, Pin Head I can never get enough of the bloody goodness and love this time of year as many channels show all my favorites.

Out of the hundreds I’ve seen of the years Monster Squad, Killer Klowns From Outer Space, and The Lost Boys still rank up there. Granted they’re tame by today’s standards but still fun to watch.

Just Write

Just write and the words will come. Just write until you’re done. Just write, and have some fun. Just write, whether the crack of dawn or dead of night. Just write, whether the words are wrong or right.

Just write, through the storm and the rain, through all the pain. Whether plain or insane let your prose flow. And like a rose your confidence grows. Just write and wrong or right let the words fall where they may. Just write every day and soon you’ll say, “Hey I’m not so bad. In fact, I’m quite OK.”

Just write because every day is a new chance to make amends with our faults and flaws, because in the end all we have are the words we put to the page. Just write because it’s all that you can think of. Just write not for fame or to run a con game, but because you love it all the same.

Just write for the hell of it. If no one knows your name there’s no shame as long as you have something to say at the end of the day. Just write because it’s the one thing that makes you complete. Just write even when managing a few words is a feat. Just write because it’s neat. Just write until you fall asleep.

Just write because deep inside a part of you dies every time you have to lie or hide who you are just to get by. Just write until you die. It doesn’t matter why, just write. Good night.

writing inspiration

How to Influence People and Make Friends Without being a Dick

“To thine own self be true.” –Shakespeare
How often has the above been pounded into our heads? But what does it really mean?

How can you be true to yourself if you have no idea who you are, or what you’re capable of?

The truth is most of us don’t have a clue about our identities until we hit our thirties,or beyond. For most of our lives we play at different roles, trying on one mask after another until we find one that fits.

Raise your hand if you remember going through one of these phases during high school or college. It’s OK. We all have our moments. I went through a goth phase in high school where I only wore dark clothing.

I abhorred anything thing that was name brand because I was trying to be so indie and cool by not be a conformists. But you know what I realized?

By trying to be a nonconformist I conformed to the notion of what it meant to be a nonconformist.

I traded one label for another and had become another demo toe b marketed to. The truth is the things you wear or the products you have don’t define you. It’s your thoughts and actions that do.

You can spend a life time chasing after a label in hopes of finding an identity or you can let your real personality shine through, and let that speak for its self.

Yes it’s scary to let others see who you are at your core but it’s also rewarding. Because when you’re at ease with yourself nothing can rock your confidence and people will notice it.

In the past when I went I used to be the guy that sat in the corner and glared at everyone for having fun and not inviting me. I was so on the defensive because the thought of someone seeing the real me and getting rejected was my biggest fear.

It was only after I stopped caring what others though that I began to loosen up and have fun. And you know what I discovered?

When you stop trying to impress others and just have fun people respond positively. Sure you’ll still get the occasional jerk but overall being open and fun makes for a better time.

You can be open to new things and people without sacrificing your core values and still be fun to be around. Don’t be a dick and dickish things won’t happen to you.(Tweet that if you want to).

Step one is to open yourself up. Wear comfortable clothes and if you have a song or mantra that gets you pumped up, listen to that before you go out. Realize it’s more about how you carry yourself than anything. So go into any meeting or outing with an air of calmness around you.

If you start to feel nervous repeat to yourself you’re here just to have fun and whatever happens, happens. You’d be surprised how not giving a fuck often leads to the best times out.

The key is to be approachable and go with the flow. If you get shot down move on. There’ll be plenty of others to meet and everyone’s so sloshed they wont remember you anyways . So go get some.

The Audacity to Hope

What makes for good stories? Why do we decide to read one thing but put down another? Why do we like one character and not another? The answer boils down to how we are able to identify and empathize with the characters and the trials they’re put through.

Every time we open a book we’re looking to be entertained, but more importantly to know we’re not alone, that we matter, and that there’s hope for better days.

When you write something there’s no telling how much it will affect others once you release it into the world.

Our job as writers is to hold up a mirror to society and report on what we see. The worlds we build are a reflection of this, wrong or right, and we should never forget the power we hold to raise people up or tear them down.

This doesn’t mean we should shy away from negative things because life is full of them, but is also full of positive things too. How our characters deal with the challenges in their life speaks volumes more than anything else. Are they victims or victors?

Everyone loves an underdog because deep down we’ve all been on the short end of life and wish that the world rewarded hard work and playing by the rules, and that nice guys finished first.

Cliched as it may be the truth is even the most hardened cynic hopes for a happily ever after, that good triumphs evil, and the boy gets the girl.

Though we know it’s foolish to believe in things like love at first sight and destiny we still hope none the less things turn out as they’re supposed to.

Yes hope is the reason we get up every day and go once more into the breach. The reason we rise even though the world throws us a ton of crap. Hope is the reason we answer no when we are told to give up.

So often we’re told to be realistic which translates to giving up our dreams and giving up hope.Well I say forget that because at the end of the day all we have is our hopes and dreams.

Never let anyone take them from you because sometimes just sometimes, with hard work and a lot of trying, dreams do come true. If you dare to hope.

audacity hope life writing

Plot Landmines

Murphy’s Law: Whatever can go wrong will, at the worst possible time.

In your everyday life mishaps and tardiness are frowned upon, but in fiction these are the life blood of conflict. A character misses the big date or forgets her briefcase and the that big meeting at work turn out horrible.

Conflict is what drives the narrative and ultimately what gets readers to care about our characters. If nothing bad ever happens then why should they care about Ms. So’n So?

No this doesn’t mean you throw in bad things at random. You have the characters go through trials and tribulations and make the stakes real for them.

You as the writer must be willing to torture your characters so at the end of their journey they’ve earned that happy ending, otherwise readers will feel cheated.

This is where Murphy’s Law comes in; have little mishaps turn out to be colossal in magnitude. E.G. have that minor accident result in a law suit in which your character losses and become destitute.

Or have them build up to a larger crisis she has to overcome. The point is these obstacles must happen organically or you run the risk of having an over convoluted plot, or worse one where the reader is bored because the protagonist comes out unscathed no matter the challenge.

One method I use is called plot land mines. You lure the reader into a false sense of security by having things go the protagonist’s way awhile then BOOM.

An enemy attacks, destroying the center of operations or characters die due to the protagonist’s over confidence in battle or as reprisals for his/her earlier actions.

Again the trick is to be organic while having the events flow as natural consequences of these earlier actions, while ratcheting up the conflict without being convoluted.

Update

Sorry I haven’t been posting that much this week. My allergies has my eyes a blurry mess, though I manage to write a few posts on my smartphone.

Therapy has been going well and we’re getting to the core of this. It’s not easy but I know it’s for the best. My meds had been knocking me for a loop the past few months though I’ve adjusted to them and should be back on a normal sleep schedule.

Last night I went out with my writing group and we had a blast. It was the perfect thing to improve my mood. In between crude jokes we talked about progress on our projects. Overall it was nice besides the food which was so-so, but I’m glad I went.

Right now I’m in this transitional in my life and in my writing. I don’t want to spent the rest of my life waiting on the sidelines because I’m scared of what might happened. I also don’t want to play at writing anymore.

Yeah I finished two books but so what. It’s time to put myself out there more so from here on out Friday and the weekends will be devoted to short stories, essays, and poem writing.

I probably wont be posting as often because I’ll be spending more time on work I think is more important than this blog but I will continue to write everyday and if I feel it’s good enough you’ll read it here.

As such I’m opening submissions for guest posts to fill the vacancies. The criteria is simply: 100-300 words or more(depending on the topic) on any topic that relates to the writer life, inspires or motivates. Well that’s it, later.

A Writer by Any Other Name

The are many aspects to writing but the most difficult one is the art side of it. You can spend years learning the technical side yet fail to be a great or engaging story teller. For some this can get better with practice , for others not so.

It’s something we all must wrestle with. The only way to know either way is to produce and then perform in public. When I write I first care about whether it’s something I would read then let the characters take things from there. While I outline and do tons of research it’s the getting from point A to B that the art side kicks in, often taking the story in directions I hadn’t foreseen.

My point is no one can teach you to be a writer, you either are or aren’t. But they can show you how to be a better one. If you’re like me then you’ve read countless articles and books on the subject of writing preparing for the day you’re ready for the pros, but you know what?

That day will never come unless you write. Sure that’s basic you say, however it’s often the hardest thing to do. Everyday I write something and it doesn’t matter whether it’s good or bad. The point is to write and learn something from the process.

There are mornings writing will be the last thing on your mind but do it anyways because like everything else you’ll only get better with practice.

Today I didn’t know what I was going to write about, much less did I want to write, but once I sat down and got to it the words came pouring out. This isn’t magic it’s because I put in the time consistently.

So let me leave you with these words of advice: if you want to be a writer own it and write something and share it. Why not here in the comments section?

writers writing how to

Am I the only one who is sick of the places for gay/bi guys? Why is it that the moment you log in you’re bombarded with ads for porn and sexy toys? What happened to platonic relationships? All you see is a sea of NSA and fwbs.

Why is that because your into dudes you have to sell your self like a whore on the corner? Where are the sites where people build each other up instead of treating each other like pieces of meat?

Am I the only one who’s sick of random sex with strangers? What happened to dating and getting to know someone before having sex so it means something?

I’ve had my share of hook ups in the past, and you know what? I want something more than a few minutes of pleasure. I need emotional content, the kind of sex that only comes from knowing your partner inside and out.

For this reason I’ll remain abstinent until the right person comes along. You can do your own thing but right now this is want I feel is right for me.

lgbt dating

Fears

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” –FDR’s first inaugural address

Lately I’ve been feel off my game. The meds I’m on make me drowsy and have been messing up my sleep schedule. I’m in this in between time where I’m transiting my blog from being just another in the sea of blog about writing to one that helps people. And let me teal it’s scary.

But the only way to grow is to branch out and try new things. I don’t know how things will turn out, but I do know if I don’t overcome this fear I’ll regret it and get fed up with writing again.

One of the biggest obstacles we as writers have to face is ourselves. Every morning you have to make the decision whether you write something or play around.

While both have their place in the writer’s life if you want to affect others you have to produce work that goes beyond the mediocre and grabs the reader by the soul and never lets go and that’s hard work.

The problem is a catch twenty-two. If no one reads your blog why bother right, but if you put the time into your work people will appreciate when they find it. Your job is to produce the best work you can and with a lot luck and hard work you’ll reach the right audience but this something that may take years.

So unless you’re in it for the long haul do something else because that fear never goes away. You just get better at dealing with it. Fear of a thing gives it power over you; if you want to succeed then reclaim that power and use to write your magnum opus. Yes you may stumble along the and even fail but you will never get anywhere as long as you let your fears control you.

Therapy Thursday 2

Last weekend I went to my Parents’ house to celebrate my 29th birthday. Nothing unusual about that, until my sister showed up. My youngest nephew, Marcus, was sick and by the en of the weekend every one save me was too.

However come that Monday I wasn’t feeling good and by Thursday I was running a fever, hacking up phlegm and had achy joints.

It reminded me of when I was a kid and get sick because I had the weirdest dream. There I was in a white void with hundred of me. Then one of them in a janitor outfit came over and told me he was a replicant sent to guide me, and in order to get out I’d to confront my shadow selves.

One by one I did until I woke cover in a cold sweat an joints throbbing.
While still dazed from the dream I wrote down the basics and now know how book two of the Phoenix Diaries will begin.

Often times I find some of my best Ideas com to me in dreams, and the more vivid the dream the better the idea.

I still feel a bit off so I’m going to rest up the rest of the weekend and hit the gym on Monday and see how that goes.

Due to a scheduling mix up I didn’t have to pay for therapy this week and my date was changed to Wednesdays at 1:45.

While therapy is a place for me to vent I do want goals for going there. First I want to get to a place were I’m not always worry about what ifs and always on the defensive when going to new places or meeting new people.

I also want to address childhood abuse and how that has influenced relationship and sexuality. I want to get to a place where I can have a long term relationship if I choose to with out all the trust issues.

Another issue is put together a plan to get my license back so I can be mobile thus removing my dependence on parents and public transit and allowing me to meet more people. I know all of these can’t be accomplished at once but it’s get to get them down so I have a framework to deal with in future sessions.

That’s it for now,

well later.

Editing Shmediting

Rewriting is writing, but that doesn’t mean it’s fun. The past few weeks I’ve gone through three rewrites of my WIP as I get it ready to ship publishers.

While some parts have been fun like rediscovering lines and scenes that have me giggling or going aw, the over all process is an exercise in monotony.

I get you want your manuscript in sterling condition to avoid the slush pile, but maybe next time I should invest in a third party to editor.

I don’t know this is all new to me. So if anyone has experience with third party editors and editing in general hit me up in the comments section.

Well later,

and keep those fingers to the keys