And another short story is off and running...

I wrote a short, short story back in the winter (1500 words) and submitted it somewhere, but no luck. That's okay. I revised it, expanded it, and sent it out somewhere else today. And it's closer to 5,000 words, so it's eligible for a few other comps I have my eyes on if necessary.

It's called "The Puzzle Man," and it's about an older man who lives in Florida and works as a security guard at a retirement facility. It's very close to home, no lie. The best fiction sometimes is. I think it's pretty rich with theme and symbolism. We'll see how it does.

I wrote it from third person omniscient, which is new for me, but I am afraid it's too narrative heavy.

I've also been working on a novel and poetry. Am I accomplishing what I set out to do, what I took time off work to do? Sure, a little bit at a time. I'm chipping at that stone.

On a side note, I just finished The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas. I am wanting to go to this bookclub that meets down by where the Dragons play, a little bar I always go to when I go to a game. I read it in two days. I didn't think I'd like it, but I actually really did. It's the writer's first book and I will say she did a most excellent job on dialogue.

I like to think I'm pretty good at dialogue, because I go for the character driven stories when I write, but this novel I have in the works and this latest short story are more plot driven, so that's new for me... The Hate U Give is a good example of how to use dialogue between characters to keep the flow of the story going.

Other new things on the horizon: I am serious about this blog thing, so I have some events lined up that I hope to capitalize some writing out of. Next month (May) is the reveal of the Memphis Belle at the Air Force Museum. In June, I'll be seeing the Gin Blossoms in concert, and in July, I'll be volunteering at Springsfest (just found out about that a few days ago), which means I'll be able to see the show! Super excited about that (Guided by Voices will be playing!). I'm also working on volunteering at the Yellow Springs Street fair in June.

I'm thinking of investing in a nice Nikon to take pics, but truth be told, my iPhone takes really good pics, I just have to practice with it a bit more. We'll see. Like all the pics from my Florida post were taken with the phone. I mean, I wasn't "trying" then... just snapping away like a happy little clam, but if you really practice and utilize the features, it can take great photos.

And there's always a ton of stuff going on in my community and the Dayton area, so there's no reason why I can't get out there, do some stuff, and write about it, right?

Florida Memories and Grief: The Power of Healing, Writing, and Photography

Anyone who's dealt with the loss of a loved one knows there's a process to getting through the grief. For me, this includes reflecting on memories, looking at photos, and writing to heal (in addition to the other stages). The traditional stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, according to grief.com's website. We'll visit grief in more detail, the concept of it, perhaps down the road. 

For now, this post is more about my personal experience with just one aspect of it. Perhaps I'm in the acceptance phase, or close to it. Otherwise, I am not sure I'd be able to look back at this time in my life and share with you in word form. 

And I want to recount a particular experience with you because while we are all from different walks of life, backgrounds, societies, and cultures, at least we all have one thing in common: we all go through life losing someone that we love and we all need to come to peace with it at some point or another. Otherwise, our lives will not be worth living.  

Dolphins Swimming in Sarasota Bay:

New Blog!

Hello everyone,

It's been a while since I've blog blogged, not counting using my blog as a portfolio base for my writing projects and accomplishments.

I decided to move older posts to this new blog, Writer in the City, and use https://writewithnofear.blogspot.com as my sole portfolio blog for published things only.

I decided I wanted to get back into personal writing about life, teaching, writing, things I do, and places I go. I don't want to use my portfolio blog for that, so poof! A new blog is born.

I am excited to see what I come up with to share with you all. I know the followers are scarce as of now, but I'll grow because I plan on doing much throughout this spring and summer in and around my community, and I'd like to share it all with you!