True Life and Fiction

Y es, one might think that things always work out this way-two steps back for every one step forward. But, in this case, I think a couple steps back is just what I needed. I recently posted an excerpt of a story I'm working on. It was an idea really, in draft form. It was my attempt to add some depth to a character in a story. Well, a big thank you goes out to Donna Hole, the only person responding to the post and having the cajones grandes to set me straight with some real solid honest feedback. Of course, I must also thank my wife who, after reading the excerpt and Donna's statement, agreed with everything she said. I must admit, the feedback from my wife broke my heart, but that's a good thing. Sometimes a broken heart is an open heart. It took this to get through my pride and make me step back and see this more as a reader than the writer; the creator. So, what am I doing with this now? After some evaluation, I realized that everything was wrong with this charac...

J ust wanted to announce that this post represents my last. In fact, this may be the last time any of you see or hear from me. T wenty minutes ago, I received the results of today's Florida lottery drawing. After a short discussion with my new lawyer, I've decided, along with my wife, to pull up stakes and will be moving to an undisclosed island somewhere in the carribean. O f course, I will still write but will likely do so under an assumed name. It has been a pleasure but all good things must come to an end. In my case, I am leaving the good for something even greater. T o all my followers, friends, and family - Fare ye well.

W hat is it that makes you fall in love with a character (or characters) in a story? Do you like your leading men to be the strong alpha type? Should they have flaws? Should they be vulnerable? What about your leading women, should they be strong? Do you think it is okay for a female lead character to be aggressive? I try to ask myself these questions when developing a character but mostly, the characters in my stories just kind of develop themselves, for the most part. I begin with a basic outline of what character traits my particular character may need to survive the hell I'm about to put them through. From there, they just kind of grow and become more real with each subsequent re-write of the story. This is where I would like to ask for your advice, and yes, it does require a little reading. You see, I have this lead character that shares the role with my main character in this particular story. The story isn't that important now but a little background on the charact...

Well, the first day of Spring has come and gone. I may have missed it completely if not for the radio. Funny thing about Spring. Things just seem to sit dormant all winter, and then suddenly one day, bam, all things are alive and taking over. I so quickly became overwhelmed with everything having to be done at once, that my yard now appears with its usual "Sanford & Son" look. Oh well, soon Summer will be here to scorch my property to the very edge of its existence. Seconds, minutes, hours, days. They all blend together in a hot flashing haze. Force me to rise and see what new torture the sunrise brings. The angry forceful advance of new life, in this season we call, Spring. In other news, I'm still working on rewriting and adding to the same scene in the same story that I've been working on all Winter long. In this story, Joseph Johnson, one of my main characters is former military and member of a special operations unit. I'm attempting to add depth ...

We recently purchased two ducklings from our local Tractor Supply Company store.They were oh so cute, and still are but, I must say, they grow extremely fast. We brought these ducklings home about a week after bringing home six chicks. At first, they were so small, we were afraid the chicks would bully them-that changed quickly. They are now about twice the size as the chicks although they are not yet feathered. In contrast the chicks are nearly completely feathered. Last night was their first time out in the wild (a chicken wire enclosure in the back yard) and they did not use the new duck home I'm building for them. Instead, the chicks piled in while the two ducklings huddled together near the big tub of water I've set out for them. I was afraid they would suffer from exposure as the overnight temperature dropped into the low sixties. I mean, hey, they don't even have a feather coat to wear, although that did not seem to bother them. Today, I'll be work...