F2K & A Repost

Our little Writing University has changed a bit in the last decade. We’ve had to move the site a few times - security concerns - and lost some folks in all the packing and un-packing. The original layout of the place has changed, too. Some changes for the better, some ... not so much. And along the way some of our members have passed on. Two of my good writing friends went on to the Great Publisher last year - Joan McNulty Pulver, and Margaret Carr. Their presence is missed by those who worked with them, and called them Friends.

One of the biggest changes is that WVU and F2K - the Free Basics of Fiction Writing Course - now have Social Walls, similar to Facebook. For some members that’s a nice thing. For others it’s not. And some hate it, thinking it’s just unprofessional. *shrug* The Social Walls are there. They are what we make of them.

In any event, we’ve weathered the storms, and remain. And F2K is about to start yet another session on January 25th. Registration closes on January 24th. So if you have dreams of becoming a writer, or merely want to hone your writing a bit, or need a kick-start to your writing, you might want to try F2K. The links are current, so take a look.

Below you’ll find a repost of an old post from January of 2006. It’s called “How I Became an F2K Mentor”. Have a great day!

F2K is a free writing course hosted by Writers' Village University. It's a really good writing course. So good, in fact, that I signed up for it three times! After the second session I joined WVU as a member. Been there ever since! I highly recommend it to any writers out there.

Anyway, back to F2K.

Very early during my first trip through, I found that staying in my own classroom was not quite my 'cup of tea'. I liked to peek in at the other classes, see who was in there, read what they were writing. And I'd give a little feedback, too. Hey! For me, that was fun. And I had the time, being single - hint! hint! Ladies! - and curious.

Got to know quite a few writers - fellow students - and came to be known as a 'kibbitzer' around F2K. Truth is, I know I infected a few others who then became 'kibbitzers' as well. Hehehee!

There are always a few writers who, for some unknown reason, do not get many comments or feedback on their writing. Some just show up late, and they never catch on with the others. Some don't feel qualified to give feedback, so nobody gives feedback to them. And, yes, some write horrible stuff.

It's true.

So it feels good to add some feedback to an empty board. Know what I mean? Besides, I read some very nice things in my Kibbitzing travels.

Well, fast forward to my third trip through F2K in the Autumn of 2005. I may be a better writer now, but I still enjoy the 'kick in the pants' that F2K can provide to any writer. So there I am. Taking the lessons again, and doing my thing. My thing being ... remember the word? ... Kibbitzing!

Hehehee! Yep, Ol' benning was kibbitzing the different classrooms again, even ticking off one of the Mentors. Mentors are volunteers who guide the students, answer questions, and keep an eye on things. There's a Mentor for each classroom. So, for me, nothing had changed, really. Except ...

Well, seems they needed another Mentor or two. Seems they did notice that Ol' benning got around, met the students, gave advice or steered the students to the right people to ask, and just generally helped out. Did Ol' benning know that's what he was doing? Hardly. Ol' benning was having fun. Period.

So the Head Mentor, whom I call 'MA', emailed me and asked if I'd be interested in becoming an F2K Mentor. Sheesh! Me? But that's a responsibility, right? *sigh*

Well, 'MA' and the others are friends of mine, y'know. We're all members of WVU. If they ask, they must think I can do it. Right? That's what I figured. So, I said, "Sure, I'll do it."

Some procedural things followed, and then 'MA' wanted to know if I had a Name for the room I would have. See, all the classrooms bear the name of a writer. Some I've never heard of, so I know the Mentor named it for some obscure favorite. One room is named for a former F2K Mentor - Colin R. Onstad - who passed away. Well, I'd think about it, right? I'd want a good writer to grace the nameplate of my room, right? You betcha!

Emailed 'MA' a few minutes later. "Can I have the Robert A. Heinlein room?" If you never heard of him, look him up! Sheesh!

And that's the room I'm Mentoring in right now. LOL

So far, in this, my first run at Mentoring, it's been interesting. But it's still very early. We'll see if I can actually do what the veteran Mentors can. But I haven't scared any students away. Yet.

We'll see.

Hit those links at the top of this post, or over to the left there. Great places for writers. Trust me! I'm not a politician! :D

Read & Vote! Please!

Reader's Digest is having a contest - "Your Life" - entries closed on November 1 - and the first prize is $25,000! Two of my very good writing friends have entries. These are very short stories, easy to read, and inspirational. Please hit the links, below, read the stories, and click the "Vote" button beneath. You can vote for both of them. And you can vote each day, too!


So please go! Read 'em, and Vote for 'em! :D


This contest ends on November 15, so hurry! :D And no, you don't have to be a Facebook member, either. ;)


Donna Sundblad's: "True Thankfulness"


Joni Zipp's: "To See Again"

A Free Writing Course: f2k!

• F2K is a free online creative writing course sponsored by
  Writers' Village University and staffed by volunteer Mentors.



• The course includes seven one-week fiction writing lessons and is designed for beginning writers; however, intermediate and advanced writers are encouraged to take the course as a refresher or to socialize with and encourage beginning writers. Thousands of writers have discovered that F2K is a great way to break writers block.



• F2K is offered 4 times a year.
  Subscribe to The Writers' Ezine (Free)
  for updates and WVU class schedules.

Yep! The first f2k session of 2010 is almost here! We're busy getting our Mentors back into the fold, and searching among our computer files for the correct ones to use during the course. Then, on January 6th we'll watch the hundreds of registrants flood into the f2k site, trying to find their study groups, checking out the community gathering place - the Cafe f2k - meeting and greeting their fellow writing students. Day One is usually a confusing time for newbies, but a fun time, nonetheless!

Best of all it's free!

Need a refresher to stimulate your writing? Are you missing something in your writing and wonder what it might be? Well, in f2k you might discover what it is. The course is easy, fun, and one way to begin networking with other writers.

Did I mention it's free? :)

I stumbled on f2k while looking for a short story recommended by my then-Sweet Patootie. On the page was one of those banner ads. I got curious and clicked on it when I finished reading the story, and registered for f2k. I enjoyed it so much that after the course I joined WVU. That was 2001. WVU has been my writing home ever since.

Mentors are volunteers from WVU, as well as alumni of f2k. They're not teachers but helpers, and they're invaluable. Each Mentor has one study group to shepherd through the course. They give feedback to each student for the first lesson, and then it's up to the students to give feedback. After that first lesson the Mentors are there to keep an eye on things, give guidance where it's needed, and answer questions.

We have two chats each week, where we discuss the lessons, and then just about everything else under the sun. Many f2k students enjoy the experience so much that, like myself, they join WVU afterward. :)

For a small fee the students can get their Mentor's feedback throughout the rest of the lessons. I think the fee is $25 for the session. That small fee, from a handful of students, tends to provide most of the funds needed to keep f2k going. WVU, the parent organization, provides the rest of the funding. Bob Hembree (our Founder and Fearless Leader) set it up this way, years ago, and it's worked well.

So why not check it out? It doesn't cost a thing, and you may find it to be one of the more enjoyable experiences of your 2010 writing. I did, many years ago, and have never regretted it! Register right now!

Whoo-Hoo!

Project 2,996 Tributes: Early posting

I decided to open my newest Tribute blog - to Paul James Battaglia - so you can see that it doesn't take so very long, nor is it so very hard, to create a tribute to one of the innocents lost on 9/11.

Also, my original Tribute blog - to Gary H. Lee - is still open. Please visit both, maybe add a comment, and remember these folks. And please take the time, now, to sign up and create your own Tribute. Your help is needed. This coming Friday is the 8th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Please hurry!

Thanks!

Update (Wednesday): It worries me that so many Tributes will not be written this year. So I went to Dale Roe and asked him for another name. And he gave me one: Mark A. Brisman. I feel honored to do this. I noticed on the list of participants that some folks have signed up for many names, a dozen or more! Wow. Humbles me. But I do what I can.

And I urge you to remember these victims of 9/11/01. Sign up! It is not too late, and never will be! Never forget!

Urgent! Repost: Time Is Running Out! Help!

We need more people to write tributes! Assigning names to folks takes a little time, but right now, at the Project 2,996 site I see only 925 people signed up.

Don't let the innocent victims of 9/11 be forgotten. Don't allow that day to slip down the memory hole. Sign up. You don't need a blog or website to join in. Friends of Project 2,996 have a blog setup so you can post there. All you need do is let Dale know, when you sign up, that you don't have a blog or website. He'll get you set up.

So hurry! Sign up! Help us pay tribute to the innocents lost on 9/11!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Project 2,996 needs your involvement! Please hurry over, sign up, and post a tribute to one of the victims of 9/11 whom you'll be assigned. (is it who? *shrug*) Since D.C.Roe moved to his wordpress site I think many former tribute posters either lost touch or simply forgot about this annual event.

And now, more than ever before, we can use the reminder that innocent people were slaughtered on the altar of Islmaism on that horrible day eight-years-ago. Why now more than ever?

The Obama administration, through its acolytes and myrmidons, is attempting to co-opt the memory of 9/11 to push its Leftist, and as usual, squirrely, agenda and continue the spiral down the Memory Hole of our history. Not to mention the history of Islamist butchery.

It isn't enough that nearly 3,000 of our fellow citizens were killed in a co-ordinated terrorist assault for the sake of a Death Cult. No, eight years afterward the Leftists want to turn the memory of that event into a National Day of Service. What's wrong with that? I'd suggest that with 365 days in a year there are more choices for this kind of silliness to promote Service. Choosing 9/11 is a cynical, calculated attempt to erase the reality of the attack. Indeed, why not pick 9/12? Wouldn't that be more useful? More respectful?

A lot of nice, well-meaning folks will join in this Day of Service. That's all well-and-good. But the choice of 9/11 is not all well-and-good. It's a slap in the face to those who know precisely what kind of enemy of humanity the Islamists are. Changing the focus of 9/11 is wrong. Period.

From Syracuse.com:

The idea of establishing 9/11 as a National Day of Service was first conceived in 2001 by the founders of MyGoodDeed, a nonprofit started by friends and relatives of 9/11 victims. They are working with ServiceNation, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, the Corporation for National and Community Service and New York Cares.

In April, Obama authorized the establishment of 9/11 as a National Day of Service when he signed into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.

Thursday's news conference was held just hours before the late senator's body left his Hyannisport, Mass., home for a series of memorial rites followed by his funeral Saturday. Kennedy, who died Tuesday of a brain tumor, had co-sponsored the bill.

Yeah, let's memorialize Teddy by diminishing the impact and meaning of the 9/11 memory.

Perhaps you don't think there's anything political in this maneuver? It's simply a positive way to move America onward? From Redstate.com:

What day? Our US Senators return to DC the Tues after Labor Day. That next FRIDAY, Sep 11, is Patriot Day, designated in memory of the nearly three thousand who died in the 9/11 attacks.

All 50 States are coordinating in this – as we fight back against our own Right-Wing Domestic Terrorists who are subverting the American Democratic Process, whipped to a frenzy by their Fox Propaganda Network ceaselessly re-seizing power for their treacherous leaders.

Nothing political in that, is there?

You can read the articles, do some searching yourself, for more about this. But if you can spare the time - please make the time! - signup with Project 2,996. It's worthy. And there is nothing political in this project. Pay tribute to the victims of 9/11 only.

Will you help us out?


Articles and blogs discussing this Project, or the 'Day of Service':

Always on Watch

Mike's America

The American Spectator

The Foundry

And So It Goes In Shreveport

Michelle Malkin

Moe Lane

New Voices: A Competition for Young Writers

I expect you've seen the commercials for Jay Leno's upcoming new television show. In one part he asks a 'contestant', "Who wrote Handel's 'Messiah'?" The answer, though funny, is also rather sad, not just because the young man doesn't have a clue who Handel was - a Classical Music Composer - but for what it says about education and reading in this country.


The young man's answer to Leno's question, "Who wrote Handel's 'Messiah'?" was "I don't read books."


Yeah. Dumb, funny, but come on!


Well, we've given our education system to the Leftists, so we shouldn't expect better. But we can push our own to do better. And one of those ways is to encourage writing. How? Well, how about a writing contest for Young People?


EPIC, the Electronically Published Internet Connection, sponsors a number of writing competitions each year. Among them is one specifically for the younger writers. It's called New Voices. The New Voices site has this to say,

One of the leading competitions in the electronic world for young authors, New Voices encourages reading and writing among middle and high school students while introducing them to the exciting world of ebooks and e-publishing, the wave of the literary future.

This introduction into the exciting world of e-books and e-publishing is often a launching pad into the world of publishing for many young writers, allowing them their first taste of professional feedback and pushing them to achieve their dream of seeing their words in print.

Established by EPIC in 2006, the contest accepts entries from students attending public, private, or home schools, and each entrant is permitted to submit one entry in each category.

The contest began accepting entries for this year's competition on August 1, and will close to entries on October 20. So times running out! Know a youngster who writes, likes to read, needs some encouragement? Get them over to the New Voices site. Who can enter?

This contest is open to students worldwide, attending public, private, or home schools. Students must be in junior high/middle school or high school in the U.S., or the equivalent grade level in their specific international school system.

Tired of hearing people say they don't read books? Want to keep your kids or grandkids from falling into the same ignorant path? This is one way!

Kids who like to write, like to read. And they let their imaginations roam, not funneled into the same dim corridors as others. I can't think of a better way of ensuring that kids enjoy reading than this. If they write they read.




So head over to New Voices, see what's there, and tell your kids that this might be a whole lot of fun, too!

Disclaimer: I am a member of EPIC, my novel, "Benning's War", being available in eBook form.

There's an FAQ about New Voices here at the LL Publications Blog. The FAQ is presented by Danielle Thorne - 2010 New Voices Co-Chair. Questions about New Voices can be sent to her at Newvoices.chair@gmail.com

Some Thoughts On Writing Dialogue

One thing some of my writing friends, and my readers, tell me is that they enjoy my dialogue. That’s nice to hear. I work hard at creating dialogue that reveals my characters and moves the story along. I know I’m not always successful, but I do try.

One of the things I work hard to improve is the use of dialogue tags. Not sure what they are? Tags are things like ‘he said,’ “she inferred,” and so on. The standard rule, when writing dialogue, is to make the tags you use as simple as possible. So it’s frowned on to dip into such tags as, “he mumbled, morosely,” “she snapped,” “Antoine growled fiercely.”

Writers should make the dialogue do the work of the tags. Tags are easy to slap onto a bit of dialogue. Making the dialogue do that hard work is more satisfying - to writer and reader alike. Your characters’ dialogue should be distinctive enough so that the use of tags is minimized. If you think that’s not important, remember how annoying it is to read a piece of dialogue and not quite know which character is speaking. If you need tags to ‘tell’ who is speaking, maybe you need to work on that dialogue a bit more.

Another thing dialogue needs to do is provide insight into your characters. This is where ‘show versus tell’ comes into play in a very interesting way. Rather than use the infamous ‘information dump’, dialogue can provide the reader with a lot of clues to a character’s thoughts and feelings. Also his/her background, education, personality.

Why ‘tell’ the reader that the character is from French Canada when you can add a little dialect to his speech? Tidewater Virginian? Add a taste of the dialect to the dialogue. Yes, you can overdo the dialect and lose your readers. I slip into dialect writing so deeply that my editors will tell me to pull it back! But if you read my novel, “Benning’s War”, you know that I did put a lot of time into the characters’ patterns of speech and how their voices sounded.

I edited as much out as I felt comfortable with, but refused to go beyond a certain point. My characters had to maintain their dialects up to that point. Dialects are fine, but you have to be careful with them. Don’t overwhelm your readers. Use dialect to reveal not hide.

So how do I write that dialogue? I say it. Out loud. If the dialogue I’m speaking - out loud - sounds crude to my ears, or unbelievable, then I change it. It has to be real if the reader is going to follow and believe it. It’s where I nail down where to use contractions and where to use the full words, too.

No, this isn’t the easiest way to write dialogue, I’m sure, but it can be fun. I recited my in-progress dialogue at work, making co-workers and customers nervous, I’m sure. Once they realized what I was doing, and why, they might shake their heads, but they stopped thinking I was demented (little do they know, eh?).

Anyway, for me, dialogue can move a story along quickly, provide information necessary to the plot, and make your characters memorable to your readers. So try working on your story’s dialogue by speaking it, out loud. Listen to how it sounds, pay attention to making it not be an information dump, and let your characters speak through you.

An Update on benning's World: Why Not, Right?

F2K is over, Lesson-wise, and all that’s left is our session's-end Short Story Contest. We began the session with nearly 500 writers, of many levels of expertise. Some are already published and are merely looking for a kick-start, or a refresher in the very basics of Fiction Writing. Some are newbies, wishing to learn enough to be able to express themselves in a writing venue, and perhaps to see if they have the talent to go on and get published. And the rest are somewhere in between.

When I was a student in F2K I found it a fun, friendly place, with so many things to discover and learn, so many new people to meet, so many opportunities to stretch whatever writing muscles I had. Through F2K I got the gumption to submit my very first short story to an online magazine. And they were impressed enough with it to publish it - and they paid me for my story, too! Not to mention my second, third, and fourth, as well!

Three runs through the F2K sessions and I was invited to become one of the Mentors, which eventually turned into my being asked to become the Mentor-in-Chief. What that means is I get the emails complaining about passwords that don’t work, assignments that have mysteriously disappeared, and hurt feelings from un-diplomatic feedback. But, y’know, it’s gotta be done, and I remain humble that our Founder and Leader, Bob Hembree, who created the free course, not to mention our entire Writers’ Village University, thought I could do the job.

Now, as I said, we’ve gotten down to our session-ending contest, which is more important than ever. The prize is to be published in a real-life paper magazine, get a small payment - I think it’s $25 - and to have a published work on one’s resume. Yes, it may sound small, but it’s not! Some online ezines accept and publish stories, but pay nothing - “It’s an honor to simply be published!” - which means your work is worth nothing at all.

With our numbers dwindling as the weeks went on - we never finish with the same number as we started - I was worried that our students wouldn’t submit enough contest entries to make it a real contest.

Silly me!

We got 27 entries. 27! That’s a lot of short stories by aspiring writers. And our task, as Mentors, was to read each one, and then put them onto a list of our favorites. I listed every one, from my top to the least. Not one of them was a dog, not one of them was a waste of reading time. I was thoroughly proud of my F2K writers! 27 short stories entered into our contest! Now, with our Mentors having submitted their own lists, I had to meld them into a Top Five or so, and post that for the Mentors to vote on. Yes or No?

When they all have decided whether or not the list will do, we will notify our Fearless Leader and hand that list to him. If he accepts it we tell the writers who are Finalists that they are now part of what Bob calls the F2K Masters Workshop.

What does that mean for them? They’ll have a specified time to edit their works, in the Workshop, for the publisher. Then the publisher will choose the winner. So it ain’t over yet! But, dang! It’s close!

I don’t know if you understand what this means to new writers. For weeks now these men and women, from all across the country, indeed the world, have worked together, given feedback to each other, watched as they all learned, grew as writers, and discovered that it ain’t easy to be a fiction writer. And now 27 of them had the guts to write a brand-new short story - the contest has a rule about the content of the story so you can’t just resurrect an old favorite! - submit it to their Mentors, and wait for someone to judge their work.

Trust me, when my first short story was published, even though it was an online-only ezine, I was so happy and proud I could scarce get my head through the door! And so it will be for these folks who become Finalists. Their writing was judged to be good enough to be a Finalist. Good enough to be considered for publication. Good enough!

It’s a great feeling. And I’m so happy for these men and women I am ready to bust a gut! All of them are Writers! Whoo-Hoo!

And that’s what’s been going on in benning’s world. Writing, Mentoring, and reading the works of new authors!

Oh, and nibbling M&Ms, too!

Whoo-Hoo!

If you're interested in learning some of the basics of Fiction Writing, we begin our next session in early February of 2009. The course is free, lasts for about eight weeks, and consists of six lessons - not to mention an Orientation Week - and usually a session-ending writing contest. F2K is geared toward fiction writing, and aims to get you proficient enough to write a short story by the end. We also offer more one-on-one Mentoring for a small fee of $25.

You don't have to be a member of our parent organization - Writers' Village University - to register and attend. All you need is a desire to learn or re-learn some of the basics of fiction writing, and the ability to take criticism without bursting into tears. We hold weekly chat sessions, too. So think about signing up, all you writers out there. I'll be Mentoring again, as I expect most of our present Mentors will.

I hope to see some of you there, come February!

Halloween 2008

Watch your kids, Parents. Don't let them wander around without you being there, or a responsible adult nearby and alert. It gets dark pretty early on October 31. No matter how powerful the headlights on a car or truck, kids in costumes can be hard, if not impossible, to see. Can you think of anything more sad than having a child injured or even killed while 'Trick or Treating'?

Watch your kids! If you're out there and see kids without supervision, you watch them, too! Yes, it is, too, your responsibility as a member of the community, as an adult, as a fellow American. Do it! This is supposed to be a fun evening for the kids. Make sure it stays that way!

Just to drive home the point, my friends, here's a repost of a short story I posted in October of 2006. It makes the point even if a fictional event. Happy Halloween!

"The Dark Road"
by benning (10/03)

Leaves skitter along the road in the chill autumn breeze. The road is a dark and quiet place.

The boy is eight years old. Dressed in a brand-new Batman costume, the cape a swirling dull sheen in the twilight, he skips along the dark road. He carries an empty sack in his hand. Halloween is just beginning. The mask he wears limits his vision, and he watches the roadway a few feet ahead to avoid holes and roadkill. He doesn't want to ruin his new costume.

He can hear his breath echoing in his ears and thinks of Darth Vader.

"Luke, I am your father," he intones in his best grown-up voice. He giggles and tries it again.

Light streams around him from behind, his shadow suddenly appearing ahead of his skipping form.

"I'm the Batman," he whispers.

Too late, he realizes something is different. The road ahead is filled with light and the elongated shadow of Batman.

He stops. A horn blares close behind. He turns, his eyes widening in shock, then fear.

He has no time to even scream before the huge truck strikes him.

The red taillights fade into the distance; leaves skitter along the road in the chill autumn breeze. The road is a dark and quiet place.

* * * * *

Howard and June pulled off the road and stared into the dark night. They sat in the car, silent, as they had done each Halloween for the past ten years.

Howard glanced at his wife, saw the tears glistening on her cheeks in the dashboard light. He took her hand and gently squeezed it. She squeezed his in return, her eyes never straying from the dark road ahead.

"We should've been with him," she murmured.

Howard said nothing. They'd been over this before. Many times. Everything that could've been said had been.

"He shouldn't've been out here alone," she whispered.

Howard turned away, stared out the windshield. "He couldn't wait, June. We told him to wait for us. You know that." His voice was quiet, gentling.

"We should've been with him," she whispered again.

Howard watched the dark, windy road and sighed.

At last, June sniffled, patted his hand, and scrabbled through her purse for her hanky. It was her signal that it was time to go. Over until the next Halloween.

Howard started the car, glanced in the mirrors, and pulled out. The headlights illuminated the road, and the swirling leaves ahead. He drove slowly and carefully.

* * * * *

The red taillights fade into the distance; leaves skitter along the road in the chill autumn breeze. The road is a dark and quiet place.

The boy is eight years old. Dressed in a brand-new Batman costume, the cape a swirling dull sheen in the twilight, he skips along the dark road. He carries an empty sack in his hand. Halloween is just beginning. The mask he wears limits his vision, and he watches the roadway a few feet ahead to avoid holes and roadkill. He doesn't want to ruin his new costume.

Thoughts For This Morning

I've been busy, writing and goofing off, since my last post. The writing is part of our yearly Private Novel Writing Month, which is a mid-year version of National Novel Writing Month. Some of us who are alumni of the F2K: Free Writing Course offered by Writers' Village University, got together following the NaNo event in 2005 and wondered if we could do something like it a few months later So I set up a blog and invited all the folks who's expressed interest, and off we went.

The goals are the same: 50,000 words in a month. Easy, you may think, but not really. Not when you are trying to write something new. One of our ensemble - a lady from Malaysia - managed 102,000 words that year! Some of us - me, included - made the 50K mark. Didn't matter. The idea was to spur the actual writing by laying down a deadline. It seems to work. And this is our third year doing PriNoWriMo. One week down, more to come!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Anyway, following the sad events following the Kentucky Derby, I noticed the same Moonbats crawling out of the woodwork. They wanted the jockey arrested and charged with Cruelty to Animals; they wanted the trainer arrested for the same thing; they wanted the track veterinarian investigated. And what can you do except shake your head? How silly and ignorant can people get?

Anybody with a lick of sense knows that a horse that finishes in the money in a Triple Crown race is a valuable commodity, if nothing else. That horse is worth much more than the money she earns on the track itself. No owner would willy-nilly have a horse put down if she could be saved. Her survival would mean a lot of money flowing into the owner's coffers in the future.

The simple, sad fact is that Eight Belles suffered what is a catastrophic injury after the race. Both her front ankles broken. She had nothing left to stand on. Casts are out of the question. Hoisting her in a sling would not work. Huge animals like thoroughbreds are heavy and easily suffer respiratory ailments slung up like that. All that weight causes problems inside the horse's body. And without any way for that horse to put weight on her front legs ...

The track veterinarian made the right call. He put the filly out of her misery. It was quick and relatively painless. She received an injection and went to sleep. The old way of shooting the injured horse is not used at a modern race track.

The weeping Moonbats should be thankful that this horse was put down quickly and efficiently. Eight Belles, as I said before, ran a tremendous race. Her ending was sad. But it was, and will be, a part of horse racing.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I got to wondering about Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. I see the commercials, and remember the commercials from years ago:

"You got chocolate in my peanut butter!"
"You got peanut butter on my chocolate!"

And I wanted to know a little more about this candy. So, naturally, I googled!

And information about the creator of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups isn't exactly overwhelming. But there's enough to give you an idea.

Harry Burnett (H.B.) Reese made candies in his basement. He didn't start with Peanut Butter Cups, for which he is known, but with a few simple candy bars. Reese's Raisin Clusters and Chocolate-Covered Dates were fairly well thought of. But H.B.Reese hit his stride when he developed the Peanut Butter Cup. That was introduced in the mid-1920s.

Reese, born in 1879, in Frosty Hill, Pennsylvania, was raised on a farm, and as an adult worked as a farmer, fish packaging worker, and did other factory work. He first played around with candy-making in Hummelstown, PA, and then in Palmyra, PA. He was hired by Milton Hershey to work at Hershey's dairy farm about 1916. Eventually he went to work in one of the Hershey chocolate factories. Reese was still working there when he started making his own candies in the basement of his house. I think he'd probably learned quite a bit from Milton Hershey about making candy.

After 1928 his Peanut Butter Cups - originally called "penny cups" because they cost a penny each - were becoming very popular. So popular that he quit his Hershey's job and built his own candy-making factory. Right in Hershey, PA. The demand for his Reese's Peanut Butter Cups grew so large that he stopped production on his other candies and made Peanut Butter Cups only.

Mr. Hershey didn't seem to see Reese as a competitor. Reese was, in fact, a customer of the Hershey company, buying his chocolate exclusively from Hershey. Reese made his own peanut butter mixture for the filling. The chocolate for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups was supplied in 10-pound blocks and Reese eventually became Hershey's second largest chocolate customer after Mars. It is reported that Milton Hershey kept a stash of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in his desk. Not a bad recommendation, is it?

Eight days shy of his 77th birthday, on May 16th, 1956, H.B.Reese died of a heart attack. He was buried in the Hershey Cemetery, alongside his wife and just footsteps from Mr Hershey's grave. Seven years after Reese's death the H.B. Reese Candy Company was bought by Hershey's. His children received about 5% of the Hershey stock. The price for the company? $23.5 million. That's a lot of money for a candy company, but I suspect Hershey's never had any qualms about it. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups continue today, with new additions, some good, some not-so-good. The advertising remains funny, and refreshingly original. And the Cups themselves? I like 'em! They aren't M&Ms, but I do like 'em, and I like the Reese's Pieces, too.

Mr. Reese's grandson, Andrew Reese, has written a biography of his famous grandfather that is due out sometime this year. If you're interested in Reese or his Peanut Butter Cups, this might be an interesting book to buy. But buy mine first, Dagnabbit!

Chocablog has a British take on the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

So there you have my thoughts for this morning. I had grits for breakfast - something I only do on my days off - and a nice pot of coffee. I'm still surfing the Web a bit, and rereading what I wrote yesterday to spur more scenes in m head. I will be writing!

Have a great day, Friends!

Six Word Memoir: A Meme

Always On Watch tagged me with this meme, "Six Word Memoir" and I thought about it for awhile. I prefer to think that my blogging friends are tagging me out of friendship rather than some desire to punish me. Besides, most memes are rather fun, silly, and creative. So why not?

Here are the rules:

The Rules:

1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want.
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to the original post if possible so we can track it as travels across the blogosphere.
4. Tag at least five more blogs with links.
5. Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

So here's my own Six Word Memoir:

Seeking creative outlets, I discovered writing.

And the image, of course, is for my own published novel. Why not, eh?



Now, before you start to panic, I'm not going to tag anybody else. If you'd like to try it out, go ahead! It's a thought-provoker, and it probably won't be easy. Compressing your life into six words is tough. But go on and give it a try.

I double-dog dare you!

"Benning's War" - benning Could Use Some Help!

"The Nation Makers" - by Howard Pyle (1906)


Recently I received the latest royalty check from my publisher for “Benning’s War”. It was for the princely sum of $1.80. One book sold in that quarter. An ebook, to be exact. So my sales have definitely plummeted. No wonder, since I don't promote it aside from the banner ad at the top of this blog, really. I do wish that a big publisher would discover it, or maybe even a motion picture producer. Imagine a producer reading it and thinking, "This would make a pretty good movie!" And I think it would make a great movie!


Yeah, that's the kind of thing that can turn a little-known - or unknown - book into a major hit. And, yeah, I think about that now and then. A bit of money coming in would certainly be helpful, y'know? But I didn't write "Benning's War" to make money. No, I wrote it to see if I could, to get a story out that was running around my mind, to do something that would allow me to stretch my creative muscles. The result was a finished book - a work of historical fiction - that satisfied those initial desires. And getting it published was wonderful. ePress-Online, a small, electronic publisher, did a great job assigning editors to my manuscript, walking me through the rewrite/editing process, and putting "Benning's War" together in a form that would sell. And then they ran it through Lulu.com to make it available in a print version. A short time ago my publisher worked out an arrangement to get Print-On-Demand books of theirs sold through Amazon.com Who could ask for more?


But I certainly want to see many thousands of copies of my book sold. And right now it looks as though "Benning's War" is sinking into oblivion. If you haven't bought a copy yet, please do! The story is one of the American Revolution. It tells the tale of a young man of western Virginia who went to war for the Independence of America. He is a veteran who finally experiences the utter horror of surviving the Massacre at the Waxhaws, fights and befriends Indians, and goes back to the War to help chase down and fight the British once more at Kings Mountain. There's adventure, action, some Romance - yes, I wrote a bit of romance into it - and a bit of actual history to keep you interested. I hope!


Some of you have bought the book, and I'm grateful! If you have, why not post a little review of the thing on your blog or website? Hey, it's a blog topic, if you're having a thin day blogging-wise. I'll even put up some graphics you can use for links. But, no, you certainly don't have to.


Just remember: "Benning's War" is still available in a print version as well as an e-book version. It will not go out of print. And the cover art was drawn by myself. *pats himself on the back, dislocating his arm* My mother recommends the book, as do some of my writing friends. I hope you do, too, or will buy a copy and spread the word. Wouldn't this be a good choice to give as a gift for the Independence Day coming up? Or maybe for Flag Day?


"Benning's War - A Novel of the American Revolution" is available at Lulu.com and Amazon.com Get your copie(s) today! And spread the word!

Here are some small graphics for you to use, if you like:



Perhaps you like the intricately detailed banner from the top of my blog? Here you are:

Another NaNoWriMo Ends

National Novel Writing Month is over. I conquered - or at the very least persevered - and received my sidebar logo showing all and sundry that I did indeed make it to the end. I also received a pdf certificate, suitable for printing and framing - a truly lovely thing that is saved on my hard drive - to let any visitors to my home, or office (ain't got one), know what a fine typer of words I am.

In the group that I was a part of we had quite a few make it over the 50,000 word mark, including one intrepid Lady who was over 70,000 words before she had the nerve to finally "validate" her totals. Her final total stands at 80,153! Wow! My own total was a meager 52,570 for the month. Only a few of our group didn't make it to 50K, but they certainly did not give up, despite computer problems, illness, or "life" butting in.

If you have the interest you can access our forum to check out our postings and see what we did as the weeks went on. It's really a lot of cheer leading. And that's actually helpful when one enters, wondering how bad they're doing. They don't see any bragging, but instead see applause and support, urgings to keep going, and snippets of works in progress (WIP) posted in their profiles. Writers need the support, even if they don't want to show anybody their work until it is done. Writing, especially fiction, is a very strange vocation, and it comes with all sorts of pitfalls and dangers. We writers tend to be very solicitous of our characters and stories, and suspicious of comments on unfinished work.

We can get very touchy!

Perhaps the greatest pitfall, and abiding fear, that every writer has is the infamous "Writer's Block". NaNoWriMo is a kind of defense against the Block. What with all the support from fellow writers it is difficult to fall into "Writer's Block" - you simply have too many folks tossing perfectly good ideas and suggestions to you to stop writing.

Like some writers I have a different problem, though the fear of Writer's Block is ever-present. I have too damned many stories in my head. At present I have 2 novels in the writing stage - one is moving along slowly but is the one I should finish soonest; the other is at the beginning stage and is still mostly humming in my head - 2 on the shelf for later consideration and research, and 1 just suggested, so little more than an idea (Thanks a heap, Kevin! Grrrrr!), though an interesting one. 2 each of the novels are Historical Fiction and 2 are Science Fiction (though one is aimed at younger readers), and 1 is a Saga, I suppose (Thanks a heap, Kevin! Grrrrr!).

And like all writers I have the constant urge to not write. Writers are much like Irish Setters, easily distracted by shiny objects and inviting smells. Programs like NaNo help as you're measuring your output with the output of many thousands of other writers. Embarrassment is to be avoided! But what you produce is real and is now usable verbiage, waiting for more words to be added and the editing process to begin. So 50K+ is nothing to sneeze at when it comes to a novel. It's a nice total for one-third to perhaps one-half of a book. NaNo is a help and it's fun. It's a bit of networking, too.

On another, though related, note, my publisher now has a Print On Demand agreement with Amazon! So my book is available at Amazon.com as well as Lulu.com! That's a good thing!

So tell your family and friends! Buy my book! You may well enjoy it. LOL

A Flag Tale

This is something I cobbled together a few years back. Just an exercise, it got kind of interesting for me and so I kept it. I hope you enjoy it.

"A Flag Tale"
by benning 2002

The warm summer breeze felt good on my face, the fragrance of wildflowers tickled my nose, and the thrum of the Cicadas rose and fell in the air. Out of the corner of my eye I could see PopPop swaying along toward the flagpole carrying his old flag. I sighed and sank a bit deeper into the glider cushions, pretending to ignore the old man.

Every year it was the same thing: finish the morning’s chores, help PopPop get out his old tattered flag, watch him put it up, and listen to his boring war stories. Something about Independence Day seemed to get him nostalgic, and I hated it. Who wouldn’t have? Here I’d be, wasting a perfectly good summer day sitting there hearing his wispy, faltering voice recount the glory of his war years. I’d much rather have been playing ball with the fellers down at the field, or swimming at the lake, and waiting for the Fireworks at the Town Square in the evening.

But, no, that wasn’t allowed. Nope! Mom and Dad made us all stay here until PopPop was through with his remembrances for another year.

I sighed again, turning my head to watch him struggle with the lanyard and hoist that ratty old banner. Jeepers, it was ugly! Faded so badly the red stripes were pink, and the blue field was practically little more than a memory!

I heard the screen door creak open and bang closed again. Mom came by and handed me a tall glass of iced tea.

“Why don’t you take this to PopPop, Jack?”

I sighed again, and unwound from my soft place on the glider. Summer vacation, and here I was being treated like a slave or a maid or something.

“Why do we have'ta do this, Mom?” I stood and took the wet, cold glass. “Every stupid year. Shoot, I can prolly recite PopPop’s stories by heart.”

Mom smiled wryly. ”Jack, it’s important to him. It’s important to your Dad and me, too.”

“But it’s so boring, Mom,” I whined.

“Try putting yourself in his place, Jack. When he begins to talk about the war, just imagine that it’s you he’s talking about, and see what happens.”

I gave her one of my patented “Are-you-out-of-your-mind” looks, and trudged heavily off the porch.

PopPop had that silly flag up to the top of the pole by that time, and was standing back, shading his eyes and watching it flutter in the breeze.

I held the glass of iced tea out to him.

“Mom sent ya some iced tea, PopPop.”

He turned his head and smiled up at me, taking the glass and gesturing at the flag.
“Mighty proud old flag, ain’t she?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” I replied.

He squinted at me, sipping the cold liquid. “Bored with me already, boy?”

“I just don’t see why I can’t be playing ball with the other guys, PopPop,” I mumbled.
“Summer vacation is short enough as it is.”

He put a thin arm around my shoulders and patted my neck.

“Always in such a hurry to be at something, Jack. Don’t think I don’t remember how that feels. But some things are more important than baseball, or swimming at the lake,” he winked at me, “or even doing your chores.”

He looked up at the flapping banner and sighed deeply.

“Help me up to the porch, will ya, boy?”

We turned and he held my arm as we walked slowly back across the lawn, and up the steps of the front porch. He made his way to the glider and eased himself down onto it with a soft grunt, and inched himself back into the seat. The glass shook momentarily in his hand but he didn’t spill a drop. PopPop caught me watching that glass and chuckled.

“It wouldn’t be the first time I spilled a drink, Jack.”

All I could do was smile.

He sipped his tea and watched the leaves moving on the trees.
“So you think what I have to say is boring, eh?”

I couldn’t answer him. I didn’t want to be disrespectful. But he went on as if I had answered.

“I used to cringe when my Great-granddad would tell his war stories, Jack,” he said. ”Did I ever tell you that?”

“No, PopPop.”

“He fought in the Civil War. Some Regiment or other out of Pennsylvania. And, LORD, did I hate listening to him go on about it. You’d’ve thought the old man had been in every battle, and had won them all, single-handed!”

He chuckled, and I did, too.

PopPop smiled at me and asked me “Do you know why I’m so danged proud of that flag, Jack?”

“’Cause you carried it in the war?”

“Well, that’s part of it, I guess, and maybe that’s what it was at first for me. But as time went on and the war kind of faded away in folks’ memory, it started to become more important.”

“More important? Than carrying it in battle?”

He sipped his iced tea and sighed contentedly. “I swear your mother makes the coldest, sweetest tea in the whole country!”

He gazed up at that old flag and said “That old, worn out piece of cloth stands for something, boy, something bigger than any war, or any battle.

"No matter how frayed the edges get, no matter how faded those colors, as long as that flag, and others like it still wave, there’s Freedom in this old world.”

He looked at me as I stood by the porch rail, watching him.

“That flag is just a symbol, boy, but it’s a symbol of the finest experiment in the history of the world. Self-government. Government by consent of the governed. This is the only place in the world where it works. And we forget that. All too often. Wars end, we come home, and we take up as if all’s right in the world. We get back to business, as we ought to do. And we forget that in most of the world, folks don’t have the right to just get back to business. We forget that so many men and women have shed their blood, given up their possessions, and even died to protect the Liberty that old flag symbolizes.”

I turned and craned my neck to catch a glimpse of the faded banner of PopPop’s. It was probably my imagination, but the red stripes seemed a little deeper, the blue a bit darker.

“Jack, when we crossed the Rhine against the Nazis, and I tied that flag to a lamppost in the very first town we entered, I wasn’t so much taking possession, as I was planting a little piece of Liberty, right there in Nazi Germany.

“When those grunts raised the flag on Iwo Jima it was the same thing, though they might not’ve realized it just then.”

I heard him grunt a little and I turned to see him struggling to get out of the glider. I stepped over and took his hand and pulled him up. He rubbed his thigh - the one where the leg ends just below the knee - and helped him to the railing. He closed his eyes and breathed in the summer air.

I could just hear him whisper, “The sweet smell of Liberty,” before he smiled up at me and said, “It’s an old flag, Jack; old and ratty, faded and tattered. But that flag is the symbol of this country of ours. There isn’t a finer flag in the whole wide world. Nor is there a finer Nation on the face of the earth.”

This time it was me who put an arm around his shoulders. “I guess you’re right, PopPop,” I said. “I didn’t think about what it meant.”

His thin arm tightened around my waist. “We rarely, do, Jack; we rarely do.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

My sister, Emily, and her husband, Frank, came by a little while later and we all gathered for our traditional Independence Day meal, and listened to PopPop tell his favorite war stories. This time I put myself in his place and saw those stories a whole different way. They meant something to me, even if they hadn’t been my stories at all.

PopPop passed away a little after the New Year, and he left me that ugly old flag, along with the two medals he'd won in the war. They were the only things of any value that I think he had - those and his memories, and his family, and his country.

I still have that flag. It’s gently folded in a display box that sits on a shelf above my desk. I look at it every day, and remember PopPop. And I thank the LORD for this great country.

Readying The Writing Class

F2K (which stands for Fiction 2000, its third name, and the one that has stuck) is close to opening for our newest session. It's been awhile since our last session, and we have a new site running. So along with exploring all the nooks and crannies there, I have also been doing a little bit here and a little bit there. Adding rooms, forums, scheduling the weekly chats, and so on. The toughest part has been corralling our Mentors. Mentors are volunteers who have been through the course before and know what we’re all about. They are guides, I suppose, with a little more experience than the average student, as far as the course is concerned.

F2K Splash Page

The free writing course, which runs for six weeks, is basically peer-supported; writers helping writers. Mentors also give some individual attention to those students who wish to pay a small fee. And it is small! I used Mentor Support for my second trip through and found it well worth it. But the other two times I did not. It depends on how you approach the course, and how much time you wish to spend on it. And a student can “upgrade” any time they like.

So far I still have two rooms without a Mentor, though I have emailed two folks. Like herding cats, I guess! But the fact is, since I was asked to be the F2K Coordinator I have been eager to get this going. So I’m anxious to get my Mentors lined up and ready to go!

If any of you are interested in kick-starting your writing, or learning some of the basic elements of writing fiction, why not sign up? Right now we intend to open on May 23rd, barring any unforeseen circumstances, and it’s a fun experience for newer, as well as more seasoned, writers. I don’t believe there’s any age restriction, although we cater to the adult writer more than children. Check it out.

Meanwhile I am still writing my sequel to “Benning’s War”; the research is rough – this is not the era I am comfortable with – but edifying. Discovering new characters, learning how they interact with each other, playing with the dialogue and action, all of it is tiring but exciting. It’s funny to say, and non-writers may shake their heads in disbelief, but while you are deep in the writing – inspired, I guess – the characters seem to speak for themselves. They come to demand your attention, clamor for their voices to be heard, and seems to direct the story-telling. Ask a writer; they’ll tell you!

I’m using PriNoWriMo as a spur to action, if you will, and I am not quite half-way to our 50,000-word goal for the month. Even if I make the goal the novel will not be close to being finished. There’s a lot of story to tell and 50,000 words won’t come close. And that doesn’t even touch what will happen when I begin editing it. But that’s in the future. For now it’s the writing that is alive.

And how about you?

What's Goin' On

Our Private Novel Writing Month has begun. Former students of f2k - a free writing course supported by Writers Village University (known as WVU) - have gotten together to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Yes, it's a copy of the famous National Novel Writing Month, known as NaNoWriMo. That's why we chose PriNoWriMo for our own endeavor.

Last May we did a heckuva job, and most of us hit 50,000 words or came darn close! One even blasted into the stratosphere with 102,000+! If you don't think that's a big deal, try it. My own start yesterday was interfered with something awful. How, you ask? (Well, you might have!) My AntiVirus program decided that it was corrupted. All of it! Recommendation? Uninstall and reinstall the program.

Easy, right? Not! By the time I turned off the monitor and went to bed - at 3AM - the uninstall of an attempted download and install of Micro$oft's OneCare, was still going on. Total time of benning messing with this, while grumbling, whining, and of course cursing quietly yet heartily: 6 hours. When I got up this morning - 6:44AM! Sheesh! - the uninstall had finally finished. So I bent to the task of trying to reinstall my Norton AV. This had refused to work last night.

I did a System Restore (benning bows to the Lords of System Restore, once again) and stuck in the CD. Once again the program said it was unable to install, but I hit the retry button - which I did three times last night, to no avail - and washed dishes and made coffee.

It worked! Cool Beans! Now to update the bloody thing, which took awhile, accompanied by the obligatory "You must restart your computer for ..." blah, blah, blahs. Right now Norton is scanning my computer while I write this post. I'd like to know just what the hell corrupted the entire bloody program! Grrrr! There are creeps out there with nothing better to do than create viruses, Worms, and all sorts of Nasties that hurt computer users. I hope they rot in Hell, I really do.

That scan will take a long while, so I'm going to ignore it for the time being and get back to writing. Last night's output amounted to a meager 1,200 words, but it opened my mind to some visuals that I wanted to find. It's in the middle of the novel, but it's important. Very. So inspiration is always welcome. Ask any writer.

And where have I been for the past week? Still fighting this crud - more than a cold, prolly bronchitis, which seems to be a staple for me - which makes me tired and lazy. (I confess! I am lazy!)But also working to get the latest f2k going. It's been completely remodeled, placed on a new server, and the programming is all new. Which means ... I dunno. It's mostly beyond me, but the founder asked me to take over for the last Mentor-In-Chief, and I said I would. Truth be told, I think it's going to be too much for me to handle. I doubt I can do it. But, by golly, I'm gonna try. I really love the f2k course. And if this is what it takes to get it back and get some eager writing students into it, then I'll do my best. But it does take time. After all, I have a lot of noodling to do to figure out what to do. And that means phone calls to the founder - up in North Carolina - and emails. Trying to remember what had been in the original and then the later editions, if you will, and getting it all set up.

Last session, which was my first as a Mentor, we had somewhere around 500 people register. That's a lot of writing students! And why not? It's free! And the Mentors are volunteers, folks who have taken the course themselves and gone on to join WVU as members, as well. At this point I have no idea how many of the previous Mentors will join us again. All of them, I hope! We need 'em to get this done. So I will crawl through my address book and send invites to 'em. Already, as I have been told, we have folks registering for f2k. It's not yet open, or ready to go, but folks are so eager to get in that they're registering without any idea of the start date. Wow!

So that's what I've been up to for the past week, Folks. I have been lazy and busy and my computer has been corrupted, and I've also gotten some writing done. Discipline, benning! Discipline!

If I don't get around to my blogging friends I hope they'll understand and know that I will be around soonest.

Write On!

Why Do I Blog? Yeah, It's A Meme!

Blandly Urbane tagged me with the latest blogger meme, "Why Do I Blog?". While backtracking to see how far back this goes, and maybe give credit to the first blogger to post this, I found a place that actually tracks these memes, as long as those who are tagged back-link to that site. Thus the "Big Meme Tracker: Why Do You Blog?" shows a long list - incomplete - of bloggers who have responded to the tagging.

Check out B.U's entry - it's fun! Now lemme think ...

How to play: First, you have to get tagged. Second, you should use a list form and name 5 reasons why you blog. Third, tag 5 others (no more than 7 tagged will show, to prevent spamming).

Which takes me to :

5 Reasons Why benning Blogs!

• To sell my book(s): Having a tiny publisher, I knew I'd have to sell my own books. My family helps, and some of my friends have bought and recommended my book to others. But I started blogging to see if it would help me sell my book(s).
  
• To play with my writing and stretch my skills. Some of you have complimented my writing, which makes me feel very good! But each time I blog I know that I have to give my very best, which requires me to get better.
  
• To voice my opinions on anything and everything. If you've been here before you know that I touch on politics, religion, art, music, writing, and anything that comes to mind. I hope I don't bore my visitors with my subjects, but even if I do, my topics interest me. See the second entry to the list, if I have bored you.
  
• To meet like-minded folks, those whose blogs I've visited, and those who suddenly discover my Writing Pad, as well as any who stumble upon my postings and don't agree with me. I've had few nasty comments, so either I have few new visitors, or a lot of my visitors aren't upset with how I lay out my arguments.
  
• Because blogging is easier and more immediate than the old web page way of doing things. My old webpages were fun, and gave me some confidence in the use of HTML, but were limited in a way that a blog isn't. Besides, I was curious after visiting a few blogs. I wanted to know if I could do it, too!
  

Now, having finished this song to myself, I have to tag five others. I won't tag Patrick, as he's not keen on tagging others, so let's see ... Let's start with

• Angel at Woman Honor Thyself
  
• Victoria at Sundries (Vicks may not join in, but I'd like to see her list!)
  
• Brooke at NeoCon Command Center
  
• ABFreedom at ABFreedom
  
• Kevin at Toast, it's not just for breakfast anymore
  

Now to go and tag these unsuspecting folks! Heheheheeee!

The Thinking Blogger Award

Angel at Woman Honor Thyself sent me an award! Seems she thinks that I make her think, me and some other bloggers as well. So she tagged me with this, linked to me on her blog, and said nice things about me.

I have to now pick five bloggers that make me think, tag them, and hope they don't get irked at me and say mean things. This takes thought and means some of those I enjoy will be left out! Don'cha hate that? Me, too.

Anyway, I tracked this down to a blogger, ilker yoldas, whose blog The Thinking Blog has quite a following among the members of MyBlogLog. I could not find any mention on that blog of the award, but so what?

This blog was begun as simply a way to express my opinions, sell copies of my novel, describe my own writing travails (the Goofing-Off Syndrome), and just put in writing things that were rattling about in my mind. The Writing Pad has had posts on Art, Artists, Comics, politics, religion, and other things, including silliness. I hope when I wax philosophical or opine on certain subjects, that they make folks think, even if they do not agree. I find that the act of writing down my thoughts oftentimes clarifies my thinking. I'd bet that's true for a lot of you, too. And I am always grateful for the visitors who find their way here, leave comments, and feel moved to return. I've met some wonderful folks through this blog, and discovered some amazing writers, thinkers, humorists, and all of them have added to my life! So Thanks! to all of you!

Rules of participation:

Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging. The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.

2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme and know you thinks so highly of ya!…heh

3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote.


That being said (don'cha love the cliches? Heheheee!), here's my truncated list of blogs/bloggers who make me think and thus receive the Thinking Blogger Award:

1) Patrick Joubert Conlon, of Born Again Redneck Yogi(he has trouble finding a title he likes, so it changes!) ~ A Classic Liberal (or Libertarian) who posts with equal ease regarding the flora and fauna of his home, politics at large, and anything that comes to mind.

2) Always On Watch Two (Always On Watch got too big, so she opened the new one!) ~ A dedicated teacher, smart-as-a-whip blogger, and solid writer. Every visit is an adventure in common-sense thought.

3) Victoria at Sundries...a sweatshop of moxie ~ A British ex-pat, Vicks always has interesting, thought-provoking, or oft-times offbeat posts. Fun, palate-cleansing, thoughtful.

4)neo-neocon at NEO-NEOCON ~ She does with introspection and self-examination what William Bougeaureau did for Art. Her posts about her conversion from modern Liberalism are absolute classics!

5) The Anchoress at The Anchoress ~ Hers was the first blog I regularly visited. She needs no awards or recognition, as she is well-known in the blogosphere, but she has always given me food for thought.

Don't fret if I didn't mention you! You may already be getting the award from some other blogger who thinks you're thought-provoking. Besides, all you need do is check my blogroll or image links, at the bottom of the page, to find the bloggers I love to visit!

Music To Write By

I've found that I write best with music playing, not the television rumbling, or the chit-chat of radio. Just music. And while Rock or Country can work, depending on what I'm writing, for Historical Fiction, which is what "Harry's War" is and what "Benning's War" was, Classical music is best. It sets the mood, I suppose. But it also lets my mind open to the imagination.

The Classical Archives does precisely that. Free members - yes, that's what I am - can download up to 5 MIDI files each day. The site resets at midnight, and you can download again, if you like. For $25/year you can:

*Access up to 1,000 media files per month, but limited to 100/day
(5 files/day for non-subscribers)
*Access HiFi MP3 files, Zipped MIDI-Collections, and One-Click Concerts*
*Remembered Login-state
*Send 25 (vs 5) music files/day with our SEND IT feature
*20% discount on early renewal of your subscription ($20 instead of $25)
*20% discount on Gift Memberships ($20 instead of $25 for non-subscribers)
*Increase the queuing capability of our multi-format player to infinity*
*All members of your family can use the subscription and its privileges

All in all, not bad. Plus, Classical Archives has its own Internet Radio, which allows you to click and listen. I use the Windows Media Player, but there are other players that the radio will accommodate. I also grabbed the "skin" for the media player. Why not? The original skin is dull.

I found this site when I began building my first web-page, "Benning's Bistro". I wanted some nice music to go with the graphics and text. I began with Beatles MIDI files found all over the web. But eventually I was creating pages with java applets and beautiful art images from Parrish, Waterhouse, and others. So the Beatles would not quite do. But the files I found at Classical Archives worked quite well.

If you are looking for some music to play, while you work on your computer, and are bored or disgusted with radio, tired of fumbling through your CD collection, why not take a look? Try the radio. It's a good place to start!

Vacation Writing

There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein. ~ Walter Wellesley "Red" Smith

You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you. ~ Ray Bradbury

Substitute "damn" every time you're inclined to write "very;" your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~ Mark Twain

Writing is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but do it in private and wash your hands afterwards. ~Robert Heinlein

Update at the bottom

When I planned this vacation - and I needed it, believe you me! - I told myself that I was going to write. Either I was going to continue struggling with the two novels I've been fighting for so long, or I would shelve them, and move on to another work. Well, I shelved the old, and picked up the new. I know I won't come close to finishing this before my return to work on March 16Th, but I can get a ways down the trail, and lay down a fine foundation for myself.

I've officially, for my purposes, begun my sequel to "Benning's War", which is called, for the time being, "Harry's War". I'm still doing my research reading, and may have to buy some of the books I'm reading (the library has some, but not all, of the material I need. And I like to have the reference matter at hand if I need it.), but I have a good idea of how the story will unfold. I have historical figures, and new characters, and many of the old characters from "Benning's War" to flesh out the tale. I have to confess that I love the family I created for my first novel. So writing more about them is no struggle, but is more like a nice visit with people I like.

This time around I doubt I can find the time, or the money, to go to the sites I will write about. I don't have the kind of income I had when I was ready to do on-the-ground research for the first novel. I wish I had, as that in-person look at the actual battlefields was very helpful to me, and added a feeling of reality to what I wrote. At least I think so! So this time around I will have to rely on maps, and pictures. And I will use the Internet more than I did before.

But the story will write itself, as the first one did, and I'll try not to get in the way too much. As of 10PM this evening, after about 3 hours of writing, I now have one-and-a-half chapters done. Granted, they're first drafts, so much can, and may, change later. But 4,000 words at a sitting is very good. For me. I imagine Stephen King can do 10,000 at a sitting, and come back for more after a snack. But I'm very happy that the words flowed so nicely for me, this evening, and I look forward to doing more. If not tonight, then tomorrow.

My editor from "Benning's War" has agreed to look over my early drafts. She is familiar with my "voice", or writing style, and I trust her judgement. That's a plus! I expect to submit this work to my publisher, ePress Online. I'm comfortable with them, too!

After my morning coffee, and my blog visits, mind you.

I'm expecting this novel to be longer than the first. I have a larger swath of territory and time to cover. And I want to delve into my Indian characters in a way I didn't do with the British and Tories in the first. I hope my Muse stays with me through it all. I'll keep you updated. Whether you want me to or not! Ha!

Nightie-night!

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Possible SPOILER Alert! Warning! Warning! (that's for aka Blandly Urbane who has not finished Benning's War. Sorry, BU!)

Update 3/9/07: So far, this morning, I've managed to pound out 2,478 words. Chapter Two may be finished, as far as a first draft, but I may tinker with it a bit more. It's flashback, if you will, and it spreads out and adds some 'backstory' to the tale. This was fun to write, as I managed to introduce one of Isaac and Rebecca's children: daughter Irene, named for Isaac's mother. Well, two of the children when you include the baby, Will, who does nothing but gum a biscuit. Well, back to my Word document! The coffee is gone, and I may start thinking of eating something. Stay safe, friends!