WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS. 

So I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus. I offer no excuses, just stating the facts, though I do feel guilty that I ignored the little voice in my head that said “update you blog” for so long. Good thing it was persistent.

Though I’ve taken a break from writing posts, I have, in fact, still been writing. In the last couple of months I’ve been trying lots of different story telling methods, using narrative voices I’ve never used before. It’s been fun, but most of the stories have failed. Miserably too.

But since January I’ve had a goal. I got the idea from Gay Degani’s post– 100 rejections this year. I like this goal because it’s forcing me to sent out submissions and not care so much about the response. It suddenly makes both acceptances and rejections are beneficial, for one goal or another.

The realist in me knows that the final numbers at the end of the year will be about 50 rejections. But that will be double the amount of submissions I sent out last year, which is a victory in itself right?

Anyway here’s a little micro-story for your reading pleasure:

My books like to talk. Nonfiction gives facts and fiction uses them to create something more. The library grows richer with each conversation.

Ok, I admit it, I fell off the face of the planet. This blog has been sadly neglected for months. I have no excuse, except maybe artistic frustration? Words are fickle things. Character are moody and plot lines don’t always follow through.
Oh, and there was long and wonderful vacation was thrown in the mix as well. So really things are not that bad.

But that’s neither here nor there, the important point here is that I’m back. And I’ve been writing with a vengeance. Been productive too. Sent out some stories to some unsuspecting editors and now, I’m sitting, waiting, with my fingers crossed. With a pen in hand of course.

So with any luck, I’ll have some good news to report soon and a story to give as an apology for my absence. In the meantime, I leave you with this little Twitter fiction story:

In his world, little boys could fly. There, no one could catch him, stop him. Adults were grounded and even Superman feared his name.

Ok so my micro-series is not going so well, partially because I’ve been workings on other stories.  So I suppose its only fair that I share one of them with you.  With this particular piece I was trying to tell a complete story in about 300 words.  Enjoy!

In Pursuit of Justice

You race through the underbrush, in pursuit. He is crashing through the dry foliage ahead of you, already breathing hard. You smile and raise the revolver.

“Bang!” you bellow. Your prey gives a shriek of fright as he trips and falls. Perfect. Your trick worked and you didn’t waste your last bullet.

He’s lying in the dust, panting and defeated. You approach slowly, warily, the dry leaves crackling under your feet.

“I didn’t do it,” he says, “I ain’t got the booty. You hafta believe me.” But he’s lying; you suspect the loot is hidden close by.

“’Fraid I can’t do that.” You lift your hat slightly as you say this. It’s the type of hat a man wears when he dies with his boots on. “You’re a criminal, and I’m the unwritten law.”

He tries to get up, though you both know that this is the end.

“Bang!”

He collapses like the broken man he is, raising the dust as he falls. A final resting place; he will never move again. For a few moments the only sound left comes from a few ignorant crickets.

You tilt your hat so that it covers you eyes. Your gruesome task is done and justice was dealt fairly. Another victory.

Then he opens an eye.

“Is it my turn to be the sheriff now?” he asks.

It’s always over too soon. You sigh as you toss your little brother the hat and the revolver.

“Be careful with that, someone could get hurt,” you say, but you know that’s not true. Your dad had taken out all the pieces that did anything before he gave it to you. The only thing the antiquated weapon could hurt now was a bandit, especially when a sharp-shooting sheriff held it.

Your brother brushes himself off before he puts on the hat and picks up the revolver. He smiles.

You start running for your life.

So I think I’m going to start a micro-series exclusively for this blog. By that I mean small pieces of fiction focused around one character and his/her story. I could certainly continue writing rants for posts, but quite frankly there’s a 1,000,000+ blogs doing the same thing and personally, I’m more drawn to stories than to personal essays. If nothing else, it would be a fun exercise for me. I’ve never written anything but stand-alone short stories. The goal of this series would be to post a new ‘chapter’ every week or so. But don’t worry, for those of you who are absolutely crushed that I won’t be focusing on rambling anymore, there’ll still be a few rants thrown in every once in awhile. My characters are not the only ones with opinions you know. Though, truthfully, their viewpoints are usually much more entertaining.

First post will be up in the next few days. Stay tuned…

For those of you who don’t know me, you should know that I have more than my fair share of imagination. Not that I’m complaining, I’ve always had it and hope I always will. Writing has actually been a constructive outlet for it, but it has also made it a lot more daring and curious. For example, lately, I’ve been imagining what inanimate objects think.

I know that they don’t actually have any thoughts or emotions of their own, but they probably would if they could. So I create some for them. I picture the love seat with half a dozen people on it groaning and whining about the abuse it takes. I assume that cars are just as frustrated and annoyed at the traffic as their drivers are. They love cruise control and the open road too.

So I was watching the Superbowl last night (well, half watching) and there was all the usual talk about what the players and the coaches and the fans must be feeling right now. And as I watching the replays of the passes and interceptions, I couldn’t help but wonder what the ball was feeling. I figured it must be an adrenaline junkie.

Think about it. Why would anyone or anything want to be on the field with players that are 100x their size and 500x their weight? I got tackled in high school gym class a couple of times and almost razed down by the football team once in the hallways, and that was more than enough for me. So a football must really have nothing to loss, everything to gain, and must absolutely love the rush in order to put itself through pure abuse. It must think that a perfect spiral is freedom and the thrill of the game is the stuff that legends are made from. But I imagine it’s cursing itself when its under a pile of 10 or so sweaty men and that it feels a bit unappreciated when it’s dropped after a touch down to make way for a victory dance. Somehow, I doubt that most footballs feel its worth it by the end of the game.

Believe it or not, there is actually a point to this post. For those of you writers who are always looking for prompts, this is actually a good one. Instead of writing about what a glass on the edge of the table thinks or how a flower in a garden feels, pick an object that is a little bit more dynamic. Something that everyones knows, but always takes for granted. And don’t be afraid have it poke fun at the user. You know if they could, they would.

It’s kind of like the first page in a brand new notebook or the first few steps on newly fallen snow. Except it’s not as romantic because if I don’t like what I write here, I can just edit it or delete it. And no one would ever know.

But seriously, I have some goals for this blog. First, it would be a public place where I could have a list with links to my published works. As much as I like Twitter, it’s not the best place to direct people for this sort of thing. Second, it would be a place to write about what I’m learning about writing (and engineering too). It could also host the prattlings and adventures of a whimsical character that’s bound to have more to say more often then I do. Third, it would be another means of communication to readers and hopefully a gateway for new ones.

Since I am quite new to this, suggestions and tips would be helpful. Useful feedback is always welcomed here.

And you’ve made it to the end of my first blog post. Congratulations! Check back soon for the latest informations and the most up-to-date rambles.