Tag Archives: stories

Here’s what’s gonna happen.

13 Saturday Aug 2022

Posted by in Non-Fiction, Unfinished Business

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With… with the website that is.

After Birthday Month Blogs and doing this blogging/writing/chaos thing for 30 days in a row, I feel like I’ve been slacking. I mean, I’ve published exactly two posts since the last day of BMB.

And despite the fact that I now know and understand that I won’t make any money off this blog/website, I still want to be here. So I’m developing a game plan.

Randomized Fiction

My first RF since the end of BMB was a total flop (meaning it’s still sitting unfinished in my drafts), the idea I had for it was *chefs kiss* but the switch in my brain got flipped into long form mode instead of short. I don’t want to bore you with it.

But since it’s not in high demand I’m going to work on it at post at my leisure. Which means I’ll probably put it off until I feel absolutely terrible and rush out some for awful crap BUT I’m gonna try to have it out by next Friday (8/19) when it would have been on Spotify.

That’s not to say it’s not still in my head. It’s there. Oh how it’s there.

BUT Randomized Fiction will still be a thing, at least until I get through all the options on the wheels. Then we will see.

Pretend Fantasy Novel

I’m going to start actively working on it next week. Well maybe Monday (8/15). What that means is posting regular updates (my definition of regular) to the FB page/group and polls. One of the first orders of business is AN ACTUAL TITLE. As with everything PFN related, it will be chosen via polls. All of said polls will be found on FB. Links will be added at the bottom of the page.

Premium Content

While any actual writing done in the PFN will be shared with the twelve main contributors to the FB Group, it will be available for wider release for sure in book and kindle book form.

But I plan on choosing one other long term project to focus on, in addition to PFN. This project will be shared chapter by chapter solely as premium content. This means that there will be pay wall where someone who wants to read the story gives me money and they are granted access.

This will not be like PFN in that a select few get the story for free. Since it will not be a community project, I don’t have that “they helped write it, they deserve early access” thing. It will, however, eventually be self-published, like PFN.

The title that I’ll be starting will be determined by…

Guess.

No go on. Guess!

YOU GUESSED IT!

As will ALL of my polls they’ll take place on my Facebook page.

I will first write up individual proposals for each story. I’ll ask the group to read them and after they’ve all been shared, I’ll post the poll. There will be at least three proposals, perhaps more.

The Pretend Fantasy Novel, the Mystery Project, and Randomized Fiction will be my only fictional projects until further notice. Unless I have some random inspiration and write my little heart out.

Other Content

I’m going to try do so more “weird news” content, like GIANT AFRICAN LAND SNAILS. I really get a kick out of those. And general nonsense. Also, I’d like to do another “You Don’t Need…” I’m thinking of turning that series into podcasts episodes as well.

All Randomized Fiction will be available for listening on Spotify. Were I wealthier and could justify spending the money, I’d make them available on Apple Podcasts as well. But right now I talked myself out of a $22 sweater at Walmart cause I accidentally double paid my one of my credit card payments. So, like. Broke.

Anywho, that’s the rough draft of the plan right now. I’ll keep ya updated. Check the socials below for more accurate weather forecasts. Wait.

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BMB: Dead Ends

06 Wednesday Jul 2022

Posted by in BMB, Non-Fiction, Unfinished Business

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Day 6: in which I talk about unfinished stories

Sharpe

If you’ve known me, and my writing, for a while, then you know I’m absolutely terrible at finishing stories. These days anyway. I’m gonna blame exhaustion and depression. That way I don’t have to put the blame on myself.

One of my post popular stories (they’re all stories it seems weird calling them books) was Sharpe. If I recall correctly that was only going to be a working title.

What’s it about?

Sharpe was about a woman named Erin Sharpe (groundbreaking I know) who was co Stanton in motion, on a mission no she kept to herself. Until she met someone in a small town she just couldn’t leave. Until, that is, she had to. Read the first 1,000 words here.

I’m keeping that description vague on purpose. Needless to say, it was shaping up to be some of my best writing to date. There was language and scenes that I’d never written about before. I changed a lot of my style with that story.

It was also written initially by hand in one of those small personal Five Star notebooks, with the Bic Cristal pens in blue ink. Yes. I was specific. Mostly because both could fit in my pocket and I could sneak it into the floor at work. At the time I had a job that didn’t require a lot of undivided attention and I could sneak a word or two in.

I would write on break and lunch at work, and any chance I got. When I got a chapter or two written, I took it home and typed. I believe I mostly listened to Adele’s 21 and The Civil Wars albums during this time.

What Happened?

I. WROTE. MYSELF. INTO. A. HOLE.

Like, a deep hole that I couldn’t crawl out of. I became so confident in the story, which I believe I was sharing on my personal Facebook page in the notes feature (the good old days), that I wrote out the entire outline from start to finish (after I got so much written).

The problem with doing the outline, for me, was that I knew how I wanted it to end. I still remember how I wanted it to end. So, for me, it was done.

There was also the problem of the time jump. There was significant mystery in the first “part” that needed to be cleared up. So the second part involves a time jump. That time jump because a whole new story. A story that could stand on its own, and probably should have.

What Now?

In order to bring Erin Sharks “back to life” and share her story with the world, it would need SIGNIFICANT rewriting and restructuring.

I am not opposed to the idea. I want to bring her back. I hate leaving things unfinished. Especially this thing. But circumstances do not allow me to work on it.

Those being the fact that I have 99 things to do and this blog is one of them.

She’s not completely forgotten. There’s a handful of people out there (like, three) who experienced her, and I knew they’d be thrilled to read the end. I’ve not given up in her yet.

Thanks for reading.

-c

Today I Learned

25 Tuesday Mar 2014

Posted by in Non-Fiction, Retail, Retailiations

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In case you didn’t know, the thing I do that pays the bills, or my day job, as I prefer to call it, is in retail. I’m not anything special, like a manager or something. In fact I used to be lowest of the low in retail. The now absent (from my place of employment anyway) People Greeter was, in fact, the lowest paying position.

My book Black Friday: A Zombie Story actually takes place in said environment and was started while I was still greeting.

No, I am a sales associate. I work in Health and Beauty Aides. I’ve been in this department for about two years now (almost five total in Retail), though the days do tend to run together.

I find it necessary to point out that working in retail is much more… Complicated than you might think. As a retail worker you have a lot to deal with, a lot of responsibility, and even more crap that falls on you if your not—.

Scratch that last thought. I promised myself once that I would NEVER EVER rant or vent my frustrations about my employment on this blog. I will, however, state that as a person with a college degree, I feel a little ashamed of myself for being in retail. Still. That said, I am happy to have a job, regardless, and need the money.

But, saying I wouldn’t vent, does not imply that I won’t discuss hilarious Retailiations (I made that up just now, forgive me) in which I regale you with tales of woe and of whoa and also of LOLz of my nearly five years in Retail. Buddy do I have some whoppers!

No one will be identified, no names will be used and there will be no dissing of my employer or co-workers or management team. Just crazy stuff.

So, here’s the “Today I Learned” part.
1. Apparently we stock “Girly Razors”. I’m not quite sure what these are. I assume they are meant to be stocked near the “Women’s Razors” not with the “Men’s Razors”. I know we have them, though, because a customer I overheard, from three isles away, stated that she “hasn’t bought girly razors in forever”. My reaction was a silent “LOL Whaat” and also “Do we carry those, cause, I work here… And… Never seen ’em.”

2. My store is apparently the perfect place to go to discuss vital information, air your dirty laundry, or argue with estranged family members, over the phone. Also, all you moms out there, you are required to speak to your daughters. “You don’t want to talk to me?! You have to talk to me because your my mom!” She wasn’t coming home, apparently. I don’t know, but I’m sure that should you need to have an important discussion, roaming around in a public place is the way to do it.

I have also encountered (eavesdropped, I’m sorry) on one man’s end of a phone conversation which included the line “if anyone asks, you haven’t seen me, spoken to me, and you don’t know where I am.” At this point writers brain kicks in. He’s on the run from the mob for leaking their plans to blackmail the mayor into throwing the election.

But my retail employee brain overrides: Dude, you are in the most popular public place in a very small town. You’ve signed your death warrant with a smiley face.

3. On a completely non-retail note: I have 30 followers. Thank you.

-c

Ps expect more RETAILiations soon!