Path Of Least Resistance / Happenings In The Outhouse 26-Sept-2025

When I first started down the self-publishing path, there was a lot of trial and error.  More so than I care to admit, and much of that is between me, myself, and I.

Wait, let's back up.  To the beginning . . .

Yes, that far back.  When I first got an inkling, an inner spark, that I wanted to be a writer.  That urge to see my books on bookshelves, and in bookstores around the world.  Okay, maybe that's going back a bit too far, since that was 2nd grade and I was around seven.  Let's push the clocks ahead to my first few college years at Bemidji State University.  That was when I first started to get serious about being a writer.  I had a goal of writing one page a day.  That's it.  Then it was a bigger goal to finish the darn thing.  And I did.  It was a 1000-page behemoth of a novel in the horror genre (way too long, I know, but what did I know back then?).  Then I studied the market and sent query letters out to literary agents.

Want to know what I did next while I waited for agents to get around to reading my queries?  I started the next novel.  It ended up being another 1000-page behemoth, but the writing and finishing was easier this time around.  Why?  Because I had already done it.

With 38 individual works that I have self-published at this point, I have learned a lot and have set things up to make each story easier than the previous.  Since there is a standard template, that's where I start each new story.  I don't have to reinvent the wheel.  It's already done.  The path of least resistance.

And when it comes time to publish each new work, I already have the files set up and I have a checklist of what needs to be done.  Easy peasy.

As time goes on for the next quarter and beyond, I will slowly be adding things to do.  Easy things that have the path of least resistance.  I love learning new things, but I'm taking it one at a time, not overwhelming.  If it was, I'd probably procrastinate.

Rule Three: Do Not Rewrite / Happenings In The Outhouse 09-May-2025

For Heinlein, the entire rule states: "Do not rewrite except to editorial order."

When I first encountered this rule, I didn't quite know what it meant.  So I dug deeper.

When we first write, we're using our creative voice.  It's raw.  It's got edges.  It's unique.  As we rewrite and rewrite, we're polishing our unique piece of work until something that's . . . frankly, dull and boring.  The creativity is lost.

Now, it's okay to fix typos and errors in the story.

But that's all.

What author Dean Wesley Smith taught me was to cycle.  Cycling works like this: write a set amount of words (300-500 or so) and then circle back to where you started, fixing what needs fixing on a typo level or adding details, and then moving another 300-500 words past where you stopped before.  Once you are done with your story, you have kept much of your creative voice in it.

Again, that's all.

First Rule: Write / Happenings In The Outhouse 28-March-2025

The first rule Heinlein set out was  . . . well, you must write.

This sounds simple enough.  If you're a painter, you need to paint.  If you're a woodworker, you work with wood.  If you love fixing up old cars, you must have knowledge of auto mechanics.  So writers must write.

This doesn't necessarily mean "butt in chair" in order to accomplish this.  And one also doesn't need a computer or laptop in order to do so either.

Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson, known for writing large epic fantasy novels, writes using a stand-up walking desk.  Another fantasy/science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson takes his writing outside, hiking in the Colorado mountains, while using a handheld recorder to dictate many of his stories.  Neil Gaiman writes many of his tales by hand, in a notebook, using a fountain pen.

My earliest recollections of writing were when I was in second grade.  I would grab a notebook, scribble out a title, and then start writing a few pages before moving on to the next tale.  I never finished (oops, getting ahead of myself with rule number two), but I started many stories.  In 7th grade, I upgraded to a typewriter (imagine the one in the movie Misery).  I churned out 30-40 pages, single-spaced, of a ninja trilogy before stopping and never finishing.

It wasn't until I went to college at Bemidji State University that I wrote on my Brother word processor and became more serious about my writing.  There were many days where I wrote every single day, even if it was just a page or two.

Haircuts In College / Happenings In The Outhouse 08-Sept-2023

Where did I get my haircut while attending Bemidji State University?

No clue.

You may be wondering why I'm inquiring about this now.  Well, the other day, I was talking with someone about cosmetologists throughout our lives, and I stopped to wonder where in the world I got my hair cut in college.  I know I did, but where?

I guess haircuts weren't as important to me as other things.  There were plenty that I do recall, even vividly, over two decades later.

What's important to you?

One Space Or Two / Happenings In The Outhouse 26-August-2022

A conversation came up weeks ago about whether or not to put one space or two after a period when writing.  For as far back as I can remember, it was always two spaces.  Without question.  Even during my college years, it was two spaces.  No college professors stated otherwise.

Two.

Not one.

Two.

Apparently there has been a change, years ago, that state only a single space is required instead of two.  Searching online can bring up a variety of articles written on the subject.  I won't bore you with the details.

When it comes to writing--and this goes for much of creative, fiction writing--as long as you can draw the reader into your story, it doesn't matter how many spaces you use after a period.  When I asked people that I know who read a lot on this subject, they shrug and say they don't even pay attention to it.  All they want is the story.

If you're writing a paper and your college professor requires you to put one space, then do that.  No sense arguing.  Just do it.  But if you're writing a story, write it so well-crafted that the reader doesn't even notice.  For me, it's habit to use two spaces.

And I will continue to do so.

Progress / Happenings In The Outhouse 7-May-2021

I am making tremendous progress on my "new" work-in-progress.

Now, I put new under quotes for a reason.  It's not a new story.  It's a story I first wrote back in college, when my late wife and I were dating.  So, yeah, well over two decades old--we were married for twenty-two and a half years before her passing.  But what's new is what I'm doing with it.

I'm using the old story as an outline.

I did this with a fantasy novel a few years ago, before moving on to another project--don't worry, I'll pick it back up again.  So far, I'm making great progress.

I know, I know, I have written about my dislike toward outlining before.  So I'm revising my thoughts toward outlining.  For me, for the most part, outlining is a waste of time.  But now, and a few times in the past, when I've hit a bit of a block, getting thoughts down on paper has helped dislodge the block.

I'm currently at the 6,300 word mark.  It'll be interesting how soon I can get this one published.

Wish me luck!

Ricky Gervais and After Life (Netflix) / Happenings In The Outhouse 29-May-2020

About a month ago, I noticed that a Ricky Gervais show on Netflix called After Life came out with its second season.

In early January 2020, I told my wife Melissa about Ricky's monologue as he hosted the Golden Globes.  Here's a link to the entire monologue, which is quite hilarious.  Unless you're a Hollywood snob.  Which, in that case, you may be offended and will probably storm off into the corner to pout.  Anyway, after telling her about what he said near the end, she chuckled, smiled, and said, "I've always thought he was funny."

Hard to believe now on the timing, but she passed roughly ten days later.

Back to After Life.  I wasn't sure what I was getting into, but I wanted something short and light.  Each season had six episodes, and they were less than 30 minutes each.  Perfect.  I wasn't in the right mind for anything less.

It didn't take long for the show to hit me right in the gut.  You see, the main character, played by Gervais, had just lost his wife from cancer.  He was dealing with grief.  Now, as a recent widower, I know that grief takes many forms.  And what Gervais did in After Life was brilliant.  The acting and writing was remarkable, and the storylines took me to places I didn't quite expect--and that's a good thing.  Stories should do that, to be more effective.  I won't spoil anything here.  You have to watch it for yourself.

It didn't take long for me to finish both seasons.  I shed quite a few tears, while at the same time laughed my butt off.  I'm giving myself a little breather before I watch the show again.

And again.

Thank you Ricky.

Don't give in to the self-fulfilling prophecies that surround us / Happenings In The Outhouse 08-May-2020

What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?

One of my majors in college was Psychology.  I first heard this phenomenon of the self-fulfilling prophecy back at Bemidji State University in the early 1990's.  By definition, a self-fulfilling prophecy is a psychological phenomenon where someone predicts a behavior within either themselves or someone else and that prediction somehow comes true.

Let me give you some examples:

Let's say you tell a coworker that they must feel depressed after losing a loved one (or some other traumatic event).  That coworker may not feel depressed and even says so, but you keep on, day after day, telling that coworkers that they must feel depressed.  Well, one day that coworker actually admits that they feel depressed.  They weren't feeling that way until you introduced it to her, but now here it is.

Or if a parent was to say to their kid, who had been caught drinking at the age of twelve, that they were going to be an alcoholic by the time they turned eighteen and would never achieve anything better than a minimum wage job.  Would it surprise anyone that the kid did everything the parent predicted, that they could never hold down a job and did indeed develop a drinking problem?  Simply because it was suggested to them?  Nope, no surprise here either.

That is a self-fulfilling prophecy at work.

What irks me are how many articles and podcasts and news segments are out there, with headlines about how stressful people are now and how we're living in uncertain times.  Doom and gloom.  Stress.  I don't know how many times I've seen the word "stress" or "stressful" on these headlines.  I subscribe to a number of leadership, business, and entrepreneur type of email newsletters and/or podcasts, and that seems to be all they can talk about lately.

I have two words for those creators: STOP IT!

I have been through stressful financial times in my life, many of which were during my marriage with my late wife, and we got through it all.  We had each other, we thought positively, we worked hard, and instead of asking "why us?" we asked, "Okay, what can we do to fix this?"

Don't give in to what so many want to do: by putting you down and putting the thought of stress, uncertainty, and complete hopelessness in your life.  Take control of your life.  Turn the questions around by asking, "What can I do to turn my business around?" or "What can I do to create more financial freedom in my life?"

Stop listening to the negativity.

And start thinking, praying, for what you should be doing.  Come up with ten ideas on what you should do.

Do it today.  The universe is counting on you.

25 years ago, two amazing events occurred / Happenings In The Outhouse 29-Nov-2019

Twenty-five years ago, the movie Interview With The Vampire came out in the theaters.  It is the only--and I mean ONLY--movie I have ever seen more than once in the theater.  Not including the re-releases of any Star Wars movie, of course.  But even those, I have only seen once in the theater.  At home, I have watched them a lot more.

There are a few Netflix series/movies I have watched more than once, however, but that doesn't count either.

The release of Interview With The Vampire isn't what came to mind with the two events--oh, by the way, I watched the movie four times in the theater!  Yes, four!  It was released on November 11, 1994.  The only reason this date comes to mind is because I went to this movie to celebrate the completion of my first novel.  It was a 1,000-page behemoth of horror fiction.  I have met so many people in my life who have wanted to write a novel and never do it.  Well, at that point, I did it.

The second (and better!) amazing event occurred just after Thanksgiving at Bemidji State University.

There was this cute brunette I had noticed for quite some time and she worked as a dispatcher for the campus security.  Campus security was also housed right across from the stairs leading up to the cafeteria.  On the day in question, Mike, a friend of mine, said he was going to ask her out.  Feeling defeated, I made my way into the cafeteria.  Minutes later, he sat down.

"How did it go?" I asked.

"She shot me down."

Okay.  Maybe she had a boyfriend.  Maybe . . . well, I thought of a million reasons why I shouldn't ask her out--the number one reason was that I was a first-rate chicken shit (sorry for the profanity, but I was deathly scared to talk to women, even though I had friends who were girls; I know, go figure, right?)

After eating, I made my way down and saw a guy I knew from Tae Kwon Do who happened to be working at the security office along with the cute brunette.  So, taking a deep breath, I walked in and talked with him.

Then, I said hello to the brunette.  I must've stood there and talked with her for over an hour.  Her name was Melissa, although most called her Missi.  We gradually became friends over the course of the next few months.  By August 1995, we decided to take it to the next level and start dating.  Almost two years after that . . . we were married.

And have been happily married for over 22 years since then.

Longevity and commitment / Happenings In The Outhouse 03-Aug-2018

It was September 1991 at the Rec Center on the Bemidji State University campus.  My Tae Kwon Do instructors, Masters Spencer and Cindy Brandt, lined us up.  There were roughly 20-30 brand new white belts.

"Statistically, out of all of you," Spencer said, "only one will become a black belt."

My friend, Mike, stood next to me.  We knew this was a challenge for us.  We both wanted to become a black belt.

And we did.

We defeated the odds.

However, it was only the two of us.  The rest had gradually dropped out.

Why is this?  Not everyone will take the commitment and energy to train long-term in the martial arts.  In the end, I achieved a 2nd degree black belt status, but then I moved away and haven't taught anyone since.

This brings to mind a writer's commitment to writing.  In May of this year, the writers group I had been a part of for close to 15 years disbanded with only two of us left.  My friend Evelyn and I were the only constant writers left who were committed to attend . . . until we decided to finally call it quits on the tri-weekly meetings.

This goes with any creative endeavor.  Take music.  I'm a child of the 1980's hair metal era.  I love, and still do, that music.  I can listen to it all day and night.  But how many are still around.  How many died with the emergence of the Seattle music scene (i.e. Nirvana)?

It's difficult to take on something long-term.  Even marriage can be like this--my wife and I have been married for 21 years, and we're both committed to keep it going to the end.

How committed to your art are you?

What Sacrifices Are You Making To Achieve Your Art? / Happenings In The Outhouse 09-June-2017

In mid-May, Steven Pressfield wrote a rather interesting post titled "Warriors and Mothers."

I highly suggest reading it first before we go on.

Done?

Okay, let's go.

In this post, Pressfield talks about what sacrifices mothers make when they're pregnant.  Typically, they may stay more at home while others seem to be out and about all the time--or, at least, they give that perception.

This got me thinking of my college years at Bemidji State University.  I wrote (and finished) my first novel while in college.  There were many nights where I was up until two or three in the morning, hunched over my Brother word processor, cranking out page after page.  Now, this novel (which as yet may or may not see the light of day) was just over 1,000 pages when I was done.  Yes, you heard correctly.  1,000 pages.  And, with roughly 250-350 words on a page, depending the amount of "white space," this horror novel was . . . yes, 250,000 to 350,000 words.  A quarter-million word horror novel.  When I hear that most nowadays are around 75,000, this one was incredibly long.

But I still worked at it.

I learned how to write.

And finish.

I made sacrifices.  When I had friends who were going out to the bars 3-4 nights a week and were involved in multiple activities, I limited my activities outside my little dorm and worked on my art.  But the friends who were truly friends knew what I was doing, and encouraged me to do it.

As a side note, the second novel I ever wrote and finished was also of the horror genre, and I will guess to be close to 400,000 words.  This one may see the light of day in a year or so as I am considering breaking it up into a short series (probably 4-5 books).  But, more on that at a future date and time . . .

Remember To Keep Learning / Happenings In The Outhouse 02-June-2017

Last week, I mentioned that our son graduated from high school.  I also mentioned that his choir teacher had gave him some valuable advice, in front of his classmates, their parents, and other members of our town.

"Remember to keep learning."

One should never stop learning.

Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and their team at WMG Publishing have created a very affordable set of courses for writers.  I'll tell you this right now, I will be starting my way through these courses.

Based on an article Dean did in April, I am also going to try my hand at learning how to do covers myself.

Back in my college years, while I was involved with the Tae Kwon Do school at both Bemidji and on campus, the late Grandmaster Spencer Brandt and his wife Cindy taught a weekend seminar to a small group of students who were interested in running their own school in the future.  I attended this seminar (there was less than 10 students present, if memory serves correctly) although I never did start a school.  One of the instructors was a tax accountant.  I learned more from him than most other "money" books I've read since.

My Mom, since I was a very young age, ran her own business: she was a daycare provider.  And a successful one to boot.  Anyway, around tax time, my parents always got hit with a massive tax bill.  They never talked about money much with me, but I knew this was a strain on their finances.  When I advised them what I had learned from the seminar, they couldn't believe it.

So, they called their accountant.

They discovered there were deductions they could've taken.  All they had to do was tell her (the accountant).

But how can one know what to ask if you didn't know it existed?

Needless to say, my parents got a new accountant, who taught them much more about taxes.  They were flabbergasted at the amount of deductions they could've taken, if only they were taught.

Remember: always keep learning.

It's the way I run my indie writing business: I keep learning.

Always.

Create sawdust

You open the door to the workshop.  The master woodworker is busy at his bench, sanding down the finishing touches on his latest creation.

"So, you want to become a master, do you?" he asks.

"Yes, sir."

"Any questions before we begin?"

You rub your hands together.  "Yes, sir.  What's the key to it all?  How can I become a master woodworker like yourself?  There must be one thing you can tell me."

"There is," he says.  "And it is simple."

"I knew it," you say, excited to finally hear the secret to the master woodworker's success.  "Please share, sir.  What is it?"

"Create sawdust," he says.

"What?!?  Create . . . sawdust?  What do you mean by that, sir?"

"In order to become a master," he says, "you need to put in the work . . . and create sawdust.  Lots of it."

What irritates me about a lot of Q & A sessions authors have with fans and/or wanna-be writers is that everyone thinks there's some magical key to success.  "How do I create scenes that resonate with my readers?"  "How can I increase the tension in my story?"  "How can I make my characters more believable?"  And on and on . . .

Writing advice can be broken down into six simple words: read a lot, write a lot.  That's it.  In other words, as with the master woodworker story above, you need to create sawdust.  What you write in the beginning isn't a masterpiece, so don't treat it as such.  Just write.  Write as if you're practicing for the big story.

Create sawdust.

Write.  A lot.

If you read a lot of stories, you'll know how good stories are put together--and you'll also recognize how bad writing is . . . well, bad.  But don't just study stories, you also need to write them.  I learned a lot about writing back in college when I wrote my first novel.  Some of it I didn't recognize until years later (yes, I thought it was a masterpiece at the time).

If you want to become a successful write, then write.  Create sawdust.  You can't reuse sawdust and make a bird house or tool chest or even a house.  It's throwaway wood.  But it doesn't matter.  Write anyway.

The world depends on it.  The world needs you.

So write.  Today.  Create the equivalent to sawdust.

Don't forget the basics

Two weeks ago was our local writers group meeting.  There were three of us, and we had a blast.

One member of the group is just finishing up writing the first draft of her first novel--a fantasy/science fiction novel with a steampunk twist.  She has over 100K words so far and I told her I'd love to be a beta reader for it.

As our conversation rolled on, she asked me basic questions about publishing and agents.  These were things I've been dealing with for a while and honestly thought they were common knowledge.  I was wrong.  I've just been studying it for so long, to me it's common knowledge.  It's now up to me to help teach others.

No matter what endeavour you find youself in, keep in mind not to forget the basics.  Back in college, I studied Tae Kwon Do.  Eventually, I earned my 2nd Dan (that's 2nd degree black belt in layman's terms) and it always amazed me, no matter how complex the techniques or forms or combinations I had to do, you can always break them down into basic forms.

Bemidji Tae Kwon Do Master Spencer Brandt (who later became the late Grandmaster Spencer Brandt) always taught us: perfect practice makes perfect.  If you're going to practice something, don't do a sloppy job.  Do it right.  And continuously do it correctly so that it becames natural.

For writing, it's to know the basics.  To teach the pros and cons about finding an agent, querying them, and/or even taking the self-publishing route.

Happenings In The Outhouse 15-Nov-2013 / A strange thing happened while deer hunting

My first novel--a deer hunting horror story--was, by all conversative accounts, a 200,000 word novel.  I wrote it back in college, Bemidji State University, and I completed the first draft roughly nineteen years ago this month.

There were a lot of things wrong with this novel.  Most of which I didn't realize until several years later.  I still learned many lessons with that first novel, ones I still carry with me to this day.

As I sat in the deer stand this past Saturday--for Minnesotans, this time of year is practically a statewide pasttime for many of the forests and fields are littered with spots of blaze orange--I thought about this story.

Then I came up with a plan to rewrite it.  Completely.  From scratch.

The basic story is still good, but it was way too long.  I also had so many plotlines running through it, I failed to utilize the K.I.S.S. principle: Keep It Simple Stupid.  Now, this story may not even be written (over from scratch) in 2014 for I have tons of other projects in the works.  By all accounts, I'm probably looking at a 2015 date to work on this.

Sitting in the deer stand with my son, I also came up with a few other story ideas: a new mystery/suspense series, based on a character I wrote about in a short story in my novelette Guest of Honor, and another story that I'm calling Wild Hogs meets Duck Dynasty.  Right now that's all I'm going to say about that--about either one.

I've started editing Shadowkill.  I'm only on the fourth chapter at this point, out of an overall 50+, but things are going well so far.

Where will you be 20 years from now?

Twenty years.  Two freaking decades.  Seems like a long time, doesn't it?

Where were you 20 years ago?  I was in college, Bemidji State University, and was probably at work on my very first novel--a deer hunting horror story that was a pure homage to Stephen King.

How about you?

Over the past week or so, I've been listening to podcasts where people are marking 20 years (or more) for something.  Dave Ramsey has been on the radio, teaching financial independence and debt freedom for a little over two decades.  Andy Andrews recently published a book he started as an audio book 20 years ago.

Then it got me thinking: what have I done in the past 20 years?  I met my wife, got married, raised a family, and have battled both type 1 diabetes (in two of our three children) and leukemia (my wife).  Now I look at what the next 20 will bring.

Are you planning for your next 20 years?

What will you accomplish?  Don't wait to start.  Do it now.  The world needs you.

Happenings In The Outhouse 15-Feb-2013 / No more NaNoWriMo (for now)

Between last week, when I finished the novelette Guest of Honor, and this week, I've written roughly 5,000 new words to my new alternative military history novel.  When I first wrote the book, years ago, I stopped around chapter 9 and it had roughly 9,500 words.  This morning I just completed chapter 12 and have 14,500 words, which also includes the admission of a prologue.

So, how am I doing in my NaNoWriMo in February goal?  (this would be 50K words for the month)

I've quit.

And here's why.

When I first started charging back into writing the novel, I found myself struggling with the story.  I seemed to be more focused on writing more words and more words and more words . . . okay, you get the picture.  Anyway, I was more focused on words than I was constructing the story.  When I was in college at Bemidji State University, I wrote my first novel.  How did I do it?  I set a goal of one page a day.  Then, before too long, I increased it to two.  Then three.  I kept track of how many pages on a calendar and watched the number of pages written in a week increase over time.  The most I've ever written in a single day was 26!  Holy cow!  At roughly 250 words a page, this was 6,500 words.  But all along, I've been focused on the story and filling pages instead of constantly looking at the word count.

That being said, I've decided that NaNoWriMo may not be right for me.  Not to say that I can't write roughly 2,000 words a day, because I've proven that I can.  But right now, at least for this story, it's going a little slower--I know, all of you outliners are out there spouting off that this is another example of why I must outline.  It is not.  I have difficulty in putting together outlines (although I will force myself to when the time comes when a publishing company asks me for one in an upcoming novel or three).  I'd rather write the damn book.

And write it I will.  I'm still keeping track of the word count, just not as closely on a daily basis.  I'm writing roughly a chapter a day, which equates to a little over 1,000 words.  Dean Wesley Smith wrote a recent blog post regarding Goals and Dreams.  In the post, he says that writers should set a goal of 1,000 words a day.  As I get further along in this new novel, this number will increase, more than likely past the 1K mark.

My 5-Star Review of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

In college, the Harrison Ford movie Clear and Present Danger (based on the novel by Tom Clancy) came out into the theaters.  I've always liked Harrison Ford as an actor and once again it proved to be a great action movie.

A few days before I went to the movie, a guy in our dorms (I believe it was the R.A. but don't quote me on it) said, "Yeah, Mark, don't waste your money.  The movie absolutely sucked."

I found this incredibly odd as Harrison Ford, once again playing the Jack Ryan character, was a decent actor and I didn't quite believe the movie would be that bad.

I pressed further.  "Why did it suck?" I asked.

"Because it had nothing to do with the book."

Okay, he got me there.  I had bought the book but was holding off reading it because it was quite a lengthy tome--as much of Clancy's novels were.  I then went to see the movie, despite the seemingly 1-star review from one person.  I liked it.  It was a great action flick, worthy of repeated watchings.  What was that guy thinking?  Then I read the book.  He was right: the book had little to do with the movie.  In fact, the Jack Ryan character was maybe in 1/3 of the book.  But movie-goers would be a litle pissed to spend their money to see a movie where Harrison Ford was only in it for 40 minutes.

I still liked the book.  And even the movie.  They were just two different versions of the same story, and I was fine with that.

The same goes with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first of three movies based on J. R. R. Tolkien's book The Hobbit, directed by Peter Jackson.

If one were to watch the movie with such a critical eye to see if all of the elements of the book were in the movie, you may be disappointed.  But only because there is so much more in the movie than I had expected.  I won't reveal any spoilers here, except to say that so far Peter has done a wonderful job of tying this movie in with the three Lord Of The Rings movies as well as the other histories of Middle Earth (i.e. The Silmarillion).

Keep in mind, when Tolkien first published the Lord Of The Rings, he released a newer edition of The Hobbit because in the first edition the One Ring did not play as large as role as he originally planned.

I give 5 full stars for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The only drawback is that I have to wait a full year to see the second of the three films.  But, like millions of others, I will be waiting with much anticipation.

Going back to what we talked about at the beginning of this blog post, let me ask you a few questions:

How many versions of Bram Stoker's Dracula have been made?

How many Batman or Spiderman or Superman movies have been made?

How many different versions of fairy tales (i.e. Snow White, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk) have been made--no, Disney isn't the only one doing this.

Aren't there two theatrical versions of Stephen King's The Shining?

Tales can be told in various ways, depending on the medium.  Theatrical movies and written novels are two entirely different ways.  Don't criticize one if it doesn't match with the other one.

Go see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.  It's well worth it.

"I Do"

I remember the first moment I saw my wife.  It was one of the first days of class at Bemidji State University, my 3rd year, and I was walking along the sidewalk from Oak Hall towards Hagg-Sauer Hall.  From around the corner of Walnut Hall, where the cafeteria and campus security were located, this short girl with dark bob-style hair came out--oh, what a smile she had!

Not sure if she said hi to me or not.  She probably did, and the chicken that I was, I thought this girl just had to have a boyfriend.  In November, just after the Thanksgiving break, I saw her working as a dispatcher for the campus security.  My friend Mike and I saw her, and he said, "I'm going to see if she wants to go to a movie."

Heartbroken, I went up to the cafeteria, knowing that this dark-haired beauty would be on a date with my friend that weekend.

But when Mike came up a few minutes later, he said, "She shot me down."

Turns out, she didn't.  She told me (months later) that he didn't even ask her out.  She wasn't even sure what he asked her.

After supper that November day, I went down to see if I had the nerve to talk to her.  I saw another friend of mine from Tae Kwon Do was also working, so I went in to see if I could strike a conversation up with her.

We talked for probably thirty to forty minutes.  She grew up about 90 minutes from where I did, and she talked about a lot of the same people I knew and went to high school with.  This moment didn't spark an immediate date request from me (that didn't happen for months and months later, because, like I said, I was a chicken), but we slowly became friends.

The reason I bring this up today is because, fifteen years ago today, we got married.  And what better way to celebrate than to . . . write a blog about it!

Happy Anniversary Melissa!

The mystery of getting ideas

At the genesis of what I call my writing career, which started some time when I was in college, a flood of story ideas hit me.  Were all of them good?  Perish the thought.  But I wrote them down, to keep track of what my ideas were like.

I either carry around a little notebook or use the notepad featue on my cell phone to jot down ideas.  Story ideas are far and few between now, simply because I've recognized what good ideas look like.  If one sparks my interest, I'll mull it over and over around in my mind until I've got the formation of a decent story.  At this point, I'll devote a notebook page and scratch out a few ideas.  One may call this outlining.  I do not.  For me, just getting it down on paper helps to release my conscious mind from holding onto it, making room for new ideas.

Before college, the thought of writing short stories never entered my mind.  I wrote novels, even in high school.  Then, when I read a biography of Stephen King and knew he started out with short stories, I allowed myself to find ideas that fit within the short story structure . . . and the floodgates opened widely, just like the tidal wave of blood in The Shining.

During this time, I worked for my uncle Rod, who's a contractor.  Many times, the jobs he had required me to travel at least 20-30 minutes out into the country.  I loved these times, and almost every single day, I'd come up with a new story idea.  95% of them were crap, when I look back on them now (oh, who am I kidding, it's probably 98-99%) but I was getting myself used to the idea of generating story ideas.

Late last year, I had two short story ideas that just wouldn't go away, no matter how much I was working on something else.  Both were along the fringes of science fiction, which is odd because most of my ideas were horror, fantasy, or thrillers.  One of these days, I'll post them for you.  I like them, and they were fun to write.

To me, I love the entire writing process, from idea generation to writing first drafts to editing.  But I think my absolute favorite is getting the ideas and churning them over and over as if I were churning milk into creamy butter.