Making friends with failure

Okay, technically it isn't failure until you give up. The point is that if one is to succeed with writing or anything, they must keep trying. Setbacks are common as we all figure out how to rise to the top of the self-publishing sea. As Dory from Finding Nemo would say, "Just keep swimming."

Since making the decision to publish a short story, I've received constructive feedback that will help me take it to a higher level. Maybe I'll flesh it out into a novella or maybe a full-length novel. Downloads have nothing to do with my decision. I just want to make it into a better piece of writing than it is. Rather than unpublish, I am making it available as a free download here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/340069

I welcome ideas from anyone who would like to help me craft a better version of this story and thank everyone in advance for their help.

Life is pretty great, even when everything isn't perfect...

Summer is winding down and I'm reflecting on what has been a hectic year so far. My son fell ill in January with a rare autoimmune disorder called HSP. By May, he cleared the hurdle with help from gluten-free eating. He doesn't have a wheat allergy, but it really helped get his system back on track. The photo below was taken in January.

Since recovery, he's been able to cross two important things off the list. One, he learned how to ride his bike. Secondly, he learned how to swim. Life was at a standstill for awhile, so it was easier to embrace even the things that scared him before getting ill. It reminds me that we all have to accept life's shortcomings in order to benefit from its miracles. The below photo is from last weekend's trip to Galveston. Hard to believe it's the same child.

Revisiting 80s slang...to the max

A recent Internet search of slang terms from the 80s yielded some pretty colorful linguistic gems. I think that anyone who writes historical fiction should pepper the prose with the verbiage of the time they write in. Having grown up in the 80s, some of these came rushing right back and others I didn't recall. I don't remember ever calling someone Pac-Man for having a huge appetite. Some terms refused to die out with acid-wash jeans and parachute pants. So here goes...

duh, bitchin, wicked, chill, airhead, amped, fricking, lame, scumbag, space cadet, veg out, bimbette, bogart, grody, dude, dufus, yello, dickweed

And the popular phrases of that day-glo period of time...

I'm so sure, cool your jets, damn skippy, way cool, what's your damage? (my personal fave), book it, to the max, like, Oh my God, and of course eat my shorts (long live The Breakfast Club)

Also, I think it's important not to stuff stories with slang unless it's appropriate for the character. You want some to add color, but not so much that your book is overstuffed with Dude, cool your jets and stop being such a dickweed. All I wanted was to veg out and you bogart all the breathable air in the room. What's your damage? Nothing??? Eat my shorts dufus.

Any others I'm missing? I'd love to get more feedback.

Words of wisdom from Taco Bell

I'll take one of these little packets of awesome over any desert-dry fortune cookie with some nonsensical saying that has no relevance to anything.

Overcoming social media anxiety

My poor puppy Max hates baths with a passion. He has an intense dislike of water and would clearly rather be outside rolling around in dirt, mud, and God only knows what else. His discomfort is not unlike how I felt toward social media six months ago. Twitter, Facebook, Myspace...I couldn't imagine using any of it. I don't really know why I felt this way. The whole concept just seemed alien to me. The closest I even cared to get to it was participating in an online community for the band Blue October. Once I decided to pursue freelance writing, a seasoned writer informed me that social media was a necessity. Every writer needed to be on Twitter. So like my dog, I immersed myself into the water, albeit the social media water and haven't looked back once. I can honestly say that it's been great and there are a lot of terrific and talented people out there to learn from. My dog still hates baths and probably always will, but I have conquered my fear of social media and I appreciate the role that is plays in supporting independent artists, writers, and musicians.

Committed to my craft or just flat out crazy?

I'm a pretty visual person, so I really need pictures in order to write good descriptions. A serendipitous job interview placed me in the area of Houston my character lives and works, so I enlisted my camera and shutterbugged my heart out while wearing a dress and heels in 100+ degree weather. And yes, I looked like a tourist in the town I have called home since 1998. I have two settings of pivotal moments in the setup of my novel Miracle at Santa Anita. The beginning and the end are Houston-centric. The middle is in California, so I'm going to have to rely on other peoples' pictures and Internet research for that.

The Transco Tower, now the Williams Tower. I'll always call it the Transco Tower though:

Not a very easy picture to get because of the complete lack of decent parking in the area. People say Houston has the worst traffic. I am more bothered by the parking. So, I found a parking lot and hoped there were no tow trucks around. As luck would have it, they stick to the freeways. I darted across the street after checking for traffic and was able to get an unobstructed view of the building. Actually now that I've thought about it, I probably need to be committed to a padded room or a straightjacket for all this running around like a certain frog character in a video game. Then again, writers have never been what you call normal.

House of Pies, a Houston institution and favorite late night hangout for drunks once the bars and clubs have closed. There is actually a Hangover omelette on the menu. Go figure. I just had a hamburger and called it a day.