My Other Blog

Please take the time to check out my other (more functional) blog.

As the freelance writing jobs have dried up for the time being I've spent most of my writing time working over at my other blog, Rays The Stakes, a sports blog about my beloved Tampa Bay Rays.

I believe that you'll find many of my posts at least partially interesting. Feel free to read all the posts, and please take note that some posts are written by other writers that I've brought-on to help supplement my style and opinions.

-JS

Parallel

Life and dreams run parallel lines-

never to intersect.

Relentlessly pushing forward together

yet eternally apart.

Near enough to view one another

but not enough to touch.

Life and dreams running parallel lines

never to intersect.

New Project, Again.

Well, the real-time short story has been pushed back again. I've undertaken another new project and between that and the other three exsisting projects I've decided to hold off on the blog-o-story.
I've also fired-up my old TB Rays blog again, so that's taking some of my time too.

I'm still excited about the short story here on the blog, and it will happen- just not yet.

-JS

Update

Just another quick update that I forgot to mention:

I've recently been trying to piece together what I thought would be an unbelievably lucrative writing deal by bringing on an amazing co-author friend of mine and updating an extremely, popular mid-twentieth century novel into more simple, modern vernacular. I intended to parlay that into a 3 book set, but unfortunately was denied the copyright permissions.

This was by far the broadest stroke of genius I have ever come up with, and to be shot down, quite curtly in fact, was a crushing blow from which I'm still trying to recover.

Since this rejection I've had very little, if any, desire to write at all. I was certain that this concept was my ticket to becoming a full-time writer- I was wrong.

I still have intentions on corroborating with my super-talented friend though. In our younger years we always teamed up well, and I believe that with our completely unique skill-sets combined we can produce something special... time will tell.

On an high note (sort of):
My newest national article has been sent to the editor, and as far as I know, will be published in around 6 weeks. My contract obviously did have a non-use clause though (with a kill fee, thank goodness) so I'm still not certain it'll make the cut. To be quite honest, I never really did get the article up to my standards, but deadlines are deadlines. If I were the editor I'd probably kill it... we'll have to wait and see.

Another Post to No One

Just a brief post to apologize for the long gaps between entries, but with a day job, a wife, and three "wonderful" children, blogging (sadly) falls pretty far down the priority list. Especially since my "audience" is limited, to say the least.

Its the age old supply and demand aspect, kinda. Why supply it if there's no demand.

I intend to add a new writing sample in the next few days, so keep your eyes out. I'm also considering doing a short story here as a web-exclusive. I'll post my unedited progress in real time, so any interested reader can follow along... I'm not sure though, as I'm still bogged down on my novel and really should stop picking up side projects until I make some sort of progress.

Stay tuned... don't hold your breath.

New Year, New Commitments

Happy New Year (belatedly)!

Just a quick write-up to let those of you who may have some semblence of interest in my writing career get a feel for what I'm up to:

I've never been a big fan of new year resolutions, but this year I've made two.

• write everyday (This sounds easy, but as any writer will tell you, its harder than it sounds.)
• read my Bible everyday (I've done this several times already, so I'm confident that i can do it a again.)

To go even one more step forward, I've vowed to myself to have at least 3 nationally published articles this year as well as to reach at least the half way point of my forthcoming epic novel (currently titled "Loneliness").

My first nationally published article should hit the editor's desk by the end of the month, so that only leaves two to go.... sounds easy, right?

Merry Christmas

As Christmas comes crashing in on us please take a moment to stop and think of why we celebrate Christmas. I try not to allow my writing to reflect too much of my personal viewpoints, but I don't hide behind my writing either.

If you are the type who is easily offended by religious matter please stop reading this now.

For the rest of you:
Please stop and give thanks to God that he sent his only Son to dwell on earth with mere humans that we may all be saved. The giving of that one precious gift, through which we received salvation, is far greater than the giving of any gift we could provide in return.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Loneliness sample

As promised here is a random sample from the middle of Chapter 1 of Lonliness (bear in mind that this has only been loosely edited and may need some punctuation or grammatical changes), no segway, just the passage:

Lynn Asher was of average height.
Her comparison to the average abruptly ended at that, as she was without argument the most beautiful woman in Druden and perhaps the entire kingdom. She had the sort of beauty that makes a bard famous just for singing of it, with a figure meant for poetry and prose.
Every part of her body custom made for a song; from her full pink lips to her soft, blue-grey eyes and her gentle nose, the golden auburn hair that fell lazily in large natural ringlets down to the top of her perfectly formed bosom, as well as her curvy hips which lead seductively toward her slender legs giving them the appearance of being much longer than they truly were. Her skin was silk over satin and her smile warmer than the summer sun on the hottest of days.
Many men had hastily sworn fealty to the Ashers due, at least in part, to here historic splendor. She was a dream come to reality, and she seemed to age better than even the kingdom’s finest vintage. And she hadn’t the slightest notion at all that she was different from any other woman, making her more beautiful still.

*please feel free to comment, make suggestions, or critique... I'm a big boy, I can take it.

-JS

Loneliness Update

For the few of you out there who may have some interest; here is an update on this weeks' progress of Loneliness (again, it is only a working title and will be changed, probably several times, as the book continues to write itself):

I've been at a bit of a roadblock/crossroads in one particular chapter for quite some time and was considering skipping forward in the book instead of staring aimlessly at a blank page any longer, but after much ado I've sunk my teeth into the scene and finally begun making progress.

Knowing me, after several more days of writing I'll turn around and decide that it wasn't the page-turning, major scene that I'd anticipated and scrap the entire chapter, but lets keep our fingers crossed and hope that the words do their job since I've finally re-started doing mine.

I'd love to expound about details, but that would defeat the purpose of ever trying to publish the book.
When it's finished (hopefully within the next year and a half) I may buy a domain for it and post the first chapter as a teaser, but until then you'll only get a few crumbs here and there.

Tomorrow I'll leave another update including a sample paragraph from chapter 1.

-JS

Texting the Deaf

I assume that I'm a late-comer to this party, but something rather profound occurred to me recently: The onset of text messaging must have been an absolute God-send for the deaf community.
Seriously, texting (or SMS messaging) has to be, literally, the best thing since sliced bread for the hearing impaired.

Not long ago if a deaf or severely hard-of-hearing individual wanted to receive a phone call they had to have thousands of dollars of specialty equipment commonly known as TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) which converted the spoken word into closed-caption-like text on a monitor or TV screen. This technology was, and still is, amazing and life-altering for members of the deaf community, but limits them to using only certain phones in limited environments.

Now with nearly every mobile phone carrier offering text messaging as either standard with their calling plans or as an add-on package the deaf can communicate both with each other and with those of us who are blessed enough to have our hearing.

Couple the texting capabilities of most phones with the vibrating ringer-alert that all cell phones offer and those who are deaf or hard of hearing can now communicate at a level they probably never dreamed would be available to them.

So, the next time you flip open your phone to casually send some mundane text, or to forward a joke take a moment to realize that this convenient little novelty is also helping the handicapped live their lives as close to normal as their bodies will allow.

Sample of an Opinion Post

Here is an opinion post I did at my other blog (Rays The Stakes) back in the summer in regard to a Tampa Bay Rays player that I was obviously unhappy with:

Jonny's Gotta Go(mes)!

I don't care what anyone else says at this point, Jonny Gomes does not belong on a baseball field under any circumstances.
Period!
Pointe finale!

And if you watched last night's game it'll be hard for you to argue with me while keeping a straight face. Gomes looked like he'd never even seen right field let alone actually played out there. He took a horrible angle on every single ball hit in his direction (I can think of 4 instances off the top of my head, but there may've been more).

I don't care if the opposing pitcher is a lefty (i.e. Lee last night) and every other player in the line-up is left-handed; Gomes needs to be parked firmly on the bench (where he obviously belongs).

Normally I'd say, "Okay, let Jonny do the DH duties", but if the Rays' wonderful manager, Mr. Maddon, had taken the time to check out ol' Gomes' track record against Lee ( 0-17 going into last night) he wouldn't have marched him out there even if he actually did know how to play RF.

If management's plan was to send Jonny out there to showcase him as potential trade-bait, its not working. Actually, if anything, its accomplishing the exact opposite effect. No GM in his right mind would make a move for him unless they were really, really desperate for a DH that's currently hitting an astonishing ...wait for it... .185 !!

Gabe Gross may not be the long-term answer (although he does have plenty of upside), but in terms of the rest of the 2008 season Gross needs to be getting at least 3 out of 4 starts in RF, and Aybar and Floyd need at bats, so guess who the odd-man-out is... you got it... Jonny Freakin' Gomes!

Love your energy Jonny, your work ethic is admirable, but its time to turn in your helmet and jersey, and pack up for your move to, ummm, I don't care where, just not here... thanks for the memories, blah, blah, blah...SEE-YA!

Finishing

If finishing were nearly as simple as starting
I would have a library at my disposal.

I would have written volumes of honesty
filled with vacuums of lies-
endless tales of falacy
sprinkled with the essence of truth.

If finishing were possible the end would be now.

The Mills Project

"Its supposed to be cooler than this in November."
"Yep. You know what it is, its that darn global warming. Gonna melt them polar ice caps and we're all gonna die."
"Don't be dumb, Warren. Everybody knows that global warming's just something Al Gore made up because he didn't have anything to do after he got done inventing the Internet!"
"Well, you're the one who said it was warm, geez, you don't have to call me dumb."
"You're right, you're not dumb, just mentally limited... Hey, did you hear that?"
"Hear what?"
THWACK!
"Now I heard it! Whadya think it is?"
THWACK!
"I don't know, but its our job to find out. Lets go."
Tom Baker and Warren Sakler had been partnered-up as security guards at Mills Laboratories for over eight years now. Warren always joked that they spent twice as much time together as with their wives, and Tom always said that it was better like that. The less he saw Diane the less time they had to argue.
"Do you see anything on the security monitors?" Tom asked, just as Warren started scanning the bank of small black and white TV's on the opposite wall.
"Nope, but camera 12 still ain't working. I sent in a repair order over a week..."
THWACK!
"Alright, lets go. Camera 12 is Dr. Micales lab. We'll check there first."
Both security guards reached instinctively toward their holsters and unbuttoned the safety clasp. Tom couldn't help but smile. This is why he took this stupid job in the first place, since he'd been discharged from the Marines he'd been doing everything he could to try to find a way to duplicate the adrenaline rush of the war in Iraq. It turns out that being head of security at Mills Laboratories didn't offer quite as much action as he'd expected.
He could feel the hair on the back of his neck begin to slowly stand up like sleeping giants who've waited patiently for ages just for an excuse to wake up.
Warren on the other hand was already starting to get the nervous shakes. His palms were starting to sweat and the raising of the hairs on his neck sent chills down his spine.
"I hope there's a bad guy in there, I can't wait to see his face when we storm in there!" spat Warren. He always tried to overcompensate for his lack of bravery by acting overly confident. Nobody was fooled.
"We won't be storming into anywhere, Warren. Shhhh."
THWACK!
As they walked quickly down the corridor that led to Dr Micales' lab the noise was becoming more pronounced. Tom's military instinct was starting to kick in. Prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Identify the problem. Assess the situation. Then formulate the best way to solve the problem.
What is that sound? It was an eerie combination of the sound of a carpet being beaten with a broom stick mixed with the metallic clang of one of those huge, rusty, exhaust fans that always seems to be slowly turning at the end of the room during the climax of every action movie...

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is upon us again, and without going on and on about why we should all be thankful I've decided to do nothing more than to simply state the following:

Happy Thanksgiving.

On Thursday afternoon take one minute, just sixty seconds, and spend it in silence. Find happiness in the presence of those around you and sentimentality in the thoughts of the ones who are not.
Remember the influence of every one of the people who've been in and out of your life throughout the years, and thank them silently in your thoughts-- if it weren't for them being them then you wouldn't be you.

-JS

Loneliness Update

For anyone who may not know, I've been outlining and preliminarily writing my first (hopefully) epic novel with the working title of Loneliness (which has already changed three times and I'm certain will change several more times along the way).

I've decided to occasionally include samples and updates of my progress here.
Loneliness falls most in line with the genre of medieval fantasy, and will not include any mention of dwarfs, trolls, or an eminent blackness looming on the horizon.

A tag line of the story so far could be encapsulated as: the life-altering journey of young Wren Asher as she struggles to find meaning after being betrayed by her misguided brother and orphaned by the king's henchmen.

As it stands now I've got approximately three double edited chapters completed with another three chapters rough drafted or single edited. I've also nearly finished my detailed outline of chapters 1-20.

I can also divulge to you that I'm currently struggling with two separate issues:

1. A large-scale castle siege which takes place from four different yet simultaneous perspectives
2. Finding the foundation of a compelling tertiary plot-line/backdrop. I've got a general grasp on where I'm going with this, but I'm still looking for the thread that will connect it to the first two major plot-lines.

Next update I'll include a sample paragraph from the opening chapter.

-JS

I don't just write, I'm a writer!

After years of answering questions or prefacing answers with, "Yeah, I write on the side. Its kind of a hobby. You know, I enjoy it- so if I ever get paid that'll be a bonus. I love to write.", I've broken free.

As the time has ticked ever-so-quickly by, and I actually have gotten paid for a few writing gigs I've decided that its time to step-up to the platform and proclaim loudly to all that will listen, "I don't just write. I'm a writer!", and you should too.

I know it can be viewed as a simple matter of semantics, but the psychological difference between saying that one writes as opposed to saying that one is a writer is profound.
Its like having a breakthrough or an epiphany.

It seems that most of us picture 'writers' as people who sit at cluttered desks surrounded by dusty old Dickens' novels, typing page after page after page, stopping only to occasionally appease their scraggly old cat by petting it several times before shoo-ing it away from their keyboard, and then taking a swig of scotch before quickly returning to tapping-out their masterpiece- never stopping long enough to see daylight or to even consider the chance of having a social life, but that's simply ridiculous (the length of that sentence was equally ridiculous, but I digress).
Okay, that was an extreme view, but we do tend to paint writers into this sort of stereotype, viewing all 'writers' as being a certain type or carrying a certain personality, but in reality- if you write, and your writing doesn't completly obliterate/mangle the English language (and you refrain from using "LOL" as often as possible) then you are a writer, regardless of your personality, behavioral patterns, or current level of writing success.

I know, you don't feel like a writer. You've never hired a literary agent. You don't have a published novel, or article, you don't have a successful blog, or you're not even close to finishing your first short-story or your poetry collection, or whatever... it doesn't matter!
You are a writer. If you write on a consistent basis, if your writing bears some semblance of being grammatically correct, and is at least mildly entertaining or informative then let me be the first to congratulate you-- you're a writer.

Welcome to the fraternity.

The next time you look in the mirror go ahead; smile, say "I'm a writer!", and imagine that beautiful 'mug' of yours being printed on the back cover of your life's greatest work, being carried (and hopefully read) by millions... or at least by you mom.


-JS

A River Runs Through It

Here is a copy of a marketing article that I published in a local tourism magazine (TravelHost)last fall:

A River Runs Through It

Winding its way methodically through the heart of New Port Richey, the Pithlachascotee River (locals call it “The Cotee”) has somehow been overlooked by the tourism community for years…until now.

Recently local business owners Joan and Arden Anderson decided that it was time to afford people the luxury of enjoying the river from the comfort of a kayak or canoe when they recently opened Makai Kayak & Kanoe on Main St. Fittingly he word, Pithlachascotee is of Seminole origin and means “the river where canoes are built”.

“This river boasts some of the best sightseeing opportunities in all of Central Florida,” says manager James Smith, “every day on the river is different, one day you may see a pod of dolphins the next day a family of manatees, and it’s a bird watchers dream out there; eagles, osprey, egrets, and any number of different birds can be seen. Personally, I’m just excited to see people enjoying the river”.

“Our goal as a business is to cater to families. We want locals and tourists to be able to enjoy the river. That’s why we offer hourly rates as well as half and full day trips. As an avid fisherman I am thrilled to be able to offer customers the opportunity to rent a fishing kayak and let them head out in search of ’the big one,’” adds Mr. Anderson.

The Pithlachascotee is a blackwater river that originates in the Cruz Lake area of Pasco County and wends its way over a 20 mile span passing through the Starkey and James E. Grey Wilderness Parks to more residential areas where some spectacular early twentieth century Spanish architecture can be seen. There are also several eateries that can be accessed via the river as it opens toward the Gulf of Mexico at Miller‘s Bayou.

The best thing about paddling a kayak or canoe?
“Anyone can do it, young or old. It’s fun, easy, and affordable. During a time where everything is so expensive its nice to know that you can go have a great day with your family without breaking the budget,” Makai rental manager Mike Jacobs adds, “and if you still find the prospect of kayaking through the wilderness alone intimidating all you have to do is sign up for one of our many guided tours, and we’ll accompany you along the way pointing out the river’s many points of interest.”

“Some of the scenery on the river is amazing, every time I paddle upstream I feel like I’m part of postcard or painting, I didn’t think that you could feel so far from civilization while passing right through a city,” says co-owner Joan Anderson, “It’s God at his best.”

Whether you’re looking to escape the tedium of life for an hour or want to get away all day or even all weekend a tour of the Cotee River offers the calm relaxation that you‘re looking for. One of Florida’s best kept secrets is no longer a secret. Join the excitement as locals and tourist alike re-discover the endless beauty of New Port Richey’s own Pithlachascotee River.

-JS

The Light

Here is the (hopefully) dramatic opening of a short story on which I am currently working:


The light was blinding.
Derek struggled to find his bearings, but couldn’t get past the light. He wasn’t even sure that he was still breathing.
Yes, he was breathing.
His head ached.He didn’t know why, but he had to see past the light.
Something was out there; beyond the light, something important.Someone was crying. Wait, no, someone was screaming! A woman. Far off to his right. He had to escape the light.
Come on Derek, focus. Where are you?
I’m in Vermont.
Why?
I don’t know!
The light was so intense that he’d lost the capacity to differentiate between his eyes being open or closed . It didn’t matter if they were open, there was no way past this god-awful light.
Wait, I came to Vermont to find Caryn.
“CARYN!” he yelled, just before he realized that he shouldn’t have.
His heart broke as he realized that those pain-filled, blood-curdling screams were coming from Caryn. He had to find a way to get past this wretched, white-hot light before it was too late...


-JS

Launch Anyone?

Welcome to the launch of my writing blog.

I guess I'm well behind the curve on this, but I'm told that all writers should have their own writing blog... so here we are.
Here I am.

I will try to incorporate as many various styles/genres of writing as possible as well as to post updates on some of the gigs that I'm working on at any specific time.

Please feel free to comment on any post; whether it be positive or negative feedback, suggestions, corrections, opinions, or any expression of some other derivative.

-JS