Writing Online

I have just started the journey and I am becoming overwhelmed by the amount of work required to keep this blog going, as well as writing for Helium and Associated Content. If you plan on making any money at all with online writing, you had better be prepared to have a lot of patience. The pennies that you make add up very slowly. Writing to the Marketplace on Helium can make a few dollars. It has been an exhausting few weeks. I sort of let this site sit and get stale. I was told that I really need a blog to promote my writing, but I fail to see the importance since I've only had one comment posted since I started.I have to figure out how to track the traffic to my site. I guess I just have to persevere and keep filling white space with something. Well, until next time, have a nice day. Now that sounded real stupid.

Two for the Price of One

While looking for something to write about on Helium the other day, I came across a debate topic. Should dogs be allowed in restaurants? I pondered it and decided that it was pretty obvious to me that they shouldn't. I decided to have some fun with it and chose the "yes" side to make an argument that they shouldn't.

Absolutely! Dogs should be allowed in restaurants. It’s children under the age of ten that should be banned. Allow me to explain.......

If you'd like to find out how it turned out, log on to my about me page with the link provided.
Oh! And while your there check out the first poem I've ever written.

I am having so much fun writing that it's probably fattening.

Hiatus

Well, spring is here and I had to take some time away from the keyboard to get some flowers going. Maybe this year they will actually germinate. I'm having more germination of new story ideas than with the plants. I guess that might be better in the long run.
Getting ideas for stories gets easier and easier when you put some serious time into it. Stories are everywhere. A news item in the morning paper, an observation that was overheard at the mall, the story the neighbor tells you about her weasel of a cousin, all these can be a germ for a story. Whenever I go to the mall with my wife, I watch and listen to the people around me. I scribble notes in a notepad. If I'm working on a piece using my Neo, I'll jot down something, even in the middle of the piece, so I don't lose it.
These little things are helping me when I have to describe a character or say something in a believable way. Listening to people talk helps to keep my dialogue crisp, and genuine. I'm finding out that much of writing is done away from the keyboard. Good writing is the result of good observation. Well, I'm off to the mall again to see what stories lie among the kiosks.

Revelations

This new adventure I've set out on is occupying most of my time. Anyone who thinks writing online is not a demanding exercise has probably not done it. The site that I have been writing to requires you to rate articles on a regular basis. Rating on daily basis, researching articles, checking forums, checking and sending e-mail, writing this blog, and doing the few things that need to be done around the house is a full time job. I spend more hours at the computer than I did teaching and preparing in my other life. It is, however, much less stressful, and a whole lot more fun. I have started a short story that could end up longer than I anticipated. Some of my characters are forcing me to tell a longer story. They seem to think that they can dictate what I write. The scary part is, I think they're right.

I never expected to be so committed to this writing life. It's incredible how something as simple as writing a story or article becomes the central part of your life. I seem to be involved in it 24 hours a day. Not that I don't sleep, in fact I sleep better now than I ever have, but I find myself thinking about plot, characters, article ideas even as I'm nodding off. This writer's life( I don't mean to sound like some big time author) is really all encompassing. I can't remember ever feeling so into something as much as this. Having to write is more than just a saying now; it's a reality. I really do have to write.

When I'm not writing, I'm reading about writing, or how to do this blogging thing. Then there is learning about SEO, and links etc. It's all so overwhelming, but wonderfully so. I wonder what would have happened if I had a computer to write with back in the early 70's. I really believe that having to use a typewriter, with all of the inherent drawbacks, caused me to give up. I really got sick of having to type page after page to get an acceptable copy to send in to a publisher or magazine. It was horrible.

This new technology has got me addicted!

No Comment

Well, I've been blogging for a few days now and I am still waiting to get a comment on any of my posts. As soon as I can figure out how to promote this blog, I will. In the meantime I will continue to post to show that I intend to keep the thing going. I will not close this thing down, even if it ends up being a personal dairy. I have to write. People are always telling me "write about what you know". Well, that could include many things. The problem is that what I may know a lot about is of little or no interest to anyone else. Maybe this blog would be a good place for people who know a lot about dull subjects could share ideas.

The First, Last Dance

Today, I'd like to share one of my short stories with you. I hope you enjoy it.



My palms were sweaty, weight shifting from one leg to the other. My mouth was so dry I could barely swallow. I was thinking someone would have to pry the half dollar from my hand if I gripped it any tighter. One more person ahead of me. Finally, I’m in.

It was darker than I had imagined. Great! Maybe no one would notice the gravy stain on my left sleeve. I had prepared meticulously. Hair slicked back with a huge “Elvis” wave, held in place with lots of Brylcream. Pants with razor creases, cuffs turned up just right. The pencil, thin tie didn’t quite match my outfit, but it would satisfy the “tie required” rule. I had waited for this moment since I was twelve years old. Becoming a teenager shouldn’t take this long.

At first I had trouble spotting Sylvia,.....


I hope you'll want to read more by going to my about me page at http://www.helium.com/users/397810 or you can just click on it in my links.

I really need the pennies. And , who knows you may find some other things I wrote. Feel free to tell your friends. Sounds pretty hokey, but what the hell, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

If I Bought a Pumpkin Farm, They'd Call off Halloween

When starting this blog about a week ago, I had this image that it would be a way for me to release some of the pent up angst I've accumulated over the years, and yes there was that fleeting moment when I fantasized about having someone discover my writing prowess and offer me a book deal to pen my ramblings. Hey! You never know.

Much to my chagrin, I read an article on the front page of the morning paper that purports that blogging can be hazardous to your health. The article examines the link between blogging and heart attacks. It seems that the stress encountered by professional bloggers, working most of their waking hours to stay ahead of the news curve, is causing them to keel over. Visions of people bent over their electronic keyboards, typing furiously while chugging down Mallox, danced in my head. Walter Winchell would be proud.

I thought that working from home on my computer would be much less stressful than teaching adolescent sex offenders in a residential treatment program. Now I'm wondering if I should have retired. I could be exposing myself to "cardioblogfaction".

Who knows, with millions of people in the blogosphere, we may be on the verge of a blogdemic. It probably wont be long before some member of Congress will hold hearings on the dangers of blogging and introduce legislation to limit the number of posts that a person came make in a given period. Next we may see the formation of a worldwide support group dedicated to counseling blogaholics: Blog-A-Non.

I guess that for now I'll play it by ear. When my blog gets so many hits that it starts eating into my eight hours of sleep (not including my afternoon nap), I'll have to think seriously about curtailing my postings. At any rate, I promised my wife that I would go cold turkey when when the carpal tunnel kicks in.

Getting in Gear

One of the hardest things to do as a writer, is to actually get started with the process. It's always a good idea to study by reading articles on writing, or go on line to writing forums that can help you in developing your craft. The problem with that is, many times you can become so involved with the how, that you spend all your time learning and little time writing.

I never had the time to sit down and write the way I've always wanted to. Family, financial obligations, college tuition, and I'll admit, laziness have all contributed to my not getting to putting my thoughts down in writing.

There are many articles and books out there that will help get over "writers block", if there really is such a thing. Some suggest lying on your back and meditating, or creating lists of things that you want to write about and all sorts of things that you can do.

The best advise I have come across is: write,write, write. The best place to do that is by creating a blog, like this, that takes all the pressure off. That's what I am doing right now. I am writing what is important to me at this moment. Someone may actually read this and comment, maybe not. It doesn't matter. What matters is that I am putting down what I feel without having someone pass judgement on it.

Another outlet for your writing is posting your work on websites like Helium.com or other similar sites. The great thing is that you get to publish your work, and get feedback through a system of ratings. You can see your articles compared to others written on the same subject. No stamps, no waiting 3 months to see if a publisher has accepted your article or has even read it. These sites are a boon to anyone who wants to break into print. It can provide the impetus needed to grow a small freelance business. It also boosts your self-confidence.

Since my retirement, I have pursued a writing career both as a freelancer and author of short stories. Fortunately, at this time in my life, making money from this endeavor is of little consequence. If it comes, great. If not, at least I'm having a ball. I don't have to leave my office to write and with my NEO (small battery operated word processor) I can bring my research to the beach and type away all day, writing articles and working on a couple of short stories.

Life is good!

Forced to make a choice.

With all the turmoil going on surrounding the Democrat's attempt to select a nominee for president, I was left with two choices. Being an independent, I was torn between Obama, or McCain. Hillary was never an option for me. I' d kept up with the Rev. Wright situation, and I must admit, my first reaction was to revisit my reasons for going with Obama . After considering the situation, and hearing Obama's response, I gave him a pass and continued to split my support between McCain and Barak.

When I read that Obama was going to give Al Gore a position in his administration, that sealed the deal for me. There is no way for me to reconcile supporting Obama in any way now. Aligning himself with Al Gore is one of the most idiotic things Obama could have done.

Al Gore has got to be one of the biggest jerks on the planet. You would think he wouldn't have any energy left to warn us of impending doom from global warming after he singlehandedly created the internet, while at the same time being the model for "Love Story". To say that this guy is delusional is an understatement. The guy is "nuts", pure and simple. When I heard that he had won the Nobel Prize, I figured that they had created a category for buffoonery. I am so disappointed in Obama. He almost had me voting Democrat for the first time since J.F.K.

I can't believe that the Democrat party has abandoned the Jackass and has become the party of the Tiger: they eat their young. It's a sad time in this nation when we are left with the lesser of three evils as a choice for president. Now if McCain picks Nader for VP, I'll really have a dilemma.