I have failed.
This was the year that was supposed to be different. The momentum I brought into 2018 in terms of writing was going to continue. Regardless of results, I was going to continue to produce content, with a commitment to write at least something every day. And my serial neglect of my blog would end as well.
Yeah, so that didn't work.
I don't completely understand it, either. It worked for quite some time after I learned of the stories that were being published. I thought I had finally established a pattern, a routine - something that would carry me when motivation was hard to find.
I fell off the wagon in April, as seems to happen every year. But I knew it was happening. And I swore to myself it wouldn't completely derail me.
I never have an abundance of time to write. But I have enough - small chunks of time here and there. Yet I squander it. I've allowed life to get in the way. And I've made excuses. There was the chaos of preparing for a new baseball season. And the trip to Albany for my son's Youth of the Year candidacy with the Boys & Girls Club. But even surrounding all of that busy-ness, I had time to write. I chose to procrastinate instead.
I'm currently building flower gardens around my house. Hard physical work. But again, I have time for writing after I've finished for the day. I have contests that I intend to enter with deadlines rapidly approaching, and a call for a submission from a niche press that published a story of mine this winter. But do I pick up my notebook and relax with a few pages of prose, and some progress toward the deadlines?
Nope. I pick up the PlayStation controller, or grab the remote to flip on a few old episodes of Gilmore Girls. (Don't judge - the show is freaking hilarious.)
I have written this post as a call to action. I've laid out my failings "on paper", and I'm publishing them into the world (or at least, the tiny fraction of the world that sees this blog).
I can't hide from it anymore - so if you hear the Gilmore Girls theme song around me, ask me if I've written anything yet today. And then take away the remote until I do. :)
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Monday, April 23, 2018
The best laid plans...
Historically, April is a difficult month for me to accomplish much in the realm of writing and blogging. It seems like every year, there are a large number of contests and calls for submissions with a deadline at or near the end of March. So March tends to be a whirlwind of writing activity, which sometimes dries up the creativity for a bit.
April also brings with it major time-killers with regards to my coaching and planning duties at the Boys and Girls Club. Playoffs and All-Star events take place for all four levels of the floor hockey league, and with preparation for the end of season awards banquets is always time-consuming. At the same time, preparations are in full swing for the upcoming baseball season, including coaches meetings, schedule planning, rules revisions and umpire training.
Usually means virtually nothing occurs on the writing front for most of the month.
But this year was going to be different. See, an odd quirk in the hockey schedule meant that I had two Saturdays off at the very beginning of the month. Along with that, baseball planning had begun earlier than normal, and was running smoothly. April 2018 would NOT be a writing wasteland after all!
Umm, yeah....so....
This is my first blog post since March ended, and I've written nothing of any real substance in that span either. And I have no real idea why, other than perhaps lack of motivation. Apparently the April slump has become too habitual.
Curse you April. Curse you.
April also brings with it major time-killers with regards to my coaching and planning duties at the Boys and Girls Club. Playoffs and All-Star events take place for all four levels of the floor hockey league, and with preparation for the end of season awards banquets is always time-consuming. At the same time, preparations are in full swing for the upcoming baseball season, including coaches meetings, schedule planning, rules revisions and umpire training.
Usually means virtually nothing occurs on the writing front for most of the month.
But this year was going to be different. See, an odd quirk in the hockey schedule meant that I had two Saturdays off at the very beginning of the month. Along with that, baseball planning had begun earlier than normal, and was running smoothly. April 2018 would NOT be a writing wasteland after all!
Umm, yeah....so....
This is my first blog post since March ended, and I've written nothing of any real substance in that span either. And I have no real idea why, other than perhaps lack of motivation. Apparently the April slump has become too habitual.
Curse you April. Curse you.
Saturday, March 31, 2018
Wordiness CONQUERED!
For now at least. LOL
Final story comes in at 1197 words.
And while I think the story may have been better with a scene included that I was forced to cut, I'm actually far more satisfied with the end result than I thought I would be.
Fingers crossed that the judges feel the same way.
Final story comes in at 1197 words.
And while I think the story may have been better with a scene included that I was forced to cut, I'm actually far more satisfied with the end result than I thought I would be.
Fingers crossed that the judges feel the same way.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Words, words, words....
I have often been accused of being too wordy.
See, I like to communicate clearly, and sometimes I feel like the wordiness is necessary to get my point across correctly the first time.
Others disagree. :)
But my wordiness is currently biting me in the backside. I am in progress on a contest piece. A short story to be inspired by the song "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" from Elton John.
And my concept for the story is damned good, if I do say so myself.
I feel like I'm probably about halfway finished. About 1050 words so far.
The contest requires the story to be between 1000 and 1200 words.
Yeah, so...heavy editing to come? LOL
See, I like to communicate clearly, and sometimes I feel like the wordiness is necessary to get my point across correctly the first time.
Others disagree. :)
But my wordiness is currently biting me in the backside. I am in progress on a contest piece. A short story to be inspired by the song "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" from Elton John.
And my concept for the story is damned good, if I do say so myself.
I feel like I'm probably about halfway finished. About 1050 words so far.
The contest requires the story to be between 1000 and 1200 words.
Yeah, so...heavy editing to come? LOL
Monday, March 26, 2018
The Work of the Lord
This is an excerpt of a longer piece that is in the process of being revised...
“M-M-Maggie?” he stammered, suddenly aware that he was trembling; quaking with fear and uncertainty. He took a brief glance at the bourbon, then back at the approaching figure. No amount of faith was going to convince him that any of this was real or even possible – certainly he was still passed out somewhere as a result of last night’s prodigious imbibing.
“Yes, Christopher – and regardless of your level of faith at the moment, this IS absolutely possible. After all, as you so often state at the end of your sermons, all things are truly possible with our God.”
The voice paused briefly, the figure outline still approaching slowly.
“Now REAL, that is another question – one man’s reality is often another’s fantasy.”
“So then what exactly is going on here? Am I dreaming, or just losing my mind?” cried the pastor, his voice shaking.
The voice laughed softly. “Aren’t they kind of the same thing? Dreaming, along with thinking, praying, and reflecting – all also ways you can temporarily ‘lose your mind’; at least the conscious part. Unspoken communication with our Lord can take many forms – including the times you’re not even intentionally speaking to Him.”
“I don’t get it,” he whispered, shaking his head.
“Well, you’ve often professed that God is within us all. Is that not true?”
Christopher snapped, “Fine, so you’re saying they’re all different ways for God to speak to me. Doesn’t exactly answer the question I asked. But if you don’t want to answer that, maybe you can explain how I still have no idea why our oh-so-wonderful Creator took you away from me!”
“Oh silly, you already know that – you did tell the congregation about the loss of their ‘beloved choir leader, your wife Margaret’. Remember?” the voice chided.
“Oh c’mon, Maggie – 'God needed someone with her beautiful soul to assist Him with his work in heaven' – that’s the kind of thing we tell ourselves to try to feel better about loss! You don’t actually think I believed that line of crap, do you?”
The voice was silent a moment before replying, “Well, I guess we’re back to that tricky reality issue, aren’t we?”
“M-M-Maggie?” he stammered, suddenly aware that he was trembling; quaking with fear and uncertainty. He took a brief glance at the bourbon, then back at the approaching figure. No amount of faith was going to convince him that any of this was real or even possible – certainly he was still passed out somewhere as a result of last night’s prodigious imbibing.
“Yes, Christopher – and regardless of your level of faith at the moment, this IS absolutely possible. After all, as you so often state at the end of your sermons, all things are truly possible with our God.”
The voice paused briefly, the figure outline still approaching slowly.
“Now REAL, that is another question – one man’s reality is often another’s fantasy.”
“So then what exactly is going on here? Am I dreaming, or just losing my mind?” cried the pastor, his voice shaking.
The voice laughed softly. “Aren’t they kind of the same thing? Dreaming, along with thinking, praying, and reflecting – all also ways you can temporarily ‘lose your mind’; at least the conscious part. Unspoken communication with our Lord can take many forms – including the times you’re not even intentionally speaking to Him.”
“I don’t get it,” he whispered, shaking his head.
“Well, you’ve often professed that God is within us all. Is that not true?”
Christopher snapped, “Fine, so you’re saying they’re all different ways for God to speak to me. Doesn’t exactly answer the question I asked. But if you don’t want to answer that, maybe you can explain how I still have no idea why our oh-so-wonderful Creator took you away from me!”
“Oh silly, you already know that – you did tell the congregation about the loss of their ‘beloved choir leader, your wife Margaret’. Remember?” the voice chided.
“Oh c’mon, Maggie – 'God needed someone with her beautiful soul to assist Him with his work in heaven' – that’s the kind of thing we tell ourselves to try to feel better about loss! You don’t actually think I believed that line of crap, do you?”
The voice was silent a moment before replying, “Well, I guess we’re back to that tricky reality issue, aren’t we?”
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Contributor Spotlight
So, one of the editors of the anthology I appeared in (click here if you still need a copy!) has been putting together interview-like articles called Contributor Spotlights for some of the writers and artists featured in the book. Today is my turn. So click the link below if you'd like to learn a little more about the story I wrote and about me as a writer.
https://anchalastudios.weebly.com/contributorspotlight/norm-titterington
A big thanks to Ms. Anne Anthony (co-editor of "Flash Fiction for Flash Memory") for making me sound somewhat interesting. :)
As for the picture...well, perhaps I should've opted for one in my goalie mask and pads.
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
When It Rains
She
left on a Tuesday. A rainy Tuesday, fittingly enough, marked by the most
intense thunder and lightning display we’d seen that summer. She always loved
the rain – especially a powerful late evening thunderstorm. We both did. The
moment a storm began to move in, we’d head out the front door, giddy with
anticipation. We’d sit on the porch swing, listening to the thunder crackling
and rolling as the lightning streaked across the sky in a wicked electrical
dance. I’d turn her around to look at me, and she’d flash her wicked grin as I
gazed into her fiery green eyes; I always knew exactly what she desired in
those moments.
We’d
make passionate love in the dark with the thunder and lightning as our
soundtrack and fireworks, while the raindrops that snuck past the porch roof
sprinkled an occasional gentle coolness across the heat of our entangled bodies.
And when she would fall asleep in my arms back on the porch swing, I would hold
her close to me and look to the heavens, giving thanks for the storm, and for
her love – because I knew both were too intense and fast-moving to last. I
still taste her on my lips anytime it rains.
I
moved to Phoenix last year – it never rains here.
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Review
The editors shared a review of the anthology on the group's Facebook page yesterday. I haven't paid a ton of attention to the reviews, but at the time that I received the Facebook notification, I was on my break at work, so I clicked on it. (NOTE: You'll have to click on the pic below to read it - making it bigger didn't play nicely with the blog format, apparently.)
Yay! Someone other than my wife and I enjoyed my story! :)
Yay! Someone other than my wife and I enjoyed my story! :)
* * * * * * *
So, the anthology was named an "Amazon Best Seller" for reaching the top 100 books in its category (I believe topping out in the low 60s at some point). Given the sheer number of books in the Amazon system, it's a pretty major accomplishment for a small press like Anchala. I'm honored to have been a tiny part of their success.
Still a little surreal seeing my name on the page of a real book, though.
Friday, March 2, 2018
Read Across America - Launch Day is here!!
The day is finally here, my friends! Launch Day for "The Collection: Flash Fiction for Flash Memory" has arrived.
March 2nd has also been designated as Read Across America day, with the entire month of March being dedicated to the love and pursuit of reading. A time to share the joy of reading with the ones you care about. What better way to celebrate than by picking up a brand new collection of short stories written by a large number of talented people?
(Oh yeah, I wrote one of them too.) Get the book here: http://bit.ly/collection0302
So why this book? Well, let's be frank about something. Memory loss is a real issue as we age. And with the busy lives we all lead, it's not even always about aging - I have days where at 5:00 PM I'm lucky to remember what I did at noon if I didn't write it down. This book is targeted for people who have a love of reading, but struggle to remember the plot of longer pieces. It is a collection of positive stories that take a few short minutes to read, thus allowing even those who are having difficulty with memory to enjoy a complete tale.
The truth is we all have flash memory. As we move through our busy lives, finding the time to read longer narratives can be a challenge. These shorter fiction pieces between 500 and 750 words offer a flash of story to enjoy and the opportunity to connect and share with friends and family members of all ages. Most of all they are here to be enjoyed!
*************
Here’s what some of the people who have already read the book have to say:
"It's said that good things come in small packages…here's proof. These small stories linger large…for reading, discussing, remembering."
—Ruth Moose, Award-winning novelist and short story writer
"For most of human history, stories were shared aloud —in this collection, we are invited to regain that intimate space where speaker and listener shape a story into life. These flash fictions are like a Polaroid image, swiftly appearing before our eyes, a moment caught and made more precious by sharing."
—Valerie Nieman, author of Hotel Worthy and LifeVerse Instructor
"When my memory starts to fail me, I want to be reminded—as Flash Fiction for Flash Memory does so well—of how it feels to be touched by a good story. To break through the cobwebs in my mind and travel to places near and far, if just for a moment. Where paragraphs teach lessons and unite families. Where sentences evoke magic. And where hope and love are the four-letter words that matter the most."
—Landis Wade, author of The Christmas Redemption.
"Peer through the window into a world of emotions. From the aching loss on a one-lane bridge to the tangled memories that fill an empty box, each story in this collection leads you step by step through heartache and hope, until you realize that you’re not looking through a window at all, but into a mirror."
—Monica Sanchez, PhD, Co-editor, Storytelling: Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Perspectives.
*************
To learn more about this project, visit http://anchalastudios.weebly.com/
To get the book, click here: http://bit.ly/collection0302
I hope you will all enjoy The Collection as much as I enjoyed being a part of it!
March 2nd has also been designated as Read Across America day, with the entire month of March being dedicated to the love and pursuit of reading. A time to share the joy of reading with the ones you care about. What better way to celebrate than by picking up a brand new collection of short stories written by a large number of talented people?
(Oh yeah, I wrote one of them too.) Get the book here: http://bit.ly/collection0302
So why this book? Well, let's be frank about something. Memory loss is a real issue as we age. And with the busy lives we all lead, it's not even always about aging - I have days where at 5:00 PM I'm lucky to remember what I did at noon if I didn't write it down. This book is targeted for people who have a love of reading, but struggle to remember the plot of longer pieces. It is a collection of positive stories that take a few short minutes to read, thus allowing even those who are having difficulty with memory to enjoy a complete tale.
The truth is we all have flash memory. As we move through our busy lives, finding the time to read longer narratives can be a challenge. These shorter fiction pieces between 500 and 750 words offer a flash of story to enjoy and the opportunity to connect and share with friends and family members of all ages. Most of all they are here to be enjoyed!
*************
Here’s what some of the people who have already read the book have to say:
"It's said that good things come in small packages…here's proof. These small stories linger large…for reading, discussing, remembering."
—Ruth Moose, Award-winning novelist and short story writer
"For most of human history, stories were shared aloud —in this collection, we are invited to regain that intimate space where speaker and listener shape a story into life. These flash fictions are like a Polaroid image, swiftly appearing before our eyes, a moment caught and made more precious by sharing."
—Valerie Nieman, author of Hotel Worthy and LifeVerse Instructor
"When my memory starts to fail me, I want to be reminded—as Flash Fiction for Flash Memory does so well—of how it feels to be touched by a good story. To break through the cobwebs in my mind and travel to places near and far, if just for a moment. Where paragraphs teach lessons and unite families. Where sentences evoke magic. And where hope and love are the four-letter words that matter the most."
—Landis Wade, author of The Christmas Redemption.
"Peer through the window into a world of emotions. From the aching loss on a one-lane bridge to the tangled memories that fill an empty box, each story in this collection leads you step by step through heartache and hope, until you realize that you’re not looking through a window at all, but into a mirror."
—Monica Sanchez, PhD, Co-editor, Storytelling: Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Perspectives.
*************
To learn more about this project, visit http://anchalastudios.weebly.com/
To get the book, click here: http://bit.ly/collection0302
I hope you will all enjoy The Collection as much as I enjoyed being a part of it!
Thursday, March 1, 2018
March 2, 2018 - a red-letter date in the history of science...
OK, so maybe not science. (Kudos to those who get the quote.) But a fantastic Friday on tap nonetheless!
March 2, 2018. The date of the release of "The Collection: Flash Fiction for Flash Memory", featuring my story "One Night Only". Along with a number of other outstanding pieces, of course. (Check back here tomorrow for a link to purchase on Amazon!!!!) I'm proud and excited to be a part of this project, and I hope many of you will decide to invest in a terrific collection of stories.
March 2, 2018. Tickets go on sale for Metallica's long-awaited return to Buffalo, NY. (which will be my son's first Metallica show!) We missed out on getting to see them last summer in Toronto, but nothing will stop us this time around.
March 2, 2018. A late winter snowstorm will blanket Western new York and make travel very difficult, and cause frustration and backaches throughout the entire region.
OK, well I suppose two out of three ain't bad. :)
March 2, 2018. The date of the release of "The Collection: Flash Fiction for Flash Memory", featuring my story "One Night Only". Along with a number of other outstanding pieces, of course. (Check back here tomorrow for a link to purchase on Amazon!!!!) I'm proud and excited to be a part of this project, and I hope many of you will decide to invest in a terrific collection of stories.
March 2, 2018. Tickets go on sale for Metallica's long-awaited return to Buffalo, NY. (which will be my son's first Metallica show!) We missed out on getting to see them last summer in Toronto, but nothing will stop us this time around.
March 2, 2018. A late winter snowstorm will blanket Western new York and make travel very difficult, and cause frustration and backaches throughout the entire region.
OK, well I suppose two out of three ain't bad. :)
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