Tag: #amblogging

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare

#weekendcoffeeshare – 3/4/2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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Good morning, everyone. Please come in and share coffee and tea with me. I have a new and wonderful Earl Grey Tea for you to try and my regular coffee from Jamaica, both regular and decaf. Help yourself and let’s go to my writing studio to talk!

If we were having coffee,  I would ask you how you have been this week? How is your writing going? I have written some for my blog, but more on my novel than on the blog. I’ve added about 5,000 words to my novel which pleases me! I have put part of one chapter from my novel on this blog in order to get feedback from other writers. If you’re so inclined, please help me out by providing some feedback. It is not a finished chapter. But it is part of the backstory of the protagonist.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that, yes, the muse has been with me this week. I’m really into writing my novel right now. Unfortunately, we are also getting ready for our move to Florida, so the rest of the weekend, after I finish this blog post, will have to be devoted to that. It is a huge job to divide our stuff up to take enough to Florida and pack it. I’ve never been very good at this kind of thing.

It’s not such a hard job to divide up household stuff. I find that dividing up clothes is the hardest part.

If we were having coffee, I don’t think I could help but mention the political situation in the U.S. I don’t think it matters which side you’re on – Republican or Democrat Everyone seems worried about what is going on with the Executive Branch of government, including me. I find myself watching Cable News way too much. It seems like there is a disaster or two daily. We aren’t a very good example of a functioning democracy these days. Unless things get better, I think some changes are going to have to be made. Can the U.S. continue to be “the shining city on the hill?” Have we already fallen from grace?

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that since I got back to Kentucky from Florida, I am not handling the cold very well. There is a 40F degree difference and it has really bothered me. I’ve been sick twice since I’ve been here. At this point in my life, I crave a warm environment. Last I heard, it was 92F and dry where we live in Florida. It is 41F degrees where I live in Kentucky and wet most of the time. I don’t think this climate is good for me. Since my friends also seem to be sick, I could draw the conclusion it isn’t good for anyone!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that since I am writing a psychological thriller, I’ve decided I should be reading some psychological thrillers. Of course, I have in the past but I need to be now. One I chose and am reading now is “The Couple Next Door” by Shari Lapena. It’s a New York Times best seller and it is, indeed, a psychological thriller. I’m enjoying it, but I think it drags a little. A thriller has to be fast-moving.

We’ve had little winter, a really cold winter, here in Kentucky. The foliage is starting to bloom and blossom. I so hope everything doesn’t get killed back. It really is such a beautiful state. I just need something different in my life. Does that make sense? Have a wonderful week!

Posted in Challenges

The Project of Writing a Novel – #SoCS 3/4/2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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I’ve mentioned in these stream of consciousness posts that I’m writing a novel. I suspect it is a little like giving birth. This project is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but one of the most fulfilling.

I changed careers in the middle of my life. I finished a career as a college professor after 27 years. I still felt young and strong and interested in the world around me. I wasn’t ready to quit work and retire to my rocking chair. I have been writing since I was a child. My first story was published in the Highlights for Children publication. Then, during my teaching career, I published many academic writings. Near the end of that career, I started writing for a financial brokerage and was writing for them, when I wasn’t at school, on 9/11. Writing about 9/11 gave me some serious writing chops. I was hired to write for the New York Times division, About.com. I was their Subject Matter Expert on finance and wrote, edited, and became the webmaster for their Business Finance website. I held that gig for five years. That gave way to writing for corporations, usually online learning materials for their executives. I also wrote many non-fiction articles for online and offline magazines.

So here I am. With my own blog where I started out writing well-researched non-fiction and I still write some of that. I took some writing classes through Udemy and read authors like Stephen King and Rayne Hall. I’ve studied writing extensively. I, then, started writing some of the fiction challenges here on WordPress which have helped me enormously and I decided to try my hand at my first novel. I knew the story I wanted to tell. I just had to figure out how to tell it, which is a daily process.

A good novel that you plan to hand to a publisher is about 80,000 words. That is long and hard and requires that you study all elements of writing fiction. I’m closing in on the first of three parts of this novel which is a psychological thriller. The first part, indeed all three parts, will be 26,000 words or thereabouts. It’s exhausting and very satisfying work. If you are interested in writing a novel, I’d recommend you read Stephen King’s book “On Writing” first.

I’d love to hear any comment you want to make or any advice! I’m a novice and still have a lot to learn!

SoCS 3/4/2017

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare

#weekendcoffeeshare – 2/25/2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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Good morning! It’s nice to see you. I can offer you coffee and tea this morning. I have some wonderful green tea, if you’re brave, and some Jamaician coffee which can’t be beat. Besides that, I have morning blend coffee and English Breakfast tea. Please help yourself. We’ll be meeting in my writing studio.

I’m so glad you’ve come this morning. I enjoy our #weekendcoffeeshares so very much! Can you believe our weather? Yesterday, we had record heat. Here, at my house, it was 78F degrees in February! Then the storm last night. Right now, it’s 47 degrees here and it’s supposed to freeze tonight! That’s Kentucky, I guess. If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I would love to hear how your writing is going? After taking what amounted to a writing break, I’m trying to get back into the swing of things. I’m writing a little on my novel every day. I have a paid writing gig that I’m working on – a guest blog post for a very interesting website. I’m also trying to keep up here, with my blog. I would like to find a few more challenges here on WordPress. If any of you know of some challenges that involve writing longer pieces than flash fiction, please clue me in.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I’m trying to learn to use Twitter to find writing resources and grow my business. Do any of you make use of Twitter? One thing I’ve found is that there is a vast array of writing resources out there in the ether! So many resources there is no way I can keep up but I’m making use of the ones I find as I can.

If we were having coffee, I would let you know that I’m getting ready to go back to Florida in a month and take possession of the little home I bought there. I have so much to do before I can do that like do my income taxes! It’s that time of year and I’m always late getting started. I’m gathering my material together now. I have to take household items with me to Florida this time for my home there along with clothes that I want to leave there. I’m planning on staying a couple of months and then coming back to Kentucky for the summer. No summers in South Florida!! At least not yet. I’ll go back for the winter in October or November.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that my writing goal is to write 10,000 words on my novel while I am in Florida. It is not an unrealistic goal and it will not stress me too much. I feel like traveling enriches writing and even though the story for my novel is in my head, perhaps I can use my travels to enrich my novel. My guest blog post will also be due during the time I’m there. It will be a challenge to get my home in good shape and meet my writing goals at the same time while I’m in Florida.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you about an author, Rayne Hall, who I encountered on Twitter. He has written some very helpful books on writing. They are short, to the point. They are on topics like finding your voice, characterization, and more. I’ve found them helpful. Check him out. I found his books on amazon.

If we were having coffee, I would remind you that I like science so I’ve been really excited by the discovery of the fairly nearby Earth-like planets that scientists just discovered. The planets orbiting the star called TRAPPIST-1, in the Constellation Aquarius. I think the fact that these planets lie in the Aquarius Constellation is pretty cool, considering I’m a former flower child. 🙂 Back to the discovery! The planets are a mere 40 light years away, which is very far. Three of them, scientists say, could be ready for habitation within 10 years. The challenge for scientists is to find out if any of the planets are, indeed, habitable. For example, is there enough oxygen in their atmosphere? That’s only one question they have to answer. I’ll be following this story!

I’ll have to tell you goodbye for today. I must get to work! I’d love to hear about your writing and anything else that’s important to you in the comments! I look forward to reading your #weekendcoffeeshare!

Posted in Challenges

#SoCS – 02/25/2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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Taxes, Moving, Reading, and Writing…and Weather!

How is it that it is already time for me to do my taxes this spring? Every year, about this time, it suddenly dawns on me that I really do have to settle up with the feds and that I need to start working on it. This year, my timetable is even more compressed since I’ll be heading back to South Florida in just one month. My federal and state taxes have to be signed, sealed, and delivered by the time I leave.

I don’t have much on my mind today except the preparations to go back to Florida and get my home set up. I’ll stay there just for a couple of months this spring. Then I won’t go back during the hot summer. I’ll wait and spend the winter there. The people from whom I bought my little Florida home vacate it on March 31. I will use the months of April and May to get it in shape to live in beginning in October or November for about six months. I’m looking forward to my spring stay even though it will mean lots of work putting it all together. Most of the furniture stays, but I’ll supply the rest of it. I’ll also move clothes when I go this spring.

Since I can’t work on the house 24/7, and don’t want to, my second priority is to spend several hours each day/night writing. My goal is to write 10,000 words during April and May on my novel. That is not a lofty goal but one I should be able to meet. I didn’t want to set a high goal and just frustrate myself. I have some paid writing gigs and, of course, my blog to keep up with as well.

Every night, I try to read just to relax. There is an author who I’m sure many of you have read but I’ll share her name with you anyway — Sarah Jio. I have enjoyed all her books.

It’s thundering outdoors right now and I’m almost glad to hear it. It’s been so very unseasonably warm here for February. We’re supposed to have a brief change in the weather pattern and the temperature should drop into the 40sF during the day. That won’t last and it seems the end of February and first of March will continue this as this unusually warm winter in the Ohio Valley. I love the hot temperatures where I go in Florida as it’s supposed to be that way at this time of year but not here. Quite the opposite. Makes me worry about things like climate change and the possibilities of global warming.

I look forward to reading your posts!

This post is part of #SoCS

Posted in Flash Fiction

Snowball Fight

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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“Daniel, this the first snow in five years. It’s beautiful, but I wonder what it means?”

“Yes, Kate. Since that very warm winter we had in 2017, the weather during the last five years has been unheard of across the U.S. as well as right here in Kentucky.”

“Daniel, when were growing up, and even as young adults, we had big snows and brutal cold here. Now that type of weather is only in northern Canada.”

“Kate, let’s just go take a walk in the snow and enjoy it. We still have coats, don’t we?”

“Snowball fight!”

Posted in Non-fiction

Forgiveness

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

Forgiveness is divine.

Most of what I’ve written recently has been fiction. I may write a story or a scene from a story about this topic – forgiveness – as well. This post is more like a journal entry, a nonfiction post, about forgiveness.

Have you ever felt that someone has wronged you? Really wronged you in a hurtful way? Being wronged in an intimate relationship may be one of the worst ways to be wronged, but it is certainly not the only bad way. Parents wrong children. Children wrong parents. The list goes on. This post veers more toward two people hurting each other in a love relationship and how to achieve foregiveness. I do not profess to be an expert but a neophyte. I’m only jotting down my thoughts.

Some of us may find ourselves in a relationship that perhaps we shouldn’t be in. To make it more complex, maybe we should be in it but it isn’t ours to be in at that moment in time. We may love someone, but circumstances make the relationship complex, complicated, difficult, even impossible. No matter how much we want that relationship to work. Other people may be involved and in the line of fire to be hurt or damaged in some way because of this relationship. Relationships, as we all know, can be complex, convoluted, and involve more than just the two people involved.

Because of the stress on relationships that are difficult and complex, those relationships will splinter and shatter at some point. Both people may agree to go their separate ways. One person in the relationship may decide, on their own, that they must end the relationship. The optimal thing to do, of course, is for the two people to sit down, talk, and bring an end to the relationship together. I am not saying that would be easy, but it’s the best way.

But, people are complex creatures with highly charged emotions, particularly in love relationship. They have their own individual problems and idiosyncracies, complications in their lives, and individual ways of handling things. Not everyone is going to handle breakups of love relationships in the same way. Some people are non-confrontational by nature. Because of all these factors and others, someone is bound to get hurt when a love relationship ends. Maybe even both people, even though one is doing the ending.

So what happens next? Usually anger, hurt, grief, sadness, even the desire for revenge in some cases, though not necessarily in that order. How do you make your way toward forgiveness? Can that even happen?

As I said earlier in this treatise, I am a neophyte in this area, but I think it can. It depends on the people involved, of course. One thing I do know is that it takes time and thought. If you are the person who has been told that the love relationship is over, then you have to get past your anger in order to see things clearly. You have to try to put your hurt and sadness aside long enough to think logically about what happened and why it may have happened. You have to be honest with yourself. It may take some time.

Remember back to the time when your relationship was good. If you trusted your partner then, you need to trust that former partner now. Quite probably, there was a good reason that they ended the relationship that may have little to do with you. It may have more to do with the circumstances of the relationship and their life. Your former partner may not have done a perfect job of ending the relationship. In fact, that is almost certainly true. But, they did what they had to do and hoped you would trust them and understand.

If you can see this, you are at the beginning of forgiveness. Only the beginning, but you have taken the first step. If you can draw on the trust you had for your partner when you were together, it will help you take this first step. It doesn’t mean your hurt or sadness or grief will just go away. Of course, they won’t. The bad feelings you have about the relationships may start to lessen, however. You may start to see things from your former partner’s point of view.

If you are a vengeful person, you need to let go of any feelings of revenge. I, personally, am not a person who seeks revenge so I have a hard time relating to it. I tend to beat myself up instead. Revenge will hurt you far more than the person upon who you are seeking revenge.

If you need to remove the person who hurt you from your thoughts, forgiveness will help you do this. As for me, I want to forgive but keep the person in my thoughts. I’ve taken the first step. We had thousands of wonderful times together during our lives. I want to remember all those times without scarring them with the hurt of the end of the relationship. Yes, this part is a challenge.

I’ll be writing more on this topic. It’s cathartic for me and I hope a help to some of you.

Prompt #953

Posted in Flash Fiction

Fear of Flying

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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Violet had never been afraid of flying. She was flying to her new home in South Florida late this afternoon. She was terrified. She had scheduled an appointment with her sleep doctor for something to take the edge off so she could even board the damn plane. He would also have the results of her sleep tests.

She was shell-shocked when she walked out of his office. He had given her a prescription for her fear of flying along with her diagnosis. PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He wanted to know what had happened since he saw her last.

She knew now what was wrong. The last time she had been at an airport. The airport in St. Louis. A traumatic experience. The man she loved had flown away – forever.

Violet put the prescription in the trash. That was not going to destroy her life.

Posted in #SoCS

#SoCS – 2/18/2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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Is it Winter?, Basketball, Reading, Writing

After being in South Florida for a month, I am confused about the seasons. When I was in Florida, I forgot it was winter. Now, I’m home in Kentucky and the temperatures are very warm for this time of year – in the 60s and even 70s. From what my friends here tell me, Kentucky really hasn’t had much of a winter this year. My psyche is confused about the seasons. I guess it will be from now on since we will be living six months in Florida (winter) and six months in Kentucky (summer) so we will sort of be in perpetual summer. Suits me just fine.

Yes, we are home from Florida and the amount of just “stuff” I have to put away, launder, and arrange is mind blowing. What I would rather be doing is writing. I didn’t get to write nearly as much as I wanted while in “The Sunshine State.” I will rectify that while in Kentucky. Now that we actually have a place to live in Florida, I will now be able to write there as well. No longer will be living like gypsies while in Florida!

I love college basketball! I’m watching a game between my beloved University of Kentucky Wildcats and the Georgia Bulldogs. I don’t like professional sports, however.  We’ll be able to pick up the basketball games while in Florida as we will use a satellite dish.

Have you read anything good lately? The novel I’m writing is a psychological thriller so I’m trying to read other psychological thrillers to get a sense of their style. I’m currently reading “The Couple Next Door” by Shari Lapena. I think the author could have done a better job in building up suspense. Besides that, it is a very good book and I would recommend it. Do you have any suggestions?

I always like to exchange writing tips. My tip for today is to try to write something, anything every day to keep your hand in. Any tips? Put them in the comments section.

That’s it for now!

Posted in #weekendcoffeeshare, weekendcoffeeshare

#weekendcoffeeshare – 02/18/2017

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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Florida, Climate Change, and Extreme Life

Good morning! Welcome to #weekendcoffeeshare! I want to invite everyone in for coffee, tea, hot chocolate or the beverage of your choice. I am liking the Indian Spice Chai Tea because I don’t drink coffee. We have many different types of coffee and tea here for your drinking pleasure!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that my #weekendcoffeeshares have been odd the past few weeks because I’ve been traveling but I am back home and back to normal now. Traveling has really done a number on my writing. I’ve gotten a bit of writing done but have done absolutely nothing on my novel. I have to get back to work on it as soon as possible. Traveling does, I think, enrich your writing.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I hope all of you are doing well and that your writing muse is with you. I hope you’ll share your writing experiences with me in the comments and I look forward to reading your #weekendcoffeeshares.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that it is indeed interesting to now anticipate  living in the tropics six months each year. We are going to be living far enough south in Florida that it is certainly in a tropical zone. That is quite different from the temperate zone in which I live now. I do so love it there, however. But, I’m concerned. I don’t know about each of you, but I do believe in climate change and that the actions we take effect our climate. It seems that one of the key cabinet positions in the Trump Administration is now being run by an individual who does not believe in climate change and that does not bode well for keeping the regulations we have concerning the climate in place.

Florida is one of the states in the U.S. that will be first affected by rising sea levels. My new little home there is only one mile from the coast so I am concerned. Tides are getting higher. Real estate values, tourism, and Florida’s fresh water supply are already being affected. Florida is also getting hotter. When I was there this winter, it was above 80 almost every day in the Ft. Myers area. In late January and early February. I believe climate change is real and, living in Florida, you experience it first hand.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I have a lot of different interests. One of them is science and I read something this week I want to tell you about. Scientists have discovered a Mexican cave system that is incredibly beautiful but so hot that they call it both Fairyland and Hell. In that cave system are microbes that they think are at least 50,000 years old and have survived by living on minerals such as manganese and iron. They are called “extreme life” but they are not the oldest extreme life. To illustrate how extreme they are, they are very far from their nearest relative — as far as humans are from mushrooms. Just a science tidbit I thought you’d find interesting!

If we were having coffee, I would tell you that I hope to have some new writing to tell you next week, such as the fact that I’m making progress on my novel!

I have to go now and finish our unpacking from a month-long RV trip. A huge job. I’ve enjoyed being back with you!

 

Posted in Fiction

Gretta’s Dream

Posted on by R.M. Carlson

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My name is Gretta. I don’t like to sleep. I dread going to sleep every night. You see, I have this dream. The same dream every night with minor variations. I remember my dream because it happens right before I wake up in the mornings. Each morning. Every morning. The dream isn’t bad. I should say it wasn’t bad in the past, but it was  a little disconcerting. Now, it’s bad. I still have the same dream even though, now, there is no reason I should have it. It makes me feel like I’ve been hypnotized.

Yes, I know this sounds confusing. I guess I should try to explain except I’m not sure I can. I think I probably was hypnotized, although that isn’t the right word. Brainwashed. That’s the right word. So I have this dream and it seems real. Sometimes for as much as ten or fifteen minutes after I wake up. I have dreams, just like everyone else, that I never remember afterwards. This dream is different.

I’m trying to delay telling you about the dream. I don’t like to talk about it. I’ve never told anyone about it except the other person who is in the dream, but he’s gone now. I think if I talk about it, maybe it will go away. Here goes.

Some background. There was a man in my life for awhile. That ended and it ended badly. Very badly for me compliments of him. But that’s another story. That man is in my dream. I had this dream while we were seeing each other and it has continued since. Probably because I was brainwashed.

It’s a simple dream. I dream that this man is lying beside me. We’re holding hands. His hand feels so real to me that I’m convinced he’s really there. It’s like living in an alternate reality. Then, I wake up. I still feel his hand grasping mine. I continue to lie there, sometimes for ten or fifteen minutes, actually wondering why I feel his hand in mine. I know it isn’t real, but why does it feel so real even when I am wide awake.

I get out of bed. For a time afterward, it haunts me. Not so much the dream, but the feeling. Why do I keep having the dream and more importantly, why do I keep having the feeling of his hand grasping mine?

Do you see why I don’t like to sleep?

Any feelings associated with the dream have long since gone. They are dead, buried by the ashes of my relationship with the man in the dream. I don’t even like the feeling of his hand grasping mine any more. He showed himself to be a mentally ill psychopath. Even at that, it took some time for me to get over my own feelings for this man. Once I found out what he had done, it was a relatively quick process. Within a few months, I was over the relationship or as over a relationship as you can ever get when someone sets out to systematically gain your love and trust and then, on purpose, figures out and acts on a plan to crush you.

Why did he do this rather than just tell me the relationship wasn’t working for him? You’d have to ask him. I suspose because he is, indeed, a psychopath.

I’m left with this dream that wants to pass for reality. Every day, I tell myself it is not reality and will never be reality again because I will never allow that to happen. The dream does not go away. Can a situation, a relationship, damage your subconscious to the point where you can’t shake it from your subconscious?

I guess I need help with this. You don’t get over brainwashing easily. I would do just about anything if I could wake up just one morning without having had this damn dream. I would love to like to sleep again. Peacefully.