Jul. 1 Writing: I have joined this writing group on LinkedIn called "Two Bits" about writers giving other writers advice. One person said: "I have a friend who read the The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and thought JS had written everything that was needed to be said, and there's nothing else to write about."
I can never stop writing like my blog. There will always be something in the news that I want to discuss, or a funny joke I saw on TV and have to tell someone about it.
Jul. 2 Flashpoint: I have writer's block, so I must go back. Let's think about that Flashpoint episode I saw back in Jan. 2011. The ep was called "No Promises." After I saw it, it made me spend 4 hrs on Rain.
In it, 2 young men got arrested and one had been shot in the arm. The man who's been shot in the arm, he works for his uncle who's a mob boss. The Cop who arrested the two men, then gets into a car accident, on purpose. The cop and the two men then get another car. The Cop is one of the SRU's member Spike's training officer. At the beginning, Cop taught Spike to "Never make promises."
You think Cop was dirty because he's helping these criminals. He isn't. He works for Mob Boss to pay for wife's treatment, but she died. He gets money to put daughter into rehab. The audience may think: "Yeah, well that's still not enough to make him a sympathetic character to be a dirty cop." If that isn't enough, then there's another twist.
The Mob Boss has taken a Cop's daughter in exchange for his nephew. So now Cop has to help these two criminals. SRU team figures out Cop's motive, and then they help him. However, Cop gets shot and as he's laying there bleeding out, he is talking to Spike.
Cop: Take care of my daughter Leslie. Promise.
Spike: I promise.
That episode was so good.
Inspiration: I was looking for writing inspiration by reading that LinkedIn writing forum. Here's a person Les who said this to "So what do you do when everything else you read deflates your confidence in yourself?":
Les: Jack, why would you let ANYONE---to say nothing of someone's book---deflate your self-confidence? Van Gogh made only fifty bucks for a painting during his entire life; don't let his suicide because of it slow you down. "The Silence of the Lambs" was rejected by more than twenty NYC publishers before it became one of the all-time great suspense novels and films. You're writing a plot that's been done before? So what? There are, according to another book, only 36 plots that ever existed---and when you boil them down, there are really only six or seven.
My twenty-sixth book will be published in November, and I doubt any of my plots are completely original. What IS original is the way I write it. What's original about your work is the way YOU do it. You're not going to be a Scott FItzgerald, a John Steinbeck, a Charles DIckens, a Leo Tolstoy---so forget about it. You're not going to be a ME, either, nor a Janice Richards nor a Debbi Weitzell (whose answer to you is absolutely terrific). You might be better than every writer who ever lived, or you might not, but that's not what's important. Be YOU---that's what you do better than anyone. And be the very BEST Jack Mulcahy you know how to be!"
Jul. 3 Post Secret: I was reading this email on postsecret.com. It was about a girl who met a guy through it. Here it is:
"When my plane finally landed in Philadelphia I was giddy to get off and was ready to see my guy. I walk out of the concourse and see him waiting for me, holding a sign with my name on it, just as I had done for him a few years previous... except Dominic then flipped the sign over, and written on the other side was 'Will you Marry Me?'.
We've set our wedding for October 2012. I had no idea when I joined PostSecret Community that I would find the man that I was going to marry. We both credit the honesty, vulnerability, and trust we had for each other upon meeting to PostSecret."
Blog: Earlier I had mentioned that I have 140 comments on my blog and 50 of it's spam. I really looked over the comments, and it's more like 100 of it is spam.
Today I thought my Vertex Fighter blog was too visually dark, because the background is completely black. I was then looking at background pictures, and it does make me be more creative. By exposing myself to new images, it makes me think outside of the box.
Well it did get new ideas running through my head. I like this background of doodles on a paper, but it looks like that would fit a teenage girl's blog, than my action movie. I like this background of rubber ducks, baby carriages, and baby bottles, but that looks like a stay-at-home mom's blog.
This picture of tomatoes looks good, but it could be used for a foodie or farmer's blog. These lights look like it would fit for some city person's blog and who reviews restaurants and clubs. This wedding cake would be perfect for a wedding blog.
I looked at all of the backgrounds and finally settled on one that is on a film set. It has lights and wires. It kind of inspires me. I may change it later, but I like it.
Jul. 4: My friend Michelle has her background with cute pandas and bamboo. It's very cute and it fits her style.
Shopping tip: Way back in 2000, my sister said that if I buy headphones, and the salesperson ask: "Do you want to buy the warranty?" Like if your headphones break within 2 yrs, you will get two free replacements. She says don't, because if they don't break then they have pocketed your warranty money.
However, in my case, you should buy the warranty if you use your headphones nearly everyday. It's bound to wear and tear. Even if you take care of it, it can break with daily use. That's what I did today, exchange my headphones for a free pair. Remember to keep the receipt.
Manners: My sister says I need to work on my phone manners, and my friends Angela and Leslie have said that too. However, I am aware of it. One time I was watching The Mentalist, and this man calls my house and asks to speak to my grandma.
Me: She's here, but she doesn't speak English.
Man: Yeah, well I'm calling on behalf of the Conservative govt.-
Me: You want money?
Man is taken aback.
Man: Yes.
Me: Well I can't really donate any money to you right now. Okay, bye.
Yeah, I know was being abrupt there. If it was a charity like the Alberta Cancer Research foundation called for money, I would have listened to their spiel, and then say I can't donate money. It's the Conservative govt. asking for money for their campaign. That's not a very important cause and the TV was on. I might as well cut to the chase.
Job link: I think I got this through Job Boom.com. It's called "Six Free Ways to learn Job Skills" like use Youtube and your library card to learn new things.
http://lifewise.canoe.ca/Investopedia/2011/05/11/18133726.html
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