Announcement: A Writers Forum

I’m happy to announce that I’ve opened up a new discussion forum for writers. Registration is free and open to all. Whether you’re a published author looking for volunteer beta readers for your next project, a novice looking for resources and advice or just someone who loves to share your thoughts and ideas with other, The Writers Den may be for you.

I welcome all to come take a look and join in. If you have any questions, please comment here or you can use my Contact Me page (link at the top of my blog).

Thanks and Welcome!

The Voice (Chris)

A Much Needed Break

Writing is hard work.

To those who follow my blog I wish to apologize for the long absence of posts from me. I normally try to post at least three articles per week and I’ve fallen a bit shy of that as of late. Certain things in my life required my attention and I had to put my writing on hiatus. However, I am back and ready to resume my rants and I hope to have something ready for you today or tomorrow at the latest.

Thank you for your patience and yes, it’s good to be back!

~V

The Flames of Freedom

I’ve been seeing a lot of photos and conversation lately concerning the desecration of the American Flag. I wish I could say that most of the conversations have been comprised of intelligent, reasonable discourse over the importance of the First Amendment and the concerns of those who burn or trample the flag, but sadly this is not so.

What I have seen rather, is the usual bigoted, “Love it or Leave it” sort of blind patriotism that all too often dominates these conversations. Allow me to illustrate. This meme was recently posted by a conservative Facebook page.

The Tragedy of Battle Creek

It had been a busy week, starting with the Frog. He felt no remorse, but neither did it bring him joy. It was, he reasoned, a task that needed to be completed and he was the man to do it. No one saw him enter the home and no one saw him leave. He’d spent years practicing and preparing for that moment. Countless bowls had been consumed and gallons of milk emptied. He’d collected the prizes that sat inside the boxes and played all the games and puzzles that the manufacturers had printed on the backs of those boxes. He was ready. He’d taken out that stupid red hat wearing Frog in one blow and left only a body in a pool of blood. There was no joy, but there was exhilaration. He knew he’d do it again.

A New Blog! Whaaaaat?

My Blog of Short Fiction. Check it out.

After carefully nurturing my blog for the past three months, I’ve decided I’m ready to add another member to the family. Since I’m writing more short fiction now, I wanted a special place to post it that was not cluttered with other content (like 90% of the posts from this blog are). I’d like to introduce you to… The Well of Fiction!

For the rest of this week I’ll be posting short stories on both blogs, but starting Monday, all my short fiction will post there and this blog will be used for non-fictional rants, articles and such. I cannot guarantee that I will post the fiction with the same frequency that I have been posting here (which is about 4-5 times per week), or that I’ll be posting articles here quite so often either. Honestly, I don’t really know how this is going to work, so be patient with me.

Also, I created a Facebook page for Dumasaphobic Diatribes, so you can also visit me there. I’ll be posting all of my articles there now instead of my personal FB page as well as other links and articles and such. This is where I’ll probably post stories and articles from other bloggers I follow, so be sure to check it out.

Thank you to all who have read and enjoyed my work and have shared your thoughts with me.

~V

How to Use This Blog

It occurred to me that many non-fiction books, especially “How-to” and text books often have a section at the beginning called “How to use this book” or something in that fashion. This shows the reader the most efficient way to utilize the information contained therein. Sometimes reading in a linear fashion is not the best way to find what one needs so sections of information can be grouped in different ways.

I’ve decided to do that with my blog. I started blogging for a few reasons. First, I wanted a method and outlet to encourage myself to write on a regular basis. In the past I have been lazy with my writing and I knew I needed to teach myself discipline and to write consistently. Secondly, I wanted to publish my work publicly in order to get feedback on my content and style. A writer cannot grow without feedback. Finally, I wanted to use my blog as a repository for my different styles so that potential employers who wished to view a portfolio of my work could reference my articles to evaluate my skills and (hopefully) offer me opportunities to write professionally.

Seeking a Mentor

I need it all

Help, I need somebody
Help, not just anybody
Help, you know, I need someone
Help

When I was younger, so much younger than today
I never needed anybody’s help in any way
But now these days are gone, I’m not so self assured
Now I find, I’ve changed my mind, I’ve opened up the doors

~Beatles

Right… so… this isn’t so much an article as it is a request for help. I’ve been maintaining my blog for nearly two months and I’ve become increasingly critical of my work. One of my reasons for creating this blog was to give myself a public forum for which to practice my writing skills. While I’ve challenged myself in a number of ways, I’m still missing an important element: critical review. In college all of my papers were graded and I received constructive criticism from my professors. This allowed me to grow as a writer.

I’m interested in developing a relationship with someone that has strong writing and editing skills and experience. I want more than just a proofreader for spelling and grammar mistakes. I would like someone who can identify errors in style and suggest ways to improve. In short, I really need a mentor.

I’m not sure what I can offer in return. This blog is more of a hobby right now so I can’t afford to pay anyone but I would consider reasonable requests for some kind of reciprocation (peer review, research, etc). Of course, wanting to help me out of sheer kindness is not only acceptable but highly encouraged. 🙂

If anyone is interested please leave a comment and I’ll reach out to you with my email address. Thank you in advance to anyone who considers my request.

~V

My Introduction

Well here we are, my newest blog page. I’ve had several blogs in past years that fizzled out after only about a month or so. What can I say? I lack discipline. But no longer, good readers! My New Life (as opposed to a New Year) resolution is to hone my writing skills, finish my writing projects, submit my projects for publication/film production and ultimately find a way to make a living by sharing what’s inside my head with all of you. So this blog is an exercise in writing discipline. I have committed myself to at least five blog posts per week and yes, I DO want feedback.

The topics of this blog will vary according to my moods. I may provide political or social commentary or satire. I might share information or just ramble on about nothing at all. I might entertain you with short stories or infuriate you with my personal views on life. In short, this blog is about stuff. All kinds of stuff. Blog stuff. And what sets this blog apart from all the other blogs in the (I love this word) blogosphere? That’s easy. It’s mine.

So read away my friends (and enemies too). Feel free to share anything you like. Someday you might say, “I remember when he started out with just a blog”. Chances are that I’ll still be writing just a blog, but in the off chance I make something of all this… YOU WERE THERE TO SEE IT ALL HAPPEN!

~ V