The Moods of Other People

It's just been an odd week. Nothing particularly outstanding, just odd. I have come to believe that a lot of people have gone into 2010 with annoyances and bad feelings and those are starting to appear in posts and attacks that are probably as much frustration at the world as at any one person. And a person who is almost always cheerful about things like writing isn't going to be winning these people over as friends. Just saying...

So, you know, my general 'Polyanna' attitude is not going over well in some areas. Should I be surprised?

I don't have a perfect life. I do, however, have it relatively good compared to a lot of people. I do work from my home, and almost all the work I do is writing-related. That makes me a lucky, and mostly happy, person. I go to bed when I want. I get up and work when I want. The schedules I have to keep are easy to fit into my chosen life-style.

It would be better if Russ wasn't working in New York and if we could spend more than a few days together every few months. It would be better if old bills didn't suddenly leap up to bite us just when we think we are finally getting clear of problems. However, the fact that Russ does have a job counts for a lot. So that keeps me optimistic sometimes. And that means I'm not going to get surly and bad tempered if you don't agree with me on something.

So, if you are going to try to argue with me that self-expression is not the important part of creative writing, don't expect me to bow to your obviously superior intellect because -- sorry -- just not obvious from this side.

If you are going to accuse me of running some sort of scam for money by giving free classes and running large free site for writers, I suggest you put a donation link on a site, don't mention it overtly except in times when the site needs to be renewed, and see how much income you get from it. I'm lucky to get a $12 donation a month most of the time. The idea that I could actually make money from this? Wow, there's a nice thought!

All in all, though, I think I'll just look to writing -- and my own self-expression -- for my future funds. Yeah, I still have a ways to go on that front, but at least I'm enjoying the work.

And here is the opening to the new 500 words-a-day story that I started on January 1. Yes, I'm doing it again this year, even though I growled and snarled and complained about it last year. I finally reread the book and it was much better than I had expected, so I think some of the problem was just my attitude towards things in general.

The new novel doesn't even have an outline. I'm about 7000 words into it. I'm having fun so far!



UPI -- Unexplained Phenomenon Investigator #1

Random Acts of Madness

Chapter One

Someone shouldn't have played with time. No one had any idea of who had done it -- that had been lost when things began to slip. Whatever happened, it tore a hole in reality and now things changed as the slip storms moved around the city. Sometimes they reset. Sometimes they stay. Sometimes they're very dangerous....

Scout woke up feeling very cold despite the hot summer night that had him sleeping with the van's doors open and the sheet kicked off. He'd been sweating like a pig a few moments before. Now it felt like ice had spread across him and he shivered as he grabbed at the thin sheet before his mind fully registered what was going on.

"Scout? Awake?"

He hated the voice in his head, the feeling of never having any privacy. He grunted an answer, still grabbing at the sheet, trying to get warm.

"Scout?"

"I'm awake," Scout said aloud. He pushed hair back from his eyes and tried to blink things into focus. "We have a slip. Near here?"

"Yeah. Very close."

He recognized the voice as Townsend, someone relatively new to the team. He wasn't as comfortable with him on Tech, but it was late night and the others were probably sleeping -- like he should have been.

Scout grabbed at his clothing and looking out the back of the van. He could see the flash of green lightning not far away. Not nearly far enough away, in fact. Kristi had put him in the right spot tonight, so she was getting better at taking the storm readings. And this one looked like it was going to be a monster of a storm.

"The others are coming in."

"Good. Looks like a hell of a mess out there," he said. He pulled on his pants, shirt and sandals while he stared out into the night. The flashes of green lightning rose upward into the sky, bouncing into each other and scattering sparks down across the area beneath the display. He tried to get some idea of the size and that sent a new chill through him. Scout wasn't sure he had ever seen a Slip Storm this big before.