September 3, 2008

Original Poetry: Shattered Glass

Shattered Glass

Days flow and nights pass
My life broken like shattered glass
Meaningless time marching forth
I spend the hours judging my worth
Stumbling through society's normality
I no longer fit into their reality

Invisible soul, a shade of the eye
No answers to know, no reason for why
Dismissed by all without thought or reason
Loneliness growing from season to season
No longer desired, a simple formality
I no longer fit into their reality

Examining their notions, learning their mind
Time flows away with angst for their kind
Why drown my soul with continual nonsense
Continuing life's dance under this pretense
I'm finished for good with their broken mentality
They no longer fit into my reality

-- Jaym



August 27, 2008

Creative Writing Online Resources

I recently suggested some items you can purchase in your bookstore, as well as a few online web resources that can aid the beginning writer in honing their craft or answering nagging questions. But there is another powerful resource (beyond simply reading, of course!) that is easily discovered and plentiful in nature.

While you wouldn't think the quality would be there (and in some cases, it's not, make no mistake) there is a TON of quality information on YouTube, of all places. From beginning concepts to character honing, you can truly find a full education's worth of information to sort through.

So if you are of a visual-learning mindset and want something a bit less dry than some static books or websites, why not take a browse through the list of videos available to your beck and call, 24 hours a day? If you find a particular video you like, make sure to check if that person has a series on writing- you may find your very own online mentor!


August 19, 2008

Feeding Your Creative Beast

If you're into writing, you are going to, under all circumstances, get writer's block.

Accept that now.

Once you've accepted that, the next most important step is to NOT PANIC when you get it. You're not the only person in history to get stuck, or have their muse go on a seemingly indefinite vacation. Just take a deep breath, regroup and consider all of your options.

First off, make sure you're feeding your creativity beast. Yes, your beast requires a constant stream of sustenance, and if you're not providing it any new sources of tasty creative juices, it will turn on you, snacking on what's left of your imagination until it is distracted with new food.

As a writer, you must make sure you are also reading. Reading is a fundamental aspect of writing. Not only does it get those juices flowing, but it continues to teach you more about the art of writing and perhaps even help to hone your own writing skills. If you are already reading plenty, don't neglect other sources of inspiration- painting, music, dance, gaming... anything that tickles your fancy will help keep you inspired.

Once you've made sure you've fed the beast, you can turn to resources at your local bookstore or even online to help give you a boost. In your local bookstore's writing section you'll find a few dozen writer's block books and kits, all designed in different ways to give you a spark. Some provide exercises, some a simple word, phrase or idea to run with. After all- just because you're writing a science fiction novel doesn't mean that starting to write anything you can come up with off of the word "ball" won't apply. Perhaps you use that keyword to start talking about a ball bouncing down a flight of stairs, which leads to you alter it to be a ball of energy that powers a spaceship- and, wait! The engineer's trainee dropped it during maintenance... and if the crew doesn't get it back in storage soon, it will melt through the ship's hull! Suddenly, you're back on track- just from seeing the word "ball". Don't underestimate the appeal of randomly writing from seemingly unrelated topics!

If you want help of the free variety, there are resources online- besides countless forums and writing blogs, there are tips, tricks and aides to be found anywhere and everywhere you can search. Take some time to see what's on the net- some of it is quite valuable information!

For instance, here's a great list of tips on solving writer's block.

So remember- just because you've been staring at the same page for five hours or five days, it doesn't mean you should give up altogether. You can always get back on track in order to let your creative beast run wild.




August 4, 2008

Death of the English Language

"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test."
~ President George W. Bush, Feb. 21, 2001


I'm afraid I have bad news to pass on. One of our most beloved companions has passed away. For many of us, this companion allowed us to talk to other members of our nation and other people throughout the world. With this tragic passing, our ability to communicate- in a clear and concise manner- is now in dire jeopardy.

English Language
R.I.P.
5th Century - 21st Century

Yes, I'm being facetious here, but my point is quite valid. There is a conscious mindset in the (American) English speaking world, predominately by the younger generations, that being able to spell or speak the language properly is not important, especially once you begin discussing language online. With this uncaring mindset, the death of the language begins.

While online in games or on forums, you can't throw a letter Q without seeing countless atrocious errors in spelling and grammar. No one is perfect when it comes to spelling, and when you're talking about the online experience, typos are to be expected. The only danger in always ignoring your errors is when you do need to be perfect, perhaps in school but more importantly the professional environment, you will find yourself falling into the same habitual errors you are used to shrugging off. You will not simply cease all of your bad grammar habits magically.

Don't believe me? Turn on cable news and watch nothing but the ticker for half an hour. I know one day I counted no less than 24 errors in spelling, grammar and omissions. 24 errors in half an hour? On a major news source? No boss in any environment will find that acceptable. Nor should you. There are examples of this kind everywhere you look- schools, billboards, TV shows... just listen to any single speech by our current President! Fair or not, people do judge other people's writing and speaking as a large indicator of their level of intelligence.

You don't agree? Tell me, which of the following people would you assume is more intelligent, if you'd never met them and just read the following conversation online:

Person A.) "u no I can spell great when I want too- its not like i do this in the workplace."
Person B.) "I'm afraid that's untrue. If you're used to making those types of errors, you'll make them in other areas of your life, costing time- which is money."

Obviously, not only is person "B" far more clear in your ability to understand, you absolutely will believe that person is more intelligent. It's not to say they are, but the judgment will occur. And who wants to present themselves to others as stupid? This is all something that is easy to overcome! With the spell checking tools available online, many of these simple spelling errors can be eliminated without taking more than six or eight clicks of the mouse! Often you don't even have to retype a word- just click and select the correct spelling! The point is- you should WANT to correct your spelling errors.

What of grammar, though? Spell checkers do not catch the majority of grammar errors. This is shown all too often in those who rely on them to solve all of their writing woes. A quick solution for improvement is making sure you understand homonyms and possessives.

Let's start with homonyms. Homonyms are words that sounds alike but mean different things. For instance, steak and stake. I don't know about you, but I certainly wouldn't wish to try eating a stake. Even with ketchup. There are many homonyms in English, but you can vastly improve your language skills simply by knowing just the top five most used ones.

At the top of that list? Words such as there / their / they're. If you're going to travel to another destination, you're going to go there. If someone has or owns something, it is their item. And if your friends went to the bar an hour ahead of you, they're likely already drunk. Sound insulting and basic to you? Look around online- you'll be surprised how common these words are incorrectly substituted for each other.

Possessives are also constantly being misused. One of my biggest pet peeves is the lack of knowledge surrounding your and you're. It's extremely easy to master this, and makes you instantly look 100 times more intelligent! You're is a contraction. It stands for you are. Tell me- when you consider that, does it make any sense at all to see the sentence, "Your stupid!" Absolutely not! When I see someone say something of the sort, my first response is "I don't own a stupid!" or "My stupid did what?" Not so coincidentally, the original speaker never quite understands my response. Get in the habit of reading contractions out in your head- when you see "you're" your mind should be auto-translating to "you are". Once you begin doing this, you'll rarely make mistakes of this sort again.

Where is this laziness towards proper spelling and grammar coming from? Poor education? Lack of interest? I feel it's a simple artifact of the new mindset of the young. Having grown up inundated with information bombarding them constantly, there's a need to shorten everything into small, manageable bursts. That's why another pet peeve of mine, content length, is an additional casualty of the new broken-English language. Brevity has its place in professional settings, where word space is limited and costs money. But why is there anger present when someone on a message board leaves commentary longer than two paragraphs? I certain I've lost several readers because this post was longer than a few sentences. If the "short" content mindset continues to prevail, future online communications will consist of nothing more than one to five word "bursts" and emoticons.

There's no problem in having length to your online discussions! Even a lengthier entry like this shouldn't take you longer than a minute or two to read at most. If it does, you need to work on your reading skills! It simply doesn't take any time to read ten or twelve paragraphs of information and still comprehend it! The more you read, the faster you'll learn to read. If you continue to read nothing but two paragraph blasts with smiley faces, you'll cause yourself to become stagnant with a limited vocabulary- and, you're not going to be getting any decent content out of those blurbs while you stunt your linguistic skills.

Consider your personal good and bad habits concerning English, particularly online. Ask yourself if you're helping maintain the traditional rules and structure- necessary for understanding each other- or helping the language die its quick death.

In the meantime, I'll go by some "flours" to place by my dear English language's early grave.

July 28, 2008

Original Short Story: "To Serve"


To Serve
Jaym Esch



I serve my Queen.

No greater purpose exists in my busy, structured life. Around the clock, I live to meet her needs. My focused existence in such service is hardly unique. All who surround me possess the same determination. With this knowledge comes the understanding that I am no different than those who work by my side.

I make my way through the drab maze of corridors in our colony, forcing my way past other workers and soldiers, each focused on their own tasks. The earth beneath my feet is firm, packed tight by the habitual marching of countless legs. I continue forward, carrying out my duties without cessation- duties that have changed several times since I first started my service for my Queen.

Mine is a caste society, where status is predetermined- and therefore my duties- at a young age. Even the females are measured uniquely to discover the way in which they can best serve. The process is quite seamless, designed to maximize our efficiency in assuming our positions upon reaching adulthood.

I continue inexorably forward through this same place I was born in, seeking the end of my journey.

Youth is a pampered state for our kind. Family is not a matter of importance. I was raised by countless servants of my Queen, the same as the others around me. In fact, with the care bestowed upon our young in her domain, you can rightfully say we are all children of my Queen. Our care is a priority- still behind that reserved for my Queen, but forthright and assured. For the future in any society lies with the children. And so I grew strong, healthy, and able to serve.

When my adulthood came, my role had already been determined. I was not to serve as a soldier in our strong, numerous forces. Our soldiers are indeed fierce, some able to topple mighty giants with one swift, unarmed blow. Some of our distant forces in the Red Army even have experience in chemical warfare that provides a great advantage in battle. Our efforts have been so successful, we have managed to found colonies and thrive on nearly every landmass on the planet- only a scant few islands remain free of our presence!

Yet despite the amazing abilities of our soldiers, it was not the path for me. Instead my role will be that of a life of grueling, manual labor. Perhaps not as glorious as serving in battle, but essential- and not any less dangerous in the end.

At first, I served my Queen directly- provided for her every need, and even cared for some of the children. This was my one moment in time where I was able to spend my days by her side- to be at the center of it all.

However, such a time was not meant to last, and before long I was soon performing rigorous construction work. Hour after hour of working the earth in order to fortify our defenses and maintain passageways, so others could attend their own duties. This was a monumental undertaking, as we had established our location nearly 25 years prior, resulting in a truly massive scale of rooms and corridors to upkeep.


Yet time marched forward, and as my third year of adulthood arrived, I found myself serving in a new way in as many years. For the first time, my work would be requiring me to leave the colony and perform perhaps the most vital task of all: the gathering of food for the crop.

Leaving my past behind in the corridor I traversed, I stepped forth through the exit into the bright sunlight of the colony’s surrounding lands. A trail forward led me on, toward the great Green Forest and its plentiful growth towering toward the sky.

Foraging is a difficult task, and not one devoid of threat, so I proceed along the path quickly. A few of my co-workers travel along the same path- some yards ahead, others close behind. We must work hard, as winter approaches, and during the cold season we will need to rely solely on our efforts to date. We are not blessed with a tropical climate, and the upcoming freeze will slow our work to a near crawl.

Suddenly, an alert is signalled nearby! While some might turn and run at such potential danger, I charge forward with other nearby workers, heedless of the threat- instinct takes hold and compels me ahead.

Many of us converge upon the spot of the warning, to discover the Green Forest has been flattened in a large area. In the midst of the destruction lie the crushed corpses of some others of my rank. Yet before action can be taken, an enormous form appears above us, blotting the sun from the sky with its massive frame.

Of course! Only one of the giants could have caused such utter destruction to the forest! Yet our colony has no defense against the immense creatures. Helpless, I find myself directly under an incoming Giant foot swallowing the sky as the size of my doom increases each second it nears.

After the blow lands, I lie broken and mangled amongst the others who have fallen before me, draped over some of the wreckage of the vast Green Forest that no longer reaches for the clouds.

It is a seemingly cruel twist of fate, with all I have done for my colony and my Queen, yet there is nothing I could change. As my life seeps out of me, it is certain that another will take my place in service to my Queen, and there is nothing of consequence in such a random death.

For such is the life of an ant.



This story is something I came up with for use at the new writer's group I have joined, since I had nothing to submit in the first meeting. I actually was walking through a parking lot, and upon seeing an ant on the ground the last line instantly popped into my head. Since the length needs to be quite short, I tried to keep it quite simple.

While it is in essence a "twist" story, I feel that there is a backup use for the story for those clever people out there (and I know you're out there) who see the end coming before the final line... I call this a "re-read" story.

What I mean by a "re-read" story is that while you may have been clever enough to figure out that yes, it was in fact about ants, if you take a moment to read the story a second or third time, you may notice some interesting things.

I did my best to make sure not to humanize the ants- you should see that no one "assigned" work to the main ant- it was determined by his caste ranking. I also removed any reference to emotions- this was NOT easy, and I kept falling into the trap over and over again! Small play with words attempt to mislead the reader, but not unfairly: "collecting food for the crop" might seem incorrect, as a crop IS food, right? Well, no... in this case! Ants regurgitate food into what is known as the "crop", so the phrasing is correct- a clue to tease the reader.

All of the details in the story are true facts of ants, yet hopefully provide the illusion of a simple worker for a mighty Queen of some generic kingdom.

I also attempted to use a fair bit of foreshadowing- I refer to the ant's eventual death twice (see if you can spot these instances!) as well as make certain to refer to the "Giants" earlier, so the appearance of the murdering human (darn those humans!) at the end of the story is not so entirely random. The foreshadowing hopefully seeps in at least on a subconcious level to help tie the story together a bit.

I hope you enjoyed this simple story- it's nothing complex, but remember- you learn something each time you write, so no matter how simple the story, it will make you a better writer in the end!

July 24, 2008

Book Recommendation: The Gap Series by Stephen R. Donaldson

The first thing every writer must do is simple: read. A lot.

If you aren't interested in reading, how can you possibly be interested in writing? Only through the experience of feeling how others tell their stories can you learn how you can best tell your own.

While everyone has their own particular niche that they associate with the best, it can be a good idea for the fantasy fan to read a science fiction story, or the mystery lover to check out a political thriller. Reaching beyond your normal reading habits not only provides you with more insight into how differing stories are told, you may gain insight into how to utilize these other genres within your own tales! After all, a fantasy story with a mystery mixed in is imminently more interesting than a straight-forward fantasy story that's been done countless times before.

How about throwing some politics into your science fiction? Well I just happen to have a recommendation for you along these lines. This is the outstanding five book effort known as "The Gap" series by Stephen R. Donaldson. Mr. Donaldson is perhaps best known for his (soon to be) ten book fantasy series "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant". Normally, when an author dips from his normal genre into something else, the result can be toss-up. In this case, it makes me wonder what other amazing science fiction we've missed out on while Mr. Donaldson was working on his fantasy!

The Gap starts remarkably, in a book simply entitled "The Real Story". As unique a science fiction read as you'll find, the story revolves around three key figures as you try to piece together events that have just transpired- and of course, everyone always has a different take on what is going on... so what is the "real" story? You'll hardly be able to put the book down waiting to find out.

Just when you think you've finished an amazing one-book effort, however, you realize there are four more entries in the series. Suddenly the story takes flight into an epic tale of hardship and political conflict that never once gets confusing or loaded down with "sci-fi jargon". This is one reason the books hold so much appeal for non science-fiction readers... the true quality within this story is with the characters and their development- and much like the current rendition of "Battlestar Galactica" on the Sci-Fi network, the setting is not relevant to understand the machinations at work.

So if you normally roll your eyes at science fiction and think of nothing but Star Wars knock offs, I suggest you pick this series up and see what can be done when you really take control of your characters- and let them loose on the universe you've created.

The Real Story
Forbidden Knowledge
A Dark and Hungry God Arises
Chaos and Order
This Day All Gods Die

July 22, 2008

NaNoWriMo: Embrace the Madness!

Admit it.

You love writing, and as a writer, you have always been dreaming of the day your glorious novel breaks all the bestseller records and rests upon the shelves of every bookstore in the world.

Right? Of course. Very few writers don't (at least at some point) have a "secret" dream to write the "Great (insert your nationality here) Novel".

So what's stopping you?

Probably the same thing that stops everyone: A level of overwhelming confusion, writer's block and general apprehension concerning how to actually start the writing process without messing everything up!

Well I have a wonderful solution for you: This November, write your novel. No, I didn't say start writing your novel. I said write your novel. The whole thing. Before the end of November.

Madness? Indeed. And tens of thousands of people sign up (for free) to do such a thing. Willingly, I might add! The event is known as "National Novel Writing Month" (NaNoWriMo) and allows the aspiring writer to abandon all good practices, all concerns and focus on one and only one thing: writing!

As Chris Baty, the creator of NaNoWriMo states, the goal isn't to write a perfect masterpiece in such an insane deadline, but rather to aim for something that would not "make someone vomit".

Such a humorous approach to the writing process is part of the great appeal of NaNoWriMo, and communities form all around the nation for writing support, many meeting in person at local coffee shops or bookstores to help each other stay on pace.

If you're interesting in jumping in to the process, you'll want to visit the NaNoWriMo website and sign up- this is your home page for keeping track of if you "win" or not- you're aiming for a word count of 50,000! (Winners get a shiny badge and bragging rights, not to mention a finished novel... something most did not have prior to starting!)

Visit the homepage at: National Novel Writing Month

Another recommendation if you decide to participate- the corresponding book for NaNoWriMo, "No Plot? No Problem!" by founder Chris Baty. This book should be available in the writing section of your local bookstore or your favorite online store. No Plot? No Problem! on Amazon

So, why put it off any longer? Set aside some time this fall and write that book you've always wanted to write! Just remember... no starting early- that's cheating!