What thinkest thou?

   These days, it seems to me that our freedom of speech and expression are more and more limited and attacked. Case in point, the whole mess with the "anti-Islam" movie, as the media puts it. I don't know the guy that made the film, or even much about him. I haven't seen the film. I don't plan to. I don't know too much about it. But I can't help but wonder, what about these people running around burning flags and shouting "Off with his head!" and "Death to America!"? Have ANY of them seen the film? I highly doubt it. It hasn't even been released, except for snips of it on the Internet. My question also is, is Mohammed and their beloved Allah so weak that they can't defend themselves? People blaspheme the name of Jesus Christ every day. Do we followers of Christ behead them and burn their homes? Do we pour into the streets in a frenzy like blood-crazed sharks? No. We are to pray for those who persecute us, to love our enemies and turn the other cheek. Why? Because vengeance belongs to the Lord. He will repay. Jesus Christ can and does defend Himself. God will not be mocked. Just because He is silent now does not mean that He does not see and care about what's going on. He will return. He will come in judgment. He is coming with rewards for those who love and serve Him.
   In the mean time, it seems that our freedom of expression is becoming increasingly limited. People are so afraid to upset these fundementalists and extremists.  As I mentioned, I don't know the maker of the film. I do not support nor attack him. I am just saying, is he not entitiled to his opinion? Do people on the other side of the world have the right to try to kill him? Is not their god (Allah) able to defend himself? Or is he so weak, his followers have to defend him? If we bow in fear to these terrorists, as it seems America and the media are doing, then they have won already.
   What do YOU think? Let me know. Thanks.

I need a (writing) fix!

   I didn't get a chance to write yesterday. I was running around like a blind dog in a meathouse from 5 a.m. until I went to bed at 10 p.m.  
   I crave writing. It's my thing, my addiction. I think about writing all day, all the time. I think I've always wanted to be a writer. I wanted to write stories as far back as I can remember. I just never took myself seriously. When I can't write for a couple days, I go through withdrawals.
   If God came to me and said, "Tim, you can pick any vocation in the world;  you may never be rich, but your needs will always be met. Your bills will always be paid, and food will always be on your table. You can have whatever job you want. Just pick." There would be no hesitation. I'd pick being a writer. It's my thing. I can't do anything else. If you look up "inept" in the dictionary, you'll see my picture next to it. But God has given me the ability to spell and write somewhat. What could be better than doing what you love for a living? Shoot - that's not working. If only I can get there. To write full-time is the dream of my life.

Eating the Elephant

   Many years ago while feeling overwhelmed by college classes, working full time, plus trying to raise a family, a good friend asked me a question. He asked me, "How do you eat an elephant?" I replied, "I don't know." He said, "One bite at a time." Granted, that's humorous, but it really helped me. It still does. When I feel overwhelmed, I realize that I'm looking at that big old elephant, and he's glaring at me. You may wonder, "How the heck am I gonna eat that whole stinking elephant by myself?" The same way: one bite at a time. Instead of looking at the whole "elephant," look at one thing at a time. Keep your eyes on one part of a project at a time. The next thing you know, you'll be looking for a toothpick, saying, "Dang, that was one good elephant! I can't believe I ate that whole thing by myself!" It may take time. The story I'm working on now, I originally wrote 11 years ago. It was the same year as the terrorist atatcks in September. A lot has happened in those 11 years. I've made countless changes, additions, deletions and corrections to the story. It's an historical novel, and I originally wrote it without enough research. Had I submitted it 11 years ago, I would've looked really ignorant and foolish. I believe the story is remarkably better now. Is it perfect? Of course not. But with one bite at a time over 11 years, I'm just about done with this particular elephant. Pretty soon, I'll be looking for my toothpick and wondering what's for dessert.
  Thanks for taking the time to read this.

About time!

   It's been way too long since I wrote anything here. Sorry.
   My story is coming along slow but sure. I made many corrections and additions to it over the summer. I was numbering the pages. I had to make some changes, which I hadn't planned on making. It totally messed up the page numbers. I had to erase all the page numbers. Now I'm doing one last read-through and a few additions. I'm planning on having a couple more people read the story for their thoughts. Then I'll number the pages (AGAIN) and pray I can find an agent. I have two in mind, one in particular.
   Oh, to be rich and to be able to just write full time! Maybe some day.
   Thanks for reading this!

I hope I'm doing this right. I haven't written in here since April. This whole thing's changed since then.
Anyhow, I just finished re-reading my story and adding to it today. It's over 89,000 words. I'm glad I decided to read it again. I found a few mistakes and added some stuff to it. Now, if I can only find an agent! Will really try to write again soon!

Done at last!

At long last, my story is finally re-written! I went from 46,000 words to 88,574. I did spell & grammar check. I'm reading thru it one more time, making tiny changes here & there. My daughter & wife are planning to read it thru for me, to check for any awkward wording, etc. Now, if I can just find an agent & a good publisher!

Another post at last!

   Well, I worked on my story for the last few days, off & on. I've gone from 46,000 words to nearly 74,000. The goal is 80,000. It's great to work on it again. Have a million story ideas. Haven't been able to do 'em, because I've wrestled with this story for so long. I hope to finish soon. Then I need to proofread it one more time, set up my page numbers, etc., then it's off to an agent. And then the real praying begins.