Coffee, black and...cover your lady parts.

On my way to a café, the other day, in one of those towns where the uber hipsters hang out, I thought I’d park my car a little further away so I could get a little refreshing walk in. I crossed the street and made a quick left, heading to the café in the middle of the block.

Ahead of me were two young women. One of them had a head of bright blond hair with dark brown streaks in it, topped with a blue thingy wrapped around her hair ending in a long ponytail. She had on a colorful; I don’t know what you call it, a Halter top that exposed her belly button and a blue, short skirt that had frills on the ends near her knees. On her feet were beige-colored platform style shoes with straps that went up her ankles.

All of a sudden, she rolled her ankle, tripped and went down. She rolled over on her butt and as I walked to her to help her up, I noticed that she had no underwear on. It seemed like an eternity as I reached for her hand to help her up. She looked at me for a moment and said, “Did you like what you saw?”

I said, “No. You could use a trim or a Brazilian, maybe, or dye it the same as what’s on your head.” I smiled, and turned into the café. I then ordered a coffee, black, no sugar or cream. I wanted a brownie, but they didn’t have any that day, so I got one of those large, soft, chocolate chip cookie. I went and sat down on a vacant sofa and waited for my comrades to come. I was going to read some of my poetry, that day.

I was just about to get comfy when that young lady marched over to me. She stood there for a second then bent over to say something to me that only I could have heard.

“Are you some kind of pervert?” She said…her eyes wide, her face almost expressionless. I was shocked, but only for a second or two.

Looking dead into her eyes I said, “Youngster, I have seen, touch, tasted, and played with over xxx women in my lifetime. I am over xx years old and that,” pointing at her crotch, “doesn’t excite me as much as it did when I was your age.” I looked up at her and smiled, then added, “Besides, a pervert would have had a camera and took plenty of pictures. My camera was in my pocket.”

She straightened up and put her hands on her hips. I noticed the corner of her lip started to erect into a tiny smile. I figured she wanted to burst out laughing, but she didn’t. She turned and started to walk out of the café. I noticed, as she walked away, her rear end was sashaying, a definite prominence that she didn’t have as she was walking down the street. 

At that moment I realized, I had lied to her. Something I don’t do often, fibbing, not telling the truth. I did get excited, just a little, a tiny bit. Just enough to let me know, I’m still human.

Forty-five minutes later, as I sat listening to one of my friends read their poems, that youngster walked back onto the café, over to me and whispered into my ear, “can I get a ride home?”

A Study in Orange and Black

A study in Orange and Black

Chaos

Fire and steel molten

red malevolence poured

from vessel to vessel,

Chaos.

A river of steel flowing growing

smaller, pounded, beaten, flattened,

drenched, cooled,

Chaos.

A whistle blaring, a train’s

coming laden with ore splattering

its contents down the side,

Chaos.

Sparks fly like static electricity

dancing in the air, sizzling

aimlessly, alight near a flowerless plant

growing in the orange rust colored ground,

Chaos.

On that same plant, a butterfly

A spectacle beholding,

a Monarch, or maybe…

Chaos?

My Writing Life -- New Beginnings

I wrote on Facebook, about four days ago, that I had submitted my screenplay to Amazon studios to be evaluated and hopefully accepted and possibly get paid. Being this was my first screenplay, based on a short story I wrote many years ago, (I have a second script finished but I need to work on it also), I figured it was about time to get this career of mine jump started, once more.

Being that this was the first time I had ever written a script of any kind, I knew it wasn’t the best, but I gave myself an “A” for the effort of at least trying something different. I had gotten a book on screenwriting, but only read about a third and what I mean by a third, I truly skimmed through the book and tried to only read the highlights.

I then went and purchased the screenwriting program, Final Draft, (which, for some reason won’t work on Windows 10 and a new version runs about $160!). I took my story and tried to re-create it, as the program showed me how, step by step.  My Seventy-five word story was finished as a fifty-nine page script. However, the script sat on my desk (and in my hard drive) for at least eight or so years, collecting dust.

A few years back my brother was in town and I let him read the script and of course he liked it, (everyone who as read any of my stories always tell me they like or love my stories, of course they don’t count, to a point), and he wanted to take it back with him, to California, and show it to one of his producer friends. He later called me and told how those “friends” like it, too. Of course I have never heard anything about my script again, no matter how many times I asked. (Twice).

Anyway, today, I received an email from Amazon Studios, in regard, to my submission. It was rejected. It stated that they had determined that my script did not meet the needs of their development slate at that time. 

Where have I heard that statement before? About twenty years or so ago I sent this same story to a Sci-Fi magazine. It was returned to me, rejected. I know that the reader read the entire story because my manuscript reeked of cigarette smoke on every page. Their rejection letter indicated, almost word for word, the statement above. So, I made a bunch of corrections, re-wrote a lot of the story and re-submitted it.

A week or so later I got another letter from that editor saying that they didn’t ask for me to send it back to her. Ouch! That put a damper on that story for many years.

Looking back over the many years, I have been trying to edit my own works, apparently to no real success. I’ve had the knack of editing other’s works but have been terrible at editing my own. I majored in Journalism. Creative writing came later in my life.

Anyway, Amazon Studios finished their note with; if you make significant revisions to your work, you are welcome to re-submit it in the future. Whatever that means. Well, I do know what it mean…I just have to keep working on it until I get it right or enough money to send to my stories to an editor/proofreader.

In the meantime, I have dusted off all of the books I purchased many years ago on how to screen write. The one I have to pay attention to, “Screenwriting for Dummies”. I know I have a couple more book, locked or lost downstairs in my fortress of books, I just have to make the effort to get up from this comfortable sofa and put on my shoes and go down there to that scary place and get more books. Just kidding… or was I?

Anyway, it looks like I have a lot more reading to do and I mean slow reading. (I can speed read, but I usually read fast only when I am reading a novel.)  And, of course, save a ton of money so I can get my stories read. Does anyone know of anyone who wants to be a beta reader?  I want to, need to get this done before this year is out.

My only problem, right now, everyone I have asked, for help, tells me yes, but never come through. So, I have to read, read and do more reading, to get through this on my own. I will get it done…I have so much to do…I would like to say I have so little time, but that’s just a myth. I will work with one thing at a time and that time is now. 

THE POLE

Excerpt from The Pole:

“Hey, guys!” Pete yelled from the latrine. Bobby and another barrack mate, Coop, poked their heads into the doorway.

“Listen up, guys. How about us meeting up at the Bunker at 2345.” Pete said, as he huddled over the bowl of a toilet, a nasty looking toothbrush in his hand. He turned back to what he was doing and continued to scrub the toilet with the toothbrush, now under the rim, as he talked.

“Eh, Coop, you go and round up the rest of the squad. Let them know that we’ll be meeting at the Bunker, at whatever time I said.” Pete said without looking up.

“2345.” Bobby interjected.

“Okay.” Coop said, and then promptly left the room.

Bobby went into the latrine and stood over Pete. For a long minute, Bobby stared into the ceiling.

“You know, Pete, if you weren’t such a disruptive influence–”

“Bobby-boy, don’t start with me!” Pete said, now scrubbing harder at the base of the toilet.

“Hey, those are the sergeant’s words. I think, you know, you shouldn’t go up against the sergeant.”

Pete stopped what he was doing and looked up at Bobby, sneering as he did so.

“You could be on latrine duty for the rest of your tour.” Bobby said.

“You got a toothbrush I can borrow?” Pete said, throwing the green stained bristled toothbrush at the trashcan. It bounced off one wall then off the adjoining wall and went into the can.

“Nothing but net!” Pete said, now standing up. “…and the crowd goes wild!”

“Look, we have got to talk!” Bobby said. Bobby took his tee shirt off and hooked it up under his belt. Pete stared at Bobby, deeply, darkly.

“If command finds out about this private war of yours the squad is going to go down in flames. You don’t want to see that do you?”

“You, my good man, DON’T HAVE TO GO IF YOU DON’T WANT TOO!” Pete screamed. “Neither does the rest of the squad.” Pete said, lowering his voice. “You’re right. This is my war. Come if you want to or don’t. I really could care less.” Pete sat down on the john.

“Could you get that brush for me?”

Bobby backed toward the door. When he reached it, he turned and went into the barracks. A moment later, he returned with his travel kit. He unzipped it and removed a pink toothbrush holder.

“Pink?” Pete said.

“Hey, my mother got it for me when I left earth, okay!” Bobby handed Pete his toothbrush and Pete returned to the meticulous job he had done so often.

“We’ll talk about it at the Bunker, okay?”

“Yeah, anything you say, Pete.” Bobby said as he walked over to a sink and removed a pink soap holder from his bag. He took out a bar of soap, turned the hot water tap on and started to wash his hands.

Feelings...I mean Poetry

I love to eat!

Eating is such a useless, futile habit.

We are a country of obese devouring

rabid, over-consuming, digesting, so and so’s.

Don’t get me wrong, I love to eat!

Today I had a tuna-tub, a giant cookie, a large

soda, and a five ounce bag of chips. What a

feast. I’m still hungry.

When I was younger I ate to live, never for

taste. I felt better, food tasted better,

I looked better. Hold on while I take a bite

of this tuna-sub.  A mouthful of chips.

There. Satisfied!

New Year ’s Day is twenty-one days away, and I

plan to start a brand new resolution. Lose

weight, or burst.

Sorry

I hear your words -- Not!

Respect is what you think you got.

You only manage to confuse the issues.

My head and mind are above you.

I’m not in the clouds where you stay.

Your feelings are cutting through my heart.

I realize that we must part.

‘Cuz, respect is what you think you got -- Not!

Now, think of what is said and done.

That knife of a tongue you wield so clear,

listen to what you say my dear,

And sorry ain't one of those I hear.

I don't want your sympathy,

I can cry without it,

You and your sorry just don't cut it,

Something you think you got, Respect -- Not!

TEN THINGS ABOUT ME, OKAY A FEW MORE THAT 10…

I'm stuck, again, with writing one of my stories, well, actually an outline. I got a new idea for a new story and have been trying to outline for the last couple of days. I got a little bit done today, but I am still stuck. I thought that if I had a large cup of coffee and a HOT brownie I could put more words down on paper – computer screen. Well, that didn’t really work but I did come up with something else I could write about – me, sort of.

A few things you may not know about, well, since most people, online, know nothing about me anyway, I found 10 things, or more, that I am willing to post. Ten things, (or more if can think of them.)

1. I am a big sports fan. I love sports, well just Baseball, football and college basketball and football, golf, and tennis.
2. I am very active. I still play softball, bowl, golf, ride my bike just about every day, walk 5 miles every other day, and run on the odd days, I go camping, I love to kayak and I am in a ski club, a very active club.
3. I am an extrovert, introvert. Meaning I love giving parties (17 years of Super Bowl parties). However, I also enjoy being here, alone, at home, by myself either writing, or watching sports on the boob tube.
4. I meditate.
5. I am a vegetarian. I haven’t had red meat in 35 years. I was a pescatarian for 10 of those years (when I was married)
6. I am a cat person. I have two cats, one who is sitting in my lap as I type this list. At one time, with my first wife, we had nine cats!
7. I am a dreamer. Have been since I was in my teens.  Most of my stories, that I outlined, as of today, 52 outlines, I dreamt about way back then. I had a dream the other night and, hence the new outline I am stuck on, today.
8. I love to talk. It’s hard for me to end a conversation.
9. I would rather pick up the phone and call my friends and family. (They never call, though).
10. I love to laugh. I watch more funny things on the boob tube than anything else.
11. I’m have a need to know, so I watch the news more often than not.
12. I’m retired.    
13. I have a 129 IQ… Okay, I took that test 40 some odd years ago, but hey, it still works for me.
14. I love word games. My mother was a scrabble master and it rubbed off on me.
15. I’m a cancer survivor.
16. I am now a writer and Author!

Now that I think about I have many, many more things about me, but I am also a very private person – naw, not really.

Marketing for the 21st century

I just realized something, just this very minute, out of the blue; I joined Facebook, Twitter, and a couple other Social Networks to interact, network and see if I can use these platforms to sell my books. The 21^st century way to market most thing, especially books.

Considering that is so very hard to get an agent or pitch your works, novels, screenplays to a publishing company. Many, many years ago while attending a college course on marketing, I was told; “you can’t get a book published without an agent and you can’t get an agent if you are not published. I see as of today, it still rings true.

Hence, joining social media groups. But, what I have noticed the most and disturbing thing…if you get thousands and thousands of followers in the same venue, writers, your chances of networking is great. HOWEVER, I am finding out, of those thousands of followers, they don’t want to buy your book; they want you to buy their books!

So, the vicious circle continues in the writing world for us novices, us amateur, us beginning, us retired wanna be authors.  The writing world is crowded, indeed, and there has got to be a better way. I have received quite a few suggestions and as funny as that is, I have tried all of them before they were suggestions, go figure.

So much more to do so little time. I will continue to write and hope for the best.

Mother's Day is May 11th

Mother's day is May 11th. My first book of poems, My Mother's Garden is now available on Amazon.com Kindle Edition for $2.99 -- also released in print, now on sale for $9.00. http://tinyurl.com/m3t2bvw

While you are there you can pick up my second book of poems, The Path to my Reflections: My Life in Poems - The art of life, love and happiness in paperback for $11.69. http://tinyurl.com/kdl7t7y

Get your copies today!

The Bucket List...or things that I will probably do anyway.

I’ve noticed that just about everyone, now a days, is putting together a bucket list. I was first aware of this “list” when I first saw that movie “Bucket List” way back in 2007. The more I think about it, it never occurred to me to find things to do before I die.

I’m sure there are millions of things to do, but being the age that I am now, I think I have done just about all the things I wanted to do in my life. Yes, of course there are a few more things that I could probably put on this so-called list.

Heck, I figure that my daughter-in-law, who is thirty something can do it why not me. There a few things that I really don’t care about any more like air travel, for instance, unless I am the pilot. Been there, done that. Besides, I am truly afraid of flying. I did most that when I was younger, but times have changed, I think for the worst as far as air travel is concerned.

But, I guess I could throw in a few places I would still love to go to. I mean I’ve gone white water rafting a few times, canoed rivers, backpacked and hiked trails, driven across the country several times and I do want to do that again. My list may be weird but it’s what I want to do before I die, my Bucket List.

1.      Publish my first novel

2.      publish my first short story

3.      publish my second short story.

4.      Have my first fictional autobiography, DAP traditionally published

5.      Finish my third novel, ROB

6.      Finish my fourth novel, Gate 4

7.      Finish my fifth novel, C-Med

8.      Finish my sixth novel, White Lake

9.      Finish my seventh novel, Pole

10.  Finish those 45 sci-fi stories I outlined 20 years ago

The list above I want to finish before I do the other things on my list.

11.  Meet every woman I have known through the internet…wait, I did that already, but heck I’ll have to do that again.

12.  Learn how to make beer

13.  Learn how to fly a plane

14.  Learn how to pilot a sail boat

15.  Learn Spanish, for real! I had it in High school, collage, a Spanish speaking friend and I still can’t speak Spanish.

16.  Take the train to Montreal

17.  Learn how to ball room dance

18.  Learn how to play the piano – I took lessons once, so long ago

19.  See a Full solar eclipse

20.  Bowl a 300 – I rolled a 299

21.  Hit a home run in softball, over the fence -- I’ve had an inside the park home run, but…

22.  Go to a Detroit Tigers game in every city they play

23.  See Mount Rushmore

24.  See the Northern Lights

25.  Learn to snowboard

26.  Run the Warrior Dash

27.  Run a half marathon

28.  Heck, run a 5k

29.  RV across the USA

30.  Drive to Alaska – a long time dream

31.  Finally, do at least one orbit of the Earth in someone’s rocket ship.

The Starving writer continues...

I am putting the finishing the final touches to my short story. This is just a draft of what the cover will look like. I should be ready to publish by the end of this week! One of these days I will be able to eat steak and lobster, caviar again!

Let's get ready to...Publish!

Finally, the cover for my first novel is finished! Getting ready to publish. Now, I have to read and edit my story one more time!

Resolutions, again? I hope not.

            I know that everyone has kind of heard it before, and I just read something that kind of baffles me, to a small degree; "resolutions are for quitters". That is just plain and simple hogwash, BS, silly and a few other words I can’t think right now. Resolutions take a lot of effort and resolve to accomplish and you have to start somewhere.

            But, on the other hand, I really don’t do resolutions in the first place. I mean I can make stuff up as I go along but I gotta stick to it to make it work. I am not going to do things like, say, go to the gym and stick with it or save more money. Either you are going to do it or you are not. And I usually forget by the end of the month anyway.

            I would have made something up yesterday but, I had to take my son to the Airport. He and his wife are going on an Asian tour. A dream trip for me, one day, one day. Anyway, yesterday, after the airport, and it was snowing heavily and I live about 50 miles away from the airport, I had to make it back to catch the Red Wings play their winter classic game. Then the Rose Bowl came on right after that. A really Busy day for me.

            Well, the Michigan State Spartans finally won the Rose Bowl after 20 some odd years. GO GREEN!! Other than that it has been snow for the last 48 hours and it’s still snow, now. I say let snow…considering that my snow thrower it on the fritz.

But, I still decided to make a something similar to a resolution, in fact a few affirmations that I think will help throughout this year and I am going to stick with them, through thick and thin.

1.      WRITE. The biggest of them all, write and keep writing. I just finished one of my novels this past December and I finished editing it and I just have to read it a couple more times to make sure it’s right for publication. Or I will find an editor that won’t strip my skin off  if I can’t pay what they want. That motivated me when I finished. It’s part of a series of novels, five novels, that I would love to finish, heck, this year, if I can. But the goal it to WRITE THEM. Write, write, and write!

2.      READ. This goal is a twofold type of thing. In order to write I have to READ more. In the long ago past I was reading a book a week, sometimes two books a week, but I was reading nonetheless. And it helped, back then, with my writing. Now I must do it again. I purchased a Nexus 7 tablet this past November, just to have a modicum of entertainment.  And I put my Kindle account onto it. I had it on my cell phone, but even with my glasses the words were just too small to read. And to make me ever so happy, I found a site that finds free eBooks to read! Lucky me. Read, read, and read!!

3.      I know one shouldn’t use the word ‘try’ because if you try it just gets harder to accomplish. In the words of the master Yoda, and I’m paraphrasing here, “don’t try, either you do or you do not. There is no Try.” Anyway, I am going to try and write at least one post in my blog page at least twice a week. Not try, but Do!

4.      Complete the three short stories I have, kind of, finished. Or at least finish editing them.

5.      Find a publisher (maybe and agent) to publish my tomes

6.      Learn how to market my books. I have self-published two books and they languish in purgatory waiting from me to have them sold. Total sales, 40 and I have given away a few that I could have sold. But, that is another goal for this year.

I might really have to do something dramatic and drastic. Of course that is what got me thinking, I saw that someone else had tried it and I really shouldn’t, maybe? Why don’t I finish my screenplays and put it up for auction on eBay? Starting price; $10,000. Then I can see what happens. Hey it’s a start, and I gotta start somewhere. If, and I mean, IF, that works out, I will have to finished my other screenplays. Those will be the next to up for auction.

            There you go, resolutions or actions that I have to do, again, this year. I know one thing, I gotta stop talking about it and do IT! I am at the pinnacle of my life and I have to make do and not fail. That is in no way quitting, it’s starting again, because I don’t do resolutions.

Writing life

Sometimes I can’t believe some of the things I have done with my writing life over the years and never falling through on them. Case in point, 20 or so years ago I was a prolific writer, but as a reporter. This is where my degree is in, journalism. But, back in the day, I use to have these strange dreams; mostly all of it was science fiction.

In those dreams, this was, to me, it was like watching a movie. The next day I would write it down and then, later would outline it on a 3x5 card.

Since the first of last year I have been writing screenplays, mostly science fiction. And I have finished two and have started on my third, to which I am into 14 pages so far.

Yesterday I was taking my daily nap and I had a dream. I really didn’t think much about it. But today, as my nap started, that dream started again. This time I ran with it and tried to see what could become of it. After I woke up I tried to flesh out and see how much more I could move it along.

So, I got up and went to the computer and typed a two page synopsis of a possible script. I like it, so now I am, after I finish the current one, going to start on it, my forth.

Now, what does this have to do with the 3x5 index cards? Well, I remember that I had an index card box down in the basement, languishing somewhere collecting dust. So, I went into my spare office and found that box. Inside were quite a bit of ideas, children stories, when my children were younger and many, many other stories. And about 40 ideas for science fiction stories.

I went through them and see that I had some good story ideas but never did anything with them. I mean, I did have four finished short stories, and one finished novel, which had the dates of each finished chapter, starting at February 2, 1987. Then it was at 30,000 words. I finished it with about 60,000 words. I would love to add 40 more thousand word to it.

So now I have plenty of ideas to go on. As I had made a resolution, to write and get those stories published, this year, I now have plenty of work on. The main thing is to write! You can’t be a writer if you don’t write. And as I have written I have noticed that those dream movies have started again, just like way back in the 60s, 70s, and the 80s!

As I looked through my collection of idea cards I came across one card that I couldn’t believe I outlined. On it were several sentences. I had written; a man works for a government agency and is a spy. Then; a woman works for the government and is a spy. Both agencies want to kill them both. Interesting to say the least. I guess had I finished the entire story, I might have written a book and called it MR AND MRS SMITH.

Not saying that would have been the name of it, but my premise is the basis of that movie that came out in 2006 by that name. Of course anyone can have an idea and ideas are free.

Another thing that has helped is this blog that I have writing for on Mr. Fred Said and MySpace. I had another blog in 2005, but I think I only posted one blog there. Now, I kind of don’t know what to say here, but I will just kind of write about what has happened that day or week or anything special that I feel can or should write about... My life is truly dull so I can’t write about that.

But, as long as I am writing every day that will work for me in the long run. As a retiree I must do something. I have volunteered some time to the Prostate Cancer Coalition of Michigan. And I have been, the past few years, writing PSAs, public service ads and designing their flyers and brochures. This is part of that business that I started and also have to get moving on it.

As my business gets going, I am also planning to buy into a franchise. This is franchise is based in publishing. They help with the advertising, I just have to change the mast and they provide those Visa and MasterCard readers. Plus advice on getting my web site up and running, which I will get going...soon.

I guess the only thing I really have to work on, is the fact that I am still lazy when it come to proofreading. I have gone over a few of my blogs and noticed that I have passed over words, for instance, red for read. Simple stuff. Or I’m just way too lazy! I figure the more I write and the more I pay attention I will not have to worry about proofreading as much. But I still have to proofread everything just go get it right!