Tag: Sleep is for the weak

A Day In The Retail Trenches

Work can be extra taxing at times, and today was definitely one of them! But we pulled through and I wrote another 2k words bringing me 12k ahead of target at this point of the month! Also, two publishers have both suggested I send my work to them, and they'd better be careful what they ask for! I just might!

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Tool or Tools Of The Trade?

Today I bought a new friend. A friend who hopefully will inspire me to write and enable me to accomplish more.

It’s beyond hopeful, but hey, that’s what I do.

My new friend is in the thirteen inch variety, weighs very little and has Scrivener installed on it. Some might say I’m impulsive. Some might say I’m a moron. That’s why we listen to the voices in our heads (and not the ones that tell us to burn things). After demoing Scrivener and their incredibly generous twenty one days, which I never ran out of, I decided to take the plunge. Upon discovering it was half off in the App Store, I rejoiced and committed my novel to a life in Scrivener. To the people who made that program, I swear when I get published, I will mention you in a separate dedications page!

And now… Apple should thank those same people who created Scrivener for making me run out and buy a portable sexy beast with lit up keys for all those late night writings (like this one) and portability. Now I’m unsure if this is my newest tool of the trade, or if I am the tool of the trade! I mean really, am I fooling myself into believing that a thousand dollar machine will be the thing that gets me published? Will this new machine begin to gather dust after the wonder of looking down upon the keyboard like watching city streets from a plane wears off?

I must admit, the keyboard is a dream to type on and is relatively silent. My poor exhausted girlfriend sleeps right beside me while I write this very post. She’s got extremely long work days for the next week, and with the puppies out with her parents, that gives me all the time to spend with this magical beast. Lucky for me, I also have the next two days off, although at the cost of running into a nine day stretch of work. Tradeoffs.

Although for those of you who’ve read through here before, you may know that I work retail. I sincerely enjoy my job and the challenges it comes with. As a part of a management team, I manage to liken it to trying to assemble the Avengers/Justice League and trying to get all these awesome folk and misfits to work together and accomplish the task at hand. Some days are easier than others, others are like running with your pants down. But sometimes it is the challenge from the other side of the business that throws me for a loop.

I like to think I am a nice, helpful guy. Many people thank me, wave or shake my hand, smile and are generally positive on their way out. But I must say the one thing that shocks me about retail is the lack of customer compliments these days. I’m someone who would love to get promoted and I bend over backwards in my efforts to try and help the customer out while ensuring the business isn’t run into the ground. I have helped with minor issues (This was the wrong color) to the major issues (This five thousand dollar TV was busted when I went to set it up) and just about everything in between, and from my experience I could effortlessly get a million complaints a week. A million. Exaggerated? Maybe. But only on the number of people through our doors each week.

What am I getting at? I’m getting at the fact that somedays (myself included) when the world is going awesomely and everything is perfect, we forget to take the time to give out some good feedback to those who helped make it a great day. Today I helped a customer with their computer who had called the manufacturer and was told to bring it in. Somehow they had set up a password for the BIOS (that load up screen before any operating system starts) and had created a password for the computer and forgotten it. It took some time out of my day (around thirty minutes with a restore), but I managed to get rid of both passwords and set the computer up so everything ran smoothly. I decided as I had spent my time, I would politely ask the customer to take time out of their day to try and get me promoted.

This was where things got interesting.

When I placed them in front of a computer and set them up with the website, all I wanted was an honest opinion on how I had done today. What I got was, “I’m terrible at these things. Can you write it for me?” From a customer service point of view, I was actually a bit crushed. I pressed on and actually had to almost repeat the sales process by asking a ton of questions about how I had helped. In short, the customer was happy to put their name to whatever I wrote. I suppose at least that meant they trusted me fully by then, but still, I now know that it’s extremely hard to get a compliment. Lesson learned.

So for those of you out there who have complimented someone lately, thank you. On behalf of whoever that was, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It’s so easy to get out there and vent your anger or frustration, but I’d say it takes a bigger person to go out of their way to thank someone for exceptional service and the such. Have you ladies and gents beyond the screen given any compliments lately? Let me know, and try and keep it positive in the comments! Good luck!

The Liebster Award – It's A Thing!

First and foremost, I’d like to thank the lovely Becka over at Sweet Stuff By Becka for nominating me for this award! No matter what it may actually be, I appreciate the thought and will give you my quick confession!

So upon being nominated, I quickly read over Becka’s post in which she was nominated! Much to my suspicion, I read over it and said to myself… Oh man! This sounds like one of those chain letters you get through email! My inner skeptic scoffed at the idea of conforming to the internet and its blog version of the chain letter. Then I began to consider the way this particular award works.

A kind soul (AKA Becka, thanks again!)  reads your blog and thinks it is worthy of their own promotion. Thusly, they create a blog post (as this one here) and link to the person who nominated them while also promoting more blogs that they think are awesome. In turn, I am to do the same thing. As much as I hate chain mail in my inbox… I like the actual heart behind this one.

The Liebster Award
The heart behind the award! (Pun intended!)

“The Liebster Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. So, what is a Liebster?  The meaning: Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. Isn’t that sweet? Blogging is about building a community and it’s a great way to connect with other bloggers and help spread the word about newer bloggers/blogs.”

After reading that description, it didn’t matter if it sounded like chain mail or not. What matters is how I perceive it now! The award is all about building a community, which is exactly what I’ve done here through my efforts this month! Also, it is a sweet and honest reward, and therefore I pass it on!

There are indeed rules, which also must be passed on and they are:

  • Link to the person who nominated you (Only a kind courtesy out of thanks!)
  • Answer their questions (Mini interview!)
  • Nominate new blogs for the award (Pay it forward!)
  • Ask them 10 new questions (Your turn!)
  • Let the nominees know they have been nominated (Keep in touch and follow up!)

So, if you’ve read those you know what comes next… Becka! I hope you enjoy!

The Interview! (Dun Dun Dunnnnn!)

1)What was the best thing that happened today?

I got home and found I had been nominated for this award.

That may sound silly, but I got to work early, had training, missed my break, my lunch had for some reason gone bad, left late, got home and my partner wasn’t feeling well, cooked dinner, fell asleep and then found out I’d been nominated. After the day I had, a win is most certainly a win! If it had been yesterday, my short story, Circle of Vengeance hit the Kindle store (.99 cents for now, free as soon as they fix it!)

2)Where do you find your blogging inspiration?

My blogging inspiration comes from my love of writing. I have been writing for what feels like forever now and have loved telling stories as much as I write them. There is something so rewarding about the art of writing that I can only hope to one day be fortunate enough to make money at it. Sad thing is, I love work and will never stop, although I would consider dropping in hours or changing careers!

3)Do you consider yourself a glass half full or half empty kind of person?  Why?

I’ve always hated that analogy! I am the kind of person who doesn’t look at what’s in the glass… I’m the kind of person who looks at the potential within that glass. How much can it hold? What can it hold? The possibilities there are much more interesting… although now I’m thirsty.

4)What’s your favorite childhood memory?

Getting my first game console. It was a sweet Nintendo Entertainment System, and I also was one of the few proud owners of a Power Glove. Motion control nearly two decades before the Wii was a thing. That is why Nintendo gets my money!

5)Where do you want yourself and/or your blog to be a year from now?

I want to still be blogging right here with you guys. As hard as it may be if I achieve all my life goals in the next year, no matter what I always want that connection with people. I love communicating and hearing positive or negative feedback. I am fortunate that the community I’ve built here is entirely constructive and or positive feedback. It means a lot!

As for where I want to be… I have a list of fifty life goals and one of the more important personal ones is for me to be published. In one regard I would absolutely love to make billions of dollars because some of my other goals consist of running a school for the creative arts with many degrees into the gaming industry paired with the industry itself. Also I would love to be able to give scholarships to not those high achievers who never make the most of their awards, but those people who work hard and want to better themselves. I worked two jobs while attending university because I was ineligible for student loans. Now I’m bald. I want to prevent that for other people!

6)What’s your favorite home cooked meal?

Hard question! If it’s my mom’s cooking then it is mashed potatoes, under beef mince cooked in gravy, topped with corn or her seafood chowder! If it’s my partner’s mother’s cooking, her deliciously mouth watering round steak casserole with garlic sourdough bread… *Drool* If it’s my cooking, it is my homemade pizzas and if it’s my partner’s, it is any dessert she makes! They’re deliciously sweet!

7)What is a goal that you have that may be hard to achieve?

Starting the school mentioned above. Where do I even begin? How do I begin? I know nothing about the industry, I am not in the industry and I am not anywhere near wealthy enough to start it. Really I just want to help people on the path to finding their own dreams, and in the creative fields and gaming are where my passions lie.

8)Who do you look up to?

Tall people?

Seriously I look up to those people who treat others the way they wish to be treated and the leaders who lead by example. My mother taught me all of these values, so in essence… I suppose she is at the top of that pyramid!

9)Why do you keep writing/baking/sewing/(insert hobby here)?

I keep writing because for me not to write would be for me to cease to be!

Writing and I are one and the same, we have an intimate relationship in which no one will ever know nor understand me the way my muse does. Other people may understand that relationship, but I have never felt the need nor urge to travel. My muse has taken me to broken warzones amid arid planets, beautiful vistas that have left me breathless and to places where words have yet to be invented for what I have seen. In these travels I have met some of the most interesting people and beings, and despite the dangers of these areas… I have never feared for my life despite watching beings fade into the next life and beyond.

I write because I can’t help it. I write because I love it. I write because that’s what makes me who I am.

10)What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Impossible Question.

Seriously though, Heavenly Hash… can’t even get that flavour in Australia. Yes, I am heartbroken.

***

Okay! Now that I’ve subjected you to my info session, here are the blogs I nominate!

ElitistGeek – One of the ones who has emailed me and made a more personal connection. I enjoy her writing and her posts are visually appealing (Something I could probably learn from, hahaha!) Also she is doing NaNoWriMo and killing it! Keep her on track and check her out!

Valourbörn – Another one who has reached out and contacted me directly. Also if I’m not mistaken, I think Alex has been nominated for this award before and it shows why in the quality of the posts!

Nikki and the Novel – Nikki is a frequent commenter and one of the many reasons the frequency of my posts has increased to almost one a day. Her blog is a nice plain and straightforward design and her posts are quite amusing!

When I Become A Superhero – I believe Lizzee has been nominated for this award as well, and with good reason. She is also very active in commenting and is a positive force in the world of blogs!

The Xabeldi Chronicles – If I have one thing to say about Serena, it’s that she has written a heap of stuff. When she shared a few links with me, I became overwhelmed for a moment while I considered my own achievements. She has just released on her blog her epic fantasy entitled, The Last Hero. This story alone clocks in at over three hundred thousand words. Three. Hundred. Thousand. Swing by and give her the respect she has earned!

Honorable Mention: Lorraine Reguly’s Life – After being a skeptic, this kind lady’s post on the above award helped me realise that despite it sounding like a chain letter, what I was passing up was the chance to make others feel good and be a gracious nominee and accept the award! She has beyond the two hundred followers, so I’ve given her this mention as without her I may not have done it! Silly internal critic!

So for those of you who I’ve nominated, firstly I’d like to thank all of you for making contact (with the alien known as TJ Edwards… er, me that is) and for your ongoing support in my blogging efforts. Secondly, fantastic work in each of your own regards, it has been a pleasure to stumble upon your blogs and learn so much in so short a span of time. Not only are you a wonderful part of my community, but now, hopefully the greater one!

Last but not least, here are my ten questions for you… Mwa Ha Ha.

  1. Why did you originally start your blog and is it going to plan?
  2.  Describe your “write space” (AKA Where you write!)
  3. What is your biggest challenge with regards to writing?
  4. What are your top three vices?
  5. What is your biggest goal in life?
  6. What was the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome?
  7. Have you ever submitted a work for publication?
  8. What is the one post or piece of writing you want everyone to read and why?
  9. You rub a magic lamp, a genie pops out and you now have three wishes, what are they?
  10. What is your all time favourite author?

Now that you all have your homework, I look forward to your responses! Although this post has gone past twelve AM I’ll back date it so I maintain my one a day ratio… it will be a week tomorrow since my blog exploded into the active community I have now and I want to thank not only the people above but everyone who reads, skims or even just followed my blog. The frequent views, the comments and the emails all keep me focused on writing and you guys are positive enablers making me want to not only blog more, but just write more in general! Thanks again and tomorrow I will post perhaps a second part to my last post entitled, “The Journey“! Thanks again and now I can hear my bed calling me!

Without Looking Back, How Can We Go Forward?

Today’s post is a bit of a retrospective on this very blog here. Some followers are new and some have been around a while, but either way this will be a post gateway into the start of projects of the past (As some may resurrect soon) so with that in mind! Let’s hop into ye ole writing DeLorean and take a journey down memory lane! Also, we will take a brief look into the (hopefully) very near future with some projects that are nearing completion as well as some that are… moving along in the direction of completion! Without further ado…

The very first post just over two years ago was one that began as a self reflection post about who I am and how I came to be this way. This culminated into an eight post series into my history and life. If you haven’t read them, feel free as you’ll learn a bit about me.

Into the Looking Glass: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight.

Then I wrote many a writing and struggling writer post for support and to reaffirm what I’d learned. Eventually that lead to the episodic content short story entitled Unbiased Law about a robot detective who was struggling to solve a crime and got in way over his head. Have a read!

Unbiased Law:  One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Twenty-One, Twenty-Two, Twenty-Three, Twenty-Four, Finale.

Wow, I didn’t remember writing so many of those! Perhaps I’ll edit those and make them into a free eBook for all my adoring fans (out there… somewhere…). Either way, Episodic content became a fun addition to this blog and I enjoyed writing it so the trend suddenly started! It made sense for a blog so that way it was easier to plan my next post… also I treated it kind of like a radio drama! My next story began as the winner of a poll I had put out there to the readers. Super Zero was the story of a child going through the growing pains of attending school. Perhaps the story was too familiar or perhaps it wasn’t my most inspiring work, but it did fizzle off as something better appeared on the horizon.

Super Zero: The Start of Something New, Land of the Bullies, The “After Math”, Tale of the Green Ranger, A Cape of Courage, Girl With the Tangled Hair, After School Special, Eccentricity, Return of the Phantom in the Closet

As I continued writing I decided that the Film Noir feel of Unbiased Law and the Campy feel of Super Zero weren’t to my tastes at the moment so I started heading into a different direction. I began to write about a secret society of Super Heroes that experienced a death in the team. It was more drama than I’d really written before, so as it was my first venture into that subject matter, I don’t feel as though it was my best work.

Heroisms: Immortality, Nemesis, Sacrifice, Achilles Heel, Choice, Destiny, Impervious, Disguise, Vengeance.

Then I revisited an idea I will probably revisit a million times, the concept of a mediocre assassin trying to break into the world top ten. As a character scraping to get by, this modern day assassin is both cynical and demanding of sympathy. Everyone can relate to the everyday struggles, his are just actual physical struggles. I may bring old Sherman or Brad back out of retirement. I’d love to know what you think!

Middle Class Assassin: Tough Times, A Life of Routine, The Recruitment Process

Also there are loads of short stories and ideas and concepts littered through the hundred and some odd posts on here. If you’re new, drop me an email or comment! I’d love to hear from you!

In closing I have one last update to bring to you: My short story, Circle of Vengeance, is in the processing to be available for download through the Apple iBookstore in hopefully another week! This is hopefully the beginning of something good and either way at least it gets my name out there so when I finish my actual novel, I can link it back to that and hopefully it’ll drum up some buzz! Either way, I’ll let you all know when it hits the store and I will post again tomorrow, roughly same Battime, same Batblog. (I’ve been playing too much Batman.)