Tag Archives: personal

Overdose of Peace Corps

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I read through all the documents in my Peace Corps packet again.  With 39 days until I leave, it seems necessary to figure out as much as I can.  I sent an email to my director.  I got a response this morning that my Peace Corps Passport has already been issued and will be waiting for me at the staging even on January 14th.  I should get more information on the staging event before Christmas…but from what I’ve read, it looks like it may be in Philadelphia.

Over the next 39 days, my time will be divided up between learning Arabic, reading, writing, and hanging out with friends and family.  Oh, and watching the Denver Broncos kick some ass.  As a result, I will be updating new stuff sporadically based on what I am doing each day.  I will, however, continue uploading old pieces for you daily.  I really like the one for today.  I hope you do too:

’cause I know

40 Days Out

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Today was my last day of substitute teaching.  After two longs years in this field, I hope to finally say goodbye to the job.  In 40 days, I will leave for the Peace Corps.  Then comes 27 months of service.  When I return, I hope to make a career in the government.  So, this is the end of a long, strange shift in my jobs.  Substitute teaching allowed me to live the way I wanted to live.  I made enough money to get by.  I never took my job home with me.  I could choose what days I wanted to work.  It was the perfect life for a writer.  Now, I am on Christmas vacation with 40 days left in the United States.

Since I worked on the blog instead of writing yesterday, today I need to focus again.  A large part of me just wants to lay down, take a nap, watch a movie, and talk to Sofia.  I can’t do that.  Yet.  That can be tomorrow’s plan.  This evening has to be about writing.  I will get started now.  Here is another poem from 2004 for all of my readers:

When You Look at Me

Remodel complete

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I just spent two hours remodeling my website.  It is now ready to explore.  As I update with more writing over the next few weeks, the earlier years will begin to fill up with content   Until then, the content from 2012 is full enough to keep you busy.  Here is the link.  Let me know what you think about the new website.

2012

Don’t Fret. Just Write.

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I spent a good deal of time last night wondering how I was going to write my current story.  I worried that I didn’t know how to do it right.  I worried about the order the story should go in.  I worried about this and that.  In the end, I pretty much gave up on figuring it out.  Instead, I just wrote.  It may not have come out perfectly, but it came out.  I got 500 words on paper last night.  So far this morning, I’ve already put another 500 words down.  The story is starting to come together.

Today’s poem is a special one for me.  I wrote it second semester of my 8th grade year.  I had a huge crush on a girl in my class.  I had no idea how to tell her.  Instead of gathering up the courage to talk to her, I gathered up the courage to give her a poem.  I printed it off and slipped it in her locker during the last week of classes.  She never made any mention of the poem.  But, after that, I had a small amount of courage that made it easier to talk with girls I like.  This poem is my introduction to romantic life in High School.

Speak of a Sin

 

Force Yourself to Write–Every Day

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After the long work week, I am caught up on sleep.  I spent last night caught up in a fascinating (and disturbing  conversation with one of my closest friends.  We spent more than an hour talking about what we would do if we were eccentric billionaires.  Are basic conclusion would be that neither of us should ever come into money because we would use it to create strange social experiments.

I failed to write–yet again–last night.  I need to start forcing myself.  With only 44 days until I leave for the Peace Corps, my time is short.  I want to finish the rough draft of what I am working on before I leave.  That means a 1,000 word daily minimum is necessary.  I will start this evening.  I get back from Denver in the afternoon and have plenty of free time after that.  I need to force myself to make this happen.  Here is another poem from my 14-year old self:

The One Thing the World Needs

 

CALLING ALL WRITERS!!!

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When I was in high school, I didn’t know how to be anyone but me.  Looking back, that wasn’t the case for everyone.  Teenagers tend to fall into cliques, subcultures, or certain behaviors in order to feel that sense of belonging that we all yearn for.  Looking back, I am under the belief that the best way to experience high school is by being yourself.  I would love to share this idea with teenagers getting ready to enter high school or already in high school.

So here’s the plan.  I am looking for 15-25 people who are willing to share their high school story.  I want to know what kind of group(s) you fell in with.  I want to know how you stood out as an individual.  I want to know when you found it hard to be yourself.  I want to know when you found yourself conforming at times.  How did it affect your academic life?  How did this affect your social life?  How did this affect your romantic life?

The plan is to make an anthology of these stories.  I am looking for stories between 3,000 and 6,000 words (these aren’t set guidelines, but don’t go crazy).  If your story is among the best, I will contact you and let your know that it will be included.  Once the anthology is set, you will have an opportunity to buy a severely discounted copy of the book.  Also note that, should the book ever be professionally published (it’s incredibly difficult to do so, but who knows), the profits will be split evenly between all chosen contributors.

Send you story, information, or questions to FFman@comcast.net

Make sure to include your name, contact information and name/location of your high school.  I can only accept stories until Christmas Day 2012—so get started!

Feel free to reblog to spread the word.

 

Falling Behind

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I haven’t done much in the way of writing over the past two days.  Yesterday entailed little more than helping a roommate move in followed by a party.  Today was the hangover followed by meeting with a friend.  Although I may fall a day or two behind on the memory challenge, I will continue it.

My main worry is that I haven’t been editing as much now that I have a big Elance job.  I have three days to do the second half of.  That is more than enough time.  I think I’m just going to spend the next couple hours working on editing.  I really just want to get this draft done so that I can have others take a look at it.  I’ll upload a new memory sometime in the next 24 hours.

Until then,
Richard.

Best Coffee Ever

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My hometown has some of the best drip coffee I have ever tasted.  It’s called The Blue Mug.  For only $2, they give you a mug that you can refill as often as you would like.  That’s why I feel like I can get so much work done here.  I just finished writing one of the extra chapters and loved it.  I was preparing the information for the second chapter when i realized it really wouldn’t add much.  I’m going to scrap the idea.  My novel is going to be short of the planned 70,000 to 80,000 range.  Going into the third draft, it stands at 67,344 words.

I’m going to alternate between Ghostwriting and working on the Third Draft the rest of this week.  I’m house sitting for my parents again–which gives me a lot of free time.  I just got a pretty big ghostwriting job via Elance.  I can’t wait to get started.  I think I will be able to strike a nice balance between writing as a job and writing as a hobby.  Only time will tell on that front.  I have to run.

With Love,
Richard

Third Draft

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With the help of forty ounces of coffee, I was able to finish the second draft of my manuscript. I am going to write two new chapters tomorrow before regrouping and starting on the third draft. It’s a great feeling to know that your manuscript is approaching the stage where others can read it and not be bothered by small mistakes.

When I finish with my next draft, I will give two people the opportunity to be the first readers. First is my mother–mainly because she would kill me if I let someone else be the first reader. The other is a friend of the family. She is a fast reader who helps me edit. She also is a great way to see how the average person will like the book. I can’t wait to get it to them. Soon enough.

With Love,
Richard

Ghostwriting Problems

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I don’t want to leave the wrong impression.  I love ghostwriting.  I like getting paid to sit down and write on random projects.  There’s just a problem that goes with it.  It forces all your energy away from your project and into someone else’s project.  I spent the last two days working on a website and real estate rewrites.  It was easy money…but I haven’t touched my novel in 48 hours.

It’s time to get back to work.  I am going to try to finish the first rewrite of my novel within the next 48 hours.  I’m still going to take sporadic ghostwriting jobs because I need the money…but I need to find the right balance.  I am currently dedicating at least three hours to writing a day–whether it is my own writing or ghostwritting.  I may bump that up to four hours.  Getting my own projects done when I have the time is the best way to not fell stressed out when i have a ghostwriting job.

Much Love,
Richard