Same as It Ever Was

I feel a bit guilty even though I really have no reason to. I haven’t written a blog entry since roughly Thanksgiving. That’s a long time, but also the busiest time of year for me with my job. The period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is usually a blur for me and this year was no exception. It’s put a damper on the holidays for me that I’m not sure I’ll ever get past—even more so than my retail career did. Which got me thinking…

I heard the song “Once in a Lifetime,” by the Talking Heads the other day and the lyrics hit me pretty hard. When I was young, they words were quirky; but when you’re fifty, it’s scary how profound they can be. I found myself asking, “Well, how did I get here?”

I thought I had escaped retail in 2002, and then found myself the co-owner of a store in 2007. I stepped into a silent-partner position with said store in 2013 in search of what I felt would be more stable career with the United States Postal Service. I had always wanted to write, and I felt that a job with regular hours would give me more free time to do so. And what could possibly be more a traditional and stable an institution as the good old USPS?

Well, it’s been three years and I am still a contracted employee—meaning, I can only be promoted based on seniority and not performance. I have memorized and can run fast and efficiently sixteen different routes, consisting of anywhere from 700 to 1000 deliveries per day. I do it well, better than several of the regulars, and yet I get paid less and can be let go from an annual contract at their whim.

That’s the American Dream for you.

I tell myself that the long hours are making me a better writer. I tell myself that when/if I ever do converted to a “regular” I will have more free time and they will not be able to schedule me 7 days a week, 12 hours a day, for six weeks in a row from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Yes, that does happen, and since I am contracted I have no choice but to say, “Yes, master,” and maintain my link in the chain of promotion.

But I am not bitter. No, seriously, I’m not. It’s been a learning experience and I’ve dealt with personalities that run the gamut. You couldn’t ask for more life experience and the character archive runs deep for future writing projects. My husband, Dennis, says that every stereotype begins for a reason. And I’m here to tell you that everything you’ve heard about government work is true.

I’ll spare you the details.

Just hope that before next holiday season I will be a part of the “regular” stereotype. Just kidding—my work ethic and integrity would never allow me to shun what so many there take for granted. But if I do finally grasp that golden ticket, you’ll be hearing a lot more from me and know that everything has paid off.

And, who knows? Maybe Christmas will eventually work its way back into my heart.

Shameless plugs:

The fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of my zombie apocalypse novel, “Will to Live: The Dead Next Door,” are now available for free on Wattpad. For those of you not caught up, the preceding chapters are available there as well. Just click here. Please vote and/or comment on it. Thanks for your support!

Stories available for purchase are on Amazon: click here. Thanks in advance for your purchase and please, please, please write an honest review.

See you soon!

TWS

Music to My Eyes

Sometimes blog entries are my nemesis. At least that’s the way I see them at first. Little enemies, lingering behind my thoughts…

It’s time you write one of us. You’re never going to be a good writer if you keep avoiding us. Come out and play, Timmy. We won’t bite.

Truth be told, I’m hesitant because I don’t usually know what I’m going to write, whether or not it will be interesting, or if I will just stare stupidly at a monitor. The first is almost always true, the second I have little control over, and the third never happens. The words always come. I just don’t know where they will lead me. I find that a little daunting.

Or maybe it’s just an excuse for something I’m really good at: procrastination.

I also don’t want limit myself or, God forbid, bore you with another pining for some old horror movie, or author that you really couldn’t give two shits about. I reserve the right to do so, but my intention is to somehow bring variety into the mix.

I am a music lover, have been since my older brother bought me vinyl records of Cher, Olivia Newton John, and Elton John, at the tender age of 8 (Yes, I am gay too—go figure). Through the last forty years, I can honestly say that not a day goes by without me listening to music. My tastes have grown, immensely since then. Hard rock will always be my go-to, but I also listen to classical and traditional jazz as well. I am completely comfortable playing Barbra Streisand one moment, and Ozzy Osbourne the next. The context may seem strange to you, but I love them equally.

I don’t think I realized it at first, but music plays a large part in my writing. I don’t listen to it while I write, but I do hear rhythm in the words, and if the flow is not right, I will hone it until it is. There is also a broader punctuation in prose, meaning that a sentence, or even a word, can be used as comma, a period, or an exclamation point.

Get it?

Music is also my greatest inspiration. Hearing a combination of great lyrics and a moving melody sends me to heights so dizzying sometimes that I have to compose. Even if I am driving and cannot write, I will still chip away at an idea in my head for later. The sources are varied, but some that always come through are Alice Cooper, The Doors, and—bringing things a little more current—Foo Fighters. 

Sometimes, it’s not just the music, but the title of a song. I am not going to name any of these, because I am considering a project of short stories inspired by song titles. But you know what I mean. Just think of a musician you admire, and then think of their song titles. Which stand out to you? Why? There’s a story in there, whether you write it or not.

The marriage of music and writing is not a new concept. And there are people that do the same with painting. It’s probably a safe conclusion to say that all of the arts are intertwined somehow, some way. It just depends on the person as to what art form(s) they gravitate to. Creativity stimulates the mind, thus inspires. Inspiration, blossoms within, and often results in creation. It’s a beautiful circle, the joy it brings—limitless.

What inspires you?

Shameless plugs:

The fourth chapter of my zombie apocalypse novel, “Will to Live: The Dead Next Door,” is now available for free on Wattpad. For those of you not caught up, the preceding chapters are available there as well. Just click here. Please vote and/or comment on it. Thanks for your support!

Stories available for purchase are on Amazon: click here. Thanks in advance for your purchase and please, please, please write an honest review.

Happy Thanksgiving!

TWS