It's not easy being Chad

It's never easy being a manager in a grocery store - just ask Chad. Everyone thinks he's a bad guy, but he's just misunderstood. Of course it might help if he stopped wearing his Darth Vader suit to work every day, but hey - it's a free country.

Chad knows it's hard to be taken seriously as a Dark Sith Lord these days, but it's even harder to meet women. Be sure to check Chad's latest misadventures as: Chad Vader - Day Shift Manager.

Tactical Retreat

Although I've abandoned my first attempt to write a short work of fiction in serial I'm going to attempt some political maneuvering and label it an abortive success. I somehow managed to motivate myself to write several other articles in my procrastinating on this project, so my open declaration to write a story did at least get me moving - just not in the proper direction. Mostly I'm just not happy with much in my first attempt, so I'll just fall back - regroup - and attack from another angle. I don't imagine anybody out there is too upset about my initial failure anyways, but I'll keep using this blog a vehicle for this experiment.

I intend to eventually post the new story I'm writing now, but I'll at least work out the majority of the details before I post the first installment. I'm discovering that I have to write it all down in order to really have something solid to think about, but then I have to think and sleep on it for a day or two before I can shape it into a halfway decent form. I'm still not overly concerned with quality - I don't expect to write wonderfully on my first go - but I at least want to be interested in the story I'm telling. I'm hoping to have at least the first few installments done soon, and hopefully that will put me far enough ahead of myself to start posting. And of course I'm telling you - my imaginary audience - all this just to keep myself motivated.

Ivory Towers

I look at this paper castle and think, "This is exactly what I want to do!" Not that I want to make paper castles per se, but rather to think more like an artist. I want to be able to look at an ordinary object, an ordinary situation, an ordinary moment in time - and see all the possibilites that lurk underneath.

When I see things like this, I doubt an artist needs any medium at all in order to create art (but perhaps one is needed to share it.) All you need is a mind that's willing to see things another way.

Of course that's also the definition of crazy.

*click the picture to see more examples

Serial Killer

He just won't stop. I doubt he could if he wanted to. MFDH is a writing machine. It all started with the DarthSide (for me at least.) And then there was his amazing blog-novel SOS which allowed us to follow the creative process in action as he wrote an entire Sci-Fi novel before our very eyes. His blog is always filled with short stories and random episodes, but lately his addiction to writing has been manifesting itself most wonderfully in a series of short little serials that lend themselves perfectly to us blogger readers.

First there was Night Flight Mike - twenty episodes in twenty days. Then there was Bad Traffic (five posts - five days). Lately - The Reaper's Coleslaw (just three short posts.) What's great about these little projects is that each episode is short enough to read quickly in a few minutes and then get on with your life. Yet they're good enough to keep you coming back daily for another quick fix. If you haven't already done so, I beg the half-dozen or so of you who are actually reading this to try to check out one of his stories - or at least follow along with whatever story he inevitably writes next. And be sure to check out his artwork too.

I can't imagine how nerve-wracking it must be to promise your readers a daily influx of storytelling when you're just writing on the fly. So as a meager tribute his proliferate contributions to all of us, I'm going to attempt to walk the metophorical mile.

Starting next Monday I will write a short serial - perhaps no more than a few paragraphs a day, but a complete little story nonetheless. The topic of the story will be whatever you few noble readers choose it to be. Just leave a comment or drop me an e-mail. I make no promises as to quality or clarity, but I'm open whatever ideas and suggestions you offer.