"B" Is for Books

I began the year with a commitment to read more and so far I would say I am not doing too bad. I was going to read one fiction or online short story and then one non-fiction book. I am not sure how the non-fiction will progress but we will see. To this point I have read the following:

• The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien (fiction)


• Gretzky's Tears - Stephen Brunt (non-fiction)


• A War of Gifts - Orson Scott Card (fiction short story)


• The Hammer of God - Arthur C. Clarke (Lightspeed Magazine) (fiction short story)


• Steve Jobs - Walter Isaccson (non-fiction)

I am halfway through 1984 by George Orwell as my current fiction novel. I have read this one a number of times but I like to come back to it every couple of years.

I do not have a non-fiction lined up yet, though I have Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson on the shelf.

Not too bad for the beginning of April!

"A" is for: A to Z Blogging Challenge 2012

I'm not going to officially enter this contest this year but I am going to try do it on my own. The way I see it there are 26 letters in the alphabet and 30 days in "A"pril, so here is my first post albeit one day late, that leaves me room for three other missed days.

Maybe I can make up a letter or two along the way.

Come "A"long for the ride!

On Writing

I have been reading the book "On Writing" by Stephen King over the last couple of weeks. It is the first book I have ever read on the subject of writing as I have never really considered myself in too much need of advice. I have been writing in one form or another since I was a kid. My first memory of writing was copying word for word a few pages of a book called "In the Days of the Dinosaurs", by Roy Chapman Andrews. Funny enough I read in Mr. King's book that he had done something similar in his youth.

As I moved through school I always enjoyed my English classes the most. I never had any problems doing creative writing projects. After I left school I continued writing short stories but rarely completed them. One I did sort of finish was about an overbearing boss who works a certain employee literally to death. I was inspired from an incident at a job I had at the time. Though my boss was actually pretty good, one day as I was driving around I happened to see his truck pulled over to the side of the road. I thought briefly that he was watching me. Suddenly this story came to mind and I blasted it off in short order. I never did anything with it but thought it was one of the better ones I had done at the time.