Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Life in the Lonestar State

Big bugs, big freeways, big weather and lightning like I’ve never seen—my wife doesn’t refer to the lightning as Texas Fireworks for nothing. Amidst dangerously mesmerizing storms there is an incredible array and quantity of retail (there are 3 Best Buy’s within 5 miles of my house!), tons of great dining, and lots of amenities to enjoy with the wife and kids. Then there’s the heat...

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Character Arcs: The Turning Point, of ‘No’ Return

I was debating the other day about the location of the turning point for a character. One that would affect decisions made throughout the book. I wondered if I was making it happen too early.

I had to ask myself, “Self, don’t I have future scenes that prove her to still have a streak of the carefree?” And that is when I had to lapse into thought.

The character in question is an irresponsible, free spirit. Something that was ok in her culture. In fact, it is part of her people’s outlook on life and how one should exist.

But...there are a select few that are endowed with a special ability. One where it is generally accepted, despite the counter-culture concept, that these few will live to a different standard. This particular woman, is fighting that tooth and nail.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

New Job and Newbieness

We all love new jobs. You get to meet new people, learn new skills, broaden your knowledge of software quirks, add to your Acronym Dictionary, maybe an increase in pay—a plethora of positives. But I did leave one key point out. One major aspect that plagues us all (even those of you too proud to admit it—yeah, You, smart guy)...

The state-of-being of confusion and total feeling of idiocy that the simplest, most mundane of tasks can impart when you’re still learning company jargon, software peculiarities, and trying desperately to remember who reports to who so you don’t accidentally cut off the VP of sales on the way to the bathroom.

That’s where I’m at, right now.

Now, keep in mind all of the above and I’ll tell you that I just started a second job. So, I suppose you can take all of the above and multiply it by two. *Lack of sleep is a significant modifier, so it might warrant a tripling.

But the money is good, the cost of living in Texas is far better than the Bay Area and the prospect of quality time with the family and time to write in the near future, softens the feeling of ineptitude.

What is your "favorite" part about a new job?