Limits

Danielle was upset. She had an idea for a story and her friends were trying to talk her out of writing it.

"The woman can't be a warrior," one of them told her. "How will the guy rescue her if she is the strong one?"

Danielle is a real author and a friend of mine. And she really did have friends trying to talk her out of writing her story. Through a popular social media site, she asked if other friends (like me) thought she should abandon the project.

"Write it!" I told her. "Who cares if it gets published? It's in your head -- you owe it to yourself to write it! Never let someone else's limits be YOUR limits!"

In life, you will find people who will expect you to abide by their limits. Usually, these people mean well. But you will only achieve greatness by pushing your limits, attempting things that have never been done before.

When someone tells me what I can't do, I simply have a two-word response: "Watch me!"

The Witch and the Changeling

The Witch and the Changeling by Lynn E. O'Connacht
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm not sure how I felt about this story. On the one hand, the witch of the title and the setting seemed very real. On the other hand, the story didn't seem to have an ending. I like ambiguous endings, but this didn't even give me much to wonder about. Perhaps O'Connacht will write a sequel.

View all my reviews

On Writers and Writing

There are, of course, different kinds of writers. Some writers write for someone else: A newspaper, magazine, blog, an advertising firm or even writing manuals or greeting cards. Some writers are freelancers, writing for several someones. Some write fiction, some write non-fiction. Some write novels, some write short stories. While a writer shouldn't feel limited to just one sort of writing, he (or she) should decide what kind of writer to be. Different forms of writing require different skills. I will explore what it takes to write in these different genres in future posts.

Career Day

I volunteered to speak at my daughter's school for career day. I thought I would be speaking as a magician, but when the guidance counsellor saw I am a writer, she got excited: It turns out there are a lot of children in the school who want to be writers. So, it looks like I'll be speaking as a writer.

This is a brand-new career for me, but I am excited to tell the children about it. I'll be posting ideas here as I create my presentation.

Challenge Me

I thought it could be fun if some of my fans would challenge me to write something. Just post your challenge in the comments. I don't promise to accept every one, but if I accept yours I will let you know!

The Challenge

1. What genre would you like me to tackle?
2. Give me a name of a character you would like me to use.
3. Give me a setting: A time and/or place.
4. Give me three words you would like me to include in the piece.

That's it! The only thing I ask is that you keep it clean.

I Smiled

I smiled at the Reaper as he swooped by. He was reaping souls as he is wont to do.

He grinned his deathly grimace and asked, "Aren't you frightened, Bruce? One evening, I shall come for you!"

"Not at all, Death," I replied. "You'll come whether I am frightened or not. I had no say as to my coming into this world. I will have no say about leaving. Why should that trouble me?"

Death looked as if he might say something, but he had more souls to claim, so he moved on.

*   *   *

The above came to me (more or less as I've written it) as I drove across Illinois yesterday evening. As the sun was setting, there was a gap in the cloud cover shaped remarkably like a scythe. I thought of the Grim Reaper, but the sky was so beautiful and I was so happy I smiled. I thought about my own mortality, and how it really shouldn't (and doesn't) bother me.

Have you ever thought of death, particularly your own? If so, what was your reaction? Please let me know in the comments.

Cheers!

Bruce

Welcome to My Blog!

Hello, and welcome to my blog!

I have recently discovered my "inner writer," and as such I felt the need for a blog. What sorts of things will I post? Updates on what I'm working on, new ideas for stories or non-fiction works, reviews of some of my favorite books...maybe even a short story or two.

These are just some of my ideas. What sort of posts would you like to see? Let me know in the comments!