52 Week Reading Challenge

I was behind on getting this going, but I found it on a forum earlier this year.  I revised it for my goals.  Many are very challenging but I think they will be fun!

ENJOY!

52 Week Reading Challenge (one for each week of the year):
1. A book by your favorite author.
2. A book by an author whose work you haven't read previously.
3. A book released in the year you were born.
4. A book released in 2018.
5. A book released in 2008.
6. A book released in 1998.
7. A book released in 1988.
8. A book released in 1978.
9. A book released in 1968.
10. A book released in 1958.
11. A book released in 1948.
12. A book released in 1938.
13. A book released in 1928.
14. A book released in 1918.
15. A book released in the 20th Century [outside the years above].
16. A book released in the 19th Century.
17. A book that has had a movie or TV adaptation.
18. A book written after a movie or TV.
19. A female author.
20. A male author.
21. A graphic novel.
22. A fiction.
23. A romance.
24. A fantasy.
25. A sci-fi.
26. A suspense/paranormal.
27. An action/crime/adventure.
28. A war.
29. A thriller.
30. A mystery.
31. A historical fiction.
32. A Native American.
33. A young adult book.
34. A western.
35. A literature classic.
36. A non-fiction.
37. An author's debut book.
38. An author from your state/province/country.
39. A book originally published in a language other than English.
40. A book by an African author.
41. A book by an Asian author.
42. A book by an Australian author.
43. A book by a European author.
44. A book by a North American author.
45. A book by a South American author.
46. A book set in Africa.
47. A book set in Antarctica.
48. A book set in Asia.
49. A book set in Australia.
50. A book set in Europe.
51. A book set in North America.
52. A book set in South America.

Ol' Friend

By M.D. Robinson

Hello, ol' friend,

It’s been a while, I know,

But here you are again,

Greeting me, just as before.

Hello, ol' friend,

I’ve returned, it’s true,

I know I left without goodbye,

I left mostly because of you.

Hello, ol' friend,

There you are again,

Embracing me, welcoming me,

As if I never left.

Your enfolding embrace,

Brings such memories,

Such a wellspring of feelings,

Of a life not many know.

You were with me as a boy,

Being constantly there,

Watching me grow and play,

Always near yet far.

You were there again,

As I went to college,

Torturing me with your fierceness,

Unforgiving with your love?

Later as a man,

You embraced me on any day,

Not really aware of my mood,

Just there for the reminder.

Now having left,

I have returned,

And found that I missed you,

Your icy chill refreshing all the same.

Many curse you, you know,

You’re not liked by any,

I have found though,

That you carry my memories.

You remind me of my childhood,

My years of love, and pain,

You were there as I grew,

From a boy to a man.

There aren’t many who'll admit,

But having returned to Wyoming,

I have found my ol' friend, once again,

I missed you, your embrace, your rush.

Now, I have returned,

Things seem so right,

I know my purpose,

As well as yours.

Many still curse you,

But not I,

I know you,

My ol’ friend, WIND!

Not Just Crossing Genres But Crossing Creativities!!!

Yeah, I know, creativities is not a real word.  I can see the squiggly red line under it from my 'Spell Checker' saying, hey, idiot, that isn't a word I know.  Well, sometimes the words we know just do not convey the meanings we want!  I found this runs true in Chinese as well as Taiwanese.  The rules of language try to keep us within bounds set up to keep us all understanding each other.  Otherwise we would all speak gibberish and never understand each other.  But as anyone who is an artist or writer or any other creative practitioner has found, sometimes thinking outside the box gets us where we feel we need to be.

I have been finding that crossing 'creativities' is very rewarding.

First, on a personal level.  I have really enjoyed writing but I am also starting to find that there are other things I had never tried that I am beginning to enjoy.  Learning to play the guitar, while frustrating, is still very interesting.  Sketching has also peaked my interest.  These new interest in other creative avenues have had an influence on my writing and promise to help it grow.

On another front, I have found that working with those outside of writing has had a different influence.  In working on the book covers for books 1 and 2 in the Way of the Horse series, I met a wonderful designer who sadly isn't with us anymore.  Digital Donna helped me so much and I consider it a blessing and honor to have been able to work with her digitally, having never met her in person.  She was a very kind and dear person and I miss her, even today.  We worked hard on the first cover and came up with a good design that made me appreciate working with another realm of the creative arts.  When it came to book 2 though she really wow'd me when she hit it on the first draft.  I just sat back and said, "That's it!"  It was SIMPLY awesome and still gives me goose bumps to this day thinking about it.  She also helped me get the Series cover designed as well.

Lately, I went looking for another designer and I teamed up with Aidana WillowRaven.  It was a bit different process with Aidana but JUST as rewarding.  I haven't seen anything yet and it is all I can do not to drop her a line to ask for a progress report, but I am confident that something will be coming soon, and that I will be pleased with it.  While Aidana was interviewing me on my book, I also had a 'oh, wow' moment and felt the creativity just flow from our discussions.  She gave me some GREAT ideas for my book to enhance to the visuals that she was going with.  It was simply awesome!

So, what is my point with all of this?  I guess what I learned is to let go of what I wanted to see as the author for the book cover and just give them a few ideas that you have, including the synopsis.  Let them run with it and see where you both end up.  It is a really neat journey that I really look forward to with each book.  The experience has enhanced my outlook and shown me to look for things in my book that can be brought out visually that can help bring expectations to the readers minds.

The other thing I learned, this crossing over helps each of us to take some time away from writing and try other things, use other parts of our creativity and venture into the unknown.  It seems to add to the tool box and hone our tools.

Love to Set Goals

I love to set goals, but how do you attain them?

In  Marc Guberti's blog 5 Ways To Get Your Goals Accomplished Faster we find five ways that I love.  Check them out.  I like #5 myself.

Writer's Block...a possible solution

As I have stated on my Way of the Horse Series blog, writer's block is really keeping me from my goals of finishing the #amediting on Book 2.  I have tried all kinds of things including starting back into Book 3#amwriting.  Nothing has seemed to work. Of course this also means that my blog posts on ALL my blogs have slipped as well.

But the other day I was looking at being somewhat disconnected from the internet and decided I needed to try reading a book.  I looked the house over and found several books that I had borrowed. Then I came across a book I had gotten for my wife for a Christmas a while ago.  She had never read it and it had been a while since I had.  So I picked it up.

I have to say, sitting at the feet of an accomplished and celebrated story-teller and reading their work was very motivating.  It gave me new ideas for how to convey and form the craft and other ideas of why we write.  It was refreshing to not have to worry about what I was reading because it was my work and I was revising it or trying to make sense of it in the grand scheme of themes and plots.  I just got to sit back and enjoy the story.

The author you ask?  Why it it Stephen King's The Gunslinger.  Well worth the few days off of reading and not doing anything else.

Has it worked totally, not quite, but I am finding the spark is struck and the ember glows brightly.  Maybe this week I can get going on my projects and feel like I have accomplished something too!

Enjoy your week!

What is in a name?

So suggestions have come in that I change my pen name from M.D. Robinson to something more discover-able such as Michael D Robinson.  Now I have thought on this a lot and wondered if there is anyone with an opinion out there [I know there are...].

The reason I use M.D. is because it is somewhat more unique in names from Mike or Michael since there are millions of those.  There are online databases that list combinations of names and last I came across it there were over 4 million people named Mike Robinson if I remember correctly.  The down side is that MD is also a very popular title and so I lumped in with all of those in that profession.

So the question I pose is, what do you think?  M.D. Robinson or Michael D Robinson or some other idea?

Useful Quotes

Been a while since I have posted here.  Between #reallife, #amediting my beta reader reviews and now #amreading, I am struggling to keep my life balanced.

Today I decided to share a short list of quotes I have found useful for the last few years.  Some are a little dark, others are, well, just plain funny (Reagan's).

So here they are:

"Tactics is knowing what to do when there is something to do. Strategy is knowing what to do when there is nothing to do."  Savielly Tartakower

"The tactician must know what to do whenever something needs doing; the strategist must know what to do when nothing needs doing." Savielly Tartakower

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald

“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” -Edmund Burke

"...I know it's hard when you're up to your armpits in alligators to remember you came here to drain the swamp. (February 10, 1982)." -Ronald Reagan

"And he whom you cannot teach to fly, teach to fall faster." -Friedrich Nietzsche

"When you stare into the abyss the abyss stares back at you." -Friedrich Nietzsche

“Death is not the end. Death can never be the end. Death is the road. Life is the traveller. The soul is the guide.” - Sri Chinmoy 59

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” -Martin Luther King Jr.

 “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” -Eleanor Roosevelt