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Brief writing exercises and thoughts on writing. Maybe the occasional personal musing.
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  Proud Member This is my writer's scratchpad. I use this space to scribble down some quick thoughts and images that appeal to me. The idea is that when I don't feel like working on one of my stories but still want to write, the incomplete "droplets" I form will get posted here. I have another (currently dormant) blog where I discuss politics, sexuality, spirituality, and whatever else comes to mind. It's called The Musings of a Confused Man  . |
| From "Blogging Circle of Friends " : Is it ever okay to lie? While I know that conventional wisdom says that honesty is the best policy and most situations bear out that wisdom, I do believe that there are those cases when dishonesty is not only okay, but the more appropriate response. The classic example of this is the hypothetical (not as hypothetical as you might think) question of whether it was okay to lie to SS soldiers in 1940's Germany if they asked you about any Jews living in your neighborhood. Obviously, telling them, "Oh yes, the Morgansteins are over on Hall Street," would be unthinkable. Not only would most people think it okay to lie in such a situation, many people (myself included) would see it as a moral imperative. No principle lives in a isolation, and that means that situations sometimes arrive in which principles come into conflict with one another. I'd say saving a life is worth a black mark on my honesty record. In fact, I'd say that lying to protect another person's safety or well-being in general is an acceptable and even necessary thing. One real example in my own life was when my friend, P left her abusive husband. P's husband immediately contacted me and asked if I knew what had happened to her and where she had gone. Telling him where P was certainly was not an option, for obvious reasons. That left me telling him up-front that I knew where she was but was unwilling to tell him or simply lie and say I was clueless. I chose the latter, as it kept him from harassing me in his ongoing attempt to get to P and definitely protected P. I feel no guilt over that. I'd also note that if the very conservative parents ever asked me if I knew whether their child was gay, I would lie to them if necessary. That child is still financially dependent on and vulnerable to those parents. Again, that child's well-being -- being allowed to continue relying on hir parents for hir needs and not being coerced into some situation -- is more important than my honesty in such a situation. JarredH  Give me pen and paper and I shall create entire worlds and fill them with adventures. |
I sat on the edge of his bed and held his hand. We sat in silence, looking into each others eyes. He smiled wanly and I lowered my eyes. --- His guards escorted him across the courtyard to the blood stained wall. The firing squad congregated nearby, watching him approach his end. --- She crouched behind a bunker, holding her marker close to her chest. To her left, a teammate swore as two paintballs stained his shirt blue. --- I paddled my canoe, slowly drawing closer to the shallows of the lake. I slipped out of the vessel, the water cold on my calves. --- The bagpipe troop marched along the parade route, their kilts fluttering a bit in the breeze. The crowed listened to their tune in silence. --- He crept toward the house, keeping to the shadows where possible. He studied the dark building, seeking any sign of life. All was quiet. JarredH Give me pen and paper and I shall create entire worlds and fill them with adventures. |
| Actually, it's from "Blogging Circle of Friends " : Name a movie that frightened you. First, let's take care of the warning: This entry contains spoilers to a twelve year old movie. When I saw this blog prompt, I was immediately reminded of my original experience of the movie Jeepers Creepers . Originally, i could not even get through that movie. I must have tried watching it at least five different times -- thank goodness I owned it on DVD -- and stopped in the same place every time.The scene that would do me in was the one where Justin Long's character (or was it Gina Phillips's character? I forget.) finds themselves wandering through the cave with all the bodies hanging there. I'd see that scene and I'd get instantly frightened. I'd be so frightened that I would stop the movie. I just couldn't get past it. I tried watching the movie during the day even, but had the same results. Finally, one day I was hanging out with my friend, Peggy, and we were going to watch a movie. She mentioned that one, and I decided to give it a try with someone else in the room with me. So we sat down and watched the movie. We got to the scene in the cave, and it still creeped me out, but Peggy's presence made it possible for me to keep watching. Then something interesting happened. We got to the part of the movie where I realized that the villain was a supernatural monster. You see, for some reason, I had assumed that this was a movie about a human killer, akin to the Hannibal Lecter movies. Once I realized that I was watching a movie about a supernatural monster, my fears evaporated. I've been able to watch the whole movie without any problems ever since. By myself. In a dark room. On a stormy night. That's when I realized that I'm much more frightened by movies that could really happen. The idea that a real human could kill women and sew their skin into a body suit for himself creeps me out. The idea that some human could put people into situations where they have to attempt disgusting and nearly impossible things in order to have even just a shot at escaping almost inevitable death creeps me out. But supernatural undead creatures that collect body-parts from unsuspecting bystanders? No problem! Weird, eh? JarredH Give me pen and paper and I shall create entire worlds and fill them with adventures. |
I moaned softly as he slipped his hand beneath my shirt, caressing my stomach. He gazed into my eyes before leaning forward to kiss me. --- Smoke curled as it escaped the small cabin's chimney and floated into the sky. The pine trees surrounding the building were covered in snow. --- Todd watched from his living room window as dark clouds appeared on the horizon and began to roll across the sky. The wind shook the trees. --- I shifted nervously as I sat in my car. My fingers tapped out a wild rhythm. I looked in my mirror. The cop was still in his cruiser. --- Zach adjusted his armor as he marched his first patrol route. His shoulders ached from the added weight. He figured he'd be sore by morning. --- Moonlight filtered in through the window near the bed and bathed the sleeping child's face in soft light. Her breath was slow and relaxed. JarredH Give me pen and paper and I shall create entire worlds and fill them with adventures. |
We sat together on the bench, watching the sunset. I felt his hand on my knee and I covered it with my own. We sat there as the light faded. --- He gripped my hand tightly. My muscles burned as I slowly worked to pull him up to the edge of the wall I lay on. Sweat poured from my face. --- His lips pursed as he pressed them into mine. The soft pressure was a delight to me and I returned his kiss, my own desire building. --- He cradled the back of my neck with his hands as he leaned in. I could smell the faint aroma of his aftershave as his face drew closer. --- A figure crept along the dirt road, passing from shadow to shadow. They adeptly avoided the meager light cast by the evenly spaced lamps. JarredH Give me pen and paper and I shall create entire worlds and fill them with adventures. |
We held hands as we ran. His gait was slightly longer, so I struggled to keep up with him. As we ran, I could hear the explosions as meteorites hit the earth mere yards behind us. The dust filled the air, choking my lungs. I tried to pull the collar of my shirt tighter over my mouth and nose with my free hand. My foot hit an uneven patch of ground and I tripped falling to my knees. I winced as he practically pulled my shoulder out of joint before realizing I wasn’t moving. He turned to face me and reached out his other hand to help me up. I saw his eyes widen for a moment before he tackled me to the ground and covered with his body. Less than a second later, I heard the crashing impact and felt as we were both showered with huge clods of dirt. I wondered briefly if we were about to be buried alive. JarredH Give me pen and paper and I shall create entire worlds and fill them with adventures. |
The sunlight from the eastern window finally crept up to meet her eyes. Even with the her eyelids closed, the light disturbed her sleep. --- He held the barbell above his chest and extended his arms fully. His chest strained with the effort as he lifted the weights higher. --- The pair held each other close as their small boat floated down the artificial river in near darkness. Soft music played in the background. --- He pulled me closer as we walked, his hand resting on my hip. I paused as i felt his hand tighten, kneading my flesh. I glared teasingly. --- Water dripped off stalactites onto the floor of the cave, offering the only sound. Flashlight beams weakly pierced the surrounding darkness. --- Dust fell from the rafters as the passing train shook the warehouse. The two men stood in silence, waiting for the sound to die back down. JarredH Give me pen and paper and I shall create entire worlds and fill them with adventures. |
Jacob sat in the grass and cradled my head in his lap as I lay in front of him staring up at the sky. He ran his fingers through my curly brown hair as I watched the clouds slowly float across the sky. I sighed and glanced at my lover’s eyes, his head was bowed and his eyes were closed. He frowned slightly and I felt a tingling sensation at the back of my skull. “Jacob,” I said tentatively. “What are you doing?” “What do you think I’m doing?” he said, a slight edge in his otherwise soft and soothing voice. “I think you’re working on me.” “Okay, then.” “Okay, what’s wrong?” The tingling sensation ended and he opened his eyes. “What’s wrong is that you’re not doing your exercises like you’re supposed to. What’s wrong is that you have a few blockages that you should have detected and cleared days -- if not weeks -- ago.” “Yeah, I know. I tend to forget.” I swiveled my hips as I pulled myself up so that I could sit facing him.” “Brady, that’s not acceptable. You can’t just forget. This stuff is important. Master Hogan will be most displeased at your lack of discipline.” “Not nearly as displeased as you,” I said sullenly. Jacob’s voice turned to ice. “Well, that’s because Master Hogan isn’t your lover. He doesn’t share the bond with you that I do. And that means he’s not as likely to...” he closed his eyes as a tear formed in each. “Go on, say it. He’s not likely to get attacked through me as you are.” Jacob’s eyes flew open and he stared at me. “That’s what you think I’m worried about? Good lord, no.” I wrinkled my brow. “Wait, it’s not? I thought the whole thing was that as a new spirit warrior, you’ll be constantly under attack.” “You have that part right. Once I enter the fray and try to push back those forces that would harm our community, spirits will seek to cling to and attack me at every opportunity. It’s why I’m going through the training I am, in order to protect myself and clear my aura of any negativity.” “That’s fine, but what does that have to do with me? I thought our bond was another way for them to attack you.” Jacob shook his head. “Just the opposite, Brady. The concern is that a spirit that seeks to attack me could actually find that bond and follow it back to you.” I gulped. “You mean, the danger you’re concerned about is targeted at me?” He nodded. “When I told Master Hogan that we were lovers and that you have your own sensitivity, he was extremely concerned. I can protect myself, but I can’t really protect you. Our bond makes you a target, and your own abilities make you a pretty appealing one at that.” “So, I’ve been getting this training for my own safety.” “Yeah. Now do you understand why I get so upset when you don’t follow through.” I nodded. JarredH Give me pen and paper and I shall create entire worlds and fill them with adventures. |
I lay in bed with the heavy comforter pulled up to my neck. Despite it’s warmth, I was still shivering. Benji came in with a bowl of soup and set it on the table next to me. Then he set on the edge of the mattress, near my waist. He leaned over and kissed my forehead. His lips felt cool against my forehead and I sighed. He looked into my eyes and shook his head. He walked around to the other side of the bed, lifted the covers and crawled underneath them, snuggling up to me. I began to protest, but he shushed me and I relented. I rested my head against his shoulder and he ran his hand through my hair. I wished desperately that I felt better so that I could truly enjoy being so close to him. And yet, I was glad to have his company. He again kissed me on the forehead and I closed my eyes as he held my shivering body. JarredH Give me pen and paper and I shall create entire worlds and fill them with adventures. |
| There's a huge part of me that wants to write. Really *wants* to write. I've enjoyed cranking out so many Writing Quickies, erotic short stories, Twitter Scribbles, and words on my novel, "A Change of Mind" [GC], lately. It's given me a great sense of accomplishment, and I want to keep the momentum going. And yet, right now, I got nothing. I sit looking at the fact that I haven't worked on the novel in 11 days, yet no new ideas (or the focus to turn them into even semi-workable plot and dialogue) come to me. I take some comfort in the knowledge that I produced my latest Writing Quickie, "Writing Quickie: Talking After the Movie" , on Sunday and the erotic story, "Tickle Torture" [XGC], on Thursday. But as those slip further into the past, I find myself wanted to do something new.And yet, I feel relatively uninspired. No new ideas come to mind for a Writing Quickie. No new set-ups for an erotic piece come to mind. And like I said, the novel has me coming up dry. And I find myself screaming out, "Hey, Muse! Where'd you go! Get back here? Please?" Granted, the poor sleep schedule and tiredness hasn't helped. I've had a few days over the past seven where it's been a challenge to keep my eyes open and form coherent thoughts, let alone do anything as masterful as creative writing (or some semblance thereof). So in reality, I should cut myself a lot of slack and give myself a good deal of credit for what I have done. But all the same, I'd really like my muse back so I can get back to work. So if you see him (her?), please let me know. JarredH Give me pen and paper and I shall create entire worlds and fill them with adventures. |
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