Why I Stopped Blogging

Posted on 07/07/2024 by Grumpa Joe

I’ve been so involved in completing my second book, which I began in 2014, that I have stopped posting. This story is totally the opposite of the one I submitted to a publisher last month. The first called Space Rod is loaded with sex, while BAC doesn’t spend any time on sexual matters at all. Space Rod deals with grief and impersonal sexual relationships. This new story is based on the premise that George Washington was killed during the Revolutionary War and the thirteen colonies which extended to the Mississippi River never got any larger.

The world was very different because there wasn’t a United States of America. Consequently, there was never a Louisiana Purchase, and Texas remained its own country. Texas expanded into the Mexican domain and stretched up to Canada. Spain was left with Mexico, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Oregon, and Washington, and Hitler won the war in Europe. My head spins with all the possibilities that exist in storytelling. Hopefully, I’ll complete the manuscript before the end of Summer, and return to Blogging.

I am obsessed with finishing this goal because my time on this earth is shortening rapidly, and there is so much I still want to do. I first began writing Space Rod in 2013 and then switched to BAC-British American Colonies in 2014, thinking I’d finish them both. Then Peggy developed dementia, and my life turned into taking care of her. Peggy has been gone for five years already and I don’t have that as an excuse any longer. It is time to put on my big boy pants and do the job.

I have pledged not to do any Intarsia or gardening until I submit BAC to a publisher. If one, both, or none get published, my goals will change accordingly based on my desire to sell stories.

That is my story, and I’m sticking to it.

Filed under: Aging, Biography, Writer | Tagged: , , | 2 Comments »

Too Many Questions, Not As Many Answers

Posted on 30/09/2014 by Grumpa Joe

There are some days, like today, that writing does not come easily. No single subject strikes a nerve. Yet, I feel the need to write. I did spend a couple of hours writing today, but not for Grumpa Joe’s Place. I’m still trying to answer a question I posited a few weeks back, i.e. what would the world be like if there was no America? My mind has gone wild with that question. So many new questions arise. What would have become of the thirteen colonies had the Revolution failed? Where would the boundaries lie? Who would have taken the territory known as the Louisiana Purchase? Will Florida still belong to Spain? Would Mexico still claim all the land stretching from the Continental divide to the Pacific up to the Oregon border? Would The Republic of Texas survive as its own country? Would the slaves be free? Will Hitler conquer Europe? Did the Japanese take over the Pacific and conquer China? Is South America a Christian Theocracy? What system of government prevails world-wide? Did Stalin win over the world to his brand of socialism? Do the thirteen colonies finally break away from England? Would buffalo still roam the open plains by the millions? Has a cure for cancer been found?

Obviously, I have some ideas for what the answers are because that is the crux of the story I am writing. The story is also the reason I have not been writing as much original stuff for Grumpa Joe’s Place.

When I get stuck on a particular piece of the story, I just let it rest and eventually, the sub-conscious mind will steer me out of the corner into the right direction. On days like today, writing is work more than a joy. I like it better when it is a joy and my fingers fly across the keyboard without stopping.

To complicate matters, I bought a program called Grammarian. Since I am still learning the stuff I should have learned in grammar school, when I didn’t pay much attention to anything, this program should help me. There are a couple of problems with it that I must mention. First, and most important the font used in the program is so tiny it makes reading beyond difficult. I’ve spent too many minutes trying to unlock the secret of enlarging the print to a readable level. Cataracts do not make reading easy, nor does age. The second problem is the degree of difficulty understanding the detailed instructions for installing and using the stupid thing. After messing with Windows for twenty years, installing a program should be a piece of cake, but Grammarian takes the challenge to the next level of absurd.

tvmagnifier31

A 1950’s TV with a Screen Magnifier. Yes folks, that is the kind of TV I grew up with.

I have considered getting a giant magnifying glass to install on the face of my PC screen. Yes, just like the ones we saw when we were kids. Every tavern in town had one on their small screen TV to make the picture larger. The magnifier idea is so old-tech even I rejected it immediately. Instead, I will search the I-net for clues about where to find the magic button that enlarges the font with a single tap of the finger.

While searching for the image above, I learned that a bunch of new-tech screen magnifiers are for sale from many sources. A magnifier might be an answer after all

Filed under: Biography, Education, family, Memories, Society, Writer | Tagged: , , , , | 5 Comments »

The Man Cave Blocks a Writer’s Mind

Posted on 19/11/2010 by Grumpa Joe

I find my self in a horrible writer’s block. The ideas are not coming. Maybe it is because I am preoccupied with a building project in the Man-cave. I have had this project on the books for five years, and decided it was time to make it happen. Building a finished room is not easy for me. I watch the DYI programs and get the idea that building a complete house only takes thirty minutes to an hour. That is not the reality, especially if you are a one man contractor, carpenter, electrician, etc.

After my Lions Club projects wound down, I set the goal to complete the Man-cave by Thanksgiving. It would be simple; just take a simple baby-step everyday. The deadline for next Thursday is not realistic, but Christmas may be a reality. That is, if I don’t go overboard on decorating, both inside and out.

The man-cave is the final project in a series of projects that I envisioned when I moved into this house. Once it is complete, I will begin using my wood shop to do some intarsia art-work. I haven’t done an intarsia piece in ten years, but I still have the desire to create art from wood. A couple of my pieces are shown below. I also have  a burning desire to design and build  whirligigs. These clever devices combine woodworking with wind powered mechanical motion. Since the whirligig constitutes yard-art, the goal is to have one in place in my 2011 garden.

 

Dolphins

Winter Bear

In between all of this physical activity, I still take baby steps toward completing a new book titled “Nightmares from Obama.” Combine that with publishing a new serialized Christmas story for Grumpa Joe’s Place, and it is no wonder why Grandma Peggy feels like she is a widow again. All of these projects and self-imposed deadlines have me stressed out. No wonder I suffer writer’s block.

A single line from a hymn keeps running through my mind, “One day at a time sweet Jesus, one day at a time….”

Filed under: family, Hobbies, Memories, religion, Warm and Fuzzy, Writer | Tagged: , , , | 1 Comment »