A road dead-ended quietly into a drab yellow stone plaza.  Several structures of the same dusty dingy yellow stone, hundreds of years old, surrounded the plaza.  Footfalls raised stale puffs of dust with each step.

To the east in the gloom stood doors to an old frayed church huddled against its larger looming neighbor.  It was also made of the stone, but the thick, tall doors rose in dark wood gleaming despite the dust in the growing dark.

The air around lay dry and still.  No wind blew, no breeze teased the dust.

The entrance reached over their heads.  At a glance, the dark doors were at least nine feet.  A pediment of sorts crawled and curled and curved its way up and over the doors in a half-moon arc.  Inside the pediment’s half-moon shined defiantly two quarters of stained glass, like slitted eyes of a baleful being staring out from the church.

I wasn’t standing in the Oval Office when it happened.  Those upper echelons don’t know I exist.  Didn’t, I mean.

I bet it was quite a shock, though – a hologram appearing out of nowhere just to the right of the Resolute desk?  I would have loved to have seen the expressions on their faces.  Did they think it a prank?  Did they disbelieve their eyes for a split second?

You know bureaucrats.  It took them way too long to figure out it was real – the message and the alien.

If the figure hadn’t been dressed in high fashion – as in Milan – would it have been so incongruous?

Big Surprise: Writing Flaws = Personal Quirks

I’ve received feedback on my writing from the amazing folks over on Absolute Write.  I’ve submitted the first scene from Sfia and Peter and two thousand words of Out of the Blue 2.0 (see the Science Fiction section), as well as asking for feedback on Zeddy and Bubba as a concept.

Several people touched on the same things in their comments, and those things turn out to be related to what I’m working on in my personal life.  Why am I surprised?

  1. Over-explain.  I explain in too much depth and width.  Anyone who knows me well knows that!  And it clearly shows up in my writing
  2. Emotional Distance.  The readers don’t feel close to my characters.  Since I struggle to clearly identify and express my emotions to others, it’s not surprising this showed up in my writing.
  3. Timing.  My sense of timing, of when to go in greater depth with the settings versus the moment of tension, needs work.  Ha!  If you know me, you know my tendency to blurt, or to say the last thing first, etc.
  4. Lack of clarity.  Sometimes the readers are left wondering “Why?” too much, especially in regard to what the character’s motivations.

The comments were by no means all negative.  I’m just focusing on what’s wrong to make it better.  Stay tuned!

Rain fell in a heavy cascade onto the windshield, a veritable waterfall that wipers battled in a futile effort. She peered cautiously ahead. Even at this slow speed, the wind still buffeted the car and shook it constantly. Her hands gripped the steering wheel tightly as she jerked the wheel back and forth in small, tight motions in a fight to keep the car in a relatively straight line.
“Just a little rain,” she said out loud. “What an idiot!” Her sarcasm echoed oddly, competing against the sounds of the beating rain in the otherwise empty SUV. “The idiot formerly known as my manager,” she added.

Her manager had seemed a decent enough guy when she had hired on last month, but in the last few hours her respect for him had plunged.

A stronger gust slammed into the car, causing it to shudder. She winced and gripped the steering wheel tighter, thankful for the bigger mass of the SUV rental.

Her whitened knuckles were a testament not only to the fury of the storm but also her fear barely held at bay.

Departing hotel employees, the latest weather report, and a late burst of sanity had finally prompted her departure, but drunk co-workers celebrating the hurricane waylaid her in the lobby. It took precious minutes to extricate herself and drive away.

Now the storm was almost on top of them all.

A Great Mountain Hike

Driving south of town, you watch the two-lane blacktop curve back and forth around slight slopes of evergreens.  You catch glimpses of a rushing creek bed on your left.  Then, a large and beautiful pond, clear and shining, appears, and you almost miss your right turn on to Spruce Road.  The scent of pine needles wafts in your windows in the cool mountain breeze.

Continue reading

Childhood Sun, Sea, and Wind

Take either the short ferry from Port A. and drive down Mustang Island, or cross the Intracoastal Waterway from Corpus.  Take Park Road 22 south down Padre Island, passing by beachfront parks and condos and Bob Hall Pier.  Keep going until buildings disappear and sandy flat vegetation stretches out on either side.  Keep going as the road ribbons onward.  Keep going to the entrance to a little known national park, Padre Island National Seashore.

2016 Poker Run at Bird Island Basin

2016 Poker Run at Bird Island Basin

Pay your entrance fee, and keep a sharp watch out for the first turn westward, away from the Gulf and the pounding surf.  A short drive, a cluster of cars, then  you see colorful sails dancing like butterflies across the water.  The sailboard rigs fill the water as they skim, race, flutter, flip, and tip.

Welcome to one of the best windsurfing spots in the world: Bird Island Basin.

Continue reading