In The Next Three Seconds...

1. Your heart will beat nearly three times.
2. The human population will increase by nine.
3. Americans will eat 6,000 eggs.
4. Three teddy bears will be given as gifts.
5. The place where you are now on Earth will revolve 0.87 mile eastward.
6. Rodents will eat enough to feed 19 starving people.
7. Enough tourists to fill a bus will arrive somewhere.
8. 18 years' worth of television will be watched by people around the world.
9. Irish people will drink 200 potfuls of tea.
10. 93 trees will be cut down to make the liners for disposable diapers.

Whew! That's A LOT to think about.

I got these ten facts straight from a short book titled (you guessed it) In The Next Three Seconds... It's by Rowland Morgan, and illustrated by Rod and Kira Josey. A family member rented it from a libary, and, well, one thing led to another...and suddenly I found my hands on it, unable to put it down. It's simply fascinating to think that these ten things (and trust me, there are quite a few more), have already happened since I began writing this post, and are happening right now, and will be happening three seconds after the previous three seconds ends...if that makes any sense at all.

Just felt like sharing, because some of these things seriously blew my mind.

Ever heard of this book? You have? Great! You haven't, well, check it out! :) You'll be stunned, to say the least. (It goes all the way up to "In the next three million years...".)

I'd like to know, did you find any of these facts interesting? I find numbers six, eight, and ten insanely interesting...with six being quite disturbing.

Well, that ends my post for today. Thanks for reading, and, as always, write on! :)

You're It!

So, I was just tagged in some random internet tagging thing that's been quickly spreading about the blogging world. It's simple. You answer eight questions, and whoever's reading said post is automatically tagged.

So, yep. Consider yourself tagged. (This is totally optional, so please don't feel obligated to make a post for yourself. It's all simply for fun.) =)

So, here are the eight questions. I hope to be reading the answers some of you guys provide! ;)

1.) If you could have a superpower, what would you have? Why?

Invisibility, without a doubt. It'd be insanely cool to pop in at random places and be able to just...be there. :) (And, c'mon, who doesn't want to listen in on certain conversations???) Plus, the mere thought of being able to turn invisible is utterly mind-blowing.

2.) Who is your style icon?

Um, don't have one? (Hopefully I can answer that.) I wear whatever I feel like wearing when I feel like it--though I do have a small obsession with hoodies and sweat pants.

3.) What is your favorite quote?

"You have brains in your heads. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose." -Dr. Seuss

4.) What is the best compliment you've ever received?

Someone once told me they wouldn't be surprised if I ended up on the bestseller list someday. :)

5.) What playlist/cd is on your iPod/cd player right now?

Maroon 5!

6.) Are you a night owl or a morning person?

Easily a night owl. I hate hate HATE the mornings. Always have, always will.

7.) Do you prefer dogs or cats?

Dogs, of course (since I have one). ;)

8.) What is the meaning behind your blog name?

No meaning. Just my name. :)

So, that's it! Those are the eight questions you'll use if you so choose to participate in this incredibly random little tag!

Until next time, write on!

The Rach Writes Inaugural Writers' Platform-Building Crusade!

Okay. So, this is, in short, an amazing new thing that was just started by fellow blogger Rachael Harrie not too long ago. It's exactly what the title says--an inaugural writers' platform-building crusade!

It goes a little something like this...

We all want followers/need followers (we can't let our astounding blogs go unread, now can we?), but so many of us, including but not limited to (that sounds so professional, does it not?) aspiring writers, published writers, people in the writing business, beginner bloggers, etc. It's a sad thing to know that many of these blogs do go unread for weeks, months, possibly even years.

Because of that, Rachael began the Crusade. :) And, already because of it, I've gained four followers in less than a day (thanks to all you who journeyed here to my blog!). So if that doesn't convince you to become a fellow Crusader, I don't know what will. :)

Here's the post about it, straight from Rachael's blog. Check it out!

Before I go, please note that there are a few conditions (good ones, of course) to becoming a Crusader:

1. Write about the Crusade on your blog and link back to Rachael's post.
2. Encourage your followers to come to Rachael's blog (and follow!).
3. Just generally spread the word about it (Facebook, Twitter, etc.).
4. Have fun gaining/meeting new bloggers out there!

So, that's it. Definitely go head on over to Rachael's blog and discover more about the Crusade, and be sure to return here as well and/or follow if you're interested in hearing about my journey to publication and moreover simply what I have to say. :)

Write on!

Outlining vs. Jumping Right In

Hey everyone. :) Today's post is going to be about the ways of writing your novel, with focus on outlines and simply leaping right in.

So, I'll simply start if off with this: I hate outlines. Always have, probably always will. Why? Well...to be honest, I'm not too sure. But I hate them. Sometimes I feel like they pressure me into creating a story I truly don't want to write; why would I plot a whole story out if I know I'm already limiting my creative juices, in a sense? This is not at all to offend anyone in favor of outlines; trust me, I've tried them and have heard a handful of reasons why authors should use them, such as:

1. They help you stay on task.
2. You already know the beginning, middle, and end, so you know where your story's going.

And, yeah. That's all I've got. Don't get me wrong--these reasons are certainly valid. But, being an outline-opposer, I can't see many reasons why you should, in fact, use them. But hey, we're all different. And I did say that I probably will always hate them. So, maybe you guys can sway me in the comments if you feel I'm totally idiotic concerning my writing ways. =]

Now, how I write. Well, guys and gals...

I wing it.

Seriously. I sit down, idea in head, fingers on keys, and start typing. I see where the story goes, where my characters lead me, what roads I'll take with my adventure. It's more fun to me when I have nothing to already base my story off of; simply diving right in gives me, at least, more freedom.

This post is definitely biased; not denying it in the least. Yes, there's definitely some little moments where I have to sit down for a while and figure out how certain situations are going to pan out, why certain things have happened, how characters became who they are... But still, I'm a jump-right-in-and-just-start-writing kind of guy.

So, those are two particular ways of writing. How about you guys? Agree? Disagree? I'm totally for constructive responses, so give me what you've got!

Until then, write on! (I had to yank that little ending for posts from a friend of mine, whose blog, All Writing Allowed, is a great little writing blog for anyone in need of some advice, opinions, and fun!)

Bran Hambric: The Specter Key TRAILER!

BRAN HAMBRIC: THE SPECTER KEY // Buy or read a preview at http://bit.ly/BUYBHTSK

In an earlier post, I blogged about the sequel to a book series that I'm REALLY excited about. The book series is the Bran Hambric series, and is written by blogger/YouTube phenom Kaleb Nation. You may know him as the guy behind twilightguy.com, the hilarious website in which Kaleb himself reads and blogs about his journey of reading the entire Twilight saga. It's quite hilarious, to say the least.

Now, onto Bran Hambric. The first novel, BRAN HAMBRIC: THE FARFIELD CURSE, takes place in an alternate world and, more specifically, in a city named Dunce, where magic is outlawed. Our main character is fourteen-year-old Bran, who was taken in by a bizarre family named the Wilomases after he was discovered in a locked bank vault at age six. He soon discovers he possesses magical abilities, and that his mother's former masters are after him, attempting to get him to finish the job his mother started. It's a wild adventure, with some interesting characters and some truly funny moments! All in all, a great read that anyone of any age would find entertaining!

Now, for the randomness (well, not that random)...

Do you think it's possible for your first story to be your first? I mean it in this sense: J.K. Rowling got the idea for Harry Potter on a train ride, and it just stuck with her. Stephenie Meyer had a dream about Edward and Bella for TWILIGHT, and it stuck with her. Christopher Paolini loves fantasies, and one day started to plot out/write a novel titled ERAGON. Kaleb Nation randomly imagined a boy and a banker on a roof, waiting for a burglar to come, one March night...

So, my point is, is there a such thing as a story that must be written? Because, honestly, sometimes I find myself questioning the very story that slammed into my head, wondering if it's simply a pipe dream story, so-to-speak, or if I was truly meant to have this random idea plow into my brain.

I tend to overthink things, so honestly, I don't know. But I do know that I'll keep querying, and querying, and querying...

But, if I find myself seventy-years-old and still querying this story of mine seemingly zillions of years from now, I'll then put it away.

It'll probably be then, however, that an agent scoops me up. :)

Leave your thoughts below (and remember to check out Bran Hambric!)!

Until next time, happy writing!

Me, The Slacker

Yes, I admit, I've been slacking with the blog. And I apologize.

It's been quite some time since my last blog post, the one about "voice" in writing (which was met with quite a few amazingly nice comments; you guys all made me smile!). And now I find myself sitting here, realizing I should be updating my blog a little more than I have been since I began blogging seemingly yesterday.

Today, my post is going to be about my dog. :) I felt the need to introduce you all to her...

Her name's Ruby, and she's literally the best dog on the planet (well, maybe I'm a little biased; I'm pretty sure everyone says that about their respective pets)! :) She's a Bichon Frise and is five years old, being an October-born dog! She's SO cute, and is occasionally garbed in scarves (the picture may be a pretty good giveaway) and little bandanas.

Hmmm. What else? Well, for one, she thinks she's a human. Like, literally. She lays her head on the pillows of the couch and the bed when she sleeps (again, the picture is a pretty good reference) =D and always wants to go for a ride in the car. (Well, doesn't every dog like to do that???) ;)

Also, I've found that some dogs go terribly crazy during thunderstorms; not Ruby. She just trots around, totally oblivious to the fact that crazy, electric bolts of...um...craziness (my vocabulary's left my brain for some unexplainable reason; it's temporary, I'm certain) are shooting around in the sky. It's actually pretty funny. :)

So, I think that about wraps up the little section about Ruby. No, wait. One more thing (if you've gotten this far in this insanely pointless post)...

She's OBSESSED with her dog treats. Like, every-five-seconds-you-look-and-she's-back-again-begging-for-another obsessed. The vets have said she's a little overweight and to cut down on the treats, too. That's how obsessed she is. (How can I resist her dog face, though? You're right. I can't.) =]

What else, what else...

Oh, yeah. On srjohannes's blog Market My Words (one of my absolute favorite blogs EVER), srjohanness herself (aka Shelli), is hosting an agent contest with the fantastic Sarah LaPolla from Curtis Brown, Ltd. The contest won't be held until tomorrow at 9amEST, but you should still definitely check it out. (Hint hint: the contest involves a paragraph pitch of no more than four sentences.)

In short, an amazing oppurtunity that shouldn't, by any means, be missed! I'm entering, too! :) And don't worry if Sarah doesn't represent the book you're writing; Shelli constantly hosts agent contests with various agents, so you just need to keep checking to see which agent is up and, if you're lucky, it may be the agent for you!

So, I suppose that ends my slacking/apology/dog/writing post. Certainly more to come (I'm not leaving you guys when you constantly make my day)! =)

Until then, happy writing!