Considering my NaNoWriMo Plot

I finally have a working printer. It is wonderful to be able to print off my works so that I can edit them. This morning I printed off a copy of The Search for Intelligent Life and Winged Vengeance. I have to decide which plot I will use for my NaNoWriMo novel. I have to decide before Thursday, October 1, because that is when the NaNoWriMo Prep Challenge begins on writing.com.

When I wrote The Search for Intelligent Life, a couple of months ago, I thought I was going to use that as the plot basis for my 2015 NaNoWriMo novel. However, last week I wrote Winged Vengeance, which introduced an intriguing female character. This week I am writing a continuation of that story, but introducing a male character.

I think the female character will be the main protagonist because I prefer to write about female characters. The male character I am writing about this week will be a secondary protagonist who will be (I think) the love interest of the female character. I also have another male character in mind as the antagonist, but I could decide I want a female character as the main antagonist in that story. I will decide by Thursday afternoon plot I am using for the novel.

Three Day Until October

Three days left in September.
Three months left in the year.
Is there anything to fear?

The answer to that question is probably yes, but since I don't know what it is I'm not going to worry about it. As far as I know, I got everything mailed for renewal of my SNAP card last week. I haven't heard anything from my case worker yet so I'm going to go ahead with more mundane things such as making coffee and mopping floors.

October is going to be a busy writing month because I'm planning my NaNoWriMo novel. I have two ideas for this years novel and I have to pick one before the end of September. The working title for one of the novel's is The Dragon Wars and the other is The Search of Intelligent Life. I had planned to base the novel on a short story I wrote called The search for Intelligent Life, but last week I wrote Winged Vengeance which is the first story in a fantasy series about Dragon Wars.

This week I plan to write another short story about the Dragon Wars series. I also have to go back and reread The Search for Intelligent Life. Since my printer is working now (at least I think it's working) I can print of the science fiction story to start the rewrite on it. Once I look at a hard copy then I will be able to determine what my NaNoWriMo novel is about. Check back next Saturday or Sunday for more on this subject.

Success Saturday: At the end of a successful writing week

This week's writing and reviewing went well. I wrote seven poems, one short story, and did at least thirty reviews on writing.com. The only problem I encountered was with some of the blog post. As a results I missed a couple of days posting. I like to post at least every other day, but this week I encountered difficulties posting to my Poet 999 blog. The problem was finding something to write about. I know I have themes, but that did not help this week.

When winter's wind begins to blow,
Bringing us the first flakes of snow,

I came up with those two lines to use in a poem about autumn. I did not use them because they did not fit the poem's subject or theme. I am not sure whether I want to use them in another poem or not. I will have to decide before the arrival of winter solstice. Perhaps I am use them in a late autumn or early winter poem. I will save them for now and get on with something else.

Intelligent and Efficient Mobility

Are you looking for intelligent and efficient mobility solutions for your urban, interurban and freight transportation needs? If so then check out  Siemens because they "are thinking mobility further". Click on the video below to see what Siemens does with intelligent software.

Candy Corn

You know Halloween is on its way when you go to the store and find candy corn. Candy corn is my favorite Halloween candy because it brings back memories of my childhood. I get nostalgic about candy corn. Yes, I know it is not good for me. I know that I need to lose weight and eating candy corn does not help me lose the weight. I can have candy corn only once a year, so I am going to enjoy it. I am also going to write poems about it.

I need to write a Kyrielle Sonnet this week and candy corn sounds like a good subject. All I have to do is decide on a 8 syllable line to us as a repeat like for the couplet. A Kyrielle Sonnet is a 14-line poem with 3 rhyming quatrain stanzas and a non-rhyming couplet. The fist line and the last line of the first stanza are repeated in the couplet while the last line of the first stanza is repeated as the last line in each of the quatrains. I will see what I can come up with by Friday.

Volkswagen Gesture Control: A Doggie Tale

In this video "Jumpy the Dog" shows off his best tricks by reacting the the gestures of strangers. Watch this video, presented by Volkswagen Gesture Control, starring "Jumpy the Dog" and see how he responds to the simple gestures of strangers. Click on the video and watch Jumpy.

Wednesday's Word: Wind

White grocery bag
dances in the morning wind
beside the yellow school bus

I looked out my window and saw the white plastic grocery bag blowing west on Sunrise Avenue just as the school bus made its stop. When school is in session the school buses for both the elementary and middle schools stop in front of my apartment to pick up and drop off children and teenagers. There are a lot of young people in this neighborhood.

This morning the wind is gentle, so about the only thing it pushes along the street are grocery bags and other small bits of trash. According the weather report the wind is blowing about 12 mph, which is just fast enough to carry light pieces of trash along the street. The wind will move trash bags and bits of paper until they encounter a drain. Then the trash will block the sewer drains until the city cleans them out. Hopefully that will be before it rains again because blocked sewer drains cause street flooding.

My Muse on Sunday

I remember growing up in middle America,
a little town in northern Oklahoma,
where Sunday was a day of rest
and a day to dress
in your Sunday Go to Meetings clothes.

I remember every Sunday we got dressed
in our Sunday best,
went to church and Sunday school
and then we went home
for our day of rest.

Grandma didn't rest
instead she cooked her best;
I didn't understand the reason then,
but now I do.

While Grandma was in the kitchen cooking,
she was worshiping the Creator
by making the week's most delicious meal.

At 68,
my muse doesn't rest on Sunday
instead it worships God
through stanza and line,
while intoning gratitude
through simile and metaphor.

September 11: A Poem

Memories
replay across my mind,
videos recorded 14 years ago
when I was sitting
behind the desk in a computer lab.

My stare fixed
upon the computer screen
I watched,
unable to comprehend
the sudden transformation
of my world into chaos.

I remember seeing the smoke.
I remember seeing the towers crumble into dust.
I do not remember which news website I was watching.
I do not remember anything else about that day.

Eventually
I returned home,
parked in my driveway,
went into the house
and turned on the television set,
so that I could,
at least hear,
the news.

I turned up the volume
so that I could hear the news anchor
while I prepared supper
and took my food into the living room
to eat in front of the T.V.
because there was no eating at the dinning room table
that day.

As I write these lines,
I wonder
how long it took
for the shock
to depart.

I can remember,
when my mind went into shock
on September 11, 2001,
but I cannot remember
how many hours
or how many days
the shock lasted.

Wednesday Word: September

September
a magical month
the first day of fall,
the autumnal equinox,
the month summer waves good-bye
and triple digit temperatures drop
into double digits.

September
a time to pause
and evaluate your progress
in accomplishing
January's New Year resolutions,
if you can remember
what they were.

Sunday Rant

I'm looking forward to the week,
a busy Labor Day planned
a trip to the pharmacy at 9:00 am
and then back home
to finish
cleaning the refrigerator.

I have to face the fact that if it weren't for writing my life would be a bit boring. I think I need to take myself out to eat, perhaps on Tuesday after my doctor's appointment. The only problem I see is finding something I can eat. I have enough trouble staying on my diet at home without going to a fast food place or even a sit down restaurant. The issue with restaurant food is that it doesn't give the potassium count. I have to watch my potassium intake, which is difficult.

Another problem with a low potassium diet is the food labels. The potassium count is listed on some of the labels but not on others. This means I have to do an internet search for the potassium count in the food I eat. The canned food isn't difficult because the cans give the serving size even if they don't give the potassium count. If I can find the potassium count on line then I can figure out how much of the canned food I can eat safely.

What has the potassium count have to do with cleaning out the refrigerator? Probably not a lot or it may have everything to do with it. I have to see what I have in the refrigerator so that I know what product I search for. I have a blood test on Tuesday so my kidney doctor can check my potassium count. I'm worried about what it could be; however, at this point the only thing I can do is watch my potassium intake closer and pray.

Success Saturday: At the End of a Successful Writing Week.

It's Saturday, September 5, 2015, with three more full weeks in September. This week I successfully wrote one story, five poems and learned a new poetry form. The new form is called SciFaiku, which uses the haiku form with a science fiction theme. To learn more about this form see The SciFaiku Manifesto.

Andy the Android
Practiced The Robotic Laws
There are three in all.

That is the third SciFaiku poem I've written this week. I like this form, not because it easy to write, but because it helps me focus on only the necessities of the poem. I know the poem I've written here isn't my best SciFaiku, but with practice I'll get better.

Wednesday's Word: Gratitude

It is that time of week again. The writing.com newsletters arrived in my inbox sometime this morning. As usual, I read the spiritual newsletter first. This week's theme is gratitude. Some of the questions ask by this week's editor got me to thinking about gratitude and the way I express it.

What does it mean to live in gratitude?
How do you live in gratitude?
How do you practice gratitude?

I am not sure what it means to live in gratitude because I suspect the answer to that question will be revealed only at death, after my soul separates from my physical body.

How do I express my gratitude? Yesterday, I went to the podiatrist to have my toenails cut. I thanked the doctor after he finished and then I went to the receptionist desk to make my co-pay. I ask my regular doctor for a referral because I suffer from osteoarthritis and lower back pain. These two issues make it difficult and sometimes impossible for me to cut my own toenails. I decided that the best way to deal with the issue was to go to a podiatrist.

Another way I show gratitude is to make a daily gratitude list. On this list I attempt to put ten things I am grateful for in my life. True some of the items are repeated everyday, such as my thanks for fresh brewed coffee. That is all right because it enhances the other things I put on the lists. It is nice to know that I have some of the same things to be grateful for everyday.