Monthly Archives: July 2015

1K a Day Motivational – “It Inspires Me” July

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It’s the last week of July and that means I get to write a review and pretend it’s part of my weekly series!

I was gonna talk about Sense8, the wonderful new show on Netflix, but I talked about a Netflix show last month, so we’re going into read’em material again instead.

So over the last couple months I’ve been reading this fantasy series, two books, by Karen Miller, the Kingmaker, Kingbreaker Saga. The books are called The Innocent Mage and The Awakened Mage. I finished Awakened Mage towards the end of June, but I’ve been ruminating on it for a good long while, considering it, and I want to now talk about it a bit and explain why it inspires me even though it wasn’t one of my favorite things this month. Continue reading →

1KaDay Challenge – Week Twenty Nine

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It’s July 26th, 2015. Week twenty nine of writing 1,000 words per day of fiction. It’s time for another update!

Days 200 through 206 have been successes, with a minimum of 1,000 words per day written.

Stats for Days 200 to 206: Continue reading →

Why I Write – A Response

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A departure from the regular schedule of two posts a week related to my 1K Challenge, I bring you a fast and dirty essay in response to a prompt from Chuck Wendig over on his blog.

Why do I write?

It’s not a question I think about often, but I do get asked it on occasion. I’ve written about reasons why I write in the past and I have no intention of dredging them up again.

I could give you all the canned answers, and they’d all be true. I write for many reasons. Continue reading →

1K a Day Motivational – “Socks”

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Are you ready for the most overwrought and silly metaphor you’ve probably ever read? Cause I am totally out of ideas for this weekly update so I’m just going way off the rails and we’ll see what happens!

It’s Week Twenty Eight? I think. >_> I don’t know, let’s pretend I’m right even if I’m not. That’s how elections are won, isn’t it? Good.

So socks. Socks go on your feet, and sometimes your hands when you’ve had a weird day. They come in many varieties, short, medium, long, knee-length. They are made of many materials, which you can Google if you don’t believe me.  Continue reading →

1K a Day Challenge – Week Twenty Eight

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It’s July 19th, 2015. Week twenty eight of writing 1,000 words per day of fiction. It’s time for another update!

Days 193 through 199 have been successes, with a minimum of 1,000 words per day written.

Stats for Days 193 to 199: Continue reading →

1K a Day Motivational – “But I’m Out of Ideas”

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Twenty seventh in the 1K a Day Motivational series. I’ve used this weekly column to write about things that get in the way of my writing; things that inspire me or helped me along; troubles and concerns with writing; reviews of things I’ve watched/read/played that inspired me to keep writing. I’m relatively thin on content that applies to me personally of a given week or month, so I’m expanding the Motivational out a bit to hopefully encapsulate a greater range of topics relating to Creation Motivation.

This week I’m gonna talk about what the hell to do when you run out of ideas. I haven’t run out of ideas, and I challenge most people to truly admit they’ve completely exhausted their idea-banks, but I know it happens and it’s worth talking about. Continue reading →

1K a Day Challenge – Week Twenty Seven

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It’s July 12th, 2015. Week twenty seven of writing 1,000 words per day of fiction. It’s time for another update!

Days 186 through 192 have been successes, with a minimum of 1,000 words per day written.

Stats for Days 186 to 192: Continue reading →

1K a Day Motivational – “But I’m Not Sleeping”

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Twenty sixth in the 1K a Day Motivational Series, in which I talk about something that happened in the previous week that could have or did prevent me from writing a minimum of 1,000 words on a given day, or possibly talk about something that provided support to get me through the day.

Sleep. What a bother, am I right?

This past week I have been getting four to six hours of sleep a night, which is obviously not enough. It’s not for lack of trying most nights. I’m just finding myself busy and getting into this mode where I’m working right up until it’s time to wind down and go to sleep, and then I’m unable to wind down and do the sleep part.

Which is shit. Continue reading →

Weeping Thief

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For best reading, turn on some instrumental scary music from Youtube, turn down the lights, and listen carefully for the call of the Weeping Thief.

Updated 2015-10-31: If you want to hear this tale told instead of reading it, head on over to Blurry Photos and feast your ears upon Ghost Stories 4, where it is featured as one of their submitted stories!

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Weeping Thief

by Rick Cook Jr

The Weeping Thief is outside my inn door and I don’t know what to do.

How she knows me as a wanted man, a robber of banks, is unimportant. She is here. The Weeping Thief has come.

I know the stories. I could call out, but she’d silence me before help arrived. I could barricade the door but she’d find another way in. I could arm myself with flintlock or saber, but she’s impervious and relentless.

The song that children sing drifts out from under the door, a woman’s voice and yet somehow thin, translucent:

The Weeping Thief is come
to sweep away your dreams,
when night forever falls
no one will hear your screams. Continue reading →

1K a Day Challenge – Week Twenty Six

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It’s July 5th, 2015. Week twenty six of writing 1,000 words per day of fiction. It’s time for another update!

Days 179 through 185 have been successes, with a minimum of 1,000 words per day written.

Stats for Days 179 to 185: Continue reading →