johnpender.net » Archive
How To Win Friends And Influence People
I finished reading How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie today. Sitting at the lake at Fort Yargo State Park today during my lunch break, I finished up the last six chapters of this book. I spend three days a week at the park during my lunch break to partake in the peace and quiet and solitude as well as a little reading or fishing; angling for the non layperson.Originally published in 1936, my particular paperback copy was published in 1965 and was owned by my grandmother’s second husband. I hear he was a great man and I think this book had a lot to do with it. He unfortunately passed away before I was born, as did my paternal grandfather. I would have loved to have … Read entire article »
Filed under: Book Reviews
i come home late at night with all this poison in my veins i am getting sick and tired of living with this pain i live each day in fright of what they forced into my brain but now i am inspired to start all over again Originally posted 2008-07-20 21:02:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter … Read entire article »
Filed under: I'm No Poe
Fiction Friday #213
This week’s Fiction Friday prompt: Ted (Theo to his closest friends mind you, although his given name was Theodore) sat in the folding canvas chair under the dimming sky, watching the little pinpoints of light from distant bodies appear as he pondered the log pyramid he had built that day. The warmth of the fire on his feet felt wonderfully refreshing after his quick wade in the meandering brook only feet away from where he camped. A flutter from his teepee’s open door caught his attention He broke his gaze and reached for the Igloo sitting on the ground next to him. Reaching in, eyes fixated on the pyramid beyond the fire, he fumbled blindly for an apple. Again and again his numbing fingers found bottles and cans and plastic bags bobbing … Read entire article »
Filed under: Fiction Friday
One, An Excerpt
This is Part One of a new story I’m writing, the result of about a whole ten minutes of typing. I’ce decided to try my hand at writing again and finally put all of my stories into a single compilation. After I’m done editing, it’ll probably grow to several pages. They always do. When I stepped out the door to face the world today, I did not expect to face a world different from the one I’ve always known. Things seemed different the minute I shut the door behind me and slid the key into the deadbolt. Walking to my car seemed to take an eternity. Something was in the air and although I couldn’t place my finger immediately upon it, I could feel it was there. I clicked the unlock … Read entire article »
Filed under: Writings
looking at you now i feel like i can fly high above everyone Originally posted 2010-10-13 16:24:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter … Read entire article »
Filed under: Haiku
What genre best describes your work?
Recently I filled out an application – I guess one would call it more a questionnaire than an application, really – to contribute to an as of yet unnamed online magazine. For those of you who know that this very morning I submitted a query to Write Anything to become a regular columnist, no, it wasn’t Write Anything. First on the list was my name and the pseudonym I would like to be published as. I found this one amusing as it was one, the very first question and two, I have a long history of using aliases. I have anonymous e-mail addresses and even regular mail correspondence where I use the names Jim Beam and Jack Daniels. I’ve often wondered if anyone has ever looked at the names and what … Read entire article »
Filed under: On Writing
When Love Walks In
The breeze caught the nape of my neck when she walked through the door. A gentle red glow from the exit sign above it shone down on me in the dim light, illuminating my paper like a twisted lightning bug. The shadow she cast as she passed me caught my attention, morphing into the shape of a butterfly – the very subject of my thesis – fluttering its way across the face of my paper. It was that which truly hooked me, the ethereal feel I got from her when I felt the slight shuffle of air on my arm as her leg passed inches from it. I looked up into the pale light from the chandelier to find a faded silhouette drawing to a destination unknown amidst the tables beyond. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Writings
late that nightwhen the last spark diedi looked right at herinside i died late that nightwhen the fireworks were donei looked backat what i had done we were so closeone time beforei cannot believewe are no more Originally posted 2008-06-23 07:14:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter … Read entire article »
Filed under: I'm No Poe
Fiction Friday #165
This week’s Fiction Friday prompt: Pick two established characters, either from your own work or others’. Now write the scene/story of their meeting. I had loads of fun with this prompt, writing it during two lunch breaks and finishing it up tonight. This is by far my longest Fiction Friday story to date. The character William Storey is one of my own creation, from The Tale of William Storey found in Seven Days of Terror – sorry, you’ll have to buy the book if you want to read it. I decided it would be fun to have him meet my favorite Stephen King character, Roland of Gilead of the Dark Tower series. I hope you enjoy reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it. Through the spot glass he took … Read entire article »
Filed under: Fiction Friday
Allow me to introduce my shorts!
For the past few days I have been toying around with an idea, mentally batting at it with my paw and watching it swing tauntingly back and forth in front of me like a cat’s toy telling me to go for it on every tick and to forget it on every tock. What good is going for it, trying to achieve success, if you’re too chicken-shit to put yourself out there and take risks? My grandmother is the one who talked me into writing again, hence the reason I dedicated Seven Days of Terror to her; and I took that plunge, put myself out there, and you know what? It wasn’t that bad. In fact, it wasn’t bad at all. I’ve had nothing but good reviews on my first contribution … Read entire article »
Filed under: Writings
Recent Comments