Moto Expedition: The Last Frontier trailer #1

Follow cancer survivor Samuel Dresel II as he rides more than 2,300 miles from the Pacific to the Arctic Ocean on his 20008 KLR 650 dual sport motorcycle to raise money for the American Cancer Society and North Star Volunteer Fire Department.







This is an amazing film! I can't wait for the full thing.

Yoga, Meditation, Bohemia, and the Writer

There is a major disconnect in the writer world. Drugs and drinking are held up like some sort of magic ladder to becoming famous. Growing up you are told the funny side of a famous old writer who wrote a masterpiece while on LSD. I see writers still trying to emulate this. There really is another way.

I found a magic fountain, it isn't a new one, it was just new to me. I began doing Yoga and Meditation this summer. I still feel the writer pains, I still feel the demoralization of critics, trolls, and well meaning advice. The magic comes in by choosing to change my natural default setting. When I meditate I work on my self, not on the forces I can't control. People are going to hate what I write. I can't change that. Instead I work with what I can. I look at what they say, break it down to what they are really saying between the curses. Then I meditate or do yoga depending on how much I am worked up.

Writing comes from emotions. Sometimes, this leads to something beautiful. Even the happiest stories often come from a place of pain and wishing. The writer loses someone close to them. They write a story of redemption where their character defeats the odds that took the person they loved. The reader is overjoyed with the story of hope. They may never know the real story that is behind it. Most readers won't even care.

Letting life happen, however it will, isn't easy but it is simple. The only pain that reach you, is the one you let in. Things will happen. People will betray you. Acceptance is key. You need to let things come. How you deal with them is the only way they really can affect you. Write from your heart, write from your pain, write from any emotion that pushes you. Don't let the pain become you, leave it on the page. No one will buy your story of every character dying, unless you magically became Shakespeare. There is too much perceived and real pain in the world. We as writers have a duty to take our pain and finding the outside perspective to find some kind of silver lining. The reader deserves to feel better by the end of the stories we write.

Putting Yoga and meditation into my life changed my writing. It has created a new atmosphere. I am able to write more prolifically. I have even found time to sleep again after years of insomnia. There is a reason so many writers are called Bohemian. It isn't about becoming a poor artist. It is about the mind of the artist taking life's pain and transforming it into a positive energy.

I am not sharing this because I am all-knowing. I am not an expert. I am only sharing what works for me.

Cory Basil "Everything You've Heard is True"

Cory is one of the most exciting poets of our time. If you are able to get this book, you will not be disappointed. I own sever pieces of his art and his poetry books. He finds the places in your soul that rarely see the light of day and brings them to full attention. If you are capable of getting this for the reader in your life it will become the favorite gift quickly. I have never read poetry that is able to reach into your soul the way his can. This is the recent blurb about release.

"Everything You've Heard is True, the next full volume of poetry and prose, has a cover and a release date:
December 9th, 2014
Pre-Order info coming soon."

http://hereliescorybasil.com/

If you have the ability to get it, you will not be disappointed. He truly is a master of emotion and can bring even the hardest parts to light. 

The best writing gifts ever.

The perfect combination. I have a neon green Leuchtturm1917 hardback, a TWSBI Vac-700 filled with Noodler's Green Marine, and a new story to write. I have tried several different books and none are suited better for writing a story than the Leuchtturm1917. Table of contents, 249 numbered pages, dates at the top of the page to keep track, and stickers to label it when it is finished. It happens to also be the cheapest fountain pen friendly hardback book I have found. Too much good in one picture. Time to write.

Stop Random Acts of Kindness

Goodwill to others should not be bottled into a consumer friendly season. It is almost always free, Takes very little work, and a heart. So if you have no money, a few spare minutes from your most recent selfie collecting, and a heart, Do something nice for someone for no reason. It isn't a random act of kindness when you do it often enough, it is called being a good person.

Science is funday

To celebrate Pluto being elevated to planet status again

The Planet Song

Why My wife and I chose my birthday for our wedding day

For those that don't already know the story, When Nicole Colp and I were going to get married we had nothing except each other and a very low paying job. I wanted to give her something special for our wedding but couldn't afford anything that I thought might come close to telling her how much I loved her. So I gave her the biggest day of my life, my birthday, and so we were married 17 years ago August the 15th and I couldn't have been blessed with a better life ever since. While we have had ups and downs I can't even remember the downs, just that they helped us see how high up the ups really were and now we have learned how to stay positive and help keep each other smiling and pushing forward.

Calligraphy practice

Just finding my way

Safe Passage is not an option.

Why the Hate?

I am working on several novels at the moment. During this time I have had nearly the same conversation with all sorts of people. 

Them: "That is great! What genre do you write?" 

Me: "Well, my first series is Urban Fantasy."

Them: "I love those books, who is publishing it?" 

Me: "I am going to self-publish, it is better for me in the long run."

Them: "Oh..." 

Suddenly they have lost interest in the conversation. The archaic ideals of the nineteen-fifties author-publisher are still here today. We accept that small no name start-ups can make the best game you ever played on your phone. We accept that YouTube musical sensations become household words without a record deal. Why is the stigma still present for authors that has fallen to the wayside in almost every other creative field. Today's publishers no longer promote books the way they did, instead relying on the authors to self-promote them. Only big names get pushed to the front of the store. That lady who has been writing the same story for thirty years with new names and varied locations. She gets front page exclusives. I include small press companies in the Self-published field, They seem to get the same responses I outlined earlier. 

Before you shrug off an author because some big name company isn't taking most of their sales, read some of it. I have found more impressive and unique stories in the small publisher/self-published sections than the rest of the store combined. Does this mean I think all publishers are evil, or useless? No, given the right circumstances they can be invaluable allies. Many of the authors in these big houses are there for a reason as well. Then there are the authors who have re-written Dracula from the perspective of a space alien working on better anal probes. 

There are garbage stories in the self-published field as well. Unless they include a heavy amount of mommy porn (the aliens are sexy and Dracula is now a vivacious but lonely housewife), they don't climb far up the best seller ladder and fade into obscurity. 

Go out and find a self-published book that sounds interesting. Worrying about classicism and big supporting names will leave you in a desert looking for an oasis while not noticing the rain forest next door.  

No Worries,

Charles Colp

Support system

There are days when you question the direction you are headed. Then there are days like today. I have been working hard on research for my next story while editing two others. It was a much bigger rabbit hole than I anticipated to get this information. I went out to mow the yard and came back to this random note.

Today is a good day. I am pretty sure I have one of the best families in the world. I am glad she didn't forget John Green in the context. 

Half way there

I discovered that I am already halfway to my goal for my new series. I know editing will add and subtract from it in the end. Yet, I still just want to see eighty thousand words on it before editing. I know it is probably nothing to other writers but for me it feels like something special. Bringing a dragon to the party was just something I had to do. I had a reason, OK, besides just wanting to do it. I hope each of you can find a goal that means as much as you.

create

Create

The drive to create is amazing. It can cause every emotion to flood your senses. Joy at a characters good fortune, sadness at the demise of a character you liked but was destined to reach a horrible fate. Painters, sculptors, artists of every ilk find these same things throughout history. Does that mean the artist is more emotive, or just better at putting those feelings into something. I have heard mechanics talk to a car while working on it, the same for gardeners and their plants. I think it is more a matter of medium and self-expression. If you find words your strength, then by all means put them down, even if you never show anyone. That is another topic. Paint grand cathedrals in the sky, draw a unicorns first experience with a flower, or talk to your plants as you water and care for them. Everyone has a talent, everyone can create something. Whether it is good is subjective. You will find a million trolls to the one beacon of hope on the internet. In the end only your own feelings for the creation really matter. Every other pair of eyes comes with it's own prejudices, experiences, and bias. Go, create, and in the end, if it makes you happy, good job. Do it again.

Growth in writers

I had a recurring dream. It pointed out that I really should save the prince, or princess, from a bad fate. Even though in my dream the cost kept escalating. Are we inherently teachers? Doomed to live the same grade in school, seeing the same mistakes, helpless to only help the situation in hopes that the person learns. Is the story more importantly if we grow, or that we teach others to grow.
Being a writer, you hope your message rings true and others learn from it. So are we all doomed? Do we learn and move on? Ignoring the plight of the ones falling into that same trap. Saving the world and teaching goes hand in hand with writing. We want our characters to grow like children. Do we hold their hands in rescue?
Charles Colp

Singularity

Singularity

We have all had that moment. The entire world coalesces into a single point. Every thing in your life is dropped away and stripped down to the bareness. The point that breaks the soul. We keep pushing but the point is a singularity, devouring all of the energy we put into it. We have found the thing that makes great men or breaks them. No matter how you turn, the point is still in front of you. Do you let it suck you in? Do you fight back against odds that any mathematician would put approaching infinite. These aren't the outlier points of life. They are the points that make even those seem normal.

The light of comfort even seems pulled into the center. You realize that the singularity has changed all that you touch. It makes no moves, it doesn't have to. It is patient, it waits for the time you decide how to deal with it, because it knows what most will choose. The path doesn't fork or bend around it. It too is part of the singularity. Will you come out the other side? If you do will you still be human? The husks of those that chose this are all around. They left their heart in place of getting free. Was that the only choice? Is that the payment to come out the other side. Nothing can be unchanged once through it. Time is a fickle bitch. She may deaden the hardest edges, but even the soft ones can cut.

When you face the singularity, do you want there to be mirrors on the other side? Do you want any reminder? Some go on never looking at what the singularity did to themselves. The world changed, not them. Others curl into themselves until there is nothing left but the fetus that began this journey. Can you find the courage to untuck your arms and legs. Can you find the strength to hold up your head even when the singularity wasn't of your making. It just was. Can you still look left and right. Is there still an angel on your shoulder always showing you the way, or have they gone in the ludeness of your nudity. The bare essence of what made you great. Accepting things outside your control is a tenet of most religions. What of the things you can't control, yet have gained control over you. Zealotry of any kind can be dangerous. It allows for black and white. The gray is gone from life. Do you oppose the dying of the gray or accept it as it is. A hollow existence. The Singularity still waits while you ponder, cry, bemoan, and yell at it for being. It feels nothing, the ultimate sociopath. Will you have the courage to reach out and touch it. Will you be sure that your heart will remain unjaded. There are never assurances. A random accident could take your decision from you. Time to decide is approaching. Maybe it won't be so bad. The singularity maybe a turning point. Another universe of choices to be made. A time not filled with anger. A time when what is right, is all that is left. The world will never be fair. But it can be just.  

Why I Write Strong Female Lead Characters

I was not a product of the 1950's and so I was not raised in a house where there was such thing as the woman taking the back seat. My daughter is a powerful girl soon to be woman in her own right. I hope that these characters and stories reflect the inner fire I see in her everyday fighting a still male dominated world. She impresses me everyday with her ability to jump into male dominated subjects and clubs and take them on full steam ahead. I am proud of her work in the Robotics club, and even more for starting an Anime club when she didn't find one. Both areas are very controlled by the belief they are male subjects. She is out to prove the world wrong and I can't wait to be on the sidelines cheering as she proves they are a human subjects anyone can be good at and love. — feelingproud. 

Charles Colp Kyleigh Colp and Logan Colp Muppet fountain

Last full day of school for the kids

Today is the last full day of school for the kids. No summer vacations planned this year and no fireworks tent either. I think I just made this into the longest summer vacation they have ever had. Guess we will see what we can get into, The eldest is writing a book, The youngest is being a ham, and the girl has more plans than days to do them in. The oldest is even going to start up running again. When did I stop having kids and start having awesome almost adults here.

Something touched my soul

Something touched my soul today, I am proud to say that it is something I wrote. My character "Sprite" found herself where I would put myself if I had the opportunity. Home. I have lived all over the world and all over the United States. I have tried to make a home of so many places. Even after I had a family of my own to care for, I still dream of the one place I felt at peace. the one place that could fill me emotionally with a sound, a smell, a sight. When I have taken care of anything that being a good parent requires, I have resolved to take my beautiful wife and move back home. I know that I should do it sooner, it would probably fill my children with the same love I have for the place. Unfortunately not all decisions are mine to make right now. When they are once again I will be doing whatever it is I have to do to get my family to my home. I will be doing them a great service, seeing their father happy and content is just as important for them as it is for me. My wife is completely behind this plan. Yet another thing that makes her so wonderful. If I gave her a date she would mark it on a calendar and put an app on her phone to count down the days. In the end, you have to stay true to yourself. If you have to try making yourself happy in a place. you don't belong there. I can't wait to step on the beach again, to put on a hoodie because the breeze from the ocean is cool on an August morning. I also can't wait to inhale the tranquility, view the spectacle, and hear natures song. Hopefully soon...

Monterey Waves

My Main Website is Back up!

My main website Charles Colp is back up and running at 100%. I will still be doing 5 updates this week to maintain the story line continuity.

Monterey path

Mothers Day or Humanity Day

Memories

It is so easy to celebrate for most Americans, We have all had a mother. It is easy to remember the good  and forget the bad, remember the lessons. In all the revelry, the joyful stories, the special dinners, The world collectively forgets to have a true heart.

I wish I could say how many of my friends have suffered the loss of a child. It doesn't matter on a day like this, if the child was lost in utero, by an accident, by the insanity that is life, or by the choice they made at the time. This can also be a truly horrible constant and pervasive reminder. I have many friends, through no deeds of their own discovered they would never be able to have what they had dreamed of since they learned how kids were made.

So as we all celebrate our own mothers, the mothers of our children, the new mothers we know. Don't forget tact, heart, compassion. There are many mothers who through whatever mechanism can't help but see today as a horrible reminder. Some may wrongly blame themselves, some may blame God, and some may blame other people. in the end it doesn't matter who wins the blame game. what matters is a human being with feelings, gifts, thoughts, and a heart can't help but morn such a day. To the countless among you that I know now or may know in the future, may I wish you a happy humanity day. Know that you are loved for all of your gifts, and know that you are not forgotten today. The waves will crash on your shores as gently as they will all others and you are still important to all who care for you.

What is your goal today?

What is the thing you want more than anything today? If it is a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, that is something I can't help with right now. If you do find one though be sure to send me a google map. My goals for today were simple, 5 loads of laundry, 1 load of dishes, 6 blog posts, part 3 of my new Sprite series, and to make my overworked wife comfortable and wanting for nothing. I am still waiting for her to get home, but when she does, I will have her rice bags heated, her glass of tea ready, and her favorite shows ready to watch. I try to never make selfish goals, I also don't always succeed in that either. Having a clearly defined goal helps me make better decisions and makes life easier for everyone around me. Try it for a day, make all of your goals for one day about someone else. You will probably end up smiling like I do, when you realize how much you have done that day to improve your own world.

It all connects

Something that I struggle with, and so do many others from meeting many writers, is diet and exercise. I never know what to eat and when I do it is usually bad for me. Like frozen burrito in the microwave bad. I am also blessed to have some pretty diverse and amazing friends that I have made over the years. One of whom is a competitive swimmer. She really knows what she is talking about and has the knowledge and experience to share with us contributors to the national waistline. Follow her new blog on food and deciphering the tons of half true information out there.

Being in better shape, means less carpal tunnel, less back pain, more comfort while writing, better sleeping habits. I am sure at least one of those applies to my writing friends.

Deciphering the mountain of misinformation in food and diet

I believe...

"I Believe in Being Strong, When Everything Seems to Be Going Wrong. I Believe That Happy Girls Are the Prettiest. I Believe That Tomorrow Is Another Day, and I Believe in Miracles."

Audrey Hepburn 

Take the good with the good

I have heard many people use the phrase take the good with the bad. After today I am revising it to take the good with the good. I have had ten things that I am grateful for besides my usual twenty-five (my family). Will I still have bad days. Of course, but they will now be tempered by the knowledge that I have something I have always dreamed of coming true. I can't say more than that but I really wish sleep wasn't a requirement so I could work through the night on my projects.
No Worries,
Charles R. Colp

Migraines and writing

Writing new content Especially original stories is a very cerebral experience. If you also suffer from migraines it can get nearly impossible. Something I have found to help is cutting down the screen brightness, and very importantly I use my Gunnars. They are for video game playing. But work just as well for computer screens and phone screens. I wouldn't trade them for anything and they have turned otherwise impossible tasks into something merely difficult. I don't work for them, I don't get paid by them. What I do is support their product because it freaking works. So if you suffer from migraines but still have to find a way to keep working, try a pair and see the difference.

http://www.gunnars.com/#.

Outside cues always help

Tonight we have been deluged with rain and lightning. The power went out for several long hours of little information getting to me at home. I got out my notebook and started writing down everything I noticed about my feelings and perceptions in the complete silence. It turned into an idea for one of my future updates on my new story. I try to make lemonade as much as I can from anything life throws my way.

Why not wear a flower hat, they're cool. 

Mac Pro No

I know most writers would kill for a mac. Not me, I think I will stick with my Dell.

Peaceful sleep

It will never happen when you want it, but go see a lecture about something you care about.... Zzzzzz

Writing what is popular versus what would happen

it is difficult to write for readers sometimes. Everyone wants a happy ending and not just any happy ending but the one they expect. Enter chaotic writer, Not all of my stories will end with a cherry milkshake. What do you think? anyone have thoughts on writing for the reader vs the story?

Star Light, Star Bright Part 04

Jareds trip to the store was odd enough, what could be more confusing at home?

Star Light, Star Bright Part 04

Writing something you don't know

       I have learned the hardest writing I have done so far is my new Hello World? series. Not due to subject matter, or characters, but trying to write descriptively for a blind main character. There is so much information we get from seeing something, whether it is body language, scenery, or impending danger. I think there will be something to level the field soon for Jared. Maybe even make him better at dealing with the danger than Jeff.

Hello World part 02

Day two has Jared questioning his best friends sanity. Something isn't right, he just isn't sure what yet.

Star Light, Star Bright Part 02

meaningful pictures

Taking Meaningful pictures for a character is a favorite of mine. I now find myself in a spot trying to get meaningful pictures for a person born blind. it is much harder than you would think.

mystery tour

I have realized that my writing is like a mystery tour. Even I don't know where the heck it is headed sometimes. No worries, it will get there in the end.

The Sixth Race

In a world ruled by five races there may be an unknown

The Sixth Race

testing other styles

Trying something you haven't done before is scary, usually. Hope I was able to do it cohesively is my main goal now.

Memories

Don’t take yourself so seriously, try to remember it is the funny things we remember when we are older, make more of those memories. If your kid wants to stay up way past bedtime to do something fun with you. Know they are building good memories when you say yes.

Tower Sprite

The next to last part of the sprite series. So hard to wait to write the finale.

Tower Sprite

Balanced Sprite

Sprite has to come to terms with the evil she has to fight. Her place in all of this is larger than she could have ever known.

Balanced Sprite

Red Rock Sprite

Red Rock Sprite Sprites turn to be the hunter instead of the hunted!

Sprite Watch

What do you do when you find yourself knee deep? Dive in.

Sprite Watch

New Site Design

The new site design is finished. For those that haven't been there yet, you should find it easy to read and simple to navigate. http://charlescolp.com/

New main site redesign

Finished most of my new site design. Can't wait to get my first new post up to see how it works out. I have added several new features to make it cleaner and easier to jump in and start reading. I have some more ideas planned and will be putting them in place once I figure out the best way to implement them. For now, it is ready for prime time. 

Charles Colp

Sprite in Hell

Sprite learns more than she wanted to know and from an unlikely source.

Sprite in Hell

pain pain go away

I hate missing deadlines with a passion. Of course this still comes second to migraines. They are possibly the worst thing I have had to deal with, the getting sick, light sensitivity, etc. I am pretty sure over the years my doctors have tried every medicine under the sun to help. usually followed by a shoulder shrug and more tests when it stops working. If you have never had one, please know how blessed you are. It makes normal headaches feel like a little booboo. So I missed my deadline last night but determined to catch up and get ahead since these seem to come in groups lately. Hope everyone finds themselves well.

Genre bending

For those not sure what genre I fit in, you aren't alone. I am writing as much as I can in different genres and styles to broaden myself as  writer. I will never feel I have nothing new to learn so I plan to keep writing different stuff until I die. My favorite genre though is suspense and Urban Fantasy. I don't have a preference between male or female leads and am just as comfortable with one as I am the other. Hope this clears things up as to where to put that pigeonhole to stick me in lol.

Writing and life

I took forever but finally committed to writing more regularly. I know it is something I love and have kept to myself too long. So I have been forcing myself to do something I am not used to doing. Putting out rough first drafts. I realized i was never happy enough with anything I wrote to think it was done, thus it never got published to the web or anywhere other than my notebooks. I know where this is headed but it will take a while to get where I am ready to actually publish for real. Time to get back to writing.