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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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?

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.

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.