My writing experience: A Testament

My writing experience: A Testament: Testament I am a Christian and I am a sinner. For the first I have not been the best, for the second I am shamed. I am not ashamed of be...

A Testament

Testament

I am a Christian and I am a sinner. For the first I have not been the best, for the second I am shamed. I am not ashamed of being Christian, a fact I need to proclaim more often. I am ashamed of being a sinner for I have fallen short.

I have decided recently to try and live a better lifestyle and not shy away from proclaiming my faith in Christ and the Father. I will try and reflect it in all aspect of my life including my writing. Why do I do this? Like my Creator I want to impart of me in my creation like God has done with the beauty of nature and the kindness and of of a gentle soul. I will try to impart what I have gained from the word of God and what it means to me.

The word of God, The Bible, I will try to understand more with the help of the spirit and teachings of the Lord, Jesus. I will seek the parable, the understanding and with it direct my thought.

Many of us read the Bible and take it at face value. Can we when the Lord spoke in parables to his disciples and with good reason. He did it to show how to interpret Gods word and with the gift of the Holy Counselor the Word was understood and spread to others so they maybe saved as well through understanding and guidance. I see now why one should seek the word of understanding for without it the world crushes us with ignorance and heaven is Lost to us.

So when don't just read the Bible seek to understand, seek the spirit. Even the prophets of old spoke in away that is a mystery to those without understanding. Much off the Bible is Allegorical, Symbolic, and is filled with simile. Seek the Spirit and through it the peace and understanding.

My writing experience: Freedom of Religion and Separation of Church and S...

My writing experience: Freedom of Religion and Separation of Church and S...: My son started college this last fall and like all parents, I was happy for him and worried. Happy because he was going to college to set hi...

Freedom of Religion and Separation of Church and State

My son started college this last fall and like all parents, I was happy for him and worried. Happy because he was going to college to set him up for a good start in life on his own, worried because he was leaving to face the unknown with all the dangers of society. From facing temptations of drugs, alcohol, and other things that lead to the downfall of many a college career to the plain unknown of sickness, accidents, and the violence in the world. I prayed that he learned enough from his family (yes family, it takes a family to raise a child properly) to make the right decisions in life. So far, he has done rather well and I pray he continues to do so. One danger that I did not see is how people in a position off power above can have a negative effect a person's view of religion.

My son lives in the dorms at his college. He has it made with a dorm room of his own. The drawback is, or rather was, that his Resident Advisor was a Christian with fundamentalist leanings. There is nothing wrong with being a Christian; I am a Christian. The problem becomes when the person in authority starts to ram their beliefs down a person's throat and preaches hellfire and Damnation, when the person takes the Authority of Christ and condemns people.

I do not like this, to me it is not Christian behavior, it is hateful behavior and tends to drive people away from God. I do not want someone in authority, minor as it may be, to poison my son's view of God. No, I want my son to come to God on his own terms and not be coerced into it. I do not think fear creates a true believer but a suppressed soul.

I was relieved to find the Resident Advisor was relieved of his position because of his actions. He overstepped his authority and was in violation of the concept of separation of religion from government.

Do I think Christians should not serve in government? No, far from it, I believe it is ok for people who have spiritual beliefs serve in government. I do not mind that our elected officials talk about their faith, heck it is part of what makes them who they are. What I do not like is for someone to tell me what to believe in, who or how to worship, or judge me for my beliefs. I definitely do not like a person who condemns another; especially if the person is a hypocrite.

If you are a Christian spread the Gospel, Judge not, live your life as best you can to shine like a beacon for others to follow. I know I have not been the best at this but I try. Heck, I am a sinner but God still loves me and I know there is Salvation in Christ. And for those non-believers or those of other faiths I say. "Treat others as you would like to be treated and Love thy neighbor like thy self." Even this saying is Humanist.

Charles Parmele author of The Last Run

My writing experience: Self-publishing, My Attempt

My writing experience: Self-publishing, My Attempt: Well now that I am back to blogging or at least trying to, I want to talk about self-publishing. As a writer, or to some a "Wanna be " I am ...

Self-publishing, My Attempt

Well now that I am back to blogging or at least trying to, I want to talk about self-publishing. As a writer, or to some a "Wanna be " I am slowly learning the business from when pen first touches paper till some finished project is, as in my case, crapped out in epub or print form. I am joking of course, but I have made mistakes and I am not perfect.

What I like about the industry so far is what opportunities that the Internet has opened up for people like me. Twenty years ago I would have had to struggled to publish anything without a literary agent not to mention a publishing company, now there are numerous resources out there. I am just finding out what to do to get my writing out there, but I am way ahead of where I would have been twenty years ago. There is something similar now to then I do not have money. (I mean I am not rich.) That is no problem, there are many no to almost no cost options out there. Remember too that the Internet is a tool you can use to draw people to your writing, something like blogging.

This is just a short, shoot from the hip, sale pitch about self-publishing and my allergy meds are making me drowsy so here our some resources for the "wanna be" writer.

Smashwords Independent good for epublishing across multiple formats and very easy to use. You can also check out other authors who self-publish, many for free. check it out.

Kindle Direct Publishing This is a program ran by Amazon best for publishing for the Kindle. You hit a large audience this route. Amazon also offers away to make money from people borrowing your books using their Amazon Prime account. The program is called KDP select, check it out.

Createspace This is an option from Amazon that will self-publish your book in print. Do it yourself or pay for services. A great option. I felt so good when my book was delivered in print format!

Pub It This is Barnes and Noble's self-publishing program for the nook platform. very easy to use.

My first novel The Last Run is available at Amazon just click the link. The book is about a young man who serves as a deck hand for an old rummer now running a cargo delivery business in the South Pacific during the outbreak of World War II. Try it out.

Again sorry about the quality of the blog, blame it on Allergy meds.

These are a few options out there. All of the options above allow you to set your price and will pay you royalties. Look into them and try them out.

Right now my book

My writing experience: I am back and it feels good!

My writing experience: I am back and it feels good!: I took sometime off because,well, I guess I just did. I am back now and it feels good to write. Something else feels good. Yesterday I recei...

I am back and it feels good!

I took sometime off because,well, I guess I just did. I am back now and it feels good to write. Something else feels good. Yesterday I received a delivery from UPS, it was a book, my first book in print. It was not a proof nor a discounted copy, it was bought at full price from Amazon.com.
Why, you may ask, would I buy my own book at full price? I had to, I wanted to own the very first actual sell. It felt so good when it was delivered I got such a feeling that I cannot describe, pure pleasure.
So far as I know I still own the only copy ever sold (for now) but I do pray that changes. I cannot wait to sell more books in print and in email formats.
Right now you can purchase The Last Run from Amazon.com
Below is a picture of my copy and below that is a link to the Amazon page.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Last-Run-Charles-Parmele/dp/1475104790/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1333593407&sr=1-1

My writing experience: The Star Trek Transporter. A touch of comedy.

My writing experience: The Star Trek Transporter. A touch of comedy.: Ok, here it is. I am a Star Trek fan, I admit it. I love the shows and the movies. I am Sci-Fi geek. This stuff gets my imagination going, a...

The Star Trek Transporter. A touch of comedy.

Ok, here it is. I am a Star Trek fan, I admit it. I love the shows and the movies. I am Sci-Fi geek. This stuff gets my imagination going, always has always will. When I am faced with a long drive I am always joking about how I should get back to work on the transporter then I would not have to drive. Would you drive if you had a transport option? probably not.
Well one day last week it hit me, maybe the transporter wouldn't be all that. To me the darn thing has problems. One problem is that when someone is killed on an away mission, is why can't the transport be used to fix the wounds and bring the person back to life? I mean when someone has some freaky transport accident where they are made younger, split in two, or two combined into one, they use past transport signatures to turn them back to normal. Why can't this be used for the dead? Imagine all those red shirts who died needlessly. I mean those guys in the lounge waiting for Kirk to call their number would not be so stressed and Bones would have to treat less phaser wounds to the foot.
Why can't the transporter bring people back to life?  Because of some spiritual thing? If that's the case then the transporter must be able to transport the spirit of the person using some spirit compensator or other weird thing so when someone dies it has no spirit to put back in the body. Nope cannot be that.
So what the hell? Why have so many security people have to die when there is such a powerful machine? Why?
Oh well another question to be left unanswered.

My writing experience: Trickle Down, Not Hemorrhage Out

My writing experience: Trickle Down, Not Hemorrhage Out: During the 1980 campaign for the Republican Parties nomination for President some words about economics flew back and forth between Ronald R...

Trickle Down, Not Hemorrhage Out

During the 1980 campaign for the Republican Parties nomination for President some words about economics flew back and forth between Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Ronald Reagan brought out the Trickle Down theory of economics what George H.W. Bush called Voo Doo Economics. Hard to believe the two ended up as running mates.

The Theory of Trickle Down Economics is basically this: To fix the ailing economy and to stimulate growth the Government would institute programs such that the Government would build infrastructure like roads, bridges, and that type stuff, plus purchase ships, planes, and other equipment for the military and other Government agencies. All kinds of programs were designed to pour money into the economy using U.S. companies. The idea that the spending would put money into the companies who in turn would pay their U.S. workers then those workers would spend the money spreading it around buying goods and services increasing demand thereby increasing manufacturing in other sectors which leads to more jobs. A great theory, heck it worked for the U.S. to help end the Great Depression, of course back then it was known as the New Deal. Reagan may have been a Republican but he had a Roosevelt Democrat leaning.

If you look at things it is logical and works. What makes the theory not work is when the vessel (our economy) has holes or blockages at the top levels and instead of the money making down to the workers it goes somewhere else or it doesn't make it down at al. What constitutes a hole or blockage?

A hole is where the government provides money or tax break to a corporation and instead of using U.S. workers they outsource to foreign countries for cheaper labor then pocket the difference. That is a hole and the money leaks out of our economy. Heck, now so many companies are doing this it has become a hemorrhage. Our workers have lost jobs, savings, and homes because of this while the companies have profited, huge profits.

A blockage is when the Government provides money or tax break to a company to help but instead of putting the money to active use they use the funds to fudge their books to make it look like they have more assets on hand than they actually do. They do this to manipulate their stock to encourage people to invest in the company. Talk about fraud. Some company officials use the money to pay themselves astronomical bonuses. Wow, what a rip.

Now if we look at our economy as a living organism and money flow as the circulatory system, we can see it is no good. Our work force is what sustains us, it is the living tissue and if it lacks nutrients or oxygen it dies. When someone hemorrhages unless it is stopped that person dies. When there is a blockage of a blood vessel it could lead to heart attack or stroke, both are deadly.

Not good!

During the George W. Bush Administration we suffered from hemorrhages and blockages. Jobs went overseas, government bailout money was to manipulated stocks and pay bonuses, and our economy went to heck. They funny thing, actually sad thing, is corporate heads made ridiculous amounts of money while the poor got poorer. The gap between the wealthy is larger than the Grand Canyon.

Now we need to plug the hole and remove the blockages. If we do this and instigate President Obama's plan set forth in his State of the Union Address we will prosper, every one of us.

Blog or Write? The Author's choice.

Well today, well I guess the whole of the time I was trapped inside due to our inclimate weather here in the Pacific Northwest, I got to thinking, what should I do work on my novel or write my blog? Such a conundrum. Working on my novel is most important, it is what I want to do. Writing on my blog, blogging, is fun to do but I don't want to make it a 'have to' type thing. The blog is where I can express my view of things, whether they have to do with writing or not. (actually, I admit, I need to work on grammar and such sometimes. That's what happens when you write on the fly. And man writing on the fly is hard. They are small and quick and I have yet to find a small enough pen, but anyway.)
Ok, in the end I compromised. I will blog three times a week. On writing my book(s), I will work every day because I want to and have to, it makes me happy.
Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment.

My writing experience: Writing to Kill, The Author as a Serial Killer.

My writing experience: Writing to Kill, The Author as a Serial Killer.: Well I have been negligent in blogging. I'll just blame it on the winter storm we have had here in the Seattle area. Now on to the blog. ...

Writing to Kill, The Author as a Serial Killer.

Well I have been negligent in blogging. I'll just blame it on the winter storm we have had here in the Seattle area. Now on to the blog. 

One thing that I have had to get use to is killing people. Not actual people, fictional ones, my characters. I know that it is not the same. Or is it? Real people have feelings and have family that care for them. What about characters? They have feelings, friends and family. They have the feeling that is given to them by the writer, and through individual perception, the reader. They have friends and family, again the reader and the writer. Heck, the other characters are family, friends, and even enemies. A lot of people real and imaginary you have to think about when you off a character. How will the death of a character affect everyone? Well it depends on the character right? Yes and no.

Think about this. When you right a character good or bad you are creating an entity in being, with a life even if it is in words. When you do this you are putting some of yourself into your creation. Oh, yes the bad guys too. So what do you do when you come to a point someone has to die in your story? (Yes you may have to kill off a beloved character now and again. How else can you bring forth the tears?)  You become for a few moments to plot the death, you then write the scene. Next you turn your emotions back on and mourn through the characters closest to the deceased.

See, you have to become a serial killer if you are writing something that requires a high body count. Heck, if you write more than one story and kill off one character per, then you still rack up a serial killer like body count. What you don't do is make it easy on yourself. Use the stress and emotions from offing a character and put to work for you. Let it seep into your story and the other characters. I mean, if you stay cold then your work becomes cold. The only thing cold in your work should be the body of the deceased.

Speaking of cold, I cannot wait till spring!

My writing experience: A step closer to equality.

My writing experience: A step closer to equality.: Today we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. a leader of the Civil Rights Movement that helped bring us closer to total equality f...

A step closer to equality.

Today we celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr.  a leader of the Civil Rights Movement that helped bring us closer to total equality for all. It is sad that to get this far in a country that declared its independence using the phrase "All men are created equal with certain unalienable Rights" had to suffer years of enslaving people because of the color of their skin, a civil war to free the slaves, years of laws to keep African-Americans down, and denial of rights we should all have all the time. It is a shame this went on but we should not cover it up. We should remember, we should reflect and remain determined to never let this happen again. We should strive to to prevent all types of discrimination be it, racial, ethnic, gender, religious, age, class, sexual preference or any other type of discrimination. We all must continue to take steps closer to equality and remember those who came before, those that gave all.

My writing experience: Voting, the great cascade effect.

My writing experience: Voting, the great cascade effect.: I'll keep this short. Remember that it is an election year for many offices in the United States. Keep in mind when you vote you not only de...

Voting, the great cascade effect.

I'll keep this short. Remember that it is an election year for many offices in the United States. Keep in mind when you vote you not only determine the candidate you also help decide future laws, judges, taxes, social programs, regulations for business, and spending for things responsible for your freedoms. Consider all of theses and determine the best balance before you cast your vote. Not every candidate nor political party has all the answers. One thing I do is think about people when I vote, I suggest you all do the same.

My writing experience: An Open Letter to the Occupy Movement (a little la...

My writing experience: An Open Letter to the Occupy Movement (a little la...: I was reflecting on last year, thinking about the different events that made the news, and one of those that stood out was the Occupy Moveme...

An Open Letter to the Occupy Movement (a little late maybe)

I was reflecting on last year, thinking about the different events that made the news, and one of those that stood out was the Occupy Movement. Yes, there were other events that were more news worthy but this is one that is not a natural disaster, one I feel safe to write about.

I know that many out there are upset with Wall Street, with big business, and a government that lets the little guy get run over. Heck, I agree. We are where we are because businesses run by greedy people fleeced us, one way or the other. Many financial institutions failed, may other businesses failed, many people lost their jobs, and worst of all, many people lost their homes. It would be unwise to lump this on business, the government, or the individual. Many are at fault, but the people who are mainly to blame are those who manipulated laws and regulations to allow for the most profit, no matter who it would hurt.

We know this, or we should know this. We need to change these rules. We need to bring back regulations that will protect or economy, our people. How do we do this? One thing we have to do is take this election and make it count. We need to elect those who will put the main factor of our economy first, the people. (I got news for big business. If it were not for the people you would have no business at all) Let the politicians know that the people need the jobs, the people need the money, people need their homes, the people need protection of their life savings, their retirement, and their futures.

Another thing we can do. We can put pressure on the Federal Government to change. State and local government both figure into business, but not as much as the Federal government. Write your congressmen, the President, hold marches and protests. Don't put extra stress the cities and local people, it is the little guy who gets it in the end. Yes, pressure Wall Street, maybe they will change. I doubt it. You have to understand that the leaders of these corporations saw things coming and still did not change; they took the money and ran. You can't make people change unless they have incentive and want to change. Do CEO's have the want to change? Not when they are greedy. Incentive? Less money is not a good incentive.

So Occupy Movement, do something this year; occupy the voting booths. Vote for the candidates who care about the people. Rally for the little guy. Rally against big business.

My writing experience: How to handle a bad review?

My writing experience: How to handle a bad review?: That is a good question now, isn't it? I think so. Do I have an answer to the question? Oh heck no. I do, however, know what I will try to d...

How to handle a bad review?

That is a good question now, isn't it? I think so. Do I have an answer to the question? Oh heck no. I do, however, know what I will try to do. I will try to put a positive spin on the negative review and use it to improve my writing. One thing I will not do, I will not let it stop me from writing and publishing.

Why am I writing about this? Well today I checked out one of my short stories on a well known website run by a well known book retailer, one of the reader reviews cut the crap out of the story. When the review title says your story was edited by a 6th grader, well that is pretty much cutting the heck out it isn't it? Oh yeah.

Man did that hit me like a ton of bricks. The first thing it does is shock the heck out of you, then you feel embarrassed, then you get mad at the writer of the review (How dare they!) finally you accept it and let it slide off your back (well, you try to anyway). After I went through all the above I thought about things and determined, well they are right.

When I write, I fly through getting my words down. Sometimes I type one word when I mean another for no other reason than be careless. I know this and try to catch myself, but I slip-up. Another problem I have is I proofread and edit my own work. Yes, I do catch a majority of the misspellings, typos, and bad punctuation, but many get by. The same eyes, the same mistakes. Oh, the dread of it all.

In the end I learned one more thing to help me and I will try to incorporate this in my writing. Actually, I learned two things. The other ones is that reviews are good even it they do seem bad at first.

My writing experience: Cover up! Cover up!

My writing experience: Cover up! Cover up!: Ok, not a cover-up, but a cover upgrade. What am I talking about? Well, if you read my last blog you know I have been thinking about ways to...

Cover up! Cover up!

Ok, not a cover-up, but a cover upgrade. What am I talking about? Well, if you read my last blog you know I have been thinking about ways to increase downloads of my writing. One of the things that I figured would help would be to improve the quality of my book covers. Yes, I know you are not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but a snappy sharp cover goes a long way in drawing a prospective reader's attention to a book. I mean, how many of you picked up a book from an unknown author because the cover caught your eye? I know you have. I have. You may not have purchased the book after you checked out what it was about and even read a few pages, but the cover did draw your attention.

Ok, here is my problem. I, of very modest means, and modest artistic ability, am having trouble producing a professional looking cover. I look at other self-published writers and go "Wow, they have an awesome cover. How did they do that?" I envy these people. What I would like from you readers is recommendations. I want to know what I can do to improve my covers, what programs to use, and who may help with the cover. If you care to help feel free to email me at: ceparmele@gmail.com. Thank you.

My writing experience: What's in a name?

My writing experience: What's in a name?: Recently, I was thinking about publishing. I started to consider different variable outside of content that could affect how a book sells. T...

What's in a name?

Recently, I was thinking about publishing. I started to consider different variable outside of content that could affect how a book sells. The thing that first occurred to me was the name of the write, my name, which is essentially the brand name.
If you think about it, most of us consider brand names when we purchase a product even when we are looking for a deal. I mean if you are going to purchase a new toaster you are more likely to pay a few more dollars for a Hamilton Beach, Oster or other known brand before you by a no-name 4 slice fire starter. We all know that a well known brand is more likely to have a quality product. (Not Always)
This philosophy pours over to books. I mean you will be more inclined to buy or check out a book from Stephen King, James Patterson, JK Rowling, Dean Koontz, Gregg Olsen, and the late Michael Crichton before they purchase, or even download for free, some Joe Shmoe or even one of mine. People will pick a book by a celebrity not known as an author before reading a new no-name. (Some celebrities are excellent writers, such as Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.)
Know the information above, and knowing there is little I could do about my name without changing it, I figured I could make my name more attractive by using my first and middle initials along with my last name: C. E. Parmele. I was satisfied by this for awhile until I watched a British comedy, Keeping Up Appearances. (BBC and other British shows are great) I always found it funny how the main character, Hyacinth, always corrected how people pronounced her last name Bucket. She wanted it pronounced like bouquet. Why? For no other reason to make herself feel important, of a higher social class. In truth this was silly but made for a good laugh. I reflected on my own name I publish under and felt silly. I am not C. E. Parmele. I am Charles Edward Parmele. I am known as Chuck by my family and friends. In the end I compromised with myself and settled on Charles E. Parmele. (One initial is still cool) I will now publish under Charles E. Parmele.
Yeah, I know that it is not a well known name in the literary world, but it is a proud name all the same. (My grandfather used it all his life, though I think he went by Charlie) And yeah, it does not do anything to improve my product, my writing, but it does make me feel good. I like my writing and feel it is of a good quality. (yes, I sometimes let typos slip by) I figure if my writing is good it should do just as well published under Charles E. Parmele as it did under C. E. Parmele. Remember what that Shakespeare guy said in that tragedy about those teenagers: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet." I hope this holds true but I know the converse is just as apt: "What's in a name? What we call a turd would stink no matter what you might call it." (Redneck inverse off the previous quote.
So, as Charles E. Parmele, I ask you to save a tree and read an EBook.