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25

25 years ago, in the dusty town of Roanoke, Texas – I signed up with GoDaddy and registered michaelXmoore.com.
Why the ‘X’?

Simply because, only the week before, THE Michael Moore had registered his domain, in his name….

Can you imagine if I’d been about 8 days earlier? Life is strange, is it not? So, not to be (too) outdone, the ‘X’ was born – way before Elon Musk…..

….and in the mid-90’s, as I wrestled with AI in its infancy, I registered another domain name : : www.AIxyztems.com – (pronounced as EXISTems…)
maintained it for over 30 years and then recently modified it to be:  www.AIxyztemsDesign.online.

Go figure……

And so, again, apologies.

A dear old friend, now departed, had a wonderful expression about one’s everyday life, existence….he’d often say:

‘I’ve been going 150 km/hour, but I’m tied to the dock!’

Ever feel that way? I do – all too frequently.
It’s about , the simplest thing really – p r i o r i t i e s. Priorities and our ability to establish them, but more importantly, our ability to respect them.

Yet, have I not been busy? Oh yeah…..so busy. But is that an excuse? Nope – nor is it a reason, right?

So – tell ya what – gonna, more regular, share my bizzyness here with you……for example, for the last few years I have maintained three different substack columns…..
one is predominantly dedicated to writing short fiction stories in monthly instalments. The first one, Snow Job, was completed about a year ago….you can find it here:

https://open.substack.com/pub/michaelxmoorewriter/p/a-somewhat-new-year?r=8vuso&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

It is followed by a work-in-progress, ‘The Thinn Man’ .

And ‘HEY!’ – you don’t got to pay anything to access my substack columns…..free to sign up, free to access – www.substack.com.

Some of my followers have chosen to be paid subscribers (bless ’em) but not promoted or necessary……

So – moving forward I hereby vow, to

move forward.

And I’m happy to hear from anyone worth an interest in writing……michael@michaelXmoore.com

quite approachable, I am.

Oh, by the way – I teach Creative writing – have done for some years –  so if you have questions about anything related thereto – don’t be shy

michael

In December, just past, Stu Liedtke, my brother-in-law – and my sitedesign guru for this site – and others, passed away suddenly.

As a result many changes are now occurring in respect to the management and structure of this site, and others.

Albeit I have been irresponsibly remiss in maintaining a regular posting here, I  promise I will
be more vigilant and will update the site on a monthly basis.

Thank you for your understanding

Time for a change – time to pay attention.

no excuses

At the very least, henceforth, there will be at least one update per month. As developments occur within my work and professional pursuits.

In that I lead Creative Writing lectures and programmes, significant time is devoted to my own writing pursuits.
To date I have completed three novels (Jim Steiner – Book 1, Jim Steiner – Book 2 / Princess and the Jake) and I am about 40% through my current
novel.

Moreover, as noted elsewhere, in May 2024 I released ‘Poetix & Prose’-  a collection of poetry and short stories.

These activities are noted here because, in my research activities, in courseware development – in personal/professional writing, I participate in a number of online platforms, forums, writing sites.

Some are:

• Open Arts Forum
• Deadlines For Writers
• Writing Matters Online
• PenPee

None of these require a paid membership but one must register to gain access.

Anyone seriously interested in writing, must – must, write.
There are two other really good writing apps for those who do not want to feel confined or constrained byusing Word or Scrivener.

Ulysses (MAC only). https://indieauthormagazine.com/ulysses-a-just-write-app-for-authors/

Day One – an excellent journaling app – allows you to set an ‘alarm’ popup to provoke you to write at the time set.
For a really good overview go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTfUrXCF3ZA

In future postings I will endeavour to showcase other sites, apps, programs, utilities.

are we talking dentistry here?

no, not really – although what is common is that both relate to and/or refer to one’s mouth.
As in ‘mouthing off’.

the definition : : to express your opinion,  especially loudly and in a way that shows no consideration or respect:

nope

not me

of course, if/when I have an opinion, that matters to me, then I will usually bring it forth.

okay? we got that out of the way?

good

so – tooth……the tooth also applied to paper. as in : :

WHAT IS A PAPER’S TOOTH?

Nobody wants to feel like a novice at their local art store, and unfamiliar terms are certainly one of the things that can make even the most seasoned artist feel like a beginner. Have you ever heard people discuss paper in terms of “teeth”? Well, a paper’s tooth describes the surface feel of paper. Generally, the more tooth a paper has, the rougher it feels. You could easily exchange the term for the words, “texture,” or “smoothness.” In general, charcoal artists prefer paper with a rougher texture, as the charcoal adheres better to unsmooth surfaces.

the forenoted is copied from : : www.NitramCharcoal.com

…and so, recently, in that I had the good fortune to publish my first lil’ book, ‘poetix + prose’ on Amazon, as it happens I had to sign/inscribe copies for purchasers. It occurred to me, that a way more personal ‘feeling’ inscription might be written with pen and ink, I turned to my collection of lovely fountain pens, which I had not had a reason to use in at least a decade – maybe two – maybe more. Because they were, each and every one, so very lovely looking, I had mounted them on a grasscloth background in a framed display box. I carefully removed a few and of course whatever ink there may been in their reservoirs was long dried out.

ponder – wonder – – think, on that – as I did. Consequently I hied myself to the only remaining store in Québec, to my knowledge, that still sold things like fountain pen refills, bottled inks, etcetera, and with the aid of a most patient young lady, Allison, we worked our way through all nine of my ‘antiques’. All of which, amazingly, she was able to find the appropriate ink cartridges for. Wahoo!

returned to my writers’ haven and began ‘test writing’ with each one.

And, guess what?

I found the feel, the catch of nib against grain of paper, the fluid flow of ink, to be so embracing, so comforting, that I promised myself to write, daily, from then on.
To write something, anything.

And then, quite coincidentally I stumbled across a post in Clipboard that highlighted this great company in Japan that specializes in, specialty papers. I was delighted! I didn’t rush to order any, because, quite honestly, they are quite too expensive for me – as an indulgence.
But maybe there are some amongst you who might, just maybe – want to check them out.
And then, of course, my creative fount sprung another vision on me – what about white ink on black paper. ‘Yowza!, I declared…..thus, it is:

Did I write this? No – I didn’t. But I will make a return visit soon to Papeterie Westmount to buy a bottle of white ink. And if so, in a future post, I will show, that, which I have writ.

ITO Bindery is that Japanese company. Check them out.

All of which, of course, brings me back to tooth.

If ever, any of you, harbor the urge, the desire, to do as I have done – to return to some degree, to an earlier time, find that old favourite pen of yours, rinse it in a small bowl of warm water and dishwasher liquid, get on thy mount and head to Westmount Stationery – call first to confirm that Allison is on shift.

Bonus! They do have a wide selection of papers, pads, writing paraphernalia……oh joy!

Go ahead – indulge yourselves

End up looking at the world, today, with a toothy grin!

à bientôt!

It is now finally, published and posted – both the ePub version and the paperback.

Available from www.Amazon.com

Although only published last month all reviews to date are
*****.  Five stars!

Available as an ePub (free for Kindle Unlimited customers) @ $3.33 or
in paperback at $8.49 USD.

• this has been a journey for me, both as a writer but also as a graphic designer
and as a seasoned business executive. As a writer, it has been
rewarding to work my way through the accumulation of
pieces, poems, short snippets of stories to arrive at ‘poetix & prose’
as being representative of my feelings, my thoughts.
I am humbled by the result, truly.

As a graphic designer with decades of experience under my belt,
the search for a cover design that was simple, elegant –
powerful – was all-consuming time-wise.
Believe it or not I reviewed and considered 600 fonts
before settling on my final choice.

And as a seasoned business executive, having been in the
role of senior design manager for many years, it has been both
a voyage of discovery but also one wherein the respect
I came to feel for Amazon KDP was, and is, off the charts.
The tools provided by KDP for the emerging writer are simply amazing –
and Amazon keeps improving them, amplifying them.

And now, today, I am off to Ottawa – about a two hour drive,
to participate in my first ever book fair.
The Ottawa Small Press Book Fair is being held at the Tom Brown Arena,
141 Bayview Station Road, Ottawa from noon to 5:00 PM. It has been around
since 1994 when Rob MacLennan founded it.

Their Facebook page is here.

I will post photographs soon.

On another note I just returned from my first ever writing retreat –
it was organized by my writing partners/colleagues of the
Montreal Writers Collective, a MeetUp group which I’ve been a
member of for the last 4 years.

It was self-organized in that we – five of us – rented an Air BnB near
Mt. Tremblant, Québec (about two hours north of Montreal)
and arriving there last Friday we spent the week in relentless devotion to – writing.
Starting at 9:30 each day we began with our morning Pomodoro
session – write for 31 minutes, break for 5 – 7 minutes,
write an additional 31 minutes. Until noon, or thereabouts.

Following lunch if we didn’t participate in a ‘learning session’
which one or the other of us had organized (i.e., character development,
writing action scenes, writing from prompts)
we, again, spent the afternoons, writing.

And following dinner (which we each took turns in preparing –
mine was awesome   : > ).    (chili) we continued with the writing of our
individual projects. Which in every case, was the writing of a novel.

In spite of an intense two day heat wave (32 – 34 degrees), with NO air conditioning,
we ‘soldiered on’. It was, great. It was something we hope to repeat again next year.

My next post will include photographs of the Fair and our writers’ retreat.

Thanks, as always, for listening.

I’m honoured to have my flashFiction piece • c o c o o n •  piece selected and featured in the newest publication of Syncopation Library.

When calls for submissions went out late last fall there was a simple criteria for consideration – the document/story must contain reference to the guitar.

Here is the link: :

I hope you enjoy it. One of my readers has already requested ‘more’ of the character….perhaps, maybe…..

‘Tis that

Today

123123

Get it?

Will not happen again, ever – never.

And so where does that bring us? Where has it brought me?

I know – I’ve been remiss in maintenance efforts. Non-existent pretty much – but, New Year – NewLeaf.

As of tomorrow I will do my utmost to post regularly, once a week. Hah!

We’ll have to wait and see, right?

It’s not like I’m not busy, of course.

Hard at work, writing. These days primarily focused on Book 2 of my Jim Steiner novels.
Heck, in the last 3 days I wrote 9,000 words.
Awesome, yes?
Tough pace – I’m now at 45,547 words – only about 50K to go. If I can keep up this pace I should see completion in about 3 weeks.
Let’s say end January. First draft. Then edits. Then what?

No idea. Have little or no faith in traditional publishing traction. Have no faith in self-publishing. So, what to do?
Carry on – move ahead.

Heck, not as if I’m lacking for writing projects – ‘The End of Oregon’, ‘Princess and the Jake’, ‘Veil of Tears’, ‘Twisted Roads’ and ‘The Art of BlackCat Moon’…….those are all works-in-progress – all novels in various stages of completion.

So, good luck with that, eh?

Yup

Back to work – come see me here next week – should have a new update then.

And, by the way, almost forgot – ‘The Thinn Man’, a serialized cliffhanger, is available to read on my Patreon page – www.Patreon.com/mxmoore. It’s a fun quasi-romantic crime romp – a new chapter added weekly.

And one of my poems, r o l l e r   c o a s t e r was published in:  Killer Nashville magazine, November 2023 issue
              (https://www.killernashville.com/issues/november-2023)

And, even more – additional pieces – flash fiction, poetry – are slated for release in other publications in February. I’ll keep you informed.

Promise.

perhaps it’s of little concern – then again, perhaps not. I read recently that 35,000 new books are published every week in the USA.

Notwithstanding, most likely, self-published initiatives.

The pandemic spawned in the masses not only the raison to turn to writing the great novel – it provided the time within which

such efforts could move forward.

If one is on FB one can search for, and find, numerous groups that are focused on writers, writing. Many are dedicated to the world of Amazon/Kindle.

Thousands and thousands of hopefuls. The following might give succour to many:

1. John Grisham’s first novel was rejected 25 times.
2. Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen (Chicken Soup for the Soul) received 134 rejections.
3. Beatrix Potter had so much trouble publishing The Tale of Peter Rabbit, she initially had to self-publish it.
4. Robert Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) received 121 rejections before it was published and went on to become a best seller.
5. Gertrude Stein spent 22 years submitting before getting a single poem accepted.
6. Judy Blume, beloved by children everywhere, received rejections for two straight years.
7. Madeline L’Engle received 26 rejections before getting A Wrinkle in Time published—which went on to win the
   Newbery Medal and become one of the best-selling children’s books of all time.
8. Frank Herbert’s Dune was rejected 20 times before being published and becoming a cult classic.
9. Stephen King received dozens of rejections for Carrie before it was published (and made into a movie!).*
10. James Lee Burke’s novel The Lost Get-Back Boogie was rejected 111 times over a period of nine years and,
    upon its publication by Louisiana State University Press in 1986, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Hopefully the forenoted might provide a degree of relief, beyond it being a reality check.

Other helpful fact-checked statistics:

So – major takeaway? If you have the stamina – IF you have the determination, IF you are ridiculously persistent,
you may have a chance at being.  p u b l i s h e d …..which, by the way, is not at all connected to whether or not one becomes
a financial success.

Ken Follet (Eye of the Needle has written 44 books. His current net worth, all from earnings as an author, is approximately, $40 million.

J.K. Rowling, however, is the wealthiest of all writers with a net worth of $1 billion!

Don’t give up

For those of us who have creative aspirations – be it in music, drama, writing – rejection is the primary constant as we all try to peck away at gaining acceptance, making progress, making money, even. (Goodness! Who is in this for the money??? I’m shocked!)

The previous post shows the rejection letter sent to Alice Walker, author of the Color Purple. I will be posting a few others soon.

But this news feature caught my eye. It’s all about persistence, perseverance and simply just not giving up.
Be that this may or may not be the very best novel or story ever written – is not the point – the point is, she just didn’t give up.

And so : :

Her story is worth reading if for no other reason than, ‘if she can do it, we can do it’. . . . . right?

With virtually no prior writing training or experience, but seemingly just a good idea, she made it happen for herself.

Read the whole article here