Justin Pyfrom's Blog, page 12

Time to Get Back To Blogging

Well, now that I’m done with the BTP (Behind The Pen) segment of my primary release of my Short Story Project, I can get back to my regularly scheduled blogging. I am glad to do this, too, because so many things have changed throughout my life. Not just mine, either; my friends were dealing with the same thing…

Where to begin…

Well, let’s start with the fact that last summer, China passed an education law. The law prohibits training centers to provide tutoring services for school subjects. It meant that, if it’s taught in school, the training centers all over China were not allowed to provide additional education for it. There was more to the law but just that statement alone caused me and all my friends to go into a panic. I openly admit that I cried…a lot. It was a lot of change happening at once and it was overwhelming. Normally, I could handle change; usually, I welcome it. But not this time. It was way too much for me to handle at once and my body wasn’t equipped to hold it all in. I needed to let it all out.

None of us were ready to go home, especially me. I was finding my groove as an educator and I didn’t want to let up the roll. I wanted to keep going on this career path. Luckily, I had a friend with the same sentiment who helped me link up with a few recruiters. It only took a matter of days to get a new school and a new job – a better job.  It was interesting…I didn’t know that this particular job existed outside of America.

See, at first, I was strictly looking at jobs as an English teacher.  But as I was being presented with jobs after jobs, I began to notice that schools were looking for “something more”. They were looking for teachers who were the whole package; someone who could teach students to not only speak English but read and write at a level that got them ready for studying aboard. It was the perfect job and they wanted me. They were looking for me to fill the position as an ELA (English Language Art) teacher. It only took two interviews for them to give me an offer that I immediately accepted.

The school is called Limai, an international school, and, up until this point, I didn’t think they exist. I was hired along with my best mate, Charles, and we ended up traveling together to the city of Nanchang. It was the first time that I was traveling outside of Chongqing and it was because I was forced to move. The city and school were quaint and lovely and I fit in just fine. I couldn’t help but smile. It was sad that we were moving away from our group, but it was nice to know that I had a familiar face to work alongside. A blessing and a half if there ever was one.

I’m halfway through my first school year as a big boy ELA teacher and I’m feeling proud of myself. The students liked me and were retaining what I taught them. Except for one (long story), all the staff and teachers were enjoying my company and loved my “I guide, you drive” teaching style (a short story, actually). Finally, I was able to teach what I want, how I want, and not get reprimanded for “not following the rubric”. Charles is happy, too, especially since his girlfriend was able to move with him – after her graduation, of course. Yep…everything is working out just fine. Took a while, though.

Now, please, don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads) which are on the right side of my web page. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2022. My goal is to read 180 books this year and I’m already at 21. I should probably start reviewing these books.

A Prequel of Sorts

“I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life.”
― Maya Angelou

What if you had the power to bring your loved ones from the brink of death?

What I’ll Do For Family is something special to me for many reasons, namely three. The first reason is that it was the first fantasy idea that I had for this project which led me to spread my wings and try out different genres. Secondly, it was the first short story that I wrote about that had a Latin character. Interestingly enough, I opted to release it last because of a funny little story. Finally, and more importantly, it led me to the life-changing decision of going back to school for my MFA.

Anyway, going into the story, I wanted to tell a story that was more of a taste of things to come. This was the first story that gave me the idea of creating an additional series. Moreover, it gave me the idea of creating a fantasy series to have under my belt and, because of that,  I had to lay out a decent amount of foundation for the main character and his immediate family. It became a delightful snowball effect on my spare time between writing and teaching.

Why?

Well, I took every opportunity to read books on magic and witchcraft. Even though I don’t believe in magic, I couldn’t stop myself due to the research I was gathering. I was consuming information about every corner of the realm of magic. The system. The history. The Occult. The type of magic from varying countries and its purpose to its culture and society. It was too much fun for me to learn about the history and, because of my reading, I was gaining a better understanding as to why it was still practiced today. It also helped that I have a few friends who are witches so I was able to talk to them.

And, because of all this reading and researching, I was able to write the story in about a day. Even better, I still wanted to read more about witches and witchcraft. The subject has been quite spell-bounding (pun intended) and I’m really enjoying myself. I can’t wait to get started on writing that series. And, with that, I hope you enjoy the story.

You can buy the book on Amazon. The link is here.

You can also learn about it on Goodreads. The link for it is here.

They’re Always Watching

“All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair.”
― Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven

The duality of neglect and parenting

I’m always told that children don’t care about what you’re doing for them. They don’t care about what you bought them or how much money you spend on them. Sure, they notice but it’s not something they are quick to remember unless, of course, they were taught to notice it. However, more often than not, they usually take notice of something else entirely. And, it was that one thing that became the basis for A Child’s Wish.

When writing this story, I looked at various styles of parenting so I better understand each of them can be harmful to a child’s mental development. Of course, not all of them can do real harm to a child but I wasn’t going to dive into too much. To simply my research, I zeroed in on one of the core reasons why a child could suffer trauma in their childhood: neglect.

Truthfully, I never knew neglect had that much negative power over a child. I admit that that mentality came from the fact that I’ve never felt neglected by my grandmother. If anything, she was a wee bit overbearing, at times; something she openly admitted to.

For A Child’s Wish, I wanted to show how a child yearns for attention and affection and the lengths they would go to get it. And, since it’s fantasy, I could have gone above and beyond with the lengths but I had to be mindful about the word count and not go overboard. Trust me, there were some short stories that I had to shrink about my ambition but more on that later.

After writing the story, I gave it to a friend of mine to read. When he got done with it, he asked me if I was placing Arabic/Muslim mythology on purpose. I told him “No” because I didn’t have any knowledge on the subject and it was the farthest thing from my mind at the time of writing it. It was then I was schooled on the origins of “The Djinn” along with some other details that I will definitely apply to the story when I decide to do a reimagining – or retelling. And, with that, I hope you enjoy the story.

You can buy the book on Amazon. The link is here.

You can also learn about it on Goodreads. The link for it is here.

Final Short Story Released

Family is those who will always be with you. They will never judge you for your faults or weaknesses and they will always for forever. That is why I must do what I have to do to have them. It is why I will do anything for them.

It is available for Amazon Kindle.

Happy Holidays From Aboard

Sending holiday joy and love to all of you!!! I pray that you have a wonderful time with your family and mates. As for me, I will be doing the same thing and taking the day off of writing and planning to give them my undivided attention. It’s either that or my brother and my best mates are not going to let me live it down.

44th Short Story Released

It’s a parent’s duty and priority to love and care for their children. A child even expects this from them. What happens when a parent is too busy to give it to them? But what happens when a child is deprived of it?

It is available for Amazon Kindle.

There Are Many Ways To Be A Parent

“There are times when the adoption process is exhausting and painful and makes you want to scream. But, I am told, so does childbirth.”

– Scott Simon

The various ways/side of adoption

So, prior to writing Baby 4 Us, I’ve already made the conscious decision that I’m going to adopt. I don’t know when but I do know that it’s going to be after I leave China and settle in a new country.  Now, this conversation started with me among my group of friends as we were talking about our future plans. We knew that she didn’t want to stay in China but most of us didn’t have a clear idea of what to do next. But, as the conversation developed, it pivoted to the topic of children and childbirth and well…

So, as I said, I want to adopt a child. It’s my way of paying it forward as I, along with my brother, was taken in by my grandmother after spending some time in the foster system.  The idea of taking a child out of that potential traumatic environment has always been the driving force behind my decision. I don’t enjoy my time in the foster care system. In fact, I hated it as my foster mother and her nephew were incredibly awful to me and my little brother. I promised myself that I wouldn’t be like them and try to adopt the first chance that I got. This was also the driving force behind Baby 4 Us.

For this warmhearted story, I already had it in my head that the story was going to end on a happy note. However, what I didn’t anticipate was also how light-hearted it was becoming. It was eerie for me because I’ve always been told that childbearing was more on the overwhelming side. You know, mentally and physically taxing on the women. And even get me started on everything I’ve been told about the preparation for the newborn. It almost turned me away from it all.

Oddly enough, not putting all that emotional weight on the parents worked better for the story. I replaced all that with nervous cheers. They couldn’t wait. Then I added the bonus good news. However, that’s all I’m going to say on that front as it would lead into spoiler territory.  I will tell you that the parents will start off the story by adopting one child but will end the story with more than one.

I have to admit. I have to do a small bit of research because, though I know a lot about sex, genetics, and whatnot, I knew very little about the actual process of childbirth. I just knew where the baby comes out of and that women are in no mood for jokes. I didn’t have too much. Just enough to know the order of events towards a newborn’s development. I think it took about a few hours or so. Anyway, I think I did an okay job with it all. And, with that, I hope you enjoy the story.

You can buy the book on Amazon. The link is here.

You can also learn about it on Goodreads. The link for it is here.

My Take On A Controversial Topic

“No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother.”
― Margaret Sanger

The duality of abortion

People can tell you that I’m not an argumentative person. It’s not what you think. Well, it is but not really. See, I try to avoid having discussions on controversial topics because there’s no real way to have an intelligent conversation about them. If you’ve noticed, people always seem to attach emotions to the conversation. Moreover, people seem to have a habit of “ignoring” facts that counter their chosen reality. Hence why I opted to write the short story, Baby 4 Us; it was my way to talk about abortion.

For the record, I’m against abortion. I believe that the moment the mother is declared pregnant, she has a duty to ensure the baby’s survival in the world. Besides,  she can very easily give the baby up for adoption. However, I could see the other side of the argument for many reasons and I decided to explore those reasons  – along with my own – for this story.

Now, as you may already know, I’m a big fan of duality especially when it comes down to controversial topics. I never like just talking my opinions of the subject and I always like to do it in a rather avant-garde way. And since I already knew that the ending was going to be bittersweet, it gave me a lot of freedom with how I wanted to construct the story. I have to say…this story would fall under the category of “The Story Was Writing Itself” because, for the first time, the outline I wrote, in the beginning, was the story I wrote in the end. I didn’t have to change anything.

Also, I was enjoying how I got to show both sides in a form of a twist ending. That’s all I’m going to say on the matter because that will be going into spoiler territory.  I will tell you that the ending caused my friends to tear up a little bit and the story was deemed respectful to both sides. Well, mostly respectful. There were still some people who just wouldn’t budge. I mean, I wasn’t surprised by those types or cared. In reality, there are just some people who can’t – or rather won’t – acknowledge the other side of an argument. And, with that, I hope you enjoy the story.

You can buy the book on Amazon. The link is here.

You can also learn about it on Goodreads. The link for it is here.

43rd Short Story Released

Babies are the greatest joy that a couple can ever ask for. But what happens when a deserving couple is robbed of that wonderful miracle? What option do they have when they’ve exhausted all of their options?

It is available for Amazon Kindle.

A Needed Conversation Between Two Generations

“The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.”
― Lois Lowry, The Giver

The duality of memories

I always love when memories are used as a plot device. Memories are powerful because they are unapologetic in their reality. They don’t lie and, no matter how you resist, they won’t let you fabricate the reality of it all. They will find a way to force you to live it. In every story, memories have played a key role that resulted in an ending that can be satisfying to the audience. Now, can I say that for the characters? Not really. But for Alone With The Memories, definitely.

This story was something I got the privilege of writing after a conversation I had with my grandma. She is about eighty years young. Honestly, I don’t know her age and I don’t ask; I was raised to never ask a woman her age. Anyway, we were talking about what I do if she passed away; it’s a conversation I dread having but it was needed. I was also thankful for it because she said something that made sense to me. Memories are something that keeps people alive.

Don’t get me wrong. I already knew that and, as a storyteller, I always keep that in mind. But, while writing this story, I began to realize just how important memories are to a person. Moreover, I would be terrified at the idea of not having access to my memories because of all the ones I have collected throughout my life – at this point. So, that’s where the main plot of this story came from. Well, part of it, anyway. The other part was where science fiction came in.

I can’t explain too much about it without going into spoiler territory. However, I will say that it’s the science fiction aspect that will bring closure to the main characters. I’m confident to say that this is the beautiful story I’ve ever written. And, yet,  it’s also the most heartbreaking story that I’ve ever written. And, with that, I hope you enjoy the story.

You can buy the book on Amazon. The link is here.

You can also learn about it on Goodreads. The link for it is here.