James Pyles's Blog, page 123

Quoting: Mentally Preparing for Challenges

The more mentally prepared you are for challenges to your being in a serene state, the greater your ability to maintain this state. The goal to strive for is to be able to remain in a serene state even when other people say and do things that could potentially cause distress. Mentally practice remaining serene […]

The New Dragon Saga: Steve

Chapter 4: “We’re ready.” Steve was another member of the resistance, and like Landon, not only was his control collar inoperable, but he could use elemental magic. Steve looked human, a lot of the other soldiers didn’t, not quite, but the seventeen-year-old had never been aware of him back on Earth. Landon had been able […]

Quoting: Fear of Disapproval

Frequently people worry about the possibility that others might fail to show them respect and approval. While details differ for each person, the underlying factor is fear of disapproval — people might think you lack intelligence, or other virtues and abilities. Realize that the pain you suffer from worrying about this is much greater than […]

What’s Important

I’ve been thinking about what is and isn’t important lately. Yes, there are a lot of arguments on the web positing this cause or that as important, and the authors declaring anyone who isn’t wildly enthusiastic, embracing, and endorsing of their project as horrible, terrible human beings. Oh well. I admit to being caught up […]

Baobab

Brian Fletcher was startled when the lithe, green-eyed Ghanan woman stepped out from behind the baobab tree. “I wouldn’t pick the flowers. The gods cursed the baobab. Picking even a single white flower is bad luck.” The hunter defiantly plucked one, then two more flowers, and then held out his arm. She took a step […]

Quoting: Growth is Gradual

A person who tries to force himself to change his character in an extremely short time is apt to become depressed and will not be successful. Set reasonable goals for yourself. Work on your faults little by little. If you make impossible demands on yourself, you will feel frustrated and miserable. -from Cheshbon Hanefesh #17; […]

I Hold With Those Who Favor Fire

Spider silk clung at the doors, over the windows, across everything she had left behind. It was the one place she had allowed to remain, had not purged with fire, the first home she had ever known with Mommy and Daddy. But that was over twenty years ago. She and Daddy had abandoned their small […]

Quoting: Keep Focused on Your Goal

Always ask yourself: “What is my goal right now?” When you keep focused on a specific goal, you are less likely to get sidetracked by venting your anger at someone. You’ll discover that your real goal is incompatible with losing your temper and shouting. For example, an employer wants his employee to do a good […]

More on Masculinity and Femininity

I follow the blog of African-American author Steven Barnes, largely because his commentaries on writing were recommended by another author. Mr. Barnes has an an impressive set of credentials and has written novels with such Science Fiction luminaries as Larry Niven (look right) and the late Jerry Pournelle. But while I find some of what […]

The Grayland

At first Alise Egan thought she had been trapped in a cursed painting of herself facing an ocean wave, but then she realized it was an interdimensional gateway to another reality. In the painting, the twenty-two year old MIT graduate looked much as she appeared in real life, tall, what her billionaire benefactor, the painting’s […]