J.S. Bailey's Blog, page 8
April 24, 2013
The Characters of Life
People tell me things.
I don't really know why. To them I can't be anything more than a glassy-eyed twenty-something standing behind the counter waiting to ring them up and send them on their way. But they talk to me anyway. Maybe inside they think that I'm an unbiased listener. It's okay to talk to me because they don't really know me. And I, never having much to say, myself; just nod when they tell me their stories. I don't know how to respond to them with words other than "Uh-huh" and "Wow"...
I don't really know why. To them I can't be anything more than a glassy-eyed twenty-something standing behind the counter waiting to ring them up and send them on their way. But they talk to me anyway. Maybe inside they think that I'm an unbiased listener. It's okay to talk to me because they don't really know me. And I, never having much to say, myself; just nod when they tell me their stories. I don't know how to respond to them with words other than "Uh-huh" and "Wow"...
April 18, 2013
Lady Gaga
There are two men I know who were both born on Christmas Day a year apart from one another. (I'll call them Bob and Steve.) These men do not know each other. They live in different states. As far as I know, they have never met.
Bob and Steve do not live in the states in which they were born. They both lost their fathers at a young age. Both ended up joining the military (Navy for Bob and Special Forces for Steve) and went to the Middle East. Both men have been married twice. They had no childr...
April 8, 2013
Migraines
What? Two blog posts in one week? What is the world coming to?
I have a migraine. I woke up with one this morning (a common occurrence) and hoped that it would go away once I'd had my coffee (which happens on occasion).
It didn't. After only four hours at work, I had to go home because I could not function at all. I took two Tylenol and laid down on the bed in the Writing Lair to try to sleep it off. I didn't fall asleep, but the simple act of lying there with my eyes shut and a pillow over my...
I have a migraine. I woke up with one this morning (a common occurrence) and hoped that it would go away once I'd had my coffee (which happens on occasion).
It didn't. After only four hours at work, I had to go home because I could not function at all. I took two Tylenol and laid down on the bed in the Writing Lair to try to sleep it off. I didn't fall asleep, but the simple act of lying there with my eyes shut and a pillow over my...
April 4, 2013
Whatchu Tolkien About?
Spoiler alert! Proceed with caution.
I have a terrible memory. I forget people's names. I forget people's faces. I forget classes I took and gatherings I've attended. I even forget the things I read and watch on television. The past twenty-four years are a swirling murk of fragmented memories that may or may not have actually happened--but every once in awhile sounds and images emerge from the brain swamp and I exclaim with glee, "Hey, I remember that!"
Like the time we went to see The Fellowsh...
I have a terrible memory. I forget people's names. I forget people's faces. I forget classes I took and gatherings I've attended. I even forget the things I read and watch on television. The past twenty-four years are a swirling murk of fragmented memories that may or may not have actually happened--but every once in awhile sounds and images emerge from the brain swamp and I exclaim with glee, "Hey, I remember that!"
Like the time we went to see The Fellowsh...
March 28, 2013
Twenty-Four: A Reflection
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March 21, 2013
It's Not About the Money
I was recently speaking with a man about writing and the necessary promotion thereof, and I made the comment that I would be much happier if I gave away 10,000 free copies of my novel that would each be read and loved than if someone bought 10,000 copies and shut them away in a warehouse never to be looked at again.
The man was surprised. Why would someone prefer the former over the latter? Shouldn't making money be important? Writing is, after all, a business.
The fact of the matter is that I...
The man was surprised. Why would someone prefer the former over the latter? Shouldn't making money be important? Writing is, after all, a business.
The fact of the matter is that I...
March 7, 2013
Be a Light!
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February 28, 2013
Two Paths (A Struggle)
Let me tell you about two authors, who for the sake of anonymity I will call A and B. Both authors are devout Christians. Both had childhoods that some of us might refer to as "dark." Both write terrifying novels that end in some kind of hope for the protagonist. They like to explore the grittier side of humanity, but good always triumphs in the end, even if Jesus and God are never mentioned explicitly in the text.
The biggest difference between these authors is that A writes for the secular m...
The biggest difference between these authors is that A writes for the secular m...
February 14, 2013
Let the Giveaway Begin!
GIVEAWAY TIME!
That's right, folks. Today, more than two years after I set up this page (www.facebook.com/jsbaileywrites) in order to showcase my writing and borderline insanity, we made it to 500 "likes." Only I know each one of you is much more than a simple click and a screen name. If I could gather all of you together and give you a ginormous group hug, I would; even though you're far more likely to find me hiding behind my laptop screen than out in public giving free hugs.
THANK YOU f...
That's right, folks. Today, more than two years after I set up this page (www.facebook.com/jsbaileywrites) in order to showcase my writing and borderline insanity, we made it to 500 "likes." Only I know each one of you is much more than a simple click and a screen name. If I could gather all of you together and give you a ginormous group hug, I would; even though you're far more likely to find me hiding behind my laptop screen than out in public giving free hugs.
THANK YOU f...
