Alex G. Zarate's Blog, page 5
July 1, 2018
20180701 Weekly Update
I hope everyone has had a good week. I had some personal time this last week and enjoyed some time with others, exploring new places and going to the fair. Needless to say the week has been interesting.
I also met with a photographer and discussed creating promotional material for my coming books. With luck, there will be a good amount of material ready to go when I move forward with Reflections of Darkness. I am exchanging reviews with a fellow author I connected with on Facebook and am excited to read a novel outside my genre. Contacting another writer on the same journey is a great feeling. I have started looking into the new Instagram service for video production and will be producing content to share in the coming weeks. (Exciting times!)
I am still waiting on my editor to get back to me for Ripples of Mind. As much as I want to rush forward and proceed with the process, I intend to keep to the process and do what is needed. I am hopeful the latest book will be completed, edited and released by year’s end. (Fingers crossed!)
My Instagram fave this week is the mindset I strive to maintain as I move forward every day. There is so much to do in this world and so much to share. I only hope by the time my days are done, I have given all that I can to share my works, my worlds and my dreams with all who would benefit from them. Onwards!
The world is your canvas. Begin each day ready to paint the hopes, dreams and passions that will turn your life into the greatest adventure ever. Onwards! +
Facebook never ceases to amaze. With so many groups and so many ways to connect, it is a great tool with which to find fellow creatives, discover additional tools and share wisdom. I hope we are always able to connect with one another with smiles, encouragement and humor.
Question: I have horrible writer’s block. Any advice?
My Answer:
Your muse probably ran off. They do that sometimes. The best thing to do is get another one. First find an out of the way place where no one frequents. Set yourself up to write, be it on a large rock or on the ground. Leave a trail of pencil shavings, post-it notes and shreds of note paper that lead to you. If you have a laptop, pull it out and sit with a blank text page while you watch the cursor blink. If you prefer paper, write a heading and on the first line write “The” and slowly trace it with your writing implement of choice. Before long, a shimmering muse will come along and take notice of you. If you see it, pretend to be lost in thought as you continue to trace the first word or watch the cursor blinking. The Muse will circle you a few times until it loses patience. If it begins to jump about to get your attention, simply look towards it and then return to your task. Finally, the muse will change into a critter with teeth. This looks more or less like a colorful, furry pac-man that will begin moving around you, looking for a place to bite. (Arm or leg, usually) Let it. The bite doesn’t hurt and the venom of a muse is like an inspiration espresso. You will no longer see the cursor or word before you. You will see stories forming and expanding in all directions. You will find adventures in the clouds above or between each blade of grass. It is a sight to behold! From here, you can either begin writing or simply stand up and go home. The muse will not let go until you have begun writing the wonders of the inspiration you have unlocked. Even then, the venom will remain in your system for a long while. In some cases, it remains for a lifetime. Remember: This is a secret method for setting a muse-trap. Shhh…
As a final personal note, I hope everyone has a good July 4th and celebrates with hope for brighter days, greater understanding and freedom to dream of better tomorrows that can raise us all to greater heights. Onwards!
June 26, 2018
FB Vid
I got a nice vid-gift from Facebook. It makes me hopeful to see a means of sharing our worlds with others.
June 24, 2018
20180624 Weekly Update
The week of weeks for me has come and gone. I have been waiting for it to conclude and am grateful for the next. Most people will be taking a bit of a vacation on the week of the 4th, but as I am a less conventional sort, I’m taking the week before off. (yay) We all reach a saturation point in the thankless jobs we find ourselves in so it is a relief to know there are times allotted to recuperation and renewal. I hope we all have such times and can enjoy the days, the time and the peace that comes from leaving the workload behind to recharge and restore ourselves. Onwards! 
June 17, 2018
20180617 Weekly Update
Greetings one and all. Father’s Day is here and I hope the fathers among us have found appreciation and love this grand day. My Instagram today reflects this holiday and I am pleased to know several people who celebrate. I send all my well wishes to those who have the difficult and challenging task of being a good father, role model and provider to their family. The times are never easy and the thanks are not always there. May we all find the strength to do what is right and be the person we always want to see in others.
My Instagram fave this week is one I hope reaches many others looking for a path in life, a direction to follow or a passion to live. I continue to fight the good fight as I make the best with what I have and who I am. May we all find the path that makes life the adventure of our choosing.
Every day is a call to arms. A challenge to accomplish something so incredible we will someday look back with pride at the dreams we fought for, the life we lived and the worlds we conquered. Onwards! +
The fave FB post this day is one regarding the encouragement of others. Few friends or family ever thought my interests were worth following, so I had a specific opinion after giving up on my writing for many years only to return after seeing what constant work at a meaningless job felt like. I can only hope others learn this much earlier than myself.
Question: How do people handle no support from family or friends?
My Answer: Few people will ever understand the life of a creative. We see what others don’t and craft worlds out of thin air. As much as I would like to have my friends and family understand and support me, I am always grateful to be one of the folks who have gone it alone and lived beyond the constraints of life. The adventure may only happen in my mind, but I’d rather enjoy the journey alone than abandon it to feel support working a mind-numbing job with a “promising” future.
As a special personal note, I thought I would share a memory of my father when I was a child, still struggling with the world and my place in it.
One day when I was very upset about being bullied and called names at school, my father sat with me in my room and told me that I would one day be a strong man who could do whatever he put his mind to and nobody would take that away. Being a scrawny kid, I doubted his words and told him so, telling him how weak I was and how I didn’t know anything.
He said I would grow stronger and knew for a fact that I would learn my own way in time. He then seemed to get distracted by the books next to my bed and took one of them from the shelf. It was The Invisible Man. He flipped the pages and shook his head, saying he liked to read National Geographic but could never read books because they were too hard.
Looking at the cover, he asked what the story was about. I explained how it was about a man who became invisible and slowly went crazy because of it. The story was exciting to convey and I remembered every scene as if I were reading it again. The scenes came alive in my mind as I described them, feeling the excitement of anonymity followed by the terror of being hunted.
He listened patiently, nodding his head as I told him the story before putting it back on my shelf and taking another one. The next one was The Time Machine. He asked about it as well and I went into a long explanation about the future times, the wars and monstrous Morlocks, telling him of the adventures had by the traveler who wanted to witness the future beyond his grasp, eventually vanishing from his own time to save the future.
The next one was Alice in Wonderland, followed by Animal Farm. I don’t remember the rest, but after a while, I realized what my father was telling me was true. I read books often and loved to sit in the library, reading and choosing new tales, feeling as if the books of the world were mountains we could all climb, making our own journey at the turn of a page.
I lost my father a few years before graduating high school but the lessons learned in my youth stay with me, guiding me in this journey and showing me what I could be when I didn’t know the world itself was an adventure waiting to be experience each and every day. Onwards!
June 12, 2018
June 11, 2018
20180610 Weekly Update
Time has come and gone faster than anticipated and while I continue to await the latest from my editor, I have been keeping busy with a few items on my “To Do” list. The latest monthly comic vlog is done and the charts I will be implementing to see each of my projects is well underway. I also have a few video blogs that will be coming as well as a few trailers for the first few books in the Cat Rule Chronicle series.
Last week got away from me and I lost more time than expected playing catch up with the outlines to my next few books, cover design for The Orb (Yup, that one is getting a remake as well) and a series of pictures dedicated to literacy and books. With luck, all will fall into place as the year progresses. Fingers crossed!
This week’s fave Instagram revolves around the thought of how we lose ourselves to difficult times and uncertain paths. I will forever be trying to see the better light ahead and hope to share it with others.
The future will always remain unknown, but with determination, focus and heart, even the darkest path becomes a gateway towards victory. Onwards! +
Facebook continues to be a mystery and a fave spot to connect with others. I still hope to find fellow writers that are working as I am to share stories with the world and hope we can all raise one another to the level needed to give our stories the proper readership to set us on the course of success needed. The question and answer I chose this week was in response to a common question asked. Note: I will never give the same answer to these questions. As a creative, I enjoy allowing my thoughts to escape the norm of convention.
Question: When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?
My Answer: Just after I was born. All the knowledge and wisdom of the universe was at my fingertips and I knew the only path possible lay in sharing my words with the world. Unfortunately, no matter how much I cried, no one gave me paper or a pen. By the time I was old enough to be trusted with writing implements my thoughts turned towards fiction. Oh, well…
I hope everyone is doing well this lovely month and finds both joy and beauty in every bright day and cloudy sunset. We all find what we seek in this world and as long as we seek our dreams, we are headed in the right direction. May we all dream big. Onwards!
May 28, 2018
20180527 Weekly Update
I hope everyone has been having a wonderful week and has an opportunity to find some enjoyment and peace in the extended holiday weekend. Rest and relaxation is key as we face challenges and move forward with our goals and passions. As I continue to work on my creations I hope to connect with others who can benefit from what I have learned over the years. We all face struggles and it is always worth seeing how others have made it through the same difficulties in life, meaning it is possible for us all to achieve our greatest goals so long as we never give up. Onwards!
The Instagram post I selected for this week is one I felt worth posting today. It is about the struggles we face and the light at the end of the tunnel that is always there. May we all find that light and emerge to brighter days.
May 20, 2018
20180520 Weekly Update
As another week concludes, I hope everyone has had some pleasant days and joyful moments to share. I understand there has been a royal wedding celebrated. What better reason to find joy in the days to come when the world celebrates the love and devotion of others. No matter what happens in our lives, it is good to know that we can change our perspective and see the joy that is always present and waiting for us to find it, embrace it and share it with the world. Onwards!
May 13, 2018
20180513 Weekly Update
Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mothers out there! I know the job is often thankless and deserves far more appreciation than a single day but know that regardless of daily expressions of praise, you are always on a pedestal in our hearts.
This week has been interesting to say the least. My video blog is out, the monthly newsletter made its appearance on time and I have set my sights on the future of my creative journey. (Fingers crossed!) A few additional updates will be provided since this is becoming something of an extended events log in my world but with luck, the coming book releases will also include some extras that will make the release worth the wait. Onwards!
