Randolph Randy Camp's Blog: Randy C Creations RCstories, page 6

Education: The Priceless Tool

It’s back-to-school season again and this can put a financial strain on a lot of families. Over the years, many non-profits, charitable and religious organizations have helped to relieve some of this financial burden from families by giving away free backpacks and other common school supplies.

Education is the most valuable tool you can equip your child with. I believe this wholeheartedly. My family was economically poor when I was coming up, but education made me rich in so many other ways, and it has opened so many doors for me.

Volunteering and working within the social field and the juvenile justice system over the years, I’ve personally seen the tremendous impact of a kid having a positive attitude towards school versus a kid who doesn’t. As I often say, “It’s better to pick up a book than a gun.”

When a kid stays in school they make better decisions, and, as mentioned before, so many more doors will open for them. Let’s do whatever we can to keep encouraging our youth to maintain their positive attitude towards school and their education.

If you know of a family in need and could use a free backpack and other school supplies, please check your local area for agencies and organizations participating in these Free Backpacks – School Supplies Giveaway Events taking place soon. – Randolph Randy CampRandolph Randy Camp

*(Note: If you reside in the Des Moines area, please check out the Free Filled Backpack Event at Polk County River Place on Saturday, August 3, 2019)

Turning Negatives Into Positives

Regardless of your age, gender, color, background, or which side of town you live on, you deserve to be happy, and always know that you are precious and uniquely special. Please don’t ever let anyone tell you differently.

One of my most enjoyable and greatest perks as a youth advocate and a writer is getting invited to various schools for classroom book talks. I absolutely love being around young, engaging students who genuinely care about their future and what’s currently going on, not only in America, but what’s happening all over the world as well.

Of course, these book talk sessions are primarily about one or two of my books, in which the students had read for a class assignment. But often, these book talks will slightly go off-topic, as a student may ask me a personal question, or perhaps, a student may get inspired to share some personal experience from their own life which relates to the story we’re discussing.

Just before summer break recently, in Kansas, a student had asked me what had inspired me to write my first novel ‘Wet Matches’? I love answering this particular question because it gives me a chance to talk about turning your negative experiences into something positive.

On the surface, we all know that ‘Wet Matches’ is about five homeless teens getting a second chance at a better life when a California couple takes them in. But the deeper origin and backstory of why I wrote ‘Wet Matches’ stems from my memory of being called the N-word at age 5 by a bigoted White man at a grocery store in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

I’ll never forget how low and dirty I felt when he’d called me that awful name. It made me feel worthless, like ‘wet matches’. So, as I got older and started to write more and more, I eventually turned this awful childhood experience into something positive. As I began to work on the first draft of ‘Wet Matches’, I would make quite a few changes to the plot and storyline but I always stayed true to the underlying tone and central theme, which is that absolutely no one, including the 5 homeless teens, should ever be treated in such a way that makes them feel worthless, no good, like ‘wet matches’.

As I’m telling the students about the deeper origin of ‘Wet Matches’, I always love it when one of the students suddenly feels moved to share a bad experience from their own life and then the whole class gets to weigh in on possible different ideas and ways to turn the student’s negative experience into something more positive.

‘Wet Matches’ won the Quarter-Finals Prize at the Writers Network Fiction Competition in Los Angeles. In 2012, The White House honored me with the President Volunteer Service Award due to the awareness ‘Wet Matches’ raised about teen homelessness and its correlation with rising HIV issues in America. (This 2012 Presidential Award is signed by President Barack Obama, and is encased and displayed in my hometown at the John J. Wright Educational Cultural Center Museum, located at 7565 Courthouse Road in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.)

As many of you journey through life, I hope that you also will try your best to turn any negative experiences into something more positive. – Randolph Randy Camp
Wet Matches

Getting Started

Whatever you want to do in life you can do it. I didn’t realize it back then but the seeds of becoming a writer probably were planted years ago in rural Spotsylvania County when I used to sit along the banks of the Rappahannock River and sort of daydream for hours while watching the water flow.

Yep, when I was a little boy I definitely was one of them book nerds who paid more attention to the Rappahannock Regional Mobile Library route schedule rather than caring whether or not if the Washington Redskins beat the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

I owe some of my early dedication to a few of my elementary school teachers in Spotsylvania who gave me encouragement, especially when I naively would tell friends and classmates about some of the wild stories and dreams in my head and how the Rappahannock River was like a friend to me. I eventually became a somewhat quiet, shy kid because some of these kids would make fun of me and call me crazy. But I’ll never forget the day when one of my teachers said, “Randy, you’re not crazy, people tend to quickly call anything crazy that they don’t understand, and you’re just crazy about your stories, that’s all, so just start writing them down instead of telling the other kids about them.” Needless to say, I couldn’t stop writing after that.

Today, I’m so blessed and grateful to have readers, followers, and a small-but-growing fan base. Periodically, I would receive emails from aspiring writers from around the world expressing general comments and questions about getting started and copyright protection.

If you’re a budding writer and would like to know more about getting a literary agent, proper novel manuscript format, writing great query letters, or just general questions about protecting your material with the Copyright Office, here are a couple sites that could be helpful:

1. US Copyright Office

2. Writers Guild of America, East

Lastly, it might be hard to believe, but it’s actually true that getting started on any or whatever your goals and dreams are can simply start by getting your library card, simple but actually true. – Randolph Randy CampRandolph Randy Camp

Courage To Walk Alone

Due to the senseless, recent death of my grandson in New York it gave me a renewed appreciation for positive-minded kids, and got me thinking a lot about all of the positive kids out there who are doing their own thing and have no desire whatsoever to join a street gang.

Over the years as a youth advocate, I’d spoken with lots of lost kids who were at the crossroads, where they’re not sure if they want to join their neighborhood gang or not. When I was in Los Angeles in 2002, I remember having a one-on-one session with this big, muscular, tat-covered 15 year-old who got really upset with me because I’d told him that it was a sign of weakness to join a gang because it means that you’re too afraid to walk alone.

I could see his face tighten as he thought that I was insulting him by calling him ‘weak’, but I went on to tell him that when you don’t need a gun or a group of others dressed in similar clothing around you to make you “feel like a man” then you’re already on a good path towards manhood. As he got up in protest to walk out the door I further told him that it takes more courage to walk alone than to join a gang. He rolled his eyes and slammed the door as he left.

About a year later in 2003, this same big, thuggish-looking kid was one of many kids along the 26-mile route, cheering me on as I ran the LA Marathon to raise money for the I Have A Dream Foundation – LA Chapter. After I’d crossed the finish line, he excitedly told me that he’d re-enrolled back into school and he’d promised his mom that he wouldn’t ever join a gang. *(Update: Today, this gentleman is now a certified auto mechanic, married with 2 kids, and a homeowner in San Diego. He keeps in touch with me and calls me ‘pops’)

If any of you have friends and family who are currently dealing with a younger family member who maybe associated with a street gang, or maybe possibly at the crossroads, please try, in your own unique way, to get the message across to him or her that joining a gang is a sign of weakness, and that true strength and true courage happens when you do your own thing and you’re not afraid to walk alone.

After building up a bit of trust, some kids will be willing to listen but most will not. As a youth advocate, I’ve learned that you can’t change the mindset of a kid, only they can do that, but what you can do though is plant positive seeds into their heads and simply show by example how you’re living your life.

If a troubled kid is willing to listen, I try to explain to them that gang leaders love to recruit school dropouts because they’re easier to control, brainwash and manipulate because their minds are somewhat empty and they can’t think for themselves. That’s why I always encourage kids in gang-infested neighborhoods to stay in school and please don’t quit. Also, I remember trying to tell another kid that joining a gang will ‘limit you’ because gangs only associate themselves with one or two colors, and they only associate themselves with a certain street or two, or possibly a small section of town. Whereby, in contrast, those who walk alone associate themselves with all colors of the rainbow and they have the whole world, not just a limited area around the block.

Walking alone isn’t easy, but at least you know that the whole world is yours. – Randolph Randy Camp
Randolph Randy Camp

Light Your Fire, Dreams Never Die

I absolutely love music. I was one of those kids who not only enjoyed the beat and melody of a song but I also listened intensely to every lyric. During the late 70’s, I’d acquired a huge vinyl record collection. My taste in music was very eclectic. I had albums by Curtis Mayfield, Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Earth Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Marley & the Wailers, etc.

Just like everyone else, during my youth I went through several phases. I wanted to be a writer. I always wanted to play the guitar like Hendrix. At one point during these early years in Spotsylvania County, I had this crazy notion that I was going to share my love of music with others by spinning records at a club and make a name for myself as a popular deejay.

I felt compelled to make good use of my extensive record collection. And especially after listening to Bob Marley’s ‘Natty Dread’ album for the first time, something inside of me told me that everybody in Spotsylvania and Fredericksburg should hear this cool reggae rhythm.

At this time I didn’t have my own car yet, so one night I got a chance to ride in my brother Ricky’s blue Dodge Dart (man, he kept that car so clean!) for the very first time. That night Ricky drove me around through Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania while I pitched my deejay dreams to local club managers. I had this crazy dream that I was going to slowly ease some Marley reggae into my dance mix if I’d gotten the job to spin some records one or two nights a week. I remember this one particular manager in Fredericksburg laughing right in front of me when he struggled to properly pronounce ‘reggae’ for the third time and then said, “We just don’t want that kind of music in here, son.”

No, I never did learn to play the guitar like Hendrix. No, I never did become that popular deejay who would help spread that reggae vibe throughout Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County years ago. But, eventually my dream came to fruition as I wrote a novel that currently sells all over the world. And in this particular novel (’29 Dimes’), I’d created a character named ‘Teki’, who fronts an all-female reggae band in Silver Lake, California. During my book talk sessions, many students have expressed to me how Teki was one of their favorite characters of all from my four novels.

Regardless of your age, if there is something you’ve always wanted to do, please light that fire once again and see it come to life. I’m nearly 60 now, and what I’ve learned over these years is that your goals and dreams may shift and possibly take on different forms or shapes, but in the end, the core of your true dreams never really die. – Randolph Randy Camp
29 Dimes: A Love Story

'Tis the Season, No Degree Necessary

Feeling unsafe, uncomfortable and unwanted, especially in your own home, is a terrible feeling. Secretly, many kids have been planning to run away all winter long. As the weather gets better there’s always a spike in runaways, regardless of where you live…’tis the season.

You don’t need some stamped certificate or a fancy degree to help someone, all you need is a heart. Sometimes, youth shelters, soup kitchens, and drop-in centers are overwhelmed and any little support from you would be greatly appreciated. We don’t have to save everyone at once. Doing simple things like dropping off toiletries or feminine hygiene products to your local teen drop-in center are a tremendous relief to any financially-strapped community organization in your area.

During the upcoming summer months, all across the nation, more pimps, hustlers and drug dealers all come out to prey on these new ‘fresh strawberries’ on our city streets, at busy truck stops and seedy motels. Let’s all pinch in and do whatever little we can to help out. Let’s try to reach these vulnerable kids before the fast-tongue pimps, hustlers and drug dealers do because…’tis the season, no degree necessary. – Randolph Randy Camp

Learn more by checking out Justine Pedroza's prezi presentation entitled Teen Homelessness Wet Matches

Climbing: Having Human Agency

Just because you may have been born in a run-down trailer park or a desolate housing project doesn’t mean that you have to stay there forever. Navigating yourself towards betterment is certainly a challenge, especially when the odds are already stacked against you.

I’m slowly closing in on 60 years and I’d made plenty of stupid mistakes. But, in time and over the years, I’ve learned a thing or two. Making pro-active decisions and honing your networking and social skills will greatly increase your chances of climbing out of the well. Reading, having a curious mind, and not being afraid to ask questions are all great tools to help you up the ladder.

Some years ago I made a promise to myself that I would increase my vocabulary by making a serious effort to learn at least one new word or term every week or so. By far, this strategy has been one of my greatest instruments in my toolbox. On any given day I could be having a business conversation with an executive at some prestigious publishing house, and a few hours later I could be carrying on an engaging conversation with a homeless person in the city park. Being able to shift and navigate through different waters has greatly helped me, especially as a writer and a youth advocate.

Of all the words and interesting terms that’s become part of my ever-growing vocabulary over the years, the term ‘human agency’ is, hands down, the one that still fascinates me.

How well you shift and navigate yourself through various channels is your human agency, and increasing this ability to shift and navigate on your journey upward could be the key to your climb. – Randolph Randy CampRandolph Randy Camp

Writer's Tip: Writing Voices

Writing in someone else’s voice is certainly not an easy task. When I wrote ’29 Dimes’, I wanted to make the reader feel as though he or she was walking or sitting right beside the main characters, making the readers feel as though they were physically there “in the room” with the characters. When you’re writing your narrative in the first person, or from the character’s point of view, you’re pulling the reader closer to the character without them realizing it. It’s a way of bringing the reader deeper into the story and into the main characters’ consciousness.

When I was writing the thoughts and dialogue for the characters in ’29 Dimes’, I had to totally clear my brain of my own upbringing and thoughts, and then I began to briefly reprogram my brain and body to think, eat, drink, walk, and talk like Valerie, Pepe, Kalib, Teki, Tip, Brittany, and Ronnie, the seven colorful characters in ’29 Dimes’. I absolutely believe that you, as a writer, have to mentally walk in your characters’ shoes to get a sense of who they are and where they came from, which will help to better explain why they are currently in whatever predicament or situation you had written them into. Walking in your character’s shoes leads to great dialogue and character development because you are assuring the reader that “this voice” is not yours.

Writing the ’29 Dimes’ characters in the first person was an exciting and fun experience for me. If you haven’t tried this writing technique before then I certainly encourage and recommend that you do so. Writing voices from the first person perspective is a creative way to draw your readers right into your character’s living room. – Randolph Randy Camp29 Dimes: A Love Story

Your World Too

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and Birthday Wishes. I take nothing for granted. When I was very young I didn’t even know what it meant to have indoor plumbing or running water. I’ll never forget my humbled beginnings and the backwoods of Spotsylvania County where my dreams were shaped. As a child I used to sit on the bank of the Rappahannock River, watch the water flow and daydream about becoming a writer one day.

Today I’m so blessed and grateful. I truly appreciate every one of you. Regardless of your beginnings, regardless of whatever, don’t let anyone or anything stop you. Whatever limitations or labels others have placed upon you it’s your own description of yourself that matters most. Always remember that you’re uniquely special, valuable and that this is your world too. – Randolph Randy Camp
Randolph Randy Camp

12 Eggs

The government shutdown here in America has been going on for over a month now, and a lot of hardworking, good people are hurting financially and struggling to feed their families.

I’m blessed with readers and fans from around the world, and several of them (from overseas) have messaged me recently, expressing how they’re so puzzled that such a developed, prosperous nation as America could allow workers to work without pay while they simultaneously struggle to put food on the table for their kids.

This government shutdown and the emails I’ve received over the past week have triggered my memory bank to the early 70’s when I was a young boy growing up in rural Spotsylvania County, Virginia. For a lot of African-American families in the Southern states there were some good times and, without a doubt, there were certainly plenty of hard times during these years. When times were good, maybe our father would treat the family with a KFC bucket or maybe burgers from Hardees. But, on the other hand, when times were tough, sometimes I went to bed hungry.

One of my fondest childhood memories and one of my greatest life lessons came one evening, in the early 70’s, when our gracious neighbor, Mrs. Peggy Tyler, gave our family a dozen eggs when we didn’t have any food at home. Needless to say, that scrambled egg-dinner our mother had cooked was one of the best dinners I’d ever had, and it’s forever etched in my memory.

From that one simple act of Peggy’s kindness, I’d learned a very valuable lesson that day. I don’t think that you necessarily have to grow up poor to understand what it’s like to be in need, but when you can empathize with those in need, you become a better person and a better human being in general. Who knows, maybe some better decisions could come out of Washington, DC if those in power could empathize more.

As this government shutdown lingers on, I think that I’ll put my own childhood lessons to good use today by going through my kitchen cabinets to see what non-perishable can goods I can donate to the nearest soup kitchen in my area.

Yes indeed, I’m a work-in-progress, still trying to become a better person, and I’ll always be forever grateful for all of my childhood life lessons and, of course, for Peggy Tyler’s humbled blessing of those 12 eggs. – Randolph Randy CampRandolph Randy Camp