Randolph Randy Camp's Blog: Randy C Creations RCstories, page 9
July 17, 2017
Riding The Metro
In my inbox this morning were several letters asking advice about “feeling stuck on the page.” If you’re an aspiring writer, especially those of you who may have a public transit system in your area, it will greatly benefit you to park your car for a day or two and take the city bus or train to wherever you need to go. In the car we tend to be confined and a bit isolated. Riding the metro allows us to see and hear things we often take for granted. Who knows, these fresh sounds and colors might even inspire a new scene in your story.
Veering from our daily routine and stepping outside of our usual comfort zones will benefit us all in so many ways. Maybe I’ll take the metro today, what about you? – Randolph Randy CampRandolph Randy Camp
Veering from our daily routine and stepping outside of our usual comfort zones will benefit us all in so many ways. Maybe I’ll take the metro today, what about you? – Randolph Randy CampRandolph Randy Camp
July 15, 2017
Go Far
I don’t know how many times I had the door slammed in my face. And early on, receiving rejection letters became the norm. Don’t let others define you. Don’t let your day job define you. If I’d let the rejection letters slow me down and stop knocking on doors, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now writing this piece to encourage you to go as far as you can and don’t let anyone or anything stop you. – Randolph Randy Camp Randolph Randy Camp
July 6, 2017
No Checkbook Required
If you’re a waitress, plumber, cashier, reporter, journalist, delivery driver, mechanic, factory worker, farmer, lab tech, teacher, ect. you’re impacting lives every day. Keep doing what you’re doing. You don’t need to be famous or wealthy to help somebody. I’ve never been on the New York Bestsellers List, but my joy and wealth comes from my conversations with engaging students during our classroom book talks. Helping someone doesn’t always involve money. Inspiring someone, igniting the spark in others to better themselves is one of the greatest gifts you can give….no checkbook required. – Randolph Randy Camp
Randolph Randy Camp
Randolph Randy Camp
July 3, 2017
What Abby Did
As America celebrates its independence, I would like to share with you a recent letter I’d received that gives a true snapshot of today’s America and offers a bit of hope for our future, and a better America for our kids and grandkids. With her permission, here’s Shannon’s exact letter:
Dear Mr. Camp,
My name is Shannon. I live in a small town in Georgia. Me and husband got married in 1995 and we have a beautiful daughter in high school named Abby. One day our daughter excitedly brought a book home in which they had read as a class assignment and kept urging her father to read it. Mind you, my husband is not a book reader in any sense, but my daughter was persistent and somehow got him to read it. After dinner my husband sat in his favorite chair and finished the book later that night. When he came to bed that night my husband looked me straight in the eye and told me that he loved me. I began to cry because my husband hadn’t told me that in ten years.
You see, I’m White and before I married my husband I’d dated a Black man. Some people knew about my past in our town but my husband only found out about it ten years ago. We only had one real conversation about it and it wasn’t good. Our daughter was only six at that time and I remember her waking up and overhearing most of it. Our family hasn’t been the same since that night. I love my husband very much and he’s a good man, but just like a lot of White men in our area he is still struggling to come to terms with the ways of his father’s and his grandfather’s generation.
That night, after my husband told me that he loved me he began to explain how a character in the book named Jack had opened his eyes. Mr. Camp, thank you for writing Wet Matches. Our home is a happy place now. What you did and what my daughter did probably saved my marriage.
Forever grateful,
Shannon
Please have a Happy and Safe Independence Day, Everyone! – Randolph Randy CampWet Matches
Dear Mr. Camp,
My name is Shannon. I live in a small town in Georgia. Me and husband got married in 1995 and we have a beautiful daughter in high school named Abby. One day our daughter excitedly brought a book home in which they had read as a class assignment and kept urging her father to read it. Mind you, my husband is not a book reader in any sense, but my daughter was persistent and somehow got him to read it. After dinner my husband sat in his favorite chair and finished the book later that night. When he came to bed that night my husband looked me straight in the eye and told me that he loved me. I began to cry because my husband hadn’t told me that in ten years.
You see, I’m White and before I married my husband I’d dated a Black man. Some people knew about my past in our town but my husband only found out about it ten years ago. We only had one real conversation about it and it wasn’t good. Our daughter was only six at that time and I remember her waking up and overhearing most of it. Our family hasn’t been the same since that night. I love my husband very much and he’s a good man, but just like a lot of White men in our area he is still struggling to come to terms with the ways of his father’s and his grandfather’s generation.
That night, after my husband told me that he loved me he began to explain how a character in the book named Jack had opened his eyes. Mr. Camp, thank you for writing Wet Matches. Our home is a happy place now. What you did and what my daughter did probably saved my marriage.
Forever grateful,
Shannon
Please have a Happy and Safe Independence Day, Everyone! – Randolph Randy CampWet Matches
July 1, 2017
Skyline Lessons
It’s getting increasingly harder every day to maintain a positive attitude and outlook, especially when your daily newsfeed is filled with negativity and hints of outright hatred. At times, the stuff in the news can make you sick to your stomach. It’s certainly not an easy task, but try not to let anyone or anything shade your world. Always remember that thunderstorms are temporary.
Growing up during the 60’s and early 70’s in rural Virginia made it difficult to keep a sunny outlook, especially for people of color living in a society that tried to make you feel inferior or secondary.
When I was a little boy I had a revelation during a school field trip. One of my most memorable field trips was when I was at Robert E. Lee Elementary and our class went to the beautiful Luray Caverns, approximately an hour or so drive from Charlottesville, Virginia. If any of you have never been through this part of Virginia, I strongly urge you to put it on your ‘to do’ list. Traveling through Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains is priceless, simply heaven on earth. As a little country boy I was awestruck as I couldn’t stop looking out the window as our chartered bus made its way along the scenic Skyline Drive through the mountains to the Luray Caverns.
As long as I can remember, I’d always been a nerd and had a crazy thirst for knowledge. Regardless of where I was at and whenever I had a chance, I would read newspapers and various magazines in waiting rooms, ect. About a week prior to our school field trip to the Luray Caverns, I had read an article in a magazine about the Emmett Till murder. This was the early 70’s, and this particular article touched upon the approaching twenty-year anniversary of this American tragedy that was one of the sparks which ignited the Civil Rights Movement. Reading this piece as a little boy of color, the article sadden me greatly.
My thoughts and outlook slowly began to change. I kept asking myself how could people be so cruel to one another. Then, about a week later, the very moment our class and a big group of other tourists stepped into the enormous Luray Caverns and was surrounded by the gigantic stalactites and majestic stalagmites, my little kid mind instantly thought how equally tiny we all were in this massive, magnificent cave.
From that moment on, every time I heard or read about a group or someone trying to belittle someone else in an effort to make themselves feel superior, I wish that they could take a trip to the Luray Caverns, step inside, and see how, in the big scheme of things, how we, as human beings, are so very equally small, and that no one is bigger or better than anyone else.
As I grew older, I always try to check out the local natural wonders in my area as a reminder to myself that I, too, am very tiny in the big scheme of things and that I am no better than anyone else. – Randolph Randy Camp
Randolph Randy Camp
Growing up during the 60’s and early 70’s in rural Virginia made it difficult to keep a sunny outlook, especially for people of color living in a society that tried to make you feel inferior or secondary.
When I was a little boy I had a revelation during a school field trip. One of my most memorable field trips was when I was at Robert E. Lee Elementary and our class went to the beautiful Luray Caverns, approximately an hour or so drive from Charlottesville, Virginia. If any of you have never been through this part of Virginia, I strongly urge you to put it on your ‘to do’ list. Traveling through Shenandoah Valley and the Blue Ridge Mountains is priceless, simply heaven on earth. As a little country boy I was awestruck as I couldn’t stop looking out the window as our chartered bus made its way along the scenic Skyline Drive through the mountains to the Luray Caverns.
As long as I can remember, I’d always been a nerd and had a crazy thirst for knowledge. Regardless of where I was at and whenever I had a chance, I would read newspapers and various magazines in waiting rooms, ect. About a week prior to our school field trip to the Luray Caverns, I had read an article in a magazine about the Emmett Till murder. This was the early 70’s, and this particular article touched upon the approaching twenty-year anniversary of this American tragedy that was one of the sparks which ignited the Civil Rights Movement. Reading this piece as a little boy of color, the article sadden me greatly.
My thoughts and outlook slowly began to change. I kept asking myself how could people be so cruel to one another. Then, about a week later, the very moment our class and a big group of other tourists stepped into the enormous Luray Caverns and was surrounded by the gigantic stalactites and majestic stalagmites, my little kid mind instantly thought how equally tiny we all were in this massive, magnificent cave.
From that moment on, every time I heard or read about a group or someone trying to belittle someone else in an effort to make themselves feel superior, I wish that they could take a trip to the Luray Caverns, step inside, and see how, in the big scheme of things, how we, as human beings, are so very equally small, and that no one is bigger or better than anyone else.
As I grew older, I always try to check out the local natural wonders in my area as a reminder to myself that I, too, am very tiny in the big scheme of things and that I am no better than anyone else. – Randolph Randy Camp
Randolph Randy Camp
April 24, 2017
Servicetown, Lot Lizards and Other Writing Tips
If you’re an aspiring writer, one of my greatest advice to you is to always keep your eyes and ears open.
Ever since I could remember I wanted to be a successful writer. But, of course, I was naïve to the world during my younger years. During my teen years, I found jobs at highway restaurants along Interstate 95 and Highway 17 near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Servicetown was a huge truck stop in our area years ago. The underworld life surrounding a truck stop was a real wake up call for me. Working at restaurants near a truck stop was very educational to me, especially as a budding young writer. I was so naïve back then. Don’t you know that when I’d initially heard the term ‘lot lizard’, when I first started working at the highway restaurant, I actually thought that it was a real lizard crawling across the truck stop parking lot.
The shady, secretive world of truck stops allowed me to see the world differently. As a teenager, when I’d originally conceived the concept of my first novel ‘Wet Matches’, I shed light on this somewhat little-known world of a truck stop by using it as a backdrop within the story. Today, in 2017, unfortunately, this dark world of truck stops and lot lizards is among many factors which play a role in the harsh, unforgiving world of human trafficking.
So, to all emerging writers, keep your ears and eyes open to everything going on around you. Your next story could come from something totally unexpected. – Randolph Randy Camp Wet Matches
Ever since I could remember I wanted to be a successful writer. But, of course, I was naïve to the world during my younger years. During my teen years, I found jobs at highway restaurants along Interstate 95 and Highway 17 near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Servicetown was a huge truck stop in our area years ago. The underworld life surrounding a truck stop was a real wake up call for me. Working at restaurants near a truck stop was very educational to me, especially as a budding young writer. I was so naïve back then. Don’t you know that when I’d initially heard the term ‘lot lizard’, when I first started working at the highway restaurant, I actually thought that it was a real lizard crawling across the truck stop parking lot.
The shady, secretive world of truck stops allowed me to see the world differently. As a teenager, when I’d originally conceived the concept of my first novel ‘Wet Matches’, I shed light on this somewhat little-known world of a truck stop by using it as a backdrop within the story. Today, in 2017, unfortunately, this dark world of truck stops and lot lizards is among many factors which play a role in the harsh, unforgiving world of human trafficking.
So, to all emerging writers, keep your ears and eyes open to everything going on around you. Your next story could come from something totally unexpected. – Randolph Randy Camp Wet Matches
April 17, 2017
Hazel Hill Morning
After I bought my first car, a ’72 Pinto, I loved the freedom of going to Fredericksburg whenever I could. Don’t get me wrong, growing up in rural Spotsylvania County in the 70’s had its benefits, but going into town was a big deal back then, especially for this young Virginia country boy. Two of my aunts, Edith Mae and Ruth Edna, had moved into the Hazel Hill Apartments in Fredericksburg, and it was such a treat for me to visit them when I wasn’t in school or was off work, usually on Saturday mornings.
Back then, as a somewhat nerdy schoolboy with big dreams, I was fascinated with getting away for awhile, going to Hazel Hill and then later going to the city park where I would sit alone by the Rappahannock River and write down some of my deepest thoughts. Today, in the middle of April 2017, I still find myself blushing whenever I see my book ‘Wet Matches’, knowing that it had its origin as a simple song lyric way back in 1978 and was conceived on that one particular Hazel Hill morning. – Randolph Randy Camp Wet Matches
Back then, as a somewhat nerdy schoolboy with big dreams, I was fascinated with getting away for awhile, going to Hazel Hill and then later going to the city park where I would sit alone by the Rappahannock River and write down some of my deepest thoughts. Today, in the middle of April 2017, I still find myself blushing whenever I see my book ‘Wet Matches’, knowing that it had its origin as a simple song lyric way back in 1978 and was conceived on that one particular Hazel Hill morning. – Randolph Randy Camp Wet Matches
April 15, 2017
Get Up!
The true meaning of Easter always makes me think of everyday people who, at times, gets this fantastic urge to resurrect or re-invent themselves. In certain ways, we’ve all been there at one time or another.
It’s an inspiring and wonderful thing to see someone get back up on their feet after falling down. I can’t tell you how many times I felt like a failure during my 56 years on this earth.
For all of you who’ve been knocked down once or twice, I hope that you rise again and surround yourselves with positive people as you continue your journey towards a happier and better life for yourself and your loved ones. Have a Happy Easter, Everybody! – Randolph Randy CampRandolph Randy Camp
It’s an inspiring and wonderful thing to see someone get back up on their feet after falling down. I can’t tell you how many times I felt like a failure during my 56 years on this earth.
For all of you who’ve been knocked down once or twice, I hope that you rise again and surround yourselves with positive people as you continue your journey towards a happier and better life for yourself and your loved ones. Have a Happy Easter, Everybody! – Randolph Randy CampRandolph Randy Camp
April 5, 2017
Mile 19: A Runner's Dream
Don’t give up on people. There’s good in everybody, although in some it’s hidden. Often, a person just need someone to believe in them first, before they start believing in themselves.
My legs were close to giving out. It felt as though I was hitting the infamous runners’ wall. My breathing was heavy and my mouth was extremely dry. I was running the Los Angeles Marathon for the second year in a row. I’ve always loved running, and I ran the LA Marathon as a fundraiser for my favorite charity. I was slowly approaching mile 19 where a line of kids, wearing ‘I Have A Dream’ Foundation T-shirts, stood on the side with cups and small bottles of water in their extended hands.
While living in Los Angeles several years ago, I volunteered with The ‘I Have A Dream’ Foundation and worked closely with the “dreamers”, which are kids mostly from low-income, gang-infested neighborhoods who are promised college tuition or vocational school funds after they’d graduated high school. Soaked in sweat, I was turning the corner at mile 19 and noticed one of the ‘dreamers’ stepping out from the group of energetic, cheering kids with the cups and mini-bottles of water. She stepped into my path and quickly got my attention while wildly waving a bottle of water. She made sure that I was only getting water from her. This was a special moment for both of us. This particular girl would regularly roll her eyes and typically shrug off helpful advice and guidance from me for the past several months as she struggled to maintain a positive outlook within a household and neighborhood filled with school dropouts and gang members.
I’m writing this piece today because the girl at mile 19 who’d handed me the much-needed water is now all grown up and doing quite well for herself. She keeps in touch with me, and recently had sent me an email, whereby she referenced the LA Marathon and our special moment at mile 19, and then she went on further, thanking me for not giving up on her and always believing in her.
I hope that all of you have someone believing in you, or perhaps, you believing in someone else. – Randolph Randy Camp
Randolph Randy Camp
My legs were close to giving out. It felt as though I was hitting the infamous runners’ wall. My breathing was heavy and my mouth was extremely dry. I was running the Los Angeles Marathon for the second year in a row. I’ve always loved running, and I ran the LA Marathon as a fundraiser for my favorite charity. I was slowly approaching mile 19 where a line of kids, wearing ‘I Have A Dream’ Foundation T-shirts, stood on the side with cups and small bottles of water in their extended hands.
While living in Los Angeles several years ago, I volunteered with The ‘I Have A Dream’ Foundation and worked closely with the “dreamers”, which are kids mostly from low-income, gang-infested neighborhoods who are promised college tuition or vocational school funds after they’d graduated high school. Soaked in sweat, I was turning the corner at mile 19 and noticed one of the ‘dreamers’ stepping out from the group of energetic, cheering kids with the cups and mini-bottles of water. She stepped into my path and quickly got my attention while wildly waving a bottle of water. She made sure that I was only getting water from her. This was a special moment for both of us. This particular girl would regularly roll her eyes and typically shrug off helpful advice and guidance from me for the past several months as she struggled to maintain a positive outlook within a household and neighborhood filled with school dropouts and gang members.
I’m writing this piece today because the girl at mile 19 who’d handed me the much-needed water is now all grown up and doing quite well for herself. She keeps in touch with me, and recently had sent me an email, whereby she referenced the LA Marathon and our special moment at mile 19, and then she went on further, thanking me for not giving up on her and always believing in her.
I hope that all of you have someone believing in you, or perhaps, you believing in someone else. – Randolph Randy Camp
Randolph Randy Camp
The Journey
While still in the early stages of development and pre-production, I’m learning from Executive Producer Rachel Rand that ‘The Journey’ will be the official title of the film adaption of ‘Wet Matches: A Novel’. Stay tuned for more updates as this story evolves and slowly comes to life on the silver screen. And I thank you all for supporting me and my work through the years. – Randolph Randy Camp
Wet Matches
Wet Matches
Randy C Creations RCstories
Thanks for Visiting! Randy was born on March 12, 1961 in rural Spotsylvania County, Virginia. Randy has written several TV scripts and screenplays, including TIME OUT TIME IN, THE LEGEND OF THREE TREE
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