C.J. Galaway's Blog, page 5

Quotes That Inspire Me

I thought today since the magic letter is Q, instead of babbling about quotes and why they inspire me I would simply post some of my favorite quotes. Words move each of us for so many different reasons and I feel those reasons should be intimate and personal for each and every person out there.

These are a few of the ones that move me. Some are movie lines, others from writers. Enjoy


"Not everyone deserves to know the real you. Let them criticize who they think you are." Unknown


"There will always be those who mean to do us harm. To stop them we risk awakening the same evil within ourselves." James T. Kirk, Star Trek Into Darkness


"...and remember my sentimental friend, that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others..."
Oz to The Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz


Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well.― Stephen King“If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it. If you don't ask, the answer is always no. If you don't step forward, you're always in the same place.” Nora Roberts
I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters I am not. I write to explore all things I am afraid of. Joss Whedon

I would love to see the quotes that inspire you.

Procrastination How I Loath (love) Thee!

The easiest thing to say is "Oh, I"ll get to it tomorrow." Procrastination is a deadly thing indeed, It creeps up on you, whispering in your ear that there will be plenty of time to get everything done. But to do so one flirts with time, the nemesis of procrastination. Because time marches forward, its cadence never changing or wavering, always constant.

So why do we insist on putting things off until a later date to finish them? Surely the task cannot be that unpleasant as to delay it. After all, getting things done and out of the way clears the schedule for the more pleasant tasks we would much rather be doing. After all, the more time for fun things, the better right?

Yet the list of tasks that need to be done keep piling up, seeming to loom over us, daring us to get to work. One look outside and all sorts of things call to us to procrastinate. The sun is shining, the sky is blue. that movie you've wanted to watch premiers tonight...you name it and it is out there to tempt us to procrastinate.

So my loath (love) of procrastination continues.

Office Space or The Writer's Den

The office is something that seems to be popping up in homes today. No matter which one of the remodeling shows everyone wants at least one office in their dream homes. For a writer, it is that sacred amount of space where one can go to create worlds and feed the imaginations of their avid readers. Even the master of the macabre, Stephen King had something to say about the office.

It starts with this: put your desk in a corner, and every time you sit down there to write, remind yourself why it isn't in the middle of the room. Life isn't a support system for art. It's the other way around.

My office is a work in progress. I have the comfy chair with adequate lighting for reading, editing, and the occasional catnap. It also serves double duty for when the urge to cross stitch hits me. The closet holds all of my hardcover books until bookshelves can be built. My wife has designed a custom desk for me and it will be built during one of her upcoming home times. I have seen her designs and it will be amazing. But for now I am on a laptop perched on a portable table with a wireless keyboard. I have claimed a corner of the couch as mine. It is comfy while I await the perfect office space. I promise photos will be posted.

For now let me tell you how I have envisioned the decor of my office. The overall theme is wolves. I love the majestic beauty of the animal and their loyalty to pack, while still retaining their individuality. I have always been in love with stuffed animals as well, so of course the ones I've kept from my childhood and some of the ones my wife has given me as gifts are in there as well.

So tell me about your office space, I'd also love to see photos if you have any.

Nothing But Nothing To Do Days

Some days are productive and busy. Every detail is planned out and progress is made, things get done, the heavens sing...I'm sure you get the picture. Then there are those nothing to do days.

I'm talking about the days where there is nothing that needs to be done (those are few and far between) as well as the days that you just don't feel like getting dressed, let alone tackling that to-do list.

The latter is more my days sadly. Especially when writer's block has me in it's cold hard grasp. Or when someone who has read my book says:

"I love your book! You're my new favorite!"

Let's clarify here, most authors would be thrilled to hear that. Me, it strikes some chord of fear deep inside me that I will write something that will disappoint them.

I never claimed to be normal, nor will I ever claim to be.

So today has turned into one of those days where I want to be one of my cats. I'm sure you've seen the saying on Facebook but just in case, here it is.

I don't want to adult today
I don't even want to human today
Today I want to cat

That is what my nothing but nothing to do days end up like. No facebook, twitter, pinterest, netflix, or video games. Just curled up in a ball under my blankets wishing for my wife to cuddle with and a nice bowl of Neapolitan ice cream.

Music That Moves Me

Music is my sanity. It is my escape and my way to express myself when there is no one around to vent to, or laugh with. When a song comes on that just speaks to me, I will crank it up and (try to) sing along. When I'm feeling and there are no words to describe hat I'm feeling, I'll post song lyrics that speak for me way better than I can.

My main music of choice is hard rock to heavy metal in all of its wondrous spectrum of tones and moods. To some of you it all sounds alike and I can respect that, but the harder the better for me. It simply does something to soothe me like no other music can.

Rock isn't all I listen to though. I love country music from classic to modern. My teenage years were spent listening to bubble gum pop and plastering the walls of my room with their bands. I love classical, jazz, big bands, R&B, some rap (not much), among many other styles of music. If it has a good beat and lyrics that move me, I'm there.

What moves you when life gets you down? If I could I'd spend the rest of my life in comfy pj's curled up with a good book, a pot of tea, and excellent music to listen to,

Love and Marriage in Modern Times

Living in today's times finding love isn't easy, no matter your orientation, religion, or however you choose to identify. It is as if commitments have become disposable, or maybe we are simply afraid to lower our guards enough to let someone in long enough to get to know our true selves.
For me I'm into the lifetime commitment thing (if you're not that's cool too). So I had given myself up to becoming the crazy cat lady with the ten to twenty cats that she dotes on and takes to the vet and takes up the vet's whole day. I kid you not I had completely given up. After all if I couldn't find the woman of my dreams, then my love life simply wasn't meant to be.

But one day I was playing RuneScape and this player walked into the area where I was and we started talking. We had a lot in common and we ended up spending a lot of evenings playing together online.  After we met in real life I knew things would never be the same again.

Yes you read right, I met my wife while playing an online video game basically.

There's a part of me that almost hates to share this story and you know why. When you're single the last thing you want to hear is the "you'll find love when you're not looking" line. And here I go coming along and proving it right.

Let me take this moment to sincerly apologize for proving that annoying line true.

But seriously, it will happen one day whether you're looking or not.

Knitting or for me Cross Stitch

Cross stitch is a form of knitting, at least to me it is. It's a way to relax and contemplate the structure of my next novel.

So what is cross stitch you ask? Well there are two kinds; stamped is where the pattern is stamped onto the fabric and the knitter stitches over the pattern and counted is where the knitter looks at  a pattern and stitches it onto a blank piece of material that looks like this.


I chose blue so you could see the holes in the fabric more clearly. This is what the patterns look like that knitters follow while doing this type of craft.

This one of the simpler patterns, most are very complex. They run in size from small ones to be made into ornaments, bookmarks, keychains etc to larger ones to hang on your walls like a painting. Those can take months to complete. 
It is a fun exciting craft and if you're interested in knowing more, here is a website to get you started.
http://www.dmc-usa.com/Education/Tech...
If you would like to see, this YouTube video will help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va1wC...

Happy knitting.

Let me introduce you to Joyce

Writers by nature seem to be two people in one. You have the writer who pours their heart and soul out on paper for the world to either love or hate. Living of caffeine fueled dreams that pour onto the page, the world is at their feet.
The one that lives and breathes in the real world goes unnoticed most of the time. After all real life is anything but glamorous and thanks to reality television people expect more than what is real in "reality".

So let me introduce you to my other half, the part of me that the world sees most of the time. Her name is Joyce and she is the quiet type for the most part. She sits back and observes the world and the changes going on in it. She is too trusting for her own good at times, but tries to do what is right and often at great cost to herself.
She loves to read any and all genres, as long as the plot is good. Joyce also loves music, preferring to stick to the rock genres. She is also attempting to play bass and has picked up the sax after an almost thirty year hiatus. Martial arts particulary Shotokan karate is another passion, with a growing collection of swords. To relax she cross-stitches and does jigsaw puzzles.
Joyce has the same doubts and fears anyone else has, with probably a few even she isn't willing to admit to right now. Living and walking a non-normal path even in today's world is still very risky and it is best to stay in the shadows.

There you have it, the other side of me, well at least a small glimpse of her anyway.

The Insane world of the Indie Author

What exactly does it mean to be an indie author these days? While it is true that self-publishing a book is a lot easier now than say fifteen years ago. What is it about it all that compels people to do it?

Fame? Hardly, the market is flooded with work that runs the span from A to Z and hideous to amazing.

Money? Yeah right. I've seen reports that say the average indie author makes less than 10k a year. Most people could make more than that doing any minimum wage job with a whole lot less stress.

So what compels people to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard to write the great American novel?

I can only speak for myself as I reply. I love writing and creating believable characters in world of heir own that entertain people if only for a little while. We all need that escape from reality that only a good book can provide. For me it is the only thing that helps to face the insanity of another day as a reader And as a writer I enjoy being able to provide that escape for others, if even for a little while.

Do I want fame and money? I'd be a liar if I said no (so would anyone else who does this). Seriously who wouldn't want to see their book on the New York Times bestseller list, or on the shelf at the Barnes and Noble or Books-A-Million?

But it isn't the main reason I do this. The story compels me to be told and the people that live in it want to be heard. It is that simple, and that complicated.

Hello

I just wanted to take a moment to say hello. Not many people say it anymore. We move through life with our noses in our smartphones or some other electronic device. Or we walk around with ear buds in ignoring the beauty of the world around us and missing out on life itself.
I really and truly do not get it. is it that hard to say hello to someone else? No one says you have to become involved in some deep, philosophical debate with every person you see. Maybe that person you say hello to your greeting is the only kind word they hear all day. But we are too busy with our own lives these days to think about that. Then there's the flip side of the coin where being kind to someone will brighten our day as well.
Did you everstop to think that maybe a lot of our differences wouldn't be so bad if we started out by saying hello to each other? No one says we have to think, act, and believe the same. But maybe if we started talking to each other more it might make a difference?

That's all, I guess I'll get off my soapbox for today. Just one more thing though.

Hello.