Behind Every Great Man...

Support is the number one weapon in the arsenal of an artist.

I lived long enough without the prodding and pushing and love and guidance that comes from family and friends to know this to be true.

This blog is honestly a pretty simple message:

"Behind Every Great Person are Great People."

That isn't the original quote, but it gets the point across. Make sure you have the support you need to do what you love. This doesn't have anything to do with being an artist. This is just common sense.

I've been blessed in recent years to have my friends (and some of my family) really start rooting for me. And with the odd creative stint that I've been in lately, its easy to forget how much I needed them telling me I could accomplish whatever I set out to do.

Those supporters have had to deal with my amazing ability to only complete half a project, but continue to love and push and be there.

I suggest you all get your own support as well if you don't have any, though in all honestly, if you think you don't you aren't paying attention!

Thank you to all of you who have supported me. I hope to make you proud some day.

-Ti(M)ac-

The Hardships of Writing

I suppose the easiest way to put it is: It is no small feat to write.

Every year many put pencil to paper or fingers to keyboard to tell their story. My Creative Writing teacher back in high school used to say "Everyone has a story to tell" which I wholeheartedly believe.

But the nuances of writing are such that sometimes its just plain hard to get the words out. Maybe its writer's block. Maybe its fear. And sometimes those two can be the same. I'm personally not ashamed to admit I've been sitting on a series since I was 13 years old. And I'm terrified to write them.

I suspect I'm not the only one who feels that way sometimes. I'm sure even the greatest authors felt some tinge of fear as they picked up the quill or typewriter to punch out a manuscript. Today's world has made it easy to publish, but no less daunting to put yourself out there.

The desire to write isn't one undertaken for money or notoriety, though its understandable to entertain thoughts of such things. To dream of the big house and fancy cars. Of having your novel or short story put up on the silver screen. These are all acceptable daydreams.

But the reality is we write to write.

We write to inform and inspire. We write to express and educate. But to write to make money...well...if that happens, that's a bonus.

I have had the pleasure of mentoring a young man in the art of telling a story. As I write a chapter, I look at the care and precision I put into each paragraph. Each line of dialogue. And watching him bang out an issue in a day reminds me of my youth. When I was thirteen and the rules just didn't matter. When form and structure flew out the window and I didn't care if it was right, just that it was out of my brain.

Now, almost 14 years later I look back and realize somewhere between there and here, I started sitting on my ideas. Letting them fester and boil. My series I so desired to share with the world stews in my brain and reforms and improves. But somehow never gets shared.

I suppose its important to find a balance between the two. And live by the rule I've been telling the kid:

Do what is best for the story.

With loving hope that you will soon be reading my stories on a Kindle ready device, I'll catch all of you later.

-Ti(M)ac-

The Beginning

Starting something can be daunting. Sometimes if maybe the one thing you WANT to do, but are too afraid to do it. Other times it could just be a task that seems uninteresting and pointless, but NEEDS to be done.

This blog is much more in the first category then the last.

After years of putting of several different ideas to get my personal message out to the masses, I have decided to combine the two aspects of my life into this one place and show that somewhere deep down inside I have an ego that can support a subtitle with the word "Official" in it.

In this blog, I plan to voice my opinions on life from the stand-point of a mildly Conservative Libertarian with a background of faith. Those with volatile personal beliefs beware! I won't indulge in the whims and fancies of Trolls but I won't put up with crap.

I also want to use this blog to support my own personal endeavors in the arts. I am hoping soon to start publishing my long anticipated series of books into the new digital markets of the Interweb. Mostly on Kindle (even if I didn't get in on the ground floor) and hope that I will be able to provide sneak peeks at the projects I'm working on - writing or otherwise - to help you out there in cyberspace get excited just like I am!

I'll leave you for now, but be warned...there are interesting days to come!

Catch you later!