Which Story Do You Want to Read?

A little over a year ago, I had a two-part post about how I was Living the Dream. In the second part, I explained about a month of craziness call National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo for short) where people consume enormous amounts of caffeinated beverages and induce huge amounts of stress by accepting the challenge to try and write 50,000 words or more in 30 days. Why do they do it? For the same reason people climb Mt. Everest - just to be able to say proudly that they did it ... that's all. There are some who have gone on to become published authors, but most don't.

I made my first attempt and generate a whole whopping 1,836 words. That's right! I lasted one whole day.

Well, November 1 is fast approaching and I am gearing up to give it another go. I think I can break last year's record. It shouldn't be too hard. All I have to do is last two days instead of one. But, really, my goal is to reach the 50,000 word mark. There is no better time to do this than right now. Okay, if you really knew my schedule you would think I am totally insane for even considering doing this, but I have procrastinated this goal for way too long as it is.

The first major obstacle that I am facing is deciding what to write about. I have a number of ideas in various stages of development and I am having a hard time choosing between them. This is where you can help. Read through the various descriptions below and let me know what your top three favorites are by taking the polls at the right of this blog. I would really like to know what interests you the most.

• What if Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy had become friends that first day at Hogwarts instead of enemies? (Potter)



• What if the unwilling human host of a cyborg woke up mid-way through his assasination mission? This one has political intrigue, a love interest, and more! (Cyborg)



• What if a retired marine tries to protect an old college buddy that is on the run from a black ops assassination team and his college buddy turned out to be a terrorist at the end of the story? Can he undo the damage he has unknowingly done before hundreds, if not thousands, of people die? Major plot twist potential! (Terrorist)



• What if Santa Claus, depressed because of the over-commercialization of Christmas and the dwindling of the true spirit of Christmas throughout the world, loses faith in himself and, with it, his Christmas magic and decides to hang it all up? Will he find his way again before Christmas comes and goes? (Santa)



• What if a vampire worked the night shift of the police force in an effort to atone for what he has become? Can he protect his secret and maintain his control enough to only prey on those who would prey on others? (Vampire)



• What if a warrior travels back in time to kill the boy who would one day become a blood-thirsty warlord and fails? Do his actions give the child the knowledge he needs to change his future or do the warrior's actions set in action the chain of events that will bring that future to pass? (Warlord)



• What if a man fears he is losing his mind when a stranger that convinces him to not follow through with a suicide attempt keeps popping up in his life at random moments and he is the only one who can see him? Are these the delusions of a mind pushed to the breaking point or is he a guardian angel sent to put him back on the right path in life? (Guardian)



• What if the lost female heir to the throne is returned to the palace 10 years after the murder of her parents but the mastermind of their assassination is still at large and very, very close? Will she uncover the plot that made her an orphan before those who carried it out determine her usefulness is at an end? (Heir)



• What if a man is hired by a high-tech research and development company uncovers a plot to replace high ranking government officials and high-level executives of major companies with clones that will progressively transfer power and financial assets to a very small group of people that want nothing less than world domination? (Clone)



• What if a military genetic-enhancement program goes horribly wrong and ultimately leads to the near-elimination of the "normal" American population and their last chance of survival may rest in the hands of the man who was the prototype of the blood-thirsty ultra-humans that want to destroy them? Can the humans trust him not to betray them and can he trust the humans not to try and kill him at the first opportunity once he helps them? (Ultra-Human)



• What if, in a world of increasing terrorist attacks and atrocities, the U.S. education system is taken over by the military and converted to a system of realistic medieval living and warfare to train the youth to be tomorrow's warriors? But what if the televised footage of the devestating attacks that persuaded the nations to convert to the new system was nothing more than fabricated media? What if the battle training had no other purpose than to determine the best candidates for gladiator-like games that are televised to a society that has an endless thirst for violent entertainment? (War Games)



• What if three "gifted" women who have the respective abilities to stimulate adrenalin production, to stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain and to read strong feelings of emotion in others pool their abilities to solve the murder of a mutual friend while the murderer they seek is actually looking for them and getting closer? Will they be able to find the murderer before the murderer finds them? (Gifted)



• What if an NYC police man gets caught in a centuries-old battle being waged by the children of the Norse gods? Can one man make a difference in preventing the end of the world? (Ragnarok)

As you can see, I tend to lean towards action and adventure stories with some suspense and intrigue. If you have a good idea for a story that you would like to see written, put it in a comment and I will add it to the list ... or join me for NaNoWriMo and write the story yourself. I could always use more writing buddies!

To follow my progress after November 1st, keep tuning in to this blog or check out the word count for NiceGuy at http://www.nanowrimo.org/!

What Do You Give Your Life To?

"I know this now. Every man gives his life for what he believes. Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing yet they give their lives to that little or nothing. One life is all we have and we live it as we believe in living it. And then it is gone. But to sacrifice what you are and live without belief, that's more terrible than dying."

~ Joan of Arc

Up Times in a Down Economy

I have been absent from the blogging world for a while now because I have kept myself extremely busy these past few months chasing two major goals and dreams of mine.

The first is to build a successful business that produces an income that will enable me to eliminate my debts and insure that my wife will never have to stress or cry over our financial situation ever again. But the only way that I would qualify it as being a successful business is if, in the operating of said business, I would still have time with my wife and my kids. After all, what is the point in having more money if you don't have the time to enjoy it and you end up neglecting the really important things in your life?

The second is to help others accomplish their goals and dreams as well and secure for themselves the financial blessings they desire.

I am happy to report that both dreams of mine are coming true at the same time! I started working with an incredible telecommunications company last November and things have really picked up speed over the past month. It is amazing what is happening! The best part of it all is that I get to work with amazing people who aren't afraid to dream and are willing to put their time and efforts into accomplishing those dreams. There is no better feeling than putting time into a business where you know that your efforts are going to bless the lives of so many others and actually see those blessings coming to pass every day. It's awesome!

I am really excited for this weekend, though, because the one product that our company makes is going to be featured on the Celebrity Apprentice show this Sunday! While I would have picked a different day to air the show, I am very excited for what this is going to do for my family and the people that I am working with. I won't tell you exactly what they are going to show, but I will give you a little hint - it is somewhere on this blog and it is changing the telecommunications industry.

So, if you don't watch TV on Sunday, set your DVR to record it or take the time to watch it and see what I am talking about. If you like what you see, or are interested in learning about the other services that you are most likely already paying for (i.e. local and long distance services, internet, cell phones, satellite TV, among others) that we could help you save a little money on, get in contact with me and I would be happy to give you more information.

Lastly, if you or someone you know is experiencing financial difficulty and would like to know more about the company I work with, how I got started, and how I am achieving these financial blessings so quickly and, to be honest, relatively easily, I am more than happy to share that information with you and the people you know. That is the part that I enjoy most in this business - explaining to people how I got started in this business, what it has done for those who trained and support me, what it is doing for my family and seeing the light come back into their eyes as they realize that those dreams they had given up on are still possible.

If you have read this far in this post and are a little curious, allow me to give you some peace of mind about one very important aspect of my business - I am NOT a salesman. Acquiring customers is very important in my business and is necessary for me to get promoted and earn a larger income than I currently am, but I never try to pressure anyone into being my customer.

If I were to give my position a title of description it would be Information Broker. I provide information about my company, the services we offer and how we make our money as representatives. At that point, I step back and allow those who have been gracious enough to listen to me to make their own decision as to what they want to do with that information.

Those who wish to become a representative and make additional income or an income to replace their current one, I welcome with open arms and start teaching them right away how to get started and succeed in this business.

Those not interested in that aspect of the information, I offer my assistance in determining where they could possibly save some money as a customer. If I cannot save them any money (which is very rare), I ask that they do not become a customer of mine because I sleep better knowing that those who have done me a favor by becoming my customer has received an equal or greater benefit.

Those who are not interested in becoming a customer, I thank them for their time and just ask that they remember that if there is ever anything I can do for them I am more than happy to help them out in any way that I can. To do otherwise would be completely against my "Nice Guy" nature.

I'm Still Here...

It has been quite a while since I posted on my blog because this has been a very busy year for me. I have been working my business with ACN consistently to free up my time and put all our financial concerns behind us forever. It has been very rewarding in terms of knowing what I do helps those I know, love and care about, it gives me hope and a focus for the future, and now the financial rewards are beginning to be realized as well.

I have never seen an opportunity like this before where people can change their financial future in their spare time with products and services that apply to nearly every household in their world and the rewards are mind-boggling due to the rapid growth of the company and the lack of competitors. It is awesome and I am so excited to be a part of it!

The best part of this business, though, is the people I get to associate with. I get to associate with a variety of people from different walks of life that are upbeat, positive and full of hope for the future. Most of the day I am surrounded by people who are whining and complaining about the economy and other issues and it is draining to have to listen to them. When I hook up with my business partners, it totally recharges and re-energizes me. You will rarely find a more wonderful group of people - and the best part about it is our group is growing by leaps and bounds each week!

So, for all my business partners, whether you are in my upline, my side-line, or my downline, thank you so much for your enthusiasm, your support, your encouragement, your love and your hard work. You are the best and I appreciate everything you do!

If you aren't one of my business partners, I only have one question for you:

Why aren't you?

Sometimes The Simplest Idea Can Make The Biggest Difference

Trevor McKenney: I guess it's hard for people who are so used to things the way they are - even if they're bad - to change. 'Cause they kind of give up. And when they do, everybody kind of loses.

Pay It Forward

I love the concept of this movie. A young boy named Trevor and his classmates are challenged by their social studies teacher to come up with an idea that can change the world and act on it. The teacher does not really expect anything worthwhile to come out of this assignment, so imagine his surprise when Trevor actually comes up with a simple, yet brilliant idea.

Trevor comes up with the idea of doing three acts of kindness to other people. The recipients of these acts are not allowed to pay the giver back, but instead must pay it forward by doing three acts of kindness for others. The intention is to create an ever-expanding ripple effect of acts of kindness and good that eventually would encompass the entire world.

The quote above, however, illuminates the danger that we all must be wary of - apathy! Apathy is generally defined as the absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement.

Have you ever had an idea that could effect change either in your personal world or the world beyond? Perhaps you had an idea to get out of debt, to lose weight, to develop a significant talent, to render service to others, to start a business, etc. Why didn't you act on it or, if you did act on it, why didn't you see it through to completion? I can almost guarantee it is because you lacked the passion, emotion and excitement to do so or you suppressed it by giving in to your fears.

Passionate people effect change. Dave Ramsey is passionate about helping people become more financially literate and sets them up with a plan and the principles to get them debt-free and financially secure.

Emotional people never give up when those emotions are channeled in the right direction. If you have ever watched The Biggest Loser on T.V., you become a witness to people making extreme weight changes because they have an emotional reason for doing so. And when the pain seems unbearable and the task impossible, they draw upon that emotion to push them through the worst so that they can achieve their best.

Excited people are contagious. Some might even say they are annoying, but that is only because somebody else is excited about something and the sound of it is intruding on their dull, dreary existence. But the extreme levels of excitement create a magnetic pull that sweeps people up and fills them with excitement for what is going on. Soak some excitement up and pass it on to someone else!

I think all of us should have a world-changing idea that we are acting on whether it is one that we came up with or somebody else thought of it first. It should be an idea that we can be passionate, emotional and excited about. Out of my concern for other people's financial well-being and a desire to increase my ability to give to others, I developed The Millionaire Marathon. I still believe it is a concept that will help change the world when it catches on. I am also working on another world-changing idea that I hope to share with you real soon.

Do you have an idea that you are currently acting on? If not, take the one from this movie and go and complete three acts of kindness and ask your recipients to pay it forward. Who knows - you may just change the world!

Living the Dream - Part 2

If you are just joining us for the second part of Living the Dream, I invite you to go read Living the Dream - Part 1 so you don't miss out on anything.

"The starting point of great success and achievement has always been the same. It is for you to dream big dreams. There is nothing more important, and nothing that works faster than for you to cast off your own limitations than for you to begin dreaming and fantasizing about the wonderful things that you can become, have, and do."
~ Brian Tracy

So we were talking about my dream of being a world-famous author with several published works and the challenge of staying motivated enough to complete a writing project. I mentioned a website that I came across three years ago that helps people get the bulk of their novel written in 30 days. Only 30 days!!! It is a tremendous achievement for anyone who does it. After all, how many people do you know that can say that they started and completed a major life goal in only 30 days? Not many.

"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia."
~ E.L. Doctorow

Well back in July, 1999 in the San Francisco Bay area, a guy named Chris Baty and 20 of his friends got together to see if they could each write a novel in 30 days. The funny thing is that none of them really aspire to be a novelist - they just didn't have anything better to do (that and they thought that they might have a much better chance at getting dates as novelists than as non-novelists). Out of those 21 participants, six completed the required 50,000 words and they all had a lot of fun doing it. They dubbed it National Novel Writing Month and agreed to do it again the next year.

"Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say."
~ Sharon O'Brien

As they were gearing up to do it again in 2000, a friend of Chris's volunteered to do a website for the event. Since he was offering to do it for free, Chris let him go with it and he had it done before the start of the event, which had been moved back to the month of November. Thus Nanowrimo.org (I know. It sounds like something Mork from Ork would say ... Nanu! Nanu!) was born and 140 people signed up for the event - over half of which Chris didn't even know. Each year the event grew, as did the organization of people who put it on. In 2007, 101,510 people participated and 15,333 completed the required 50,000 words to win. The participants logged a total of 1,187,931,929 words written as they attempted to write their 30-day novels. A number of Nanowrimo participants have gone on to have their 30-day novels published! Not bad for something that was born out of boredom and lack of dating opportunities.

You may be wondering why anybody would want to even try to write so many words in such a short amount of time. The reason why this event is so great is because it forces you to get disciplined to achieve your goal. You have a very definite goal (50,000 words) to achieve in a very limited amount of time (30 days). You have to sit your behind in a chair and get to work nearly every day or you will never ever come close.

"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."
~ Toni Morrison

The other advantage of trying to write so much in so little time is that it forces you to shut off your inner editor. So many people, myself included, don't get very far on major writing projects because they are constantly editing and changing what they have already written in an attempt to make it good. You can't do this in Nanowrimo. You learn to just write and get it all out there. By doing so, your analytical mind shuts down and your creative one takes over - which is really what you want when you are writing. You get into a creative flow and your story takes you places you never dreamed of going. Besides, many writers have said that a novel is born when you write it, but a really good novel is born when you rewrite it. So write first, edit later.

"I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter."
~ James Michener

Even though I found out about Nanowrimo three years ago, this will be my first year participating in it. The year I found out about the event, my third son was born on Halloween morning. So, I couldn't spare the time to do the event when my wife needed my help with the new baby, his two older brothers and keeping up on things around the house as she recovered and adjusted to having a newborn. Last year, I was simply too busy getting settled into and adjusting to a new job. This year, however, I am making time.

I signed up under the author name NiceGuy and declared my intention to be a Nanowrimo novelist by November 30th. It isn't going to be easy with the hours that I already keep, but my wife has said she will support me as I embark on this crazy and insane adventure. How many of you out there want to get crazy with me? Go to Nanowrimo.org and sign up! Even if you don't reach the 50,000 word mark, you will at least have a really good start on your novel if you give it a decent effort.

If you don't want to do it with me, you can still look up my author name at the website and see how I am progressing. Anybody out there that wants to cheer me on would be much appreciated. It helps keep me accountable to my goals when I know that someone is watching.

While I wait for the whole event to kick off, I am jotting down plot notes as they come to me but I am not sure if that will make the event easier to complete or simply make it pure torture to not start writing right now. I am working another story in an attempt to establish a daily writing habit early and to gauge how long it takes me to write between 1,600 to 2,000 words a day. I have also joined some writing groups at Writing.com that have set up some writing activities and challenges that are focused on helping people get prepped for Nanowrimo as they participate.

As you can see, I have started living my dream of being a writer and my life is better for it. For the first time in a long time, I am really excited about what I am doing and having lots of fun.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
~ Mark Twain

So what are you going to do today to start living your dream?

Living the Dream - Part 1

Do you have an unfulfilled dream? I'm sure you do. Perhaps, it is one you have had since your childhood. You may have dreamed of being a dancer, an astronaut, a firefighter or a pilot. My dream is to be a world-famous author with several published works. (I know I could have just said that I want to be a published author, but if you're going to dream you might as well dream big, right?)

My passion for writing started the same way many author's dream did ... from reading. I loved to read growing up; I still do! I loved how the authors opened my mind to worlds and ideas that I never dreamed of before. I loved the way they developed multiple plot lines and sub-stories and then drew it all together for a stunning climax. I loved the characters they created and how they could make you care about them. And the more I read, the more I started to daydream of my own worlds, my own characters and, eventually, my own stories.

"I am a part of all I have read."
~ John Kieran

I started to write down notes for a particular story idea a number of years ago. The more I detailed the ideas I had, the more excited I got until I couldn't continue just making notes and started writing as fast as I could. And the more I wrote, the more the ideas started to pour forth. I eventually had to put the brakes on and back up because I was writing in the middle. I started at the beginning and put down about four chapters of material. I shared what I had written with my wife and a few extended family members and they all were impressed with my writing style and my ability to grab their attention. I enjoyed the compliments, but I must admit I was also a little skeptical of them as well. Being somewhat of a perfectionist, I could see the flaws of my rough draft and so I wondered if they were being totally honest with me or if they were just telling me what they knew I wanted to hear. I got my answer shortly I stumbled across a certain website.

In the year 2000, another dreamer took a chance and established a small dot com startup called Stories.com in the midst of a rapidly crumbling dot com world. It started out as a simply idea in that it was a place where people could come and lend their writing talents and ideas by participating and contributing chapters to "interactive" stories. It was very messy and disorganized in the beginning and the site creator, the self-proclaimed StoryMaster, quickly realized additional tools and features were needed. He wanted people to be able to "own" the stories they created so he created member accounts and portfolios for them to store and edit their interactive stories. Shortly after he added the ability for members to create Static Items for members to upload their short stories, poems, articles, etc.

As the site and its membership grew, the StoryMaster quickly realized that they had outgrown the Stories.com name and concept. In September of 2002, it was home to over 15,000 writers and over 150,000 pieces of literature. And with all the added tools and activities available, it was no longer just for stories. So, in January 2003, they unveiled the new site name Writing.com, which is where you will still find it today.

I stumbled across Writing.com back in March 2005 and loved the idea that I could set up a free portfolio and share pieces of my writing with others and have them rate them and review them. I set up my own personal portfolio at http://Writing.Com/authors/nesnejan and started reading and reviewing other people's works. After a couple of months, I added my first piece, The Hunted, based on an actual dream I had when I was living in Denmark. I received great reviews from a number of people who had read it. Everyone who took the time to rate it gave it a full 5-star rating!

Encouraged by this, I started to add the first few chapters that I had shared with my family members. Again, people seemed to love my writing style and the stories I told. I'm not saying it was perfect. They had many editing suggestions that were also very helpful in improving the content and grammar. But, overall, people seemed to enjoy my writing.

Unfortunately, life got in the way and I had to lay it all to the side to focus on other things. I have tried to come back to it on a number of occasions but looming plot and character problems have kept me from making any real progress on the story. I also suffer a bit from "Idea Avalanche". Every time I read or write, it seems, I come up with a new idea for a new story. I started typing up plot and character ideas and saving them on a USB key for future reference because each new idea would derail me from one I was already working on.

"Write without pay until somebody offers to pay."
~ Mark Twain

I eventually decided to focus in on one story idea. It wasn't the one that I started with years ago because it did not have the major plot problems and character flaws the first one had. I outlined my idea for the story from the beginning almost all the way to the end. I say almost all the way to the end because their are some lingering questions over how to tie it all up without making it drag on. I figured that it would be better to just get writing and put the words down on paper and let the end work itself out in the process.

"First, find out what your hero wants, then just follow him!"
~ Ray Bradbury

I made some progress, but, again, life got in the way and the project was bogged down and brought to a standstill. (Are you starting to see a pattern here?) I eventually realized that if I am ever going to get a book complete, I needed to develop the daily habit of writing and overcome my inner-perfectionistic-editor. It is a universal truth that anyone can write a novel simply by writing one page a day. The trick is to motivate yourself to do it every day until it is done.

"Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending."
~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I came across another website three years ago that helps people get the bulk of their first (or next) novel written in 30 days. Sounds impossible, doesn't it? Well, come back tomorrow and I will tell you all about it.

In the meantime, go to my portfolio on Writing .com at http://Writing.Com/authors/nesnejan and check out some of the pieces I have written. Sign up for a free membership and take a moment to rate and review the pieces you read. I would love to get your feedback, particularly if you see places where they can be improved. If you like the site, check out some of the other pieces written by other members and do the same for them, or add some writing of your own. If you do add something to the site, or are already a member, leave me a comment so that I can check out your work as well.

I hope to see you back here tomorrow for Part 2 of Living the Dream!