Monthly Archives: May 2014

55 Word Fiction

Posted on May 21, 2014 by mtdecker

Believe it or not, I’m beginning to think that its easier to write a 55 word story than a 150 word story since there is no room for embellishments that will lead to overwriting… With the return of the 55 word challenge I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Flash Fiction, writing | Tagged | 2 Comments

A Serious Word on Backups…

Posted on May 19, 2014 by mtdecker

Making a backup isn’t always enough – take it from me: go the extra step and make sure a) you’ve backed up what you think you have and b) it actually worked. I’ve just come back from a ‘catastrophic’ failure … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, general, Hardware, Tips, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged | 1 Comment

Poetry Workshop or… Mary Tries to Write a Sonnet

Posted on May 16, 2014 by mtdecker

What happens when a non rhyming free-form poet tries to write a sonnet?  Why, we end up with a blog post of course.  So, in keeping with my anatomy of a story series here’s one I like to call… Mary tries … Continue reading →

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Call the tech guy – Part Two

Posted on May 14, 2014 by mtdecker

Troubleshooting a hardware problem – old school Non-geek version: I need a new computer… or least the insides of a new computer <Geek version> Last week I mentioned having hardware issues – I had hoped that a new power supply … Continue reading →

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Flash Friday – Destroyer of Words

Posted on May 12, 2014 by mtdecker

This week, I’ll share my FlashFriday entry – and just tell you that the word count bounced from 175 to 195… hovered at 159 for a while before going back up to 165 and finally ending at 151. The prompt: … Continue reading →

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Poetry Part 2: Rhyme and meter aka Rhythm and Rhyme

Posted on May 9, 2014 by mtdecker

Words have rhythm when spoken and when we’re rhyming it’s not always the last syllable that makes the rhyme work.   Eons ago, when I was working on a solo for ‘State Solo and Ensemble Festival’ my flute teacher talked … Continue reading →

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Confessions of a Flash Fiction Addict

Posted on May 7, 2014 by mtdecker

Flash fiction contests can do a lot for writers, but it should come with an addiction warning. We’re coming up on the anniversary of my first submission to FlashFriday, and my first honorable mention.   I went from writing sagas … Continue reading →

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Editing – a few of my favorite mistakes

Posted on May 5, 2014 by mtdecker

We all have those typos that live in infamy, those occasions where we edit but leave something behind… The following are a few of my favorites. As you may, or may not know, I’m working on editing the novel I … Continue reading →

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Call the tech guy!

Posted on May 4, 2014 by mtdecker

Okay, it’s not as traditional as the dog ate my homework but… my desktop won’t boot and I can’t get to my most recent edits… I was going to edit this afternoon, I really was, but my desktop has decided … Continue reading →

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Poetry Part 2: Rhyme in the grand scale of things

Posted on May 2, 2014 by mtdecker

Rhyme is a tricky element of poetry.  Rhyming dictionaries abound, but there’s more to rhyme then well… rhyming. Getting things to rhyme is easy… until it isn’t.  Sometimes the best word isn’t one that rhymes and you have to make … Continue reading →

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