Taking a Little Break

Tags

a place for my stuff, a plot for pridemore, blog, blogging, current events, fiction, Stephen Roth

I started my blog, A Place for My Stuff, back in January of 2013. Today, 119 posts later, I still have so many things I want to share with you all. I hesitated for years to launch a writer’s blog because I thought it would turn into a grind, and that I would quickly run out of things to write about.

Boy, was I wrong.

Over the past 22 months, I have written about a diverse array of subjects, including parenthood, book reviews, current events, sports, social media and the occasional quirky work of fiction. I have averaged at least one post a week during a period when I lost my father, got laid off from Hallmark, found a new job, published my first novel and, of course, continued to be a husband and a father and a pet owner. Despite all the complications of modern life, I managed to find new, interesting things to write about. I discovered that maintaining a blog was actually fun, and served as a creative spark for my writing. It has also been gratifying to receive comments and feedback from my 163 subscribers, as well as others who have visited the blog.

That being said, I am going to take a little time away from A Place for My Stuff in order to concentrate on writing my second novel. I am about 130 pages into the new book, but my progress has stalled as I have focused most of my creative energy on promoting A Plot for Pridemore and updating the blog. I will still post from time to time but, for the next three months or so, I want to focus my limited “writing time” on the new book.

In the meantime, thanks for reading and following my blog. Feel free to check back anytime to see if there is anything new. I look forward to sharing some more information about my next novel when I feel that I have something worthwhile to report.

Thanks!

Stephen

The Crayon Box

Tags

blog, friendship, michael schwartz, mizzou, san francisco, the crayon box, university of missouri

I met Michael Schwartz during my first semester at the University of Missouri in 1989. We shared an English class with about 10 other easily startled freshmen. Our instructor was a slightly mad fellow by the name of Aristotle Baklava, who did everything in his power to turn English 101 into a left-leaning political science course. Each week, he had us write term papers on different chapters from a book called Courage of Their Convictions: Sixteen Americans Who Fought Their Way to the Supreme Court. We wrote about gay rights, freedom of religion, freedom of expression and the uniquely American right to burn the country’s flag at the Republican National Convention. I have to admit I learned a lot about writing in that class. Once my terms papers started taking on a decidedly liberal slant, my grade average magically rose from a low “C” to a solid “A.”

I digress. When you’re in a class that is being led by a crazy man, it is natural to bond with the other inmates, um, students. Michael and I got to know each other because he decided to hit on one of our female classmates. One Friday afternoon, shortly after we were dismissed, he approached Jen, a bubbly girl with long, dishwater blonde hair, and asked if she would like to go with him to a movie that night.

“That sounds great, Mike,” she enthusiastically replied.

Then Jen turned toward me.

“Hey Steve,” she said, “would you like to go to the movies with me and Mike?”

“Sure,” I immediately said, oblivious to Mike’s withering glare. I was an out-of-state student with no friends at school, so the idea of taking in a movie with other people was positively irresistible.

We went to the movies. We saw Sex, Lies and Videotape. I must say, if Mike intended to take Jen on a first date, he could not have selected a more awkward film to watch.

After the movie, the three of us wandered the streets of Columbia, Missouri, talking about our respective upbringings. It turned out that Mike and I had a lot in common. We both came from the South with dreams of hitting it big in journalism. We liked history and politics. We shared an appreciation for dry, sarcastic humor. All in all, Mike and I had a really nice date.

I am not sure what became of Jen. I think she left Mizzou after fall semester to study botany at North Dakota State. Mike, however, is still one of my best friends. Our friendship has survived several moves around the country, careers in newspaper reporting and broadcast news, and get-togethers in Las Vegas, Birmingham, Colorado Springs and Memphis.

Today, Mike has a video production business in San Francisco. He loves the Bay Area, but his time there has come with some challenges. Mike has been blind in one eye since he was a teenager, and his sight in the other eye has continued to deteriorate. He now faces the prospect of losing his vision altogether.

Mike, being the most positive and resilient person I know, has taken a will-do approach to this setback. He recently started an outstanding blog that outlines his next project: to see different parts of the world that he has always wanted to visit. The plan is to experience these places while he can see them for himself. Though his writings on the blog, Mike will take us along on his adventure.

When you have a moment, I strongly recommend you check out Mike’s blog, which is called The Crayon Box. You can also find his twitter feed here.

My college buddy is an excellent writer, and the way he frames up his next challenge is truly inspiring.